6 things you can recycle in Deschutes County that you didn’t know you could.
April 11, 2019//
Just don’t put it in your curbside bin!
Plus: What do you think are the 3 very common contaminants in curbside recycling?
Recycling! It’s a buzz word. Often times what we think of as “recyclable” and “not recyclable” has to do with what you can and can’t put in your curbside bin. But just because it will contaminate your curbside bin, doesn’t mean it isn’t actually recyclable! (For curbside recycling info, check out this link here.) So you can become a recycling warrior and take it to the next level, here are 6 things that ARE RECYCLABLE in Deschutes County:
- Corks!
Cork is a precious resource that is harvested from trees: an amazing renewable resource that you can find great reuses for if you are feeling crafty. You can also drop them off at places like the Habitat for Humanity ReStore. But if you can’t find a reuse for it, Cork ReHarvest is a company that collects the corks and finds a way to recycle them. You can drop your corks off at the Whole Foods Market in Bend. Please note this recycling opportunity is only for real cork corks — not for the ones made out of plastic. - Plastic Film
Wait! You might think you already know all about this…you might be thinking, “I know! I always drop my plastic grocery bags off at the front of the grocery store!” Well, not so fast. First, in addition to your clean and dry plastic film grocery bags, you can put bubble wrap, case wrap, clean ziplocks, produce bags, 100% plastic mailers, shipping air pillows and more in that bin. (There is one in the front of Safeway, Albertsons, Fred Meyer, Target, Home Depot and more…click here for a complete list.) Even though the City of Bend has passed a ban on plastic bags, there is still plenty of plastic film in the world that can go in these bins. This film is turned into products such as Trex decking and Polywood outdoor furniture (the latter of which you can purchase at Powderhouse here in Bend!) - Old Musical Instrument Strings
Calling all musicians! Bend is a town full of them. Did you know they are recyclable? You can drop off your old strings at Central Oregon Recording: 61419 S Hwy 97 Suite N. - PakTech 6-pack Holders
Hold on to your hard plastic PakTech 6-pack holders and drop them off at Worthy, GoodLife or Cascade Lakes! I heard if you take them to Worthy, you might get a dollar off your next 6 pack or a pint. - Paint!
And Stains. There are several places around the county where paint can be recycled including most paint stores, ReStores, and Deschutes Recycling. It’s important to keep it out of the landfill because it is a household hazardous waste. There are lots of HHW types accepted at Deschutes Recycling at Knott Landfill. - All Number 5 Plastics
The Gimme 5 program collects #5 plastics and turns it all into Preserve brand toothbrushes, razors and more. There is a drop off bin at Whole Foods, right in the front of the store!
And here are the 3 most common culprits for curbside contamination. Keep these things out of the blue bin, THEY ARE NOT RECYCLABLE curbside.
- Coffee Cups – These are plastic lined and CANNOT be recycled anywhere in Deschutes County. The best thing to do is to Bring Your Own Cup!
- Plastic Clamshells – These are made of a low quality plastic that doesn’t have a buyer in the recycling market. They often hold muffins, spinach, and berries. The best thing to do is to avoid purchasing things that come in a clamshell.
- Plastic Film – Although this is recyclable at grocery stores and some other places of business, just keep it out of your curbside bin! READ: You can’t bag your recyclables! Just put them directly in the curbside bin and take the trash bag (as long as it’s clean) to be recycled at the store. Or better yet, don’t line your indoor recycling bin to begin with. Just make sure things are clean before you put them in there. It’s always best practice to bring your own bag whenever you can — this includes reusable produce bags that you can even make out of old t-shirts. But if you do have plastic film, reusing and then recycling is the best course of action.
And there is so much more that can be recycled. Check out our Find a Recycler or Reuser tool.
Posted in Recycling, Waste (Rethink Waste)
How do you make a reusable produce bag out of old t-shirts?
Great question! Here is a link to a t-shirt-into-produce bag tutorial. You cut holes in the shirt to provide venting for the produce. This one is a little more involved.
But you can also just a make a regular reusable grocery bag from a t-shirt with no ventilation necessary. This can be as simple as cutting off the sleeves and around the neck so the shirt is now more like a tank top. The tank top shoulder straps act as handles. Then you simply sew across the bottom of the shirt and voila! Bag. Here is a link to one example of that type of bag, but there are my different tutorials for different kinds of bags out there.
The last time I was at Whole Foods I did not see the #5 recycling bin?
Whole Foods has informed me that they DO still have the Gimme 5 program, but they are waiting for the company to send them a new fixtures. However, they will still accept all #5 plastics, you just have drop them off at the customer service desk!
I would like to no about pvc pipe old plastic toitlets, insulation can these be recycled? Please send messages to markpitzer1967@gmail.com
Hi Mark,
Thanks for the question! If any of the PVC pipe, toilets, or insulation is at all in usable condition, you should consider taking it to the Habitat for Humanity ReStore that is closest to you! You would be surprised at what people hunt for and purchase from these amazing reuse retailers. If it is not in usable condition, I am unaware of any place you can recycle any of it. Plastics are a funny thing and often difficult to recycle.
Are there more places to recycle plastic bags in Bend? Safeway on the East side no longer does since the ban on plastic bags. The school that I worked at closed because of coronavirus. I am hoping that there are more locations nearby so I don’t have to drive far since I am no longer working or taking my daughter to school.
Hi Ashley! I know for sure you can still take your plastic film to the Safeway on 3rd street. I will do more research and get back to you soon!
Do you know if #5 plastic drink cups can be recycled?
Or #1 plastic food containers? (which are not the same as muffin clamshells)
Hi Janis,
The only plastic items that are allowed in our curbside recycling carts are bottles (mouth smaller than body), tubs (like sour cream), and jugs (like the plastic laundry bottles and milk jugs). I don’t know of any places in the county that will accept plastic drink cups. As for the plastic food container: it is probably not recyclable here, but if you email us a photo, I can tell for sure!
There is no way for me to tell based on the number, unfortunately, since Deschutes County doesn’t recycle by number like the do in some other areas.
Does the glass in Central Oregon get dumped into the landfills? We have three restaurants and a lot of glass that takes energy to wash out if they are just ending up in the landfill anyway. It is very difficult to keep commercial recycling “clean”.