Cleaning Product Containers

Recycling

Empty cleaning product containers can be placed in your recycle container.

Prep for recycling

  • Spray nozzles are mixed material (plastic & metal) and can not be recycled; please remove them before recycling the bottles.
  • Mixed material canisters (ie: powdered cleaners in metal/paper containers) are not recyclable, place them in the trash.
  • Aerosol cans that contained (or still contain) toxic material (e.g., air freshener, hair spray, spray paint, lysol, etc) need to be disposed of as Household Hazardous Waste.

Not Empty?
Cleaning products that are not empty are considered hazardous waste and need special handling to avoid toxic exposure for waste workers, the community, and the environment. 

Athens Services accepts in their recycling most #1-7 plastics. 
Some plastics are highly recyclable, including #1 bottles and clamshells, and #2 and #5 containers. Other plastics might be acceptable in the recycling containers, but may not have a market to be recycled.

To identify your products’ plastic type, look for the resin number inside the chasing arrows, usually located on the bottom of the item. The recycling symbol does not indicate if the product is recyclable or not.

Labels Are OK

Generally, it’s not necessary to remove the labels on cleaning product containers before recycling them.

Ways to Reduce

Purchase Natural Cleaners

Consider switching to more eco-friendly cleaners. Chemical cleaners can expose your household to a variety of harmful ingredients and VOCs. They can also introduce more chemicals into the environment when they are washed down the drain. Check out the EWG’s Guide to Healthy Cleaning or follow these easy recipes from Real Simple to make your own natural cleaners.

Buy in Bulk and Refill Containers

One of the easiest ways to cut down on trash (and to save money) is to buy cleaning products in bulk and refill the containers you have at home.