Where to Bring Items for Reuse, Repair or Recycling

Audio Equipment Repair

• See Repair Cafe under Other Resources at the end of this document.

Athletic Shoes

• Nike's Reuse-A-Shoe program recycles athletic shoes at the end of their life, giving them a new life through Nike Grind. Up to 10 pairs of used shoes may be dropped off at a Nike retail store. The closest is the Nike Factory Store at Woodbury Commons, 600 Race Track Lane, Central Valley, NY 10917 [(845) 928-8838]. They accept any brand of athletic shoes, but are unable to recycle sandals, dress shoes, boots, or shoes with metal (like cleats or spikes). Nike Grind is made from recycled sneakers, plastic bottles and manufacturing scraps from Nike’s factories. Old shoes, collected through the company’s Reuse-A-Shoe program, are sliced into three parts and then ground into rubber bits, foam or a fluffy fiber. Besides using the materials in the company’s own products, Nike sells them to buyers who use them to line running tracks, playgrounds, gym and weight room floors and carpet underlay.  

• Soles4Souls. New or gently-used athletic shoes. Drop-off to DSW, Crossgates Mall (518) 218-0750. Website: https://soles4souls.org/about-us/ 

Batteries

•  Home Depot, Lowes, Country True Value. Portable rechargeable batteries – those batteries commonly found in traditional household items. Rechargeable batteries can be found in cordless power tools, cell and cordless phones, laptops, digital cameras, two-way radios, camcorders, remote control toys and other portable electronics. Any rechargeable battery weighing up to 11 lbs and under 300 watt hours is accepted.

• Big Green Box. Alkaline, Nickel Cadmium, small Lithium and other household batteries. Batteries can't be damaged, defective or recalled. Small household rechargeable batteries are included. Automotive batteries are excluded. Each box is limited to 43 lbs and costs $65. https://biggreenbox.com.

• Ocean State Job Lot. The Troy store, across from HVCC, has a battery recycling box.  It sends most batteries to be recycled except for the following: batteries weighing over 11 lbs., wet cell batteries, car batteries, lithium ion batteries over 300 watt hours, lithium primary batteries with over 25 grams of lithium content, and batteries that cannot fit in their collection box.

• Staples accepts most househole batteries that are 11 pounds or less.. See the full list.

Bicycles

• There are three major bike rescues in the Capital Region, in Albany, Troy, Schenectady: 1) Albany Bike Rescue, 15 Trinity Place, Open Shop Night, Tuesdays 6 to 8 p.m.; Volunteer Shop Night ​Thursdays 6 to 8 p.m. 2) Troy Bike Rescue, 3280 Sixth Ave., Open Shop Night, Wednesdays 5 to 8 p.m.; Youth Shop, Tuesdays 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. https://www.facebook.com/troybikerescue/ 3) Electric City Bike Rescue, 189 Jerry St, Schenectady, Open Shop, Thursdays 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Books, CDs, DVDs, & Audiobooks on CD

• East Greenbush Library if excellent to good condition at 10 Community Way, East Greenbush, NY 12061, (518) 477-7476, https://eastgreenbushlibrary.org/.

• Bulk Book Warehouse LLC – 695 Rotterdam Industrial Park, Building 11 Rotterdam, (518/878-4933) – a family owned used book business.  They sell books through online marketplaces as well as fulfill partnerships with bookstores and fellow booksellers. They work with libraries, churches, schools and thrift stores. Their goal is to make sure your books never end up in a landfill.  They will pick-up your books or you can place in their drop boxes, available 24/7 at their warehouse. Review condition guidelines on FAQ page before dropping off items. https://bulkbookwarehouse.com/.

• Grassroot Givers - 522 Washington Ave, Albany NY 12203. Grassroot Givers aims to spark a love for books in children and adults across the Capital Region. They accept donations of beautiful, like-new books and put them back into the community through various programs, such as Albany Feed-and-Read and Little Free Library. Since inception in 2011, they have given out over 380,000 books to Albany Public Schools, Books for Troops, Albany County Headstart and countless other organizations.   www.grassrootgivers.org.

Building Supplies

• Habitat for Humanity ReStore accepts donated new and used building materials, furniture, appliances, lighting fixtures and other home goods, and they sell them in our stores to raise money for Habitat home-building projects. At 70 Fuller Rd., Albany, NY 12205, (518) 275-6638, www.habitatcd.org.

Children's Car Seats

• Periodically, Target will accept car seats for recycling and give store credit for your trouble. See Target Car Seat Trade-In Event.  Materials from the old car seats will be recycled by Target’s partners to create new products such as pallets, plastic buckets and construction materials such as steel beams and carpet padding.

Christmas/Holiday Cards

• Recycling Christmas Cards: Cards with NO glitter can be put in Single Stream recycling containers for curbside pick-up.

• Reuse your cards in multiple ways; as gift tags for next year, cut up as decorative hanging garland for your tree, cut in cookie cutter shapes and attach to yarn or string, cut out images and use to decorate bags, boxes and paper for gifts, make new cards by cutting images and adhering to plain paper.

• Many nursing homes, senior centers, prisons, etc. accept cards for craft projects with their residents. (Check with them first.)

• Send to "Recycled Card Program" (no Hallmark, Disney or American Greetings at St. Jude’s Ranch for Children (100 St. Jude Street, Boulder City, NV 89005), www.stjudesranch.org) OR mail to: Earthworks Sys, Inc. 33200 Bainbridge Rd,Suite E, Salem, OR 44139

Christmas/Holiday Lights

•  You can drop off your old holiday light strands at the Service Desk at Lowe’s.

• You can also recycle your broken lights at the Ben Weitsman Scrap Metal yard, 300 Smith Blvd., Albany, 12202. Phone 518/462-4444.

• HolidayLEDS.com Christmas Lights Recycling Program  – send old lights for recycling and they will send you a 15% off HolidayLEDS.com coupon for new Christmas LED lights. See https://www.holidayleds.com/christmas-light-recycling-program.aspx for packing, shipping and coupon instructions,

Clothing (Good), Household Items, & More

• Anchor Food Pantry and Thrift Store. Behind Riverside Nursing Home, Castleton-on-Hudson, New York, (518) 732-4120

• Church Of The Redeemer Thrift Shop, 1249 3rd St., Rensselaer, NY 12144. (518)283-6711

• Unity House, “ReStyle” at 2431 Sixth Avenue, Troy, NY, (518) 274-2607, www.unityhouse.org

• Capital City Rescue Mission. September 2020 Update: Great need for items to set up an apartment; e.g.,small appliances, curtain rods. Not knick-knacks or stuffed animals.  Typical Needed Items: Toiletries, underwear/socks for men, women, children (new preferred), men’s footwear, seasonal clothing, children’s clothing (infant/toddler – size 20), small appliances in good working condition. Drop-off location: 127 Arch St, Albany, NY 12202. Contact: 259 South Pearl Street, Albany, NY 12202, (518) 462-0459, givinghope@albanymission.com. 

• Goodwill at 720 Hoosick Rd, Troy, NY 12180, (518) 272-8451.

• Grassroot Givers - 522 Washington Ave, Albany NY 12203. Grassroot Givers is a nonprofit in Albany that accepts donations of clothes, books and home essentials, and gives them to low-income individuals, free of charge. www.grassrootgivers.org.

Computers

• GE Elfun Computer Rehab of Schenectady, Inc., http://www.computerrehab.org/ContactUs.htm,  518.385.9606, elfpcrehab@ge.com. Members of GE Elfun Computer Rehab of Schenectady collect and restore computers. The computers are then donated to nonprofits, schools and individuals as far away as Pakistan — and as close as Schenectady.

Crafts, Creative Reuse

• See https://www.reusethisbag.com. Offers ideas such as bracelets, paint brushes, or seed pollinators from toothbrushes; bread crumbs, summer pudding or french toast from stale bread; garden sprinklers, bird feeders, garden pots from plastic bottles and many more creative ideas. 

• See https://sassytownhouseliving.com. Offers creative uses for hangars, grater, boots, old china, suitcases, clothespins and more.

Durable Medical Equipment

• Jezreel International, 10 Interstate Avenue, Albany, accepts durable medical equipment that is clean and in good working order. 518.438.4370., info@jzrl.org.

Electronic Waste / Technology

• See Repair Cafe under Other Resources.

• Staples, 600 North Greenbush Road,, Rensselaer, NY 12144 (518) 283-3039. Staples reports that your local Staples® store will responsibly and securely recycle old, unwanted technology at no cost to you — any brand, any condition, even if you purchased it somewhere else.  See the full list of what they do and do not take. 

• Best Buy will recycle up to three items per household per day (see categories on web site for different limitations on TVs, computer monitors and laptops). 

• Other locations, see  https://earth911.com/ [Advise that you call to confirm recycling locations]

• For more information about where to recycle electronic waste, see https://e-stewards.org/.

Eyeglasses & Hearing Aids

• Empire Visionworks, 622 Columbia Turnpike, East Greenbush

• Albany & Troy Lions Club, There are numerous drop-off sites in the area. Check with your service providers. Contact: PO Box 192, Troy, NY 12181, (518) 512-2722, https://albanytroylions.org/eyeglass_coll_sites.htm. 

Fabric, Yarn and other sewing and needlework

•  Up-Stitch is a nonprofit creative reuse organization that collects donated fabric, yarn, and other sewing and needlework materials to distribute and sell back to the crafting community at an affordable rate. We endeavor to keep useful material out  of landfills, facilitate creativity and increase environmental awareness throughout  the Capital District. See http://www.up-stitch.com or call (518) 618-2825. 

Food Waste

• Natural Upcycling is a scraps/organics collection company that serves organizations. Their focus is to collect organic or food waste and turn it into a renewable resource – such as electricity or natural gas – through a process called anaerobic digestion. They create a customized program for waste disposal that meets each organization’s needs, large or small. Their clients include: restaurants, grocery stores, hospitals, universities/schools, cafeterias, food manufacturers and food distribution centers. Natural Upcycling‘s services include pickup in bins (provided either by us or customer), large containers, or the client can deliver to the AD site in large containers. Contact: 585.584.3124. Website: http://naturalupcycling.com/.

• FoodScraps360 is a residential food waste collection service created to help reduce the amount of plant matter from entering the municipal landfill where it produces methane, a potent greenhouse gas. With the climate crisis knocking on our door, we need to change our habits to reduce our carbon footprint. Composting household food scraps is an easy way to take a step in that direction. Costs include purchase of a bin and a monthly service charge. Contact: 518.952.0360. Website: https://foodscraps360.com/.

• Troy farmers market. Drop off your food waste for $1 donation at the Transition Troy Sustainability and Local Resilience booth at the Saturday Troy farmers market. Website: https://www.troymarket.org/. For more information, contact manager@troymarket.org.

• Radix Center in Albany picks up food waste from your home for a fee. Contact them about dropping off your food waste at Radix for free. Website: RadixCenter.org.

Furniture and furnishings

• See Repair Cafe under Other Resources.

• Troy Area United Ministries (TAUM) in Troy. TAUM meets the immediate needs of homeless persons, women and dependent children fleeing domestic violence, persons living with HIV/AIDS, youth, those who are food insecure, and low income persons. Contact: 518-274-5920. Website: https://taum.org/programs/#. They have a truck and will pick up. 

• ReStore of Habitat for Humanity of the Capital District, on Fuller Road in Albany. Accepts donated new and used building materials, furniture, appliances, lighting fixtures and other home goods, and sells them to raise money for Habitat home-building projects. Free pickups for large, multi-item donations. Contact: 518-275-6638. Website: http://www.habitatcd.org/restore/

• Capital Region Furniture Bank, Homeless and Travelers Aid Society. Accepts gently-used furniture by collecting it from the community for individuals and families moving out of homelessness or fleeing domestic violence. Contact: 518-463-2124. Website: https://www.hatas.org/programs

Glass

• Zero Waste of the Capital District recycles glass jars and bottles at Honest Weight Food Co-op in Albany. See https://www.zerowastecd.org/resources/glass-recycling for descriptions of what color glass they accept and for preparation of the jars and bottles. The glass that you deposit is processed by TOMRA in Rotterdam and picked-up by a glass processor. While only 1/3 of glass nationally is recycled, 100% of the glass collected and processed in this program is reused.

Ink Cartridges and Toner

• Staples, 600 North Greenbush Road,, Rensselaer, NY 12144 (518) 283-3039. Staples accepts printer ink cartridges, toner cartridges and drum units., even if you purchased it somewhere else.  See the full list of what they do and do not take. 

Miscellaneous

• See Town of Bethlehem Donating Reusable Items brochure (https://www.townofbethlehem.org/DocumentCenter/View/2829/Donating-Reusables-and-Voluntary-Recycling?bidId=). 

Medical Supplies

• Your new or gently used medical supplies, including wheelchairs, crutches, blood pressure cuffs and sharps disposal containers, can be donated to MedShare (https://www.medshare.org/donate-medical-supplies/).

Medications & Medication Bottles

• The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) periodically schedules National Prescription Take-Back days. See https://www.fda.gov/drugs/disposal-unused-medicines-what-you-should-know/drug-disposal-drug-take-back-locations for more information. If you missed the day, see https://takebackday.dea.gov/.  

• To locate drugstores by zip code: www.disposemymeds.org/medicine-disposal-locator

• New York State Medication Drop Box Program, Albany County, Renselaer County.

• Medication bottles are recycled by Matthew 25 Ministries.

Packaging Materials and Polystyrene foam (Styrofoam)

• Shelter Enterprises Inc., 8 Saratoga Street, Cohoes. M-F, 8 am - 3 pm, accepts Styrofoam. Go to office off parking lot, 518-237-4100. Styrofoam must be clean and free of debris like staples and tape. Styrofoam used for food packaging, like coffee cups, meat trays and takeout containers are not accepted. SEI grinds polystyrene to fluffy foam material, places into chamber, compacts it into long stakes, knots into a ball of compacted polystyrene and sends it to companies that recycle it; eg. Berga Recycling or Eco Development. 

• Some UPS Stores accept air pillow for recycling. Use https://www.theupsstore.com/tools/find-a-store to find the UPS store near you and contact them to confirm what packing materials they will take and reuse.  

Paint

• PaintCare is a nonprofit group established by the paint industry for recycling. The program accepts latex and oil-based paints and similar products at drop-off sites throughout the state. Local sites can be found at https://www.paintcare.org/drop-off-sites/. For example, Sherwin Williams at 596 Columbia Turnpike, East Greenbush is a listed site.  Many of the sites are local paint or hardware stores. Sites will accept up to 5 gallons per customer per visit and some sites may accept more. Paint should be in original containers with intact labels that identify the product.

Plastic Film for Return to Retail Film Plastic Recycling (e.g., grocery stores)

• Film plastics include garment bags, retail bags with string ties removed, newspaper bags, dry cleaning bags, produce bags, bread bags, cereal bags, over wrap from paper products (paper towels, toilet paper, etc), stretch/shrink wrap, zip top food storage bags, bubble wrap, air pillows found inside shipping packages (must be deflated), shipping envelopes (must be all film plastic, labels removed), furniture and electronic wrap and any film packaging or bag with the "How2Recycle" label indicating that it is plastic film. Note: All materials must be CLEAN and dry and ALL food residue should be removed. Receipts should also be removed. Source:  https://www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/50042.html. 

• Note: Per ABC news investigative reporting, less than 10% of plastic film bags are recycled, while 90% of plastic film end up in landfills, incinerators and Asian countries. Let's continue to look for ways, such as reusable produce bags, to refrain from buying items in plastic film.

School Supplies, Toys, Etc.

• Boys and Girls Clubs of Albany, 21 Delaware Avenue, Albany, New York, 12210, (518) 462-5528, www.bgcalbany.com

• Boys and Girls Club of Troy, 1700 7th Ave, Troy, New York 12180, (518) 274-3781, www.bgctroy.org.

Single-stream Recycling

• County Waste and Recycling (https://www.county-waste.com/recycling/) and Twin Bridges (https://twinbridgeswasteandrecycling.com/) provide websites with detailed information about what is and isn't appropriate for single-stream recycling. Check your hauler or municipality's websites and you may find other, equally-informative articles. 

• Note that, though your waste hauler will accept #1-#7 plastic, many plastics, particularly #3, #4, #6 and #7 will be burned, buried or exported because, as of January 2020  there wasn't a market for them ( see Greenpeace).  It is best to REDUCE your use of plastic using tips such as these. 

Textiles

• Capital City Rescue Mission: Cleaned material (unusable tattered, torn, or stained clothing, worn out curtains, linens, bedding, pillows). Please mark bags as "Rags" or "Bale." Drop-off location: 127 Arch St, Albany, NY 12202. Contact: 259 South Pearl Street, Albany, NY 12202, (518) 462-0459, givinghope@albanymission.com. 

• NYS Association for Reduction, Reuse and Recycling provides a tool to locate textile recycling locations near you. Just enter your Zip Code and it returns various locations within a 10 mile radius (https://www.nysar3.org/textile_recovery_locations.php).  Links on the site describe what happens to donated clothing and textiles.

Tools

• Tool Box, 143 Troy-Schenectady Road, Watervliet, NY 12189, (518-608-4758). Volunteer run, tool resale shop that helps seniors in need through the Umbrella of Colonie home maintenance program. Funds raised from resale of donated tools support members of the Umbrella program who need help, but may not be able to afford it. Open Tuesday  through Saturday, from 10 am - 2 pm, https://colonieseniors.org/tool-box.

Other resources

• Repair Cafes (http://www.repaircafehv.org/#) are free community events where you bring your broken but beloved items and volunteer repair coaches help you fix them! What kinds of items get fixed? Lamps, vacuums, clocks, chairs, electrical items, small applicances, digital devices, clothing and textiles, dolls, stuffed animals, toys, jewelry and more. Most items get fixed, but even when they don't,  we have a good time trying!. 

• New Life for Old Things (https://www.zerowastecd.org/resources/new-life-for-old-things ). Lists Capital District locations for many items, including some not listed above: backpacks, textiles, light bulbs, pet supplies, school supplies, toys, wool and pantyhose.

• Consumer Reports (https://www.consumerreports.org/home-garden/get-rid-of-practically-anything/). Covers many items and includes links to national web sites as well as tips for reducing junk mail and what financial documents to retain.

• https://earth911.com/

• Freecycle (freecycle.org). Don't recycle, let someone else have it! 

• NYS Recyclopedia on RecycleRightNY

• Helpful tips: https://www.ecowatch.com/recycling-tips-facts.html

Don't forget to contact the organization before you visit. They may not accept the items anymore. 

“If it can’t be reduced, reused, repaired, rebuilt, refurbished, refinished, resold, recycled or composted, then it should be restricted, redesigned or removed from production.” Pete Seeger