Clothing, coats, shoes, purses, belts, linens, and other similar items may be donated to many charitable organizations and buy-back shops in Franklin County. Clothing should be in good condition without rips, stains or holes before considering donation.

PRO TIP:

Worn-out, stained denim apparel can be recycled through specialized programs such as Blue Jeans Go Green Denim Recycling. Denim in any condition can be recycled and given a second life as a pet bed, industrial mattress, or insulation liners for meal delivery.

For in-person drop-off recycling programs, Madewell offers a denim recycling program. Bring in any brand of jeans and receive a $20 discount on a new pair of jeans. The jeans will be recycled into insulation for houses.

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Shopping at a refillery can be a great option if you are looking to reduce product packaging consumption and bulk buy.

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Prescription pill bottles are not accepted in curbside recycling or at a SWACO drop-off location. If you don’t want to take your prescription pill bottles to a special location for recycling, please discard in the trash.

PRO TIP

SWACO’s Recycling Convenience Center will accept EMPTY prescription pill bottles of all colors for recycling. No medications will be accepted as part of this program. Please refer to locations that will accept medications.

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ATTENTION

Do not place empty ink or toner cartridges in your curbside recycling. There are in-store retailer options and mail-in options below.

Recycle empty ink and toner cartridges at retailers such as Office Depot or Staples store. Both retailers offer a rewards program for recycling.

HP, Planet Green Recycling, and Ink Recycling are all mail-in programs.

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Holiday and string lights should NEVER be placed in your recycling cart or at a SWACO recycling drop-off location. Holiday lights are considered tanglers and will tangle around the gears of the equipment at the recycling facility causing the facility to shut down.

Specialized recycling programs can recover metals from old electronics like copper, iron, and steel, while toxic elements such as lead, cadmium, and beryllium are captured for proper safe disposal. Best of all, recycling E-waste reduces the need to mine for rare earth minerals such as lithium, while reducing the amount of waste that’s going to our landfills.

Almost any item that has batteries or a cord to plug in counts as E-waste, and most kinds can be recycled.

Fortunately, our community has many ways and places to recycle unwanted electronics and, this time of year, there are also seasonal programs that collect holiday lights for recycling. Check out the list below to find a collection point near you and be sure to click the link to learn about what kinds of E-waste are accepted at each one and what its hours of operation are.

Seasonal Holiday Lights Recycling Programs

• SWACO Recycling Convenience Center, 2566 Jackson Pike in Columbus
• Bexley, 2100 Clifton Ave.
• Grove City Hall, 4035 Broadway plus other various locations
• New Albany Village Hall, 99 W. Main St., plus other various locations
• Plain Township Fire Department, 9500 Johnstown Rd.
• Upper Arlington Municipal Services Ctr., 3600 Tremont Rd.
• Westerville Electric Division, 139 E. Broadway Ave.

Year-Round Electronic Drop-Off Locations

• SWACO Recycling Convenience Center, 2566 Jackson Pike in Columbus 
• Columbus Micro Systems, 5087 Westerville Rd. in Columbus 
• 1550 Georgesville Rd. in Columbus 
• 2100 Alum Creek Dr. in Columbus 
• Dublin Services Center, 6555 Shier-Rings Rd. 
• Jackson Twp. Admin Building, 3756 Hoover Rd. 
• Upper Arlington Public Service Ctr., 4100 Roberts Rd. 

• Westerville Public Service Dept., 350 Park Meadow Rd. 
• Worthington Service & Engineering Dept., 380 Highland Ave.

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Improperly discarded tires pose a significant environmental and health threat since tires provide an ideal breeding ground for mosquitoes that carry the West Nile virus.  As a result, properly recycling your old tires is one of the most environmentally responsible acts that you can take as a citizen.  When purchasing new car tires, please allow the retail store to recycle the worn-out tires on your behalf. These stores must follow State regulations to have the tires properly managed, typically through recycling.

If you already have tires at home, contact a tire retail store such as Discount Tire, Firestone Auto Care, and National Tire and Battery. Most of these stores will properly dispose of tires for a small fee.  Liberty Tire Recycling will also accept all kinds of rubber tires, including bicycle tires, for a fee.  Please call your local bicycle shop to see if they have a recycling program for worn-out bicycle tires.

ATTENTION

• State laws restrict tires from being disposed of in landfills and should be recycled properly to protect public health.
• In the State of Ohio, you must be registered with Ohio EPA to transport more than 10 tires at a time. If you have more than 10 tires or have a large tire pile to be cleaned up, contact a registered tire transporter for disposal services.  Contact the Ohio EPA for a complete list of registered tire transporters and other information about scrap tire management and clean-up.
• Need to report an illegal tire dump in Franklin County? Call the Environmental Crimes Task Force of Central Ohio at 614-871-5322 or submit a report online at itsacrime.org.

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Do not place durable plastic items such as plastic toys in curbside recycling or a SWACO drop-off. If in good working condition, please donate it for reuse at one of many charitable organizations. If the item cannot be donated for reuse, place it in the regular trash for disposal.

To learn more about the types of plastics that are and are not accepted in your curbside recycling. 

pro TIPS

• Consider participating in a  take-back program for toys such as Lego Replay or Mattel PlayBack where these toys will be donated to charities or recycled into new toys.

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Pallets can be refurbished or recycled into mulch through specialized companies. Please call ahead for instructions for drop-off.

If you are a commercial business, a pick-up service may be available. Please call ahead to learn more about the quantities required and fees for the service.

ATTENTION:

• Pallets should not be placed in curbside recycling or broken up and mixed with yard waste.
• Pallets should be clean and without plastic wrapping.
• If recycling isn’t an option, call your local city sanitation department and request a bulk pick up.

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Some nurseries will accept pots and flats for reuse & recycling. Nationwide, The Home Depot and Lowe’s have a collection program for nursery pots and trays. Check with your local nursery store for details as a recycling program is a store-by-store decision based on management.

ATTENTION

Do not put flower pots and flats in your curbside recycling.  If taking them back to a local nursery isn’t feasible, please discard in the trash.

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Appliances Books Durable Plastics Electronics Expanded Polystyrene (Styrofoam) Film & Stretch Plastics Holiday Lights Ink & Toner Cartridges Latex Paints Mattresses Pallets Plastic Bags Plastic Toys Prescription Pill Bottles Refilleries Scrap Metal Shredded Paper Textiles & Clothing Tires TVs Useable Furniture Yard Signs

Do not place durable plastic items such as plastic toys, buckets, hangers, milk crates, storage containers, kids furniture, and playsets in curbside recycling. If in good working condition, please donate it for reuse at one of many charitable organizations. If the item cannot be donated for reuse, place it in the regular trash for disposal.

To learn more about the types of plastics that are and are not accepted in your curbside recycling. 

qUICK TIPS

• Consider participating in a  take-back program for toys such as Lego Replay or Mattel PlayBack where these toys will be donated to charities or recycled into new toys.

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Appliances Books Electronics Expanded Polystyrene (Styrofoam) Film & Stretch Plastics Flower Pots & Flats Holiday Lights Ink & Toner Cartridges Latex Paints Mattresses Pallets Plastic Bags Plastic Toys Prescription Pill Bottles Refilleries Scrap Metal Shredded Paper Textiles & Clothing Tires TVs Useable Furniture Yard Signs

Yard signs contain multiple different materials including paper, plastic and metal stakes and should not be placed in the curbside recycling cart or at a SWACO recycling drop-off site. However, SWACO’s Recycling Convenience Center will accept yard signs all year round for recycling.

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Currently, there are no local recycling options for mattresses.  Sometimes mattresses can be donated if they are in good condition.  The Furniture Bank of Central Ohio will accept if in gently worn condition.  Please double check their donation standards.

If the mattress cannot be reused, contact your local city service department to schedule a bulk pick-up or take the mattress to the Franklin County Landfill for disposal.

Companies such as Staples, Office Max and UPS all provide shredding services at their retail stores.  Please refer to the company’s program to learn more about pricing and locations. Shred-it also provides community events periodically. Check here to find an upcoming event near you.

ATTENTION

• Shredded paper can be placed in a CLEAR plastic bag for recycling. Make sure only to place shredded paper in the bag. This is the only time plastic bags should be used for recycling.
• Shredded paper should not be placed loose in your recycling bin as it can contaminate the load of recyclables.
• Shredded paper should not be placed in an opaque bag as Rumpke cannot clearly see the contents.

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Unfortunately, expanded polystyrene (“Styrofoam”) is a plastic material not recyclable with residential recyclables picked up at the curb in Franklin County. As a result, these items should NOT be put into your home’s recycling cart but should go to a special drop-off location to be recycled. The list of specialty recyclers is below. If you aren’t willing to drive it to a facility for recycling, please dispose of it in your regular trash. Common expanded polystyrene items include take-out food containers, packing materials from shipping boxes, and egg cartons.

Why can’t this be RECYCLED curbside?

While the technology exists to recycle EPS or Styrofoam, limited markets for the material and challenges with transportation costs have prevented viable recycling options for residents. (Since the material is so lightweight, transportation costs can be prohibitively high.)

You may have noticed that more companies are moving away from polystyrene packing materials to more sustainable options due to these issues.

pro TIPS

A specialized recycling program for those harder-to-recycle plastics is now available to Franklin County residents who have access to curbside recycling or frequent a SWACO recycling drop-off location. Through a new partnership with Hefty and Rumpke, some plastics such as chip bags, granola bar wrappers, plastic film, plastic cutlery, and Styrofoam are now accepted in the Hefty ReNew bag. For a full list of the items that can be recycled in the ReNew program and a list of retailers who sell the Hefty ReNew Bags, click here.

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Latex and water-based paints are not considered hazardous, and if dried or solidified can be disposed in your household trash.

QUICK TIPS

• Kitty litter or sawdust may be added to left over latex paint in order to solidify the unused product.
• Paint hardeners may also be purchased at the hardware store for this purpose.
• Leave the lid off to speed drying time and to let sanitation workers know that the can is not full of liquid paint.
• The SWACO Recycling Convenience Center accepts all paints for FREE, however SWACO’s permanent Household Hazardous Waste location accepts latex paint for a fee. Call ahead to determine the cost.
• Consider using a paint coverage calculator to avoid overbuying and disposing of unwanted paint.

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Books can be donated to a variety of charitable organizations throughout Franklin County.

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Useable furniture (intact, functioning furniture) may be donated to a large number of charitable organizations in Franklin County. Some may even be able to pick up the furniture from your home.

QUICK TIPS

While some degree of wear and tear is expected on donated furniture, the items should be functioning and clean. Heavily soiled or damaged materials may not be accepted.

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A wide variety of metal items can be recycled at scrap metal recycling facilities, including metal appliances and items made from aluminum, steel, copper, and iron.

ATTENTION

To comply with state laws designed to deter scrap metal theft, you will be required to show a picture ID and have your photo taken for the transaction record.

QUICK TIPS

Scrap metal recycling facilities accept a very wide variety of items made primarily of metal. However, there are some items that they may not accept, such as beer kegs, railroad related materials, and cable or utility items. It is always best to call ahead to confirm that they will accept your items!

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