Should I Recycle Old Recycling Bins in Philly?

Our Where Can I Wednesday reader question reads:

“I am getting a bigger recycle bin, but am not sure what to do with my old one. Can you help?

Thanks,
Amy”

What to do with old recycling bins

We’re happy to answer this, Amy! Once you’ve recycled your heart out (or maybe even invest in a new, bigger container – with a lid!), you don’t want to sentence your old bin to landfill purgatory.

What to do If the Recycling Bin is in decent condition:

If the bin still works, I’d recommend giving it to a friend or putting it on Freecycle / a Facebook Buy Nothing giveaway movement. That’s just good karma: a lot of people want the bins and don’t have them. (And might be a little too lazy to pick one up themselves, even though we have a WHOLE list of free bins here.)

what to do If you have a broken recycling bin:

Recycle the recycling bin! You can place it curbside to recycle it IN your Single-stream recycling.

Hope your bin ends up in a happier place, Amy!

If you have a recycling question, submit it to contact(at)greenphillyblog(dot)com or on Twitter/ Facebook.

Julie Hancher

Julie Hancher is the co-founder and Executive Director of Green Philly, an independent media organization making sustainability accessible, affordable and actionable. Since launching Green Philly in 2008, she has grown it from a passion project into a leading voice for local climate storytelling, pairing impactful journalism with community events and experiences. Julie is a frequent speaker on climate, media innovation and the future of local journalism, and is the creator of SustainPHL and EcoFair. Outside of Green Philly, you can find her hiking, biking, traveling, or exploring Philadelphia.