Wake County Waste and Recycling is an advocate for recycling in every room in the home, and the bathroom is a room in the house where a number of everyday items we use come packaged in either paper, cardboard or plastic that can be recycled. Yet as few as 20% of Americans say they recycle in the bathroom.
The reasons people give for why they don't recycle in the bathroom include, "I don’t know what items can be recycled in the bathroom" and "I don’t have a separate recycling bin in the bathroom." So we are running a bathroom recycling initiative to help fix that and educate our residents on what common bathroom items can and cannot be recycled and placed in either your curbside recycling bin or taken to a Wake County Convenience Center.
Bathroom Recycling Decal
We have designed a bathroom recycling decal that lists all the items we throw away in the bathroom that can be recycled and all the items that cannot be recycled. The decal can be added to any bin or container of your choosing. Request a FREE bathroom recycling decal by emailing us at recycling@wake.gov, and don't forget to include your mailing address (available to Wake County residents only).
Bathroom Recycling Bin
As part of this initiative, we're also giving away a FREE 3-gallon recycling bin for the bathroom to Wake County residents. All we ask is you take a short survey about a month later to tell us how you've been recycling! Bins can be picked up from our downtown location. An appointment is required. Email us at recycling@wake.gov to schedule an appointment to pick up your free bin. Appointments are available between 9 a.m. – 3 p.m., Monday – Friday, only. One bin, per household, while supplies last.
Testimonial
Watch this video on the Bathroom Recycling Initiative
"The bathroom recycling bin has been wonderful. It is the perfect size, fits nicely in the linen closet in our master bath, and it's big enough for the big-box store-sized shampoo bottles. We use it so much that it's emptied every other week and goes straight into the roll-cart recycle bin, then to the curb."
– Tony, Town of Cary resident.