Car donation programs accept a wide variety of towable vehicles, boats and athletic and farm equipment.

CARS
The Recycle For Gold –  Special Olympics Massachusetts 508-485-0986
Volunteers of America – Cars Helping People 833-300-5737
National Kidney Foundation Kidney Cars Program 800-488-CARS/1-800-488-2277.
Habitat for Humanity – Cars For Homes 877-277-4344
WBUR Public Radio  888-899-9287
Disabled American Veterans 877-594-5822

CAR WINDSHIELD
Safelite AutoGlass with locations in Peabody and Beverly to recycle windshields

CAR BATTERY AND OIL
Salem/Beverly Hazardous Waste Collection – see City’s Health Department Page for dates, times and details
AutoZone  and Advance Auto Parts both offer battery and oil recycling, both have stores in Salem and Danvers

CAR TIRES
Home Reuse: boat and dock bumpers, backyard swings
Tire Retailers: will take old tires, ask if they recycle

NE Mass Mosquito Control: offers tire removal https://www.nemassmosquito.org/wetlands-management/pages/tire-collections

CAR REPAIR TOOLS
AutoZone Free Loan A Tool Program 

SalemRecycles – annual textile collection, (towels not accepted) see our Events Calendar

HELPSY – curbside pickup (towels NOT accepted)

Shelters –  LifeBridge in Salem, Citizens Inn in Peabody

Animal Shelters – Northeast Animal Shelter 

Thrift Stores – LifeBridge in Salem, Beverly Bootstraps in Beverly, St Michael’s in Marblehead

Goodwill – Danvers store and Swampscott donation center 

The SalemRecycles Book Swaps, typically held every September and March, are not to be missed. See our Events Calendar or Facebook page for dates and location.

Some other possibilities:

• Thrift stores such as Goodwill, Savers, and Lifebridge Thrift (limit 2 bags, no textbooks or children’s).
• More Than Words empowers youth who are in the foster care system, court involved, homeless, or out of school to take charge of their lives by taking charge of a business.
  • Drop off bin at SSU located at the College Drive entrance of the library
• Wicked Good Books you can donate books to this local shop, no appointment necessary.  Please no textbooks, cookbooks, magazines or children’s books.
• Salem Little Free Libraries here’s a list for little free libraries in Salem where you can donate or take books
• Salem Re-reads, Facebook group for Salem residents to give away and ask for books.
• Planet Aid bins located at 94 Bridge St, Shaws on Traders Way, North Shore Medical Center on Jefferson Ave, 95 Congress St, 50 Grove St, 19 Boston St, 36 Margin St, 323 Highland Ave.
• PaperBack Swap is an online site that allows you to trade books with other users for free.
• Salem Public Library has two main apps for checking out e-books and e-audiobooks:
  * Libby (aka Libby by Overdrive)
  Available to anyone in the NOBLE network* Hoopla
  Available to Salem residentsBoth apps are listed on the library’s homepage, salempl.org. For anyone who needs help using the apps, the library has handouts and is also happy to help people in person. There are no “returns” required or late fees associated with virtual checkouts.

Bulky Plastics are considered trash or a bulk item pick up.
Call Waste Management at 800-972-4545 and schedule a bulk item pick up $18.73/item.

If in good condition, see Furniture and Household Goods

Twice a year, you can bring an old, expired or damaged car seat to Target and recycle it to redeem a coupon on your Target app or Target.com/circle for 20% off one car seat, one stroller or select baby gear. Materials from the old car seats are recycled by Target’s partner, Waste Management.

Dates are usually in April and September.

Car seats are not recyclable curbside.

https://corporate.target.com/sustainability-ESG/environment/Waste-and-Circular-Economy/Car-Seat-Trade-In

Carpeting

Waste Management will collect carpeting as a curbside BULK ITEM which is $18.73 paid directly to Waste Management. Phone Waste Management 24 to 48 hours in advance at 800-972-4545 to schedule the bulk item pick up, which will be on the same day as your recycling pick up.

Carpeting must be cut into 3 foot lengths, and tied in bundles with a maximum diameter of 1 foot.

Up to five bundles will count as one bulk item.

Electronic Waste: Salem Residents can drop off electronics to Salem High School the last Saturday of every quarter. Please refer to the Events Calendar.

There are many other options for recycling or disposing of cell phones:

• Target has a cell phone recycling bin at the front of the store on Highland Avenue.
• Recycling Services at Staples | Staples
• Best Buy has a trade-in or recycle program as well.
• MedicMobile (formerly Hope Phones) supplies prepaid mailing labels and refurbishes donated phones for resale. It uses the profits to supply third-world medical workers with devices.
• The Wireless Alliance accepts individual phones for recycling and also has collection programs for larger volumes of phones or tablets
• Verizon’s Hopeline from Verizon has some drop-off locations as well as a mail-in program with prepaid labels. Newer phones generate a credit toward your next purchase, while older phones are recycled and donated to victims of domestic violence to help ensure their safety.

You might also want to check out what the EPA says about recycling used electronics.

Wipe your phone before donating.  Here’s how.

General

Many organizations welcome used clothing. Donate items in fair to good condition to homeless shelters, humanitarian organizations or second hand clothing stores. Here are a few local options.

• LifeBridge Thrift Store at 47 Canal St, Salem. 978-745-2459
• Beverly Bootstraps Thrift Store, 198 Rantoul St, Beverly.978-921-4710
• Bring clothing to the SalemRecycles Swap ‘n Drop. See the Events Calendar for the next date.

For clothing, footwear, bedding, pillows, etc. that are AND are not re-usable, please use a donation bin (every parking lot in Salem Public Schools) or bring to the annual textile collection every November. See the Events Calendar for the next date. Visit the Textile Recycling page to learn more about donation options in Salem!

Baby clothes

All of the above accept baby clothes. Here are two other options that focus specifically on infants.

• Big Brother Big Sister Foundation
• Loved Twice

Other Specific Uses

• Prom dresses: Wgirls
• Professional attire for job-seeking men and women: Dress For Success
• Shoes: Nike Reuse-a-Shoe, Recycled Runners Soles4Souls program
• Suits and ties: CareerGear

Or, reuse clothing and create DIY art!  There are lots of online suggestions.

REquipment — 800-261-9841 in Methuen for DME.  They accept wheelchairs, scooters, walkers, mechanical sling lifts, portable ramps, and more.

MassMatch 877-508-3974 for DME and AT

• Bring used eyeglasses to the Community Life Center, 401 Bridge Street Salem MA
• Lions Club International Headquarters – Recycles eyeglasses and hearing aids
• ONE by ONE Contact Lens Recycling Program – Atrius Health 2 Essex Center Drive, Peabody, MA 01960
• Bausch + Lomb ONE by ONE Recycle program at UNPACKED LIVING
• Bring old eyeglasses to eye doctors, most accept donations

Here are some locations where you can drop off old flags for proper disposal:

Fire Stations

You can return flags to fire stations and they will have the boy scouts properly dispose of them.  You can bring them to the Salem Fire Department headquarters on 48 Lafayette Street and Boy Scout Troop 83 will make sure they are disposed of properly.

Veterans Services
401 Bridge Street, Salem, MA
Kim F. Emerling

Veterans Agent
(978) 745-0883

Veterans of Foreign Wars
95 Derby St, Salem, MA
(978) 745-0010

You can schedule a bulk item pick up with Waste Management by phoning them at 800-972-4545. Pickup will be on the same day as your recycling day, and you must call at least 48 hours in advance. You may schedule up to 2 items per household per recycle week for $18.73/item. Please do not leave furniture on the curb for more than 24 hours.
Bulk items may include: couch, chair, desk, TV stand, dresser, bed frame, table, rug, grills.
Click Here for a full list of what is accepted.

• ReSupply a Veteran-operated company, provides an in-home fee-based pickup option. ReSupply works with local charities to give your unwanted furniture and household goods a second life. ReSupply will go into the home, go up and down stairs, and even disassemble items if needed! They will pick up anything you are looking to part with, and residents will receive a tax credit for their donation. Click here to schedule or call 7654-DONATE
• The Junkluggers of North Boston & Southern NH will come to your home and help find sustainable ways to dispose of your furniture and other household items.

Places that accept a wide variety of things:

• Boston ReStore, Inc. is a nonprofit office furniture enterprise. Visit the website for additional information.
• Goodwill has a list of what can be donated.  Drop-offs are located at 450 Paradise Rd, Swampscott and 301 Newbury St, Danvers; more details here
• Furniture Banks Association maintains a directory of organizations that reuse furniture for people in need. They seek gently used dressers, beds, tables, chairs, etc.
• Lifebridge Thrift Shop – 47 Canal St, Salem.  Accepts furniture, household goods, toiletry and personal care items. 978-745-2459
• Habitat for Humanity ReStore at 14 Park Street, Danvers. Seeks new or gently used home accessories, building materials, furniture, or appliances.  978-681-8858
• Witch City Consignment located at 301 Essex St, Salem. 978-744-4433
• Savers 139 Endicott St, Danvers 978-777-8631, and 1160 Broadway, Saugus 781-231-1232.

Posting your item online:

Popular options are Facebook Marketplace, Giving in Salem, local Buy Nothing groups, TrashNothing and Nextdoor’s For Sale & Free section.

Glass Recycling 101

Glass Bottles & Jars: Rinse and recycle in the curbside program.

Broken Glass: Do not put broken glass in recycling.  Small amounts of broken glass can be securely wrapped up and placed in household trash.

Drinking Glasses & Glassware: Donate to Goodwill, Salvation Army or MA Coalition for the Homeless. Give away or sell on Craig’s List. Bring small quantities to the Recycling Center during open hours only. Glassware often is leaded glass and is not accepted for curbside recycling.

Eyeglasses: Donate to OneSight at a participating retailer including Cambridgeside Galleria (Lenscrafters, Sears Optical or Sunglass Hut), or donate to Lions Clubs International

Light Bulbs: Incandescent bulbs go in household trash. Fluorescent bulbs should be taken to the DPW on 5 Jefferson Ave. CFL (compact fluorescent light) bulbs are accepted at Lowes, Home Depot and Whole Foods as well as the DPW on 5 Jefferson Ave.  See Lightbulbs for more details.

Car Glass: JN Phillips Auto Glass – located at 53 Canal St. Salem, MA, will recycle broken or replaced windshields – see website for more information or find another private disposal facility.

Holiday Lights

Recycling old lights:

• HolidayLEDs.com – Christmas Light Recycling Program. They will mail you a 15% off coupon for their lights after you recycle.
• RECYCLING COLLECTIONS AT UNPACKED LIVING – Unpacked Living
• Home Depot has recycling bins in stores for incandescent (not LED) light strings during November and December.
• Lowes should also have a drop off box. You may want to call just to be sure they have a Christmas light recycle program at your local store.
• Earth911 lists local recycling options for Christmas lights.
• Holiday lights can be brought to the quarterly electronic waste collection at SHS.

Purchasing new lights:

When you go to buy new Christmas lights, be sure to get LED Christmas lights, which will lower your energy bill. LED lights are 80 percent more efficient than the old incandescent lights and LED lights can last up to 20 years. Compare that to incandescent Christmas lights, which usually don’t last more than a year or two. Another benefit of LED Christmas lights is that they don’t heat up so they are a safer option for Christmas tree decorating.

Gift Wrap

• Recycle all gift wraps except those with foil, metallic inks or glitter, which should be put in the trash.
• Follow Salem Recycles Facebook page for new and inventive ideas on gift wrapping alternatives.
• Note that ribbon is NOT recyclable because it gets tangled in machines. But you can reuse it!

Halloween

Compost pumpkins.

The Great Pumpkin Smash Sunday November 6, 2022 with Green Beverly and New Entry Sustainable Farming Project.

Got old/worn jeans and don’t know what to do with them?

Visit Blue Jeans Go Green, donate them, or reuse to make bags, wallets, etc.

See Clothing, Footwear and Leather Goods for more options!

Keys for Hope scraps metal keys and fobs to support food pantries.

Per new state regulations, mattresses and box springs can no longer be disposed of as trash and instead must be recycled. The City of Salem has contracted with Tough Stuff Recycling to provide curbside mattress and box spring recycling. The curbside cost to Salem residents is $50/unit paid directly to Tough Stuff Recycling.

To view an FAQ about mattress recycling through Tough Stuff Recycling, please visit www.salemma.gov/mattress. To schedule your curbside pick-up, please visit Tough Stuff Recycling. If you have additional questions about this service, please call Tough Stuff Recycling at 978-307-4118.

If there is inclement weather on your curbside pickup date, you must place the mattress in a mattress bag. A mattress bag is also necessary if the unit is contaminated (non-conforming). Mattress bags can be purchased online or at hardware stores.

Curbside: In your blue curbside toter, please recycle only those metal items listed on the toter lid, namely rinsed food cans, aluminum cans, foil and pie tins.

Scrap Metal: Most other metal items NOT listed on your recycling toter’s lid can be recycled at a scrap metal facility.  Search online for a local facility that accepts the type and amount of metal you wish to recycle.

One suggestion: North Shore Scrap Steel

• Earth911 provides information on reusing and recycling office supplies.
• Recyclebank has a great guide to recycling a variety of office supplies.

Paper Recycling:

Paper is acceptable in the curbside recycling program with Waste Management.  Color does not matter, nor does thickness of paper.  If there are embellishments on it like glitter, metallic imprints, bits of plastic, etc, that should go in the trash. Shredded paper is not recyclable curbside; please place in trash.

Paper Shredding (fees apply):

• Staples® 17 Paradise Road Salem, MA 01970. Phone: 978-741-4244  ($1.29 / pound to shred paper as of 12/5/2024)
• The UPS Store 203 Washington Street Salem, MA 01970. Phone: 978-745-9191
• Northeast Arc Heritage Shredding 27 Garden Street, Unit 4, Danvers MA 01923. Phone: 978-531-0666
• OPRSystems, Inc.  235 Andover Street, Wilmington, MA 01887. Phone: 978-694-1450 ($75 for up to 20 boxes)
• FedEx Office Print & Ship 240 Andover St Peabody, MA01960
• Data & Records Management | Shredding | Iron Mountain

Plastic Bag Recycling

Even if you shop with reusable bags, and REFUSE, REDUCE, and REUSE the best you can, chances are you still bring some plastic into the home.  Did you know that plastic bag recycling stations accept much more than the ubiquitous grocery bag?  Here’s info to help you maximize your recycling:

In addition to bringing soft plastics to participating grocery stores, you can now bring clean, dry, soft plastics (photos below) to the following locations:

• City Hall Annex, 98 Washington Street, 1st floor
• Salem Public Library 370 Essex Street (main level near main entrance)
• Community Life Center, 401 Bridge Street

CLICK HERE to learn more about what is accepted at retail stores. 

• Never put plastic bags in your curbside recycling bin, or put recyclables inside plastic bags.  They jam recycling equipment
  CLICK HERE  to watch a video of the plastic bags damaging recycling machinery. 

YES – DO RECYCLE IN STORES ONLY

• Recycle bags that are empty, clean and dry; remove receipts and trash
• Grocery and produce bags
• Newspaper bags
• Dry cleaning bags (no receipts/staples)
• Sandwich/ziploc/bread bags (clean and dry)
• Cereal bags
• Bubble wrap
• Plastic outerwrap from toilet paper, paper towels, diapers
• Case wrap from cases of water
• Bags with sealed air used for packaging (deflate the air cushions)
• Stretch wrap from furniture or electronics
• Any plastic bag labeled with:  2, “HDPE,” “PE-HD”
• Any plastic bag labeled with:  4, “LDPE,” “PE-LD,” “LLDPE”
• Retail bags (#2 or 4) with string/hard plastic handles removed

NO – DO NOT RECYCLE

• NO bag with food in or on it
• NO garbage bags
• NO food or cling wrap, e.g. Saran
• NO prepackaged food bags (frozen food or pre-washed salad)
• NO chip bags or candy wrappers
• NO bags with paint or glue
• NO compostable plastic bags
• NO bag with a recycling symbol or # other than those described in the “yes” column

• For a large number of empty gas grill propane tanks, follow this link for more information on Blue Rhino pick-up program.
• Aubuchon Hardware, 50 Enon Street, Beverly MA. (978)-927-1320 Propane | HardwareStore.com
• Holden Oil, 91 Lynnfield Street, Peabody MA. (978)-531-2984 accepts propane tanks at a cost of $2 per tank.

Recycling is not an option for rubber bands but you can reuse them. 

• wind them around hangers to keep clothes from slipping off  

• seal your bags of chips, cereal and frozen food 

• wrap them around jar lids to get a good grip

• donate them to schools for crafts projects, to the post office or any business that uses them. Visit the USPS webpage on sustainability here.

These annoying packets have a multitude of household uses, from keeping important documents and photographs dry, to dealing with a wet cell phone, or keeping them in your toolbox to prevent tools from rusting.   Learn more or search online for even more uses.

Subaru / TerraCycle partnership – Look for the boxes below at Subaru retailers in Belmont, Danvers, North Reading and Wakefield.

Here’s what they’re collecting:
✅ Any brand of disposable cups, lids, and straws
✅ Any brand of candy and snack wrappers (Potato Chip and Cookie Bags)
✅ Any brand of coffee or creamer capsules (K-Cup)

Click here for more information

You can resell or buy used sports equipment or donate equipment to charitable organizations that will recycle them. The City of Salem can also use recycled equipment. Call the Recreation Department at 978-744-0180.

Other options:

Play It Again Sports accepts both new and used equipment. They have several locations in the Boston area.

Coast to Coast Paddle is part of Adventure Gear Exchange accepts consignments for all sorts of used outdoor adventure equipment, including snow sports, water sports, hiking / camping / climbing, and things that roll (e.g. bikes, roller blades). It’s located at 296A Cabot Street, Beverly.

Textiles is a broad subject, covering everything from clothing to carpeting. SalemRecycles provides both information and events to encourage textile recycling.

• Our annual Textile Recycling Event takes place every November.  Check our Events Calendar for the next date and location.
• The annual May Swap ‘N Drop is a great time to swap or just recycle clothes and other household items. See Events Calendar for more information.
• The Clothing, Footwear and Leathergoods section contains additional information.

In addition, there are numerous organizations and collection bins throughout Salem where you can recycle textiles.

• Bay State Textiles – They partner with schools and communities to create a process for diverting clothing donations along with shoes, and fabrics away from the solid waste stream. Bay State bins are at all Salem Public Schools, and on Salem State Campus
• Goodwill – Clean, tattered, torn clothing, singleton socks/gloves or bedding (except pillows) can be brought to Goodwill. These textiles will be processed into new products such as carpet underlayments or other mats. Clothes or other textiles not suitable for the American market will get a second life in another part of the world. The good news is they will not go in a landfill.  Goodwill has drop-off locations:
  • Parking lot of the Peabody Stop & Shop (19 Howley Street, Peabody, MA 01960)
  • Swampscott Stop & Shop (450 Paradise Road, Swampscott, MA 01907).
• HELPSY (formerly Recycle That) has several locations in Salem:
  • St. Peter’s Church, 24 St Peter Street
  • Shell Gas Station, 200 Canal Street
• H&M Garment Collecting. Customers are encouraged to bring in unwanted garments of any brand and in any condition to any H&M store.
  • North Shore Mall in Peabody
  • Square One Mall in Saugus.
• Planet Aid bins located at 94 Bridge St, Shaws on Traders Way, North Shore Medical Center on Jefferson Ave, 95 Congress St, 50 Grove St, 19 Boston St, 36 Margin St, 323 Highland Ave.
• Salvation Army maintains drop-off bins at these locations:
  • 60 Farm Ave, Peabody
  • 159 Endicott St., Danvers
  • 1 Franklin St., Lynn;
  • Thrift store, 10 Monroe St., Lynn;
  • Thrift store, 209 Broadway (Route 1), Saugus.
  • A note about pillows; the Salvation Army accepts them as long as the pillows are clean and dry, not damaged and not stained.  If you place pillows in a Salvation Army drop box, they ask us to bag the pillows first. (If they receive pillows that turn out NOT to be resalable, they will recycle them.)
• Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection’s Beyond the Bin Recycling Directory will tell you where to recycle, reuse, or repurpose your textiles throughout Massachusetts.

For more information on textile recycling in general, see the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection’s page on textile recycling page.

• Visit your nearest GameStop to find out the value of the video games in exchange for a GameStop gift card. There are numerous GameStop stores in the area, including Highland Avenue, Salem.
• For more information on recycling games, including damaged ones, go to RecycleNation.com.

Click Here to Check out our Guide for Disposing of Textiles

Many organizations sponsor winter coat drives but because the need is seasonal, information does not become available until August or September at the earliest.

OneWarmCoat.com is a nationwide website that provides information on local coat drives.

Local thrift shops, such as Goodwill, Salvation Army, Beverly Bootstraps and Lifebridge also collect winter coats, hats, mittens, etc.

Wool Dryer Balls can be used in place of dryer sheets and can cut down dryer time, eliminate chemicals, and soften fabrics! Check out this DIY website for instructions on how to save money and make them yourself. They’re also sold at Target, Walmart, and grocery stores.