How to Dispose of and Recycle Waste in the United States

There is no nationwide color code for bins in the US. Each city, county or hauler sets its own system, so colors and rules can differ even between neighboring towns. New York City is one example:

| Bin | What goes in | |---|---| | Blue | Metal, glass, plastic and cartons | | Green | Mixed paper and cardboard |

In New York City, recycling is mandatory for all residents and businesses. Elsewhere, blue may mean something else, and yard or food waste often has its own bin. Across the country, plastic bags generally do not belong in curbside recycling; the EPA points to grocery and retail stores, which often take them back. Which plastics are accepted also varies, so check your local program.

Drop-off sites in the US go by several names:

• Transfer station: according to the EPA, a facility where municipal solid waste is unloaded from collection trucks and briefly held before being reloaded onto larger vehicles for shipment to a landfill or other facility. Whether a transfer station also takes loads from residents depends on the operator.
• Recycling center / drop-off center: takes recyclables; the accepted materials are set locally.
• Household hazardous waste (HHW) facility or collection event: for paint, pesticides, solvents, motor oil, batteries and similar products. The EPA notes that many communities run permanent collection sites or designated collection days.
• Landfill ("the dump"): the final disposal site; whether it accepts self-hauled household loads is decided locally.

Opening hours, fees, quantity limits and residency requirements (for example proof of address) are set by each city or county. Check your local program's website before you go.

• Bulky items (furniture, mattresses, appliances): many cities offer scheduled bulky-item pickup or accept them at a drop-off site. Whether this costs money and how to book it differs by city – check your local sanitation department.
• Electronics (e-waste): cannot be recycled curbside, according to the EPA; manufacturers and retailers offer donation and recycling options. Some states go further: New York has banned consumers from putting certain electronics in the trash or at the curb since January 1, 2015, and manufacturers must offer free, convenient recycling to most consumers.
• Batteries: lithium-ion and other rechargeable batteries should not go in household garbage or recycling bins. Take them to a battery drop-off or HHW collection point, and tape the terminals or bag each battery to prevent fires. The EPA points to locators such as Call2Recycle and Earth911.
• Paint and chemicals: paints, cleaners, pesticides and solvents count as household hazardous waste. Never pour them down the drain or on the ground. In states with paint stewardship laws (for example California, Colorado, Minnesota, New York and Oregon), PaintCare runs paint drop-off sites.
• Used motor oil and filters: collect oil in a leak-proof container and ask local auto service facilities, waste collectors or government waste officials where to drop it off; most collection centers also take drained oil filters. According to the EPA, oil from one oil change can contaminate one million gallons of fresh water.
• Medicines: the FDA says the best option is a drug take-back location or a prepaid mail-back envelope. The DEA holds National Prescription Drug Take Back Days and lists year-round drop-off locations; according to the DEA, about 16,500 pharmacies, hospitals and businesses take unused medicines, and many police departments have drop boxes. The FDA also publishes separate guidance for needles and other sharps.
• Construction and demolition debris: usually not accepted in household bins. The EPA notes that asphalt, concrete and rubble are often recycled into aggregate or new asphalt and concrete products; ask your local transfer station or a C&D recycler.
• Solar panels and large batteries: according to the EPA, some panels are hazardous waste and some are not, even within the same model. In 2023 the EPA announced a rulemaking to manage end-of-life solar panels and lithium batteries as universal waste, while California, Washington and New Jersey have their own programs. Contact your installer, manufacturer or state environmental agency.
• Clothing and textiles: donate or reuse where possible. The EPA estimates that 11.3 million tons of textiles went to landfills in 2018, with a recycling rate of 14.7 percent.

Ten states have a beverage container deposit law ("bottle bill"): California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, Oregon and Vermont. You pay a small deposit when you buy a drink and get it back when you return the empty container. According to a 2024 report by the Connecticut General Assembly's research office, the base deposit is 5 cents in most of these states and 10 cents in Connecticut, Michigan and Oregon. California, Maine and Vermont charge more for some containers, such as larger bottles, wine or spirits. Which drinks are covered and where you can return them differ by state.

The federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), passed by Congress on October 21, 1976, is the main US waste law. Subtitle D covers non-hazardous solid waste, including household waste, and is implemented mainly by the states, while Subtitle C covers hazardous waste. Waste from normal household activities is excluded from the federal definition of hazardous waste, but states may set stricter rules. Recycling programs, bin rules, bottle bills and e-waste laws are set by states and local governments.