the Mt Airy Greening Net (MAGNet)
presents the
A to Z directory of local reuse & recycling options
to answer What Do I Do With...? and Where Can I Recycle...?

A  B  C  D  E  F  G  H  I  J  K  L M  N  O  P  Q  R  S  T  U V  W  X  Y  Z

recent updates high-lighted
A
Aerosol cans Empty cans are picked up by Philadelphia's Curbside recycling
Remove cap & place in rigid container on Recycling day in your neighborhood
Aluminum cans Empty cans are picked up by Philadelphia's Curbside recycling
Rinse & place in rigid container on Recycling day in your neighborhood
Aluminum foil Clean foil, such as washed pie pans, can be placed in rigid container on Recycling day in your neighborhood. Will be picked up by Philadelphia's Curbside recycling 
Antifreeze Dropoff at Philadelphia's Household Hazardous Waste collection.
Asbestos Dropoff at Philadelphia's Household Hazardous Waste collection.
Athletic Shoes see Shoes, Athletic
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Batteries
 Use rechargeable as much as possible.  One rechargeable battery is equal to approximately 500 batteries.  Alkaline’s are recommended for flashlights or alarm clock’s back-up during power failures. 
  • Rechargeable batteries can be recycled, free to the consumer, thru the Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corp with dropoff locations across the nation. Go to Call2Recycle.org, or call 1-877-2-RECYCLE to find a drop-off site near you.
  • Alkaline batteries can be recycled at monthly recycling organized by Weavers Way Environment Committee at a charge of about $1 per pound [check with Stevik].  This way the resources are used over and over again to make new batteries.  To setup your own collection, see the Battery Recycling website.

Bikes & bike parts The following groups accept bikes and bike parts for reuse. Contact first to see if they could use the items you have.
Biomass
 The Pennsylvania Biomass Trader is a great place to give or get Biofuels, Compost, Energy crops, Food waste, Manure, Restaurant waste or Woody material.
Brake fluid Dropoff at Philadelphia's Household Hazardous Waste collection.
Books

Donate to:
1. The Book Corner, run by Friends of the Free Library. For more than a small box of books, call first! 
311 N 20th St (the corner of 20th and Wood) | 215-567-0527 | Mon-Sat 10am-6pm

2. The Next Page, another bookstore run by Friends of the Free Library. No textbooks, encyclopedias, condensed books, or magazines, and no pick up service.
722 Chestnut Street | 215-925-0722 | Mon-Sat 10am-6pm

2. in West Philly - Books through Bars, providing books to citizens in prison. 
4722 Baltimore Ave | Philadelphia PA 19143 | 215 727 8170

4. in Springfield township - take to the book drive every 2nd Saturday from 9-noon at the Springfield Township High School (Papermill & Route 309). Proceeds benefit the VFW Lodge on Elm Street in Wyndmoor PA.

There are several used book stores in Philadelphia. Call to see if they're interested in your books:

  • Bindlestiff Books | 4530 Baltimore Ave | 215.222.2432
  • The Book Trader | 7 North 2nd St | 215.925.0517
  • Bookhaven | 2202 Fairmount Ave | 215.235.3226
  • Brickbat Books | 709 South 4th St | 215.592.1207
  • Jules Goldman Books | 29 North 2nd St | 215.923.2203
  • House of Our Own | 3920 Spruce St | 215.222.1576
  • The Last Word Bookshop | 220 South 4th St | 215.386.7750
  • Misc Libri @ Reading Terminal Market | 51 North 12th St | 215.238.9884
  • Molly's Bookstore | 1010 South 9th St | 215.923.3367
  • Mostly Books | 529 Bainbridge | 215.238.9838
  • Mostly Books | 259 South 10th St | 215.592.8380
  • Port Richmond Books | 3037 Richmond St | 215.425.3385
  • Robins Books | 110A South 13th St | 215.567.2615
  • The Spiral Bookcase | 112 Cotton St | 215.482.0704
  • Walk a Crooked Mile Books | 7423 Devon St at the Mt Airy train station | 215.242.0854
  • Whodunit Book Store | 1931 Chestnut St | 215.567.1478
  • Wooden Shoe Books | 704 South St | 215.413.0999
Books, hardcover fiction Lovett Branch of the Free Library of Philadelphia
Books, hardcover non-fiction East Falls Branch of the Free Library of Philadelphia
Bottlecaps, plastic Bottlecaps are picked up by Philadelphia's Curbside recycling
Brita filters & pitchers
 Typically made of #5 (polypropylene) plastic, the pitchers can be used for watering houseplants. The filter housing & pitchers can be recycled thru Preserve's Gimme 5 recycling program. Local places participating in this are
1. Whole Foods, check for participating stores here.
2. Weavers Way Recycling, check for next collection date here.

Building Materials Drop off at one of the following. Call first to see if they'll accept your items:

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Cat stuff Kitty Cottage, the only cageless cat shelter in the region accepts:
scratching posts, cat litter, cat food, grooming products, cat treats &
paper towels, cleaning products, towels, afghans

Dropoff at 317 W Johnson in East Norriton. 
Cardboard Clean & flattened, cardboard is picked up by Philadelphia's Curbside recycling. Place in rigid container on Recycling day in your neighborhood.
CDs & DVDs Any unwanted CDs & DVDs will be used in an ongoing arts & crafts project for kids visiting Assateague Island National Seashore in Maryland. Contact Stevik in Mt Airy.
Cell Phones Dropoff at:
1. Chestnut Hill (19118) - St Paul’s Episcopal Church, who recycles these and forwards the revenues to the Heifer Fund, a group that works toward 'Ending Hunger, Caring for the Earth'.

2. Center City - Women In Transition, a domestic violence agency in center city accepts cell phone drop-ff between 830am and 430pm Mon-Fri / 21 South 12th St, 6th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19107. They use Verizon's Hope Line program which reprograms cell phones and donates them to battered women. 

3. Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corp has locations across the nation. Go to Call2Recycle.org, or call 1-877-2-RECYCLE to find a drop-off site near you.
CFLs (Compact Fluorescent Lamps) CFLs, also referred to as fluorescent lights, are a great way to reduce the electric bill.  One issue is that they contain small amounts of mercury and cannot be thrown away in the garbage.  If you've got the curly ones that fit in standard light sockets, you can...

1. Take to the Returns Dept of your nearest Ikea store. There are clearly marked bins, and they accept these at no charge to you. The lamps being turned in for recycling don't even have to be purchased at Ikea.
2. Take to any Home Depot store.

Make sure to wrap in plastic or a paper bag to prevent breaking during transport; if it breaks, the mercury will be released.

For other fluorescent bulbs, such as long tubes & circles see Fluorescent Bulbs.

China, broken In Mt Airy - Tesserae Studio & Gallery will accept colored china or tiles for mosaic projects / 6780 Germantown Ave / Philadelphia, PA 19119 / Jessica / 215 848 2110
Clothes hangers, metal
 Save them up and take them back to your dry cleaner. If your dry cleaner isn't interested in them, here's at least one in our region that will:
1. Liberty Cleaners | 606 N 2nd St, Philadelphia PA | 267.639.3978
Clothing, children's Association of Child Daycare Providers / 3125 Reach Street / Philadelphia, PA 19134
Monica Wright / 267-242-6304
Clothing If reusable, take to a thrift store new you. Some listed below:
  • American Family Services Thrift Store | 910 N Broad St | 215-236-9515
  • Bargain Thrift Center | 5621 Germantown Ave | 215 849 3225
  • Bryn Athyn Thrift Shop | 520 Tomlinson Road, Bryn Athyn PA | 215-947-7646
  • Bryn Mawr Hospital Thrift Shop | 820 Glenbrook Rd, Bryn Mawr PA 19010 | 215-525-4888
  • Circle Thrift | 2007 Frankford Ave | 215-423-5060
  • Global Thrift | 33 W Girard Ave |
  • Goodwill | Swathmore Shopping Center, Springfield PA 19064 | 215-543-4399
  • Hope On 7th Thrift | 7th & Bainbridge St | 215-413-2301
  • New Life Thrift Shop | 800 N Easton Rd, Glenside PA 19038 | 215-886-8619
  • Salvation Army | 4555 Pechin St | 215 483 3340
  • Second Mile Center | 214 S 45th St | (215) 662-1663
  • Super Thrift | 8919 New Falls Rd, Levittown PA 19054 | 215-943-3775
  • Whosoever Gospel Mission | 101 E Chelten Ave | 215 438 3094
You can also save up for the next clothing swap or Free-for-All in your neighborhood. Annual ones listed below:
  • Kids Clothing Swap at the Germantown Jewish Center | Apr 2011
  • Free-for-All as part of Wissahickon Charter School's annual Earth Day Fair, next one Apr 30, 2011
  • Community Fair at the Seventh Day Adventist Church on the Boulevard, Labor Day Sunday since 2008, next one Sep 4, 2011
  • Women's Clothing Swap at the Germantown Jewish Center, typically each spring
Computers For reuse, donate to Nonprofit Technology Resources / 1524 Brandywine St / Philadelphia PA 19130.
For recycling, dropoff at the City of Philadelphia's next Household Hazardous Waste collection.
Concrete Take your concrete rubble to Winzinger's, they'll crush it & recycle into roadfill.
Delaware & Allegheny Ave / Philadelphia, PA 19131 / 215 425 4422
Crayons Here's someone that makes new crayons from old! Why not send Rebecca your stubs?
For more info, see Rebecca's Recycled Riters or contact Rebecca herself.
D
Degreasers Dropoff at Philadelphia's Household Hazardous Waste collection.
Dog Stuff (beds, bowls, collars, crates, leashes, medicine, treats, toys) Save our Small Dogs / Cherry Hill, NJ / Barbara Ross
DVDs & CDs Any unwanted CDs & DVDs will be used in an ongoing arts & crafts project for kids visiting Assateague Island National Seashore in Maryland. Contact Stevik in Mt Airy
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Egg Cartons Greensgrow Farm, in Kensington, could use clean egg cartons for the eggs they sell, as will most farmer's markets that sell eggs. 
Eggshells 1. Find a compost pile near you using the Philly Compost map of compost sites in Philadelphia. Once you find a site, ask a neighbor if you can share hers before contributing.
2. See Philadelphia Composting Program for more info on setting up your own compost pile. 
Electronics Still working items can be donated to
1. any Goodwill store - TV & audio systems to be sold in their thrift stores
2. Nonprofit Technology Resources - Computers and peripherals to be sold in their thrift store
1524 Brandywine St, Philadelphia PA 19130
3. Freecycle - offer, as always, for free on your local group
4. Craigslist - post as free or for sale on the Philadelphia group

Non-working items can be dropped off at
1. the City of Philadelphia's Northwest & Northeast Sanitation convenience sites from Monday thru Saturday 8am till 6pm or at their next Household Hazardous Waste collection day.
2. Local groups often organize fundraising drives to collect these. Let us know of upcoming ones to publish here.
3. Staples accepts all Dell electronics for free and other brands for approximately $10
Eyeglasses The Lions Club collects eyeglasses and distributes them around the world. One of their 7 recycling centers in the US is in Trenton.  More locally, drop off at:
1. Lions Club bin outside Chestnut Hill Farmers Market, 8229 Germantown Ave, Philadelphia PA 19118
2. Any LensCrafters Glasses & Frames store
3. Any Goodwill store
F
Fluorescent Bulbs The long tubes & circle fluorescent bulbs require that you order a prepaid container and ship to a recycler such as:
1. Waste Management Lamp Tracker program
2. the City of Philadelphia's next Household Hazardous Waste collection day
Freezer
 Get $35 to recycle an old working freezer. Contact PECO's Smart Appliance Recycling program.
Fruit peels 1. Find a compost pile near you using the Philly Compost map of compost sites in Philadelphia. Once you find a site, ask a neighbor if you can share hers before contributing.
2. See Philadelphia Composting Program for more info on setting up your own compost pile. 
Furniture 1. Nationalities Service Center / Help new immigrants setup homes
1300 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107 / Juliane Ramic / (215) 893-8400

2. One House at a Time / www.ohaat.org / Office@ohaat.org / Debi or Jean (215) 646-7812 / They will pick up gently used furniture and donate it to those people in need.  They're located in Ambler, and will pick up in the area and parts of the city.

3. Dignity Housing /provides housing and social services for the homeless / 5221 Germantown Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19144 / P: 215-713-0960 / Megan Barnes / will pickup
Furniture, children's Association of Child Daycare Providers / 3125 Reach Street / Philadelphia, PA 19134
Monica Wright / 267-242-6304
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Glass food jars Picked up by Philadelphia's Curbside recycling
Rinse & place (minus the lid) in rigid container on Recycling day in your neighborhood.
Grass
 1. Grasscycle - meaning leave the grass clippings on the lawn when mowing. The clippings have wonderful nutrients for your grass. 
2. Compost the clippings
- Find a compost pile near you using the Philly Compost map of compost sites in Philadelphia. Once you find a site, ask a neighbor if you can share hers before contributing.
- See Philadelphia Composting Program for more info on setting up your own compost pile.

H
I
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Junk mail Picked up by Philadelphia's Curbside recycling. Place in rigid container on Recycling day in your neighborhood. 
K
Kitchen scraps 1. Find a compost pile near you using the Philly Compost map of compost sites in Philadelphia. Once you find a site, ask a neighbor if you can share hers before contributing.
2. See Philadelphia Composting Program for more info on setting up your own compost pile. 
L
Lead Dropoff at Philadelphia's Household Hazardous Waste collection.
LPs (Long Playing records, for those that don't remember!) Dropoff donations at the Friends of the Free Library Bookstore
215 567 0527 / 19th & Wood / Philadelphia, PA
M, T, Th, F 10-6 / W 10-7 / S 10-5
Lumber Untreated wood of any size accepted by:
Urban Nutrition Initiative / used for raised beds & chicken coops in various schoolyards
Sir Papalo
M
Magazines Donate sets to the Free Library of Philadelphia
Magazines & catalogs Picked up by Philadelphia's Curbside recycling, place in rigid container on Recycling day in your neighborhood
Mercury Dropoff at Philadelphia's Household Hazardous Waste collection.
Metal
 Dropoff at one of these scrap yards near you. If you've got aluminum, copper or brass, they'll even pay you!

1. in Germantown (19144) - Geppert Recycling / 4500 Wayne Ave
215 842 0122 / M-F 9-5 / Sat 9-12 / www.geppertrecycling.com

2. in Kensington (19125) - Penn Treaty Metals Co
1415 Frankford Ave Philadelphia PA 19125 / 215.423.2110

3. in Port Richmond (19134) - Jack's Paper Stock & Scrap Metals
3616 Emerald St Philadelphia PA 19134 / 215.535.7588
Misc
 The Pennsylvania Material Trader is a great place to give away, or pickup reusable items that businesses need to dispose of on a regular basis, such as Ash, Cardboard, Metals & Metal Sludges, Plastic & Rubber, Shipping materials, Textiles or Wood. See related Pennsylvania Biomass Trader to give or get Biofuels, Compost, Energy crops, Food waste, Manure, Restaurant waste or Woody material.
N
Newspaper Picked up by Philadelphia's Curbside recycling, place in a rigid container on the Recycling day in your neighborhood.
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P
Packaged foods
 Packaged foods that your family doesn't eat, donate to a food bank or soup kitchen. Check with a local congregation.
Paint cans Dry empty cans are handled by Philadelphia's Curbside recycling, place in rigid container on Recycling day in your neighborhood
Paint thinner Dropoff at Philadelphia's Household Hazardous Waste collection.
Phone books Picked up by Philadelphia's Curbside recycling, place in rigid container on Recycling day in your neighborhood.
Plastic airpacks For reuse, dropoff at the UPS Store / 7715 Crittenden St / Philadelphia, PA 19118. This is in the Market Square Shopping Center with SuperFresh. Open M-F 9-7, Sat 9-5.

Plant pots
 These can be washed and reused for future plantings. Often, nurseries, urban farms, schools or places with a greenhouse are glad to receive these.

Plastic bags Dropoff clean plastic bags at your local supermarket. Most supermarkets have a bin for these by their entrance. Better yet, take your reuseable canvas bags so you have less plastic bags to recycle!

In Mt Airy, there's the Acme or SuperFresh.
Plastic containers labeled 1 (PETE) These are usually clear deli containers, soda bottles, water bottles, cooking oil bottles. Need to be rinsed clean, with caps removed. As of July '08, picked up by Philadelphia's Curbside recycling. Place in rigid container on Recycling day in your neighborhood.
Plastic containers labeled 2 (HDPE) These are usually opaque milk jugs & detergent bottles. Need to be rinsed clean, with caps removed. As of July '08, picked up by Philadelphia's Curbside recycling. Place in rigid container on Recycling day in your neighborhood.
Printer cartridges In Mt Airy, there's a drop-box at Weavers Way. Proceeds are a fundraiser for the CW Henry Elementary School

Visit your nearest PetSmart store and look for the PetSmart Charities recycling display to pick up a free postage paid pre-addressed envelope.  Drop it in the mail and PetSmart Charities will receive a $2 -$15 donation for every cartridge or phone recycled through this program.

Dropoff at your nearest Staples store to get $2 per cartridge recycled, in the form of a Staples coupon.
Prom Dresses Fairy Godmother will accept them. 
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R
Rechargeable Batteries Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corp has locations across the nation. Go to Call2Recycle.org, or call 1-877-2-RECYCLE to find a drop-off site near you.
Refrigerator
 Get $35 to recycle an old working refrigerator. Contact PECO's Smart Appliance Recycling program.
Rubberbands Since most of our excess rubberbands appear to originate from the US Post Office, we've tried returning some. Our local branch was glad to put them back into circulation. Maybe yours will too.
S
Scrap Metal Dropoff at one of these scrap yards near you. If you've got aluminum, copper or brass, they'll even pay you!

1. in Germantown (19144) - Geppert Recycling / 4500 Wayne Ave
215 842 0122 / M-F 9-5 / Sat 9-12 / www.geppertrecycling.com

2. in Kensington (19125) - Penn Treaty Metals Co
1415 Frankford Ave Philadelphia PA 19125 / 215.423.2110

3. in Port Richmond (19134) - Jack's Paper Stock & Scrap Metals
3616 Emerald St Philadelphia PA 19134 / 215.535.7588
Sheets Dropoff at your local SPCA or animal shelter. They use these as bedding for animals.
Shoes, athletic

See Nike’s Reuse a Shoe shoe recycling program under which 2 Philly retailers will accept upto 10 pairs at a time. One is City Sports @ 1608 Walnut St. The other is Rittenhouse Sports Specialists @ 1729 Chestnut St.

In Quakertown, Emily has kindly offered to collect and take to the Philly retailers.
Sneakers see Shoes, athletic
Styrofoam packing peanuts Dropoff & these places will reuse the peanuts.

1. in Chestnut Hill, the UPS Store / 7715 Crittenden St / Philadelphia, PA 19118. This is in the Market Square Shopping Center with SuperFresh. Open M-F 9-7, Sat 9-5. Also accepts plastic airpacks.

2. in Conshohocken, Susan @ Got Your Back / 521 E. Hector St / Conshohocken, PA  19428 / 1-800 677-9830. 

3. Elsewhere / Mail Boxes Etc.
T
Tile

1. Mt Airy - Tesserae Studio & Gallery will accept colored china or tiles for mosaic projects / 6780 Germantown Ave / Philadelphia, PA 19119
Jessica / 215 848 2110

2. Our local Freecycler Adam Rogers
Toothbrushes
 Typically made of #5 (polypropylene) plastic, toothbrushes are best reused for scrubbing other items such as tile grout and bicycle parts. If you have more than you can use, the best option may be to send them to Preserve, a leading manufacturer of 100% recycled consumer household goods , as part of their Gimme 5 campaign.

Towels Dropoff at your local SPCA or animal shelter. They use these as bedding for animals.
Toys Association of Child Daycare Providers / 3125 Reach Street / Philadelphia, PA 19134
Monica Wright / 267-242-6304
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V
Vases
 Bring back to a florist to reuse.

In Mt Airy, Rothe Florists will accept these, and may even offer you a free stem for the vase
W
Wedding Accessories Veils, gowns, unity candle holders, candles, ring pillows, flower girl baskets...basically, Blue Skies Weddings will accept anything leftover from a wedding that could be used by another couple.
Wine corks They're recycled in Australia & Europe. Why not here as well? Participate in an experiment by sending yours to Yemm & Hart.
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Questions? Comments? Additions? Please send them on to  us. This page last updated: 13 Mar 2012