Social Recycling

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A

American Flags:

  • Crest Cleaners: American Flags cleaned for free. Location: Northern Virginia, VA.

Animal Supplies:

  • Lost Dog & Cat Rescue Foundation: We are a non-profit animal rescue organization saving the lives of thousands of homeless and abandoned pets each year. We rescue dogs and cats facing euthanasia in overcrowded shelters, and place them for adoption in loving homes. Cris’s dog April was adopted from Lost Dog & Cat Rescue Foundation. Location: Arlington, VA.

  • Washington Animal Rescue League: The mission of the Washington Animal Rescue League is to rescue, rehabilitate, and rehome animals who have nowhere else to go. We are committed to strengthening and preserving the human-animal bond by supporting animals in their homes through affordable veterinary care, community outreach, and education. Location: Washington, DC.

  • Fairfax County Humane Society: For donations to our thrift store we accept household items, toys, books, clothes and most small items. Due to space limitations we cannot accept large items such as gym equipment or furniture. We also do not accept furs, mattresses or soiled clothing. For animal supplies or animal food, donations can be dropped off at 4057 Chain Bridge Rd. Fairfax, Va. The hours for all donation drop offs are Mon-Fri. 10-4. Sat. – 10-3. We are closed on Sundays. Location: Fairfax, VA.

  • Loudoun County Humane Society: See Wish list for specific items accepted. Location: Leesburg, VA.

Arts & Craft Supplies:

  • Crazy Crayons: These 100% RECYCLED CRAYONS are Hand Crafted, Multi-Color and Solid Color Crayons made from unwanted crayons collected by the National CRAYON RECYCLE PROGRAM. Location: National.

  • Children’s National Medical Center: As the nation’s children’s hospital, the mission of Children’s National Medical Center is to excel in Care, Advocacy, Research and Education. Location: Northern Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, DC.

  • UpCycle Create Reuse Center: At UpCycle, we rethink our notion of waste, collecting cast-offs from our community to serve as creative art materials. We collect, organize and prep items for use in a variety of creative capacities.

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Bicycles:

  • Bikes For The World: Bikes for the World is an independent non-profit charitable and educational program (tax ID #27-5426399) and provides a receipt good for tax purposes for all donations. Location: Virginia, Maryland and Washington, DC.

Books:

  • Fairfax County Libraries: Donations may be placed in the donation bin in the front lobby during library hours any day the library is open. You also may leave boxes of books beside the donation bin. Please do not leave donations outside the library when the library is closed. We are sorry that we cannot pick up donations from your home or business, but large donations are welcome. If you expect to donate more than 10 boxes in one trip, please give advance warning by leaving a message at 703-813-6616 or email georgemasonfriends@gmail.com.

  • Better World Books: This store has a convenient drop box in the Battlefield (Dick’s, Michael’s) Shopping Plaza near Leesburg.

  • Books for Africa: Books for Africa appreciates all book donations. It costs 50 cents to ship each book to Africa. Consider making a financial donation to cover the costs of shipping the books you donate. Location: Mail to St. Paul, MN.

  • Amazon.com: Sell your books online for a profit. Location: Online Sales.

Brita® Water Filters:

  • Preserve and Brita have worked together to collect filters at over 250 locations nationwide. In 2013 they collected over 250,000 lbs. of #5 plastic, including Brita®filters, in our retail collection program. That’s equivalent to the weight of the plastic* in more than 7 million Brita® filters.

Building Materials:

  • Habitat for Humanity: ReStores sell new and gently-used home improvement goods, furniture, home accessories, building materials and appliances to the public at a fraction of the retail price. Location: Purcellville, VA, Alexandria, VA, Chantilly, VA, Manassas, VA, and Gaithersburg, MD.

  • Community Forklift: We’re lifting up communities with low-cost building materials! At our very large warehouse, you can donate new and used building materials to receive a tax deduction, or you can purchase materials at prices that are 40% – 80% below retail. Location: Edmonston, MD.

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Cardboard:

  • Used Cardboard Boxes: UsedCardboardBoxes.com takes an innovative approach to providing low-cost, earth-friendly moving boxes. We “rescue” truckloads of quality used boxes from large companies that might otherwise recycle them or simply throw them away. Location: Nationwide.

  • U-Haul Recycle Box Program: U-Haul has two great recycling used cardboard boxes programs: Take a box, leave a box and Box Exchange. Location: Nationwide.

Cars:

  • Veteran Car Donations accepts many types of vehicles – from cars and trucks, to boats and RVs, to jet skis and motorcycles, to riding lawn movers and tractors – in running or non-running condition.

CD’s (Software, Music, Data, etc.):

  • Best Buy: Best Buy kiosk at the front of their store will also take cell phones, cords, plastic bags. Location: Virginia, Maryland, Washington, DC. (Also recycling Electronics)

Clothing & Household:

  • Career Gear: Career Gear’s Job Readiness, Professional Development Series and Mentoring Programs for men address not only individual client needs, but the impact that being jobless or underemployed can have on families and communities. Being out of work or underemployed can break a man’s connection with the world around him and result in poverty, poor health, prison, lack of family cohesion and more. Location: Washington, DC.

  • Cotton From Blue to Green: The Cotton. From Blue to Green.® denim drive is a call-to-action to donate denim and give it “new life” by converting it into UltraTouch™ Denim Insulation. The insulation is then provided to communities in need to assist with building efforts. UltraTouch™ is composed of 85% recycled cotton fibers and is an environmentally safe, non-itch insulation without carcinogenic warnings, formaldehyde or chemical irritants. It provides exceptional thermal performance and acoustically provides 30% better sound absorption than traditional fiberglass insulation. In addition, it is one of the only insulating products that contain an active mold/mildew inhibitor.

  • Dress for Success: They solve the catch-22 that confronts disadvantaged women trying to enter the workforce: without a job, how can you afford a suit? But without a suit, how can you get a job? Location: Washington, DC.

  • Goodwill: Goodwill Industries International enhances the dignity and quality of life of individuals, families and communities by eliminating barriers to opportunity and helping people in need reach their fullest potential through the power of work. Location: Virginia, Maryland and Washington DC.

  • Life4Animals: The Life4Animals Thrift Shop is an upscale thrift shop whose sole purpose is to raise much needed funds to support nonprofit worthy animal causes. Please donate new & gently used items.

  • Salvation Army: The Salvation Army, an international movement, is an evangelical part of the universal Christian Church. Its message is based on the Bible. Its ministry is motivated by the love of God. Its mission is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and to meet human needs in His name without discrimination. Location: Virginia, Maryland, and Washington DC.

  • Soles4Souls: This is a Nashville-based charity that collects shoes from the warehouses of footwear companies and the closets of people like you. The charity distributes these shoes to people in need, regardless of race, religion, class, or any other criteria. Since 2005, Soles4Souls has delivered over 19 million pairs of new and gently worn shoes. The shoes have been distributed to people in over 125 countries, including Kenya, Thailand, Nepal and the United States. Location: Nationwide.

  • Peace Passers: Soccer balls, jerseys, shorts, cleats/turfs & socks can be donated to the Peace Passers. This can be done through direct contribution of equipment you have or by organizing a collection drive with your team/community. Location: Nationwide.

  • Vietnam Veterans of America: Vietnam Veterans of America is the only national Vietnam veterans organization congressionally chartered and exclusively dedicated to Vietnam-era veterans and their families. VVA is organized as a not-for-profit corporation and is tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(19) of the Internal Revenue Service Code. Location: Virginia, Maryland and Washington DC.

  • Leveling the Playing Field: This charity collects unwanted sporting goods and athletic shoes for underprivileged youth.LTPF collects donations of sports equipment from various collegiate athletic departments, county recreation departments, families and individual donors from across the nation. Through leadership, organization, and thoughtful outreach, LTPF works to supply sports equipment as a tool to enhance youth’s lives. Location: Based in Rockville, MD

Cork:

  • ReCORK: ReCORK by Amorim (previously ReCORK America) is a natural wine cork recycling program. The ReCORK program is sponsored by Amorim of Portugal, the world’s largest producer of natural cork wine closures, SOLE, a leading manufacturer of footwear products, and Amorim’s U.S. sales affiliates – Amorim Cork America and Portocork America. The goal is to recycle corks and to educate and inform our audiences about the crucial role cork forests play in curbing climate change. Location: Virginia, Maryland and Washington DC.

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Electronics:

  • Home Depot: Recycles Holiday Lights in November and December.

  • Office Depot: Each year, Americans throw away millions of tons of old or broken electronics creating potential harmful waste known as Tech Trash. That does not have to be happen. You can help by recycling your Tech Trash into valuable raw materials. Location: Virginia, Maryland and Washington, DC.

  • Securis – Previously the PC Recycler: Securis’ dedication to its community mission includes the extension of its resources to residents of all areas who wish to securely recycle their personal electronics in a way that does not harm the environment. Location: Chantilly, VA.

Eye Glasses:

  • OneSight – Lens Crafters: Over 284 million people suffer from poor vision worldwide. Imagine life as you know it if you couldn’t see to work, read, or look into faces of the people you love. Twenty-five years ago, Lens Crafters founded the OneSight organization with one purpose in mind: To provide better sight for all—everything from free eye care to eye wear to important research that will change how people see tomorrow. Location: Virginia, Maryland, and Washington DC.

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Foam:

  • Home for Foam: Recycle Foam #6, which includes Foam cups and food service products, foam packing peanuts, and foam packaging.

Food (Pantry):

  • Loudoun Interfaith: In Loudoun County, one of the most affluent counties in the country, hunger is closer than anyone can imagine. Many of the people that need food assistance in our community are families – maybe your neighbor or a classmate of one of your children, the elderly on a fixed budget, people who may never be able to work who have mental or physical disabilities, people going through a temporary crisis such as a sickness, the homeless and the working poor. The weakened economy, increased unemployment rate, and high costs of living in such an affluent community have made it difficult for many to afford their basic needs. In June 2012, 16% of the children attending Loudoun County Public Schools qualified for a free or reduced priced lunch. This is a true indication of the poverty that exists in our community. Location: Leesburg, VA

G

Garden:

  • Lowes: To give our customers a variety of responsible recycling options, we expanded our appliance and Garden Center recycling programs. With the purchase of a new appliance, Lowe’s will haul away and recycle customers’ old appliances for free. In addition, customers can now drop off plastic plant trays, pots and tags for recycling at any Lowe’s Garden Center in the continental United States. Location: Nationwide.

Glue:

  • Glue contains solvents that should not be disposed of in their original form. You can let them dry out completely before putting them in the trash or you can take them to your local Hazardous Waste Management Facility.

H

Hangers:

  • Crest Cleaners: According to the hanger network, every year around 3.5 billion wire hangers end up in U.S. landfills; the equivalent of a whopping 60,000 cars! Most local dry cleaners will recycle your wire hangers. Location: Virginia and Maryland.

Hazardous Materials:

Hoarding:

  • Clutter Hoarding Scale: The Clutter — Hoarding Scale is an assessment measurement tool, developed by the Institute for Challenging Disorganization (ICD) to give professional organizers and related professionals definitive parameters related to health and safety. The ICD is a non-profit 501(c)(3) educational organization whose mission is to benefit people challenged by chronic disorganization. Location: Nationwide.

  • Messies Anonymous: Support for Messies who struggle to control clutter and organize for order at home and work.Organizing help and tips to eliminate clutter and junk, organize your house, and simplify your life. Location: Nationwide.

  • International OCD Foundation: Hoarding has been a hidden disorder for many years. Before the early 1990’s, there was little research on hoarding. Since then, however, interest has increased dramatically among research scientists and clinicians. Recent media coverage of hoarding has also increased awareness and interest among sufferers, family members, and human service personnel who often deal with the problem. Location: Nationwide.

I

Ink Cartridge:

  • Office Depot: Join the Worklife Rewards® or Star Teacher program and bring in your empty cartridges to recycle at your nearest Office Depot store. As a member, you’ll get $2 back in Recycling Rewards for each cartridge recycled, up to 10 cartridges per month. Location: Virginia, Maryland and Washington, DC.

  • Cartridge World: Did you know that it takes a gallon of oil to make a new laser cartridge? In North America, over 350 million cartridges are thrown out each year. It can take as long as 450 years for a cartridge to decompose in a landfill. Location: Ashburn, VA, Rockville, MD, Centreville, VA

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Junk Removal Company:

  • 123Junk: Is a Full Service Junk Removal Company that is ready to serve all your hauling needs. Fully insured, we carefully and safely remove items wherever they are located within your property. The only finger you have to lift is the one that points us to the “junk!”. Location: Virginia, Maryland and Washington, DC.

  • Junk In The Trunk: Junk in the Trunk Removal Services has been simplifying the lives of residential and business clients in the Washington, DC metro area since 2003. We remove almost anything that clutters your home including: appliances, furniture, donation items, construction material, and landscaping debris. Location: Washington, DC.

Junk Mail:

  • Catalog Choice: Stop unwanted mail. This is a free service to opt out of catalogs, coupons, credit card offers, phone books, circulars and more. It will help you reduce clutter. Billions of unwanted mailings are thrown away each year. Opt out with Catalog Choice, and simplify your life. Location: Nationwide.

  • DMA Choice: DMAchoice is an online tool developed by the Direct Marketing Association to help you manage your mail. This site is part of a larger program designed to respond to consumers’ concerns over the amount of mail they receive, and it is the evolution of the DMA’s Mail Preference Service created in 1971. Location: Nationwide.

  • Yellow Pages Opt Out: Because we understand that delivering unwanted directories doesn’t benefit anyone. All participating companies must follow the guidelines in our Commitment to Consumer Choice. And in 2007, we adopted Industry Environmental Guidelines, which calls on all members to be more environmentally responsible in their business practices. Location: Nationwide.

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Light Bulbs:

  • Home Depot: We offer programs to recycle rechargeable batteries, CFLs and Christmas lighting.

M

Makeup and other Cosmetics:

  • Origins: Since 2009, Origins introduced a program that encouraged its customers to bring their empty previously unrecyclable cosmetic tubes, bottles & jars, etc. – regardless of brand – to their nearest Origins retail store or department store counters. All returned packing is sent back to a central location where products will be recycled or used for energy or recovery.

Medications and Prescriptions:

  • Dispose My Meds: Each year in the United States, more than 71,000 children aged 18 and younger are seen in emergency rooms for unintentional overdoses of prescription and over-the-counter drugs.1 More than three in five teens say prescription pain relievers are easy to get from parents’ medicine cabinets; half of teens say they are easy to get through other people’s prescriptions; and more than half say prescription pain relievers are “available everywhere.” 2 Medication overdoses are most common among two-year-olds. About one out of every 180 visits an emergency department for a medication overdose each year.2 Location: Virginia, Maryland and Washington, DC.

  • Sharps Compliance: Don’t have a location near you that recycles medication? Sharps Compliance has the perfect solutions to meet your sharps container disposal, medical waste disposal and unused medication management needs. Sharps Compliance’s comprehensive Sharps Recovery System™ and TakeAway Environmental Return System™ solutions are easy, cost-effective and environmentally responsible. Simply use it and ship it—based on your needs and schedule—and pay one all-inclusive price. Location: Virginia, Maryland and Washington, DC.

Music Instruments:

  • Instruments In the Attic: Established in Fall 2008, the Instruments in the Attic (IiA) program collects used musical instruments generously donated from members of the community. It’s “Going Green” in the most musical sense of the phrase! All instruments, new and used, or needing repair, are gladly accepted. Location: Fairfax, VA

  • MusicLink Foundation: If you have an instrument you’d like to donate to the MusicLink Foundation for use by our MusicLink students and programs, please use our contact page to send us an e-mail explaining specifics about the instrument and your location. Location: Washington, DC.

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Office Supplies:

We could not find one organization managing office supplies donations. However, just about every non-profit organization in this list asked for some office supplies. Check with your local school, and favorite non-profit organization, as well as your place of worship. Location: Virginia, Maryland and Washington, DC.

Other Organizations to Support:

  • Adopt a Classroom: AdoptAClassroom.org surveyed its member teachers in August, 2012 to learn more about what they buy for their classrooms from their own funds. The 1,188 teachers surveyed represent K-12 teachers in public, private and charter school classrooms throughout the country. Surprisingly, teachers are spending their personal funds to purchase food, field trips, warm clothing, personal hygiene products for their students. Location: Nationwide.

  • A Wider Circle: Each day, A Wider Circle provides basic need items to families transitioning out of shelters or simply living without life’s necessities. We furnish the homes of more than 1,000 children and adults every single month, all free of charge. We also go into low-income schools and shelters to lead educational workshops on topics ranging from healthy self-esteem and stress management to resume writing and financial planning. We go where the needs are greatest and do what is most needed. Location: Silver Spring, MD.

  • Campagna Center: Today, The Center operates high-quality programs that support children in Alexandria by providing services that allow them to arrive at school ready to learn and ensure they are academically successful at each grade level. Location: Alexandria, VA.

  • Homestretch: Their mission is to empower homeless families with children under age 18 in Northern Virginia to attain permanent housing and self-sufficiency by giving them the skills, knowledge and hope they need to become productive participants in the community. Location: Alexandria, VA.

  • Unstoppable Foundation: The Unstoppable Foundation is a non-profit humanitarian organization bringing sustainable education to children and communities in developing countries thereby creating a safer and more just world for everyone. To ensure that every child has access to the lifelong gift of an education. Location: Worldwide

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Plastic Bags:

  • PlasticBagRecycling.org: In 2006 more than 812 million pounds of plastic film and bags were recycled which is enough feed stock to manufacture nearly 1,500,000 composite lumber decks. Please recycle only clean, dry plastic bags and film. Remove receipts or any other items from bags. You can recycle: newspaper bags, dry cleaning bags, bread bags, produce bags, toilet paper, napkin, and paper towel wraps, furniture wrap, electronic wrap, plastic retail bags (hard plastic and string handles removed), grocery bag, plastic food storage bags (clean and dry) – (e.g. Ziploc® Bags), plastic cereal box liners (if it tears like paper do not include), Tyvek (no glue, labels, other material), diaper wrap (packaging), plastic shipping envelopes, bubble wrap, and air pillows (deflate/remove labels if possible), case wrap (e.g., snacks, water bottles), All clean, dry bags labeled #2 or #4. Location: Nationwide.

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Great Resources for Recycling:

  • Earth911: Find a recycling location for just about anything near you. Location: Virginia, Maryland, and Washington DC.

  • How2Recycle: Find a Recycling Location – Find out what you can recycle in your curbside bin or at drop-off locations like your favorite grocery store or your community drop-off sites.

  • B-Thrifty: B-thrifty is a super thrift store and international bazaars where the community can shop for amazing savings and the best bargains every day with an expansive inventory of over 250,000 items. Open seven days a week, we are locally-owned and operated and committed to being a good community partner. Location: Woodbridge, VA.

  • Amazon.com: Has a comprehensive trade-in program for books, electronics, movies, music, video games, etc. Location: Nationwide

  • Give Back Box®: The purpose of Give Back Box® is to provide an effortless and convenient method of donating your used household items. Give Back Box not only provides an easy way to be part of a truly good cause, it also allows cardboard boxes a second life by recycling them and keeping them away from landfills to help improve our environment. The process is simple! Fill your used box with items to be donated, print a label, ship the box back. Location: Nationwide.

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Shredding:

  • Office Depot: In store shredding service charged per pound. Location: Virginia, Maryland and Washington, DC.

  • Shred Ace: Shred Ace, Inc. is a mobile shredding company servicing the entire Washington, DC metro area, including Northern Virginia and Maryland. We are NAID AAA Certified for mobile paper shredding and hard drive shredding, which is the highest standard of security in the industry. 100% of the material we destroy is recycled, and we issue a Certificate of Destruction upon project completion citing that all material was properly destroyed. Location: Virginia, Maryland and Washington, DC.

  • Shred Nations: Shred Nations opened their first shredding operation in Denver back in 1980. Since then they have expanded to provide shredding across the US and Canada. Shred Nations have helped over 200,000 people find the right shredding solution while keeping their personal information secure. DC Area Locations.

  • Staples: In store shredding service charged per pound. Location: Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, DC.

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Toys:

  • Mattel PlayBack: The Mattel Playback program helps put valuable materials back into play and out of landfills so that the fun comes full circle. At launch, the program will accept Barbie®, Matchbox® and MEGA™ toys for recycling with other brands to be added in the future.