Where to repair/donate/recycle or dispose almost anything (e.g., illegal stuff for most recycling or landfill bins)

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1			People like me most likely don't have time to comment daily in local Facebook Buy Nothing and Being Neighborly group to invite members with unclaimed giveaways to try places where they can drop-off or get pickups for things to get repaired, reused, or recycled. So please ask those group admins to pin a post at the top of Pages with links of where to do that, such as with something this text: Here’s where to repair & recycle almost anything, even holey undies: bit.ly/WhereToRepairRecycleEvenHoleyUndies (image of popular items). It: - Lists more options than what’s in SFRecycles.org and Earth911.org - Is constantly updated for the SF Bay Area and occasionally updated for CA and the USA.		DIY ways to reuse	I update this sheet but ask your local government or waste management company for updates. If there are blanks in this sheet, it doesn't means someone in an online search won't accept your items.
2						Who'll REPAIR it for YOU, sometimes for free (most sustainable) other than ones at free worldwide Repair Cafes			Who'll REUSE OR REPAIR it then possibly RESELL/DONATE it (most sustainable)					Who'll RECYCLE UNUSABLES into products of similar value (sustainable-ish)				Who'll DOWNCYCLE UNUSABLES (might not be sustainable because they also might not verify they keep things out of landfill)		Who'll SAFELY DISPOSE UNUSABLES because it's often too toxic to reuse/recycle, landfill
3						SF Bay Area	CA	USA	SF Bay Area		USA state(s)		Worldwide	SF Bay Area	CA	USA	Worldwide	SF Bay Area	USA state(s)	SF Bay Area	USA state(s)
4	Category	Subcategory	Illegal to put in landfill (at least in CA)	Some reasons why divert them from landfills where they can leach and pollute our water		SF Bay Area	CA	USA	Usable	Repairable	Usable	Repairable	Worldwide	SF Bay Area	CA	USA	Worldwide	SF Bay Area	USA state(s)	SF Bay Area	USA state(s)

5	Things that are accepted in recycling bins			Here's how to not wishcycle. Cities that collect plastic sometimes can’t find buyers to recycle it. But at least let’s do our part and keep putting recyclables in the right bins.
6	*almost anything			Unlike some thrift stores, GoodwillBayArea.org stores repair and resell things like electronics (illegal to put in trash) and clothes.		SF Bay Area			SF	SF	USA	NM		SF Bay Area		USA			USA		USA
7	almost anything	*Anything, seriously, even half-eaten cakes!				*SF Bay Area		*USA					Buy Nothing Groups	BuyNothingSF on Reddit
8	almost anything	High-value items donated to a nonprofit your choose (vehicles, art, jewelry, real estate)										cars in CA
9	almost anything	Bulky items: Appliances Automotive and bike tires Flooring, carpet and padding, linoleum Furniture Kitchen cookware Tools & equipment Garden hoses Lumber Helium balloon & propane tanks	Some illegal to put in landfill	Appliances: toxic refrigerants, such as PFAS, can leak when common appliances such as refrigerators and freezers, air conditioners, heat pumps, dehumidifiers, water coolers, and ice makers break down. Remind them it’s illegal to vent refrigerants to your building or outside air. Unfortunately, it happens.		SF Bay Area														SF
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12	almost anything	Valuables (e.g., electronics, furniture)										USA
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14	Animal supplies								SF Bay Area		USA
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16	Art supplies	almost all							SF Bay Area			TX				USA			USA
17	Art supplies	Mannequins							SF Bay Area
18	Art supplies	Sewing machines							Ask your local vacuum repair shop if they want it, such as SergeALot.com in SF, CA
19	Art supplies	Writing tools		Small plastics are often currently not recyclable, especially a piece made of hard-to-separate components.												USA			USA
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21	Awards, medals ribbons, trophies															USA
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25	Bike products					SF
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27	Building supplies		Illegal to put in landfill									CA			CA
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29	Carpet	area rugs		Many carpets and rugs labeled as “nontoxic” aren’t all they are made out to be.		I avoid wool carpets because carpet beetles they're highly irritating to human skin, eyes, and respiratory tracts (angi.com/articles/what-type-damage-do-carpet-beetles-cause.htm). Personally, I never want to inhale and slide around on her carpet beetle babies again. And I wouldn’t want to pay hundreds of dollars that carpet cleaners quoted me. Plus, cleaners couldn’t guarantee they could remove all beetle babies. Also, unlike carpet tiles or wall-to-wall broadloom carpet rolls, area rugs can't be recycled. 1. If you'd still like to keep your clean or infested carpet, I suggest hiring a safer/less-toxic company for: - Rug cleaning like My Steam Green Carpet Cleaning (mysteamgreencarpetcleaning.com/carpet-cleaning-in-alameda-ca). - Pest control by Pestec.com. They're certified in using less-toxic methods (https://sfapproved.org/services-pest-management-buildings) 2. If you need to get rid of carpet rolls that are stapled down to floors or carpet tile squares, they must legally be recycled by recyclers at carpetrecovery.org/california/ca. 3. If you need new carpet or rugs, here are safer brands: sierraclub.org/sierra/ask-ms-green/what-are-least-toxic-and-greenest-carpets-and-rugs.			SF Bay Area									SF	USA
30	Carpet	not area rugs	Illegal to put in landfill in some states	Many carpets and rugs labeled as “nontoxic” aren’t all they are made out to be.														SF	USA
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32	Ceramics					SF Bay Area
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36	Food, drinks, foodware	Cork							SF							USA
37	Food, drinks, foodware	Food											Worldwide
38	Food, drinks, foodware	Sauce packets (if you can't return them to restaurants)							SF Bay Area										USA
39	Food, drinks, foodware	Utensils (if you can't return them to food providers)							SF
40	Food, drinks, foodware	Foodware							SF
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43	Furniture	Mattresses												SF Bay Area		USA
44	Gardening	Orchids							You can return or give orchid to sellers to regrow, such as ones at farmer’s markets (Saturday at Alemany, or Wednesdays at the Civic Center). If you can, try to give orchids back soon after flowers fall off. Or water them when their soil is dry until you can give them to someone.
45	Gardening	Planters & plastic pots of all sizes							Usable		You can often donate them to local native plant nurseries.
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48	Hazwaste	Hazwaste: paint, aerosol spray cans, adhesives, automobile fluids, batteries, chemicals, cleaners, fertilizers, fire extinguishers, fluorescent bulbs, pesticides, and propane	Illegal to put in landfill	Compressed propane gas cylinders and tanks might seem to be spent, but they could have flammable gas still inside. That hazardous waste can cause fires and is illegal to put in any landfill or recycling bin.										SF	LA					SF
49	Hazwaste	Hazwaste: electronics (even cassettes, CDs, DVDs, film negatives, records, VHS), intact solar panels)	Illegal to put in landfill	Unlike some thrift stores, many Goodwills repair and resell things like electronics and clothes. If it's unrepairable, ensure it's safely recycled by E-Stewards or R2 certified recyclers.						Repairable		USA		SF Bay Area					USA	SF
50	Hazwaste	Batteries	Illegal to put in landfill											SF		USA				SF
51	Hazwaste	Propane cylinders & tanks	Illegal to put in landfill													USA
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53	Healthcare	CPAP sleep apnea supplies			DIY reuse						Usable
54	Healthcare	Medicine	Illegal to put in landfill	40% of the nation’s water supply is permeated by pharmaceuticals through aquifers deep underground,																SF
55	Healthcare	Mobility aids, such as wheelchairs Bathroom aids, such as shower seats Bedroom aids, such as side rails Breathing aids, such as Portable Oxygen concentrators Other adaptative equipment, such as sit-stand assists Ensure (unexpired)							Usable			USA
56	Healthcare	Pill bottles														USA
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58	Kids products	Breast pumps, car seats, high chairs, strollers	Illegal to donate to thrift stores. So donate to places to the right.						SF		USA
59	Kids products	Books, DVDs, puzzles, toys							You can donate or get new or gently used kids books, DVDs, puzzles, toys to the 6th & Irving, SF Toy Library anytime
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61	Lighting	LEDs, CFLs, incandescent, halogen, flood lights																USA
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63	Metal	cookware, etc.												SF
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65	Musical instruments	Strings																	USA
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67	Office supplies											USA
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69	Packaging	Bags: plastic or reusable							A SF clinic will fill them with groceries for the community. Ask the person in this Facebook post if they can pick them up or where to drop them off in lower Pac Heights.
70	Packaging	Bister packs, dessicants																	USA
71	Packaging	Cardboard boxes that don't fit in our curbside blue bin							Recology charges $9 to pick it up from our curb on Wednesday morning
72	Packaging	Ice packs		The gel in most ice packs is made with various types of petrochemicals and in some cases also plastic. When they leak near food, they can contaminate food.							USA
73	Packaging	Glass jars							SF Bay Area
74	Packaging	Plastic medicine bottles														USA
75	Packaging	Plastic film: Bubble wrap Poly-bags and Tyvek mailers Prime shippers Cereal bags Air pillows Grocery bags Bread bags Newspaper bags Produce bags Outer wrapping Dry cleaning bags Outer packaging Ziploc												SF		USA
76	Packaging	Plastic (multi-layer): Food bags Granola and energy bar wrappers Chip bags Candy bar wrappers Crunchy food bags Soil, fertilizer, bark bags Woven plastic bags Produce netting Soft, flexible rings														USA
77	Packaging	Plastic rice bags (polypropylene (woven, white)										Repairable
78	Packaging	Padding for shipping (padded boxes, soft foam, bubble envelopes, peanuts)							Here's how to get almost any padding, padded envelopes, styrofoam, and packaging picked up or dropped off to be reused or recycled, in case it helps: 🙂The greener thing might be to give them to these people that'll REUSE it: 1. Request a PICK-UP of bubble envelopes from this kind online seller who picked up mine and DM'ed me to say I could give his phone number in online forums: Lewis, (415) 563-4539, facebook.com/groups/buynothingsanfrancisco/posts/7015561595156684. ----------------------- (If you can't get a Ridwell subscription or if you can't bring your stuff to places below, maybe ask your local Facebook Being Neighborly group (or this group) for a pickup or drop off). 2. DROP-OFF stuff below. Call to make sure they currently have room for your stuff: - Almost anything that can be used as padding, even padded boxes, bubble envelopes, soft foam, peanuts: UPS, 2443 Fillmore St., SF, (415) 922-6245 - Air pouches, bubble envelopes and wrap, foam sheets, non-styrofoam peanuts: UPS, 601 Van Ness Ave. Suite E, SF, (415) 775-6644 - Bubble wrap and non-styrofoam peanuts, sometimes polyethylene foam (sealedair.com/uk/products/protective-packaging/fabricated-foams-packaging): Post and Parcel at 1459 18th St., SF, (415) 826-8757 - Bubble wrap (NOT other packaging): UPS, 77 Van Ness Ave., SF, (415) 222-9910 - Padding except peanuts: UPS, 1032 Irving St, SF, (415) 566-2660 - Foam peanuts: Express Photo and Mail, 1388 Haight at Masonic, 415.551.1277 - Padded envelopes, shipping tubes, almost anything for schools, such as office supplies or things that can be made into art: scrap-sf.org and creativereuse.org/material-donations Who'll RECYCLE it (turn it into something of equal value) - Open cell foam (very soft (e.g., egg crate shaped, or mattress topper material)) NOT closed cell foam (e.g., bendable foam that's shiny or hard foam): BobsFoam.com 🤷🏻‍♀️Who'll DOWNCYCLE your stuff into things of lesser value because no one will recycle it into something of equal value: DROP-OFF bubble wrap, plastic film, and packaging at these SF grocers with bins inside or outside entrances: sfrecycles.org/items?words=PLASTIC%20&address=%2C%3C%3D100 . (Note: that link will soon remove the Safeway on Mission). 🙁Recology.com/faq/plastic-bags doesn't recycle them. So as you probably know, the greenest thing is to ask companies to not give you that. DROP-OFF styrofoam boxes and blocks to be recycled for free at Recology, 501 Tunnel Rd., SF. If you can't get there, ask your local Facebook Being Neighborly group (or maybe this group) if anyone haul it for you. Get a PICK-UP by ridwell.com of: - Styrofoam food containers, boxes, peanuts and blocks - Plastic (bubble wrap, plastic film) - Chip bags - Textiles (shoes, clothes, linens, and more) If you don't have a subscription, you can ask your local Facebook Being Neighborly group (or maybe this group) if anyone has room in their Ridwell for your stuff. Thanks for saving toxic plastic from breaking into microplastics! As you probably know, microplastics get in our air, drinking water, brains, organs, blood, and human cancerous tissue (open.spotify.com/episode/4UoQrEKJzGSXgkyH2ED10O). They may cause asthma-like symptoms, severe inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) (popsci.com/environment/microplastic-human-health).					SF		USA
79	Packaging	Styrofoam blocks, peanuts, containers		Excerpt from "The cold, hard truth about recycling foam coolers, where Styrofoam is banned, and how to get it banned": It can have flame-retardant chemicals that may leach into food, drinks, or the environment. Studies are finding that microplastics get into the air, water, and soil, and that they find their way into the human body, contributing to a host of medical conditions.												USA
80	Packaging	Tyvek envelopes & uniforms														USA			USA
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82	Personal care	Almost all							SF					SF Bay Area
83	Personal care	Contact lenses & blister packs																	USA
84	Personal care	Dental care (tubes, toothbrushes, etc.)																	USA
85	Personal care	Eye drop packs																	USA
86	Personal care	Eyewear & hearing aids							SF		USA
87	Personal care	Hair		Donate your hair and animal hair, fur or feathers, so they can be made into oil spill cleanup mats. Or ask your hair salon to. You can also make your own to give to cleanups.													Worldwide
88	Personal care	Menstrual products							SF
89	Personal care	Pouches, pumps, tubes																	USA
90	Personal care	Razors																	USA
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94	School supplies											USA
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96	Sports	Bike tires														USA
97	Sports	Tennis balls		Tennis ball fuzz is made from plastic like PET (polyethylene terephthalate), which gets worn away and becomes microfibers that turn into dust we breathe in.				USA								USA
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99	Textiles	ALL: Clothes Shoes Linens Fabric scraps				SF Bay Area		USA				USA				USA			USA
100	Textiles	Graduation cap, gowns, regalia									USA