Utensils
What Should I Do With It?
Household utensils come in a wide variety of materials, meaning they must be sorted differently at the end of their useful life. Stainless steel and silver cutlery can be donated to thrift stores or recycled at local scrap metal drop-offs, where they can be melted down and reused endlessly without any loss in quality. If you are disposing of sharp metal knives, always wrap the blades securely in cardboard or thick paper and tape them closed to protect sanitation workers from injury. Natural, untreated wooden utensils can go directly into your compost pile, but any utensils made from plastic, silicone, or a mix of materials cannot be processed and must be thrown in the regular trash.
Before throwing this away, see if it can be fixed up, given to a friend, or donated to a local thrift shop. Keeping items in use is the best way to stop waste before it starts!
The recycling guidelines shown here are for general reference and educational purposes. Every city and town has different rules, sorting equipment, and recycling programs.
Please check your local town website or ask your local garbage collection program to make sure you are following your neighborhood's rules.