Most people want to live more sustainably. After all, it's better for us, and better for future generations to try to reduce our waste and be good stewards of the planet. But what do you do with cookware? Most curbside recycling programs won't take it, so sadly, most of it ends up in landfills. But if you're willing to make a small extra effort, you can recycle almost every type of cookware. We'll show you how here--and it's probably easier than you think.
Welcome to Our Cookware Recycling Guide!
We're taking a deep dive into cookware recycling. We'll look at all the options, important considerations, how to get started, and tell you what you can (and can't) do with every type of cookware.
How to Know When It's Time to Throw Out Your Cookware
You'll usually know when it's time to get new cookware. It will have warped bottoms, broken lids or handles, or pitting and staining that is beyond fixing and causes issues when using. If it's clad, separated layers make it useless. If it's cast iron or glass/ceramic, it may have broken from dropping. In all of these cases, it's easy to see when you need to replace it.
Nonstick cookware can also break, warp, or separate (if it's got a clad body), but typically, the nonstick coating wears out long before any of these other things happen. If it has stopped being nonstick, or is scratched, peeling, or discolored, then it's no longer safe to use. Damaged nonstick cookware is no joke: if it's showing these signs of wear, you should replace it.
About Recycling
Skillet repurposed as planter.
Environmentally, repurposing is much better than recycling. Recycling requires a large output of energy, and it is less efficient than many people realize. Although it's a thousand times better than throwing re-usable goods in a landfill, it should be a last resort, to use only when the cookware is no longer safe or viable to use.
If your old cookware is still in good shape, you can (and should) donate it to a charity group like Goodwill, the Salvation Army, or a local organization in your area--but please don't donate worn, scratched nonstick pans, because if they're not safe for you to use, they won't be safe for anyone else to use, either.
You may be able to repurpose cookware. You can turn it into planters, bird baths, kitchen decor, or anything else you're creative enough to come up with. This article at Hometalk has some clever ideas for repurposing old cookware (and bakeware, too).
How to Get Started Recycling
Your curbside recycling program is the best place to start, because if it does take cookware, it's the easiest way to dispose of it. Unfortunately, most curbside recycling programs do not take cookware of any type. According to Earth911.com, only about 5% of curbside programs take cookware--so it's unlikely that your local municipality does.
If you're not sure or don't have a list from your recycling company, look up their website or just call them and ask if they take cookware and if so, what kinds (their phone number and/or website is probably on the bin, or easy to look up online). Even if they don't take it, they're likely to know where you can bring it for recycling.
If you can't find a local recycling program, Earth911 has a search page where you can type in your product (in this case, cookware) and zip code and they will list all the options in your area.
If you can't put your cookware in your recycling bin, then your options are:
These options apply to most types of cookware, but there are some subtle differences to know about. We'll talk more about each of these options for every type of cookware below.
How to Recycle Nonstick Cookware
This nonstick pan is no longer safe to use.
Background: There are two types of nonstick coatings: PTFE, better known as Teflon but now known under hundreds of different brand names, and ceramic nonstick. PTFE is a carbon-based fluoropolymer, stable and inert at low heats but can break down into toxic polymers when overheated (above about 400F). Ceramic nonstick is, as manufacturers love to say, silicone-based, which means made from sand--but what they say less about is that ceramic nonstick coatings are nothing like traditional ceramic, glass, or enamel. Ceramic nonstick contains nanoparticles, which are such a new technology that not a lot is known about, but they're probably not as safe as the makers would have us believe. This public health article on nanoparticles discusses some of the concerns you should be aware of before you buy a ceramic nonstick pan (as well as dozens of other products on the market that contain nanoparticles, including skin care, cosmetics, and food packaging, to name just a few).
Nonstick cookware presents the biggest problem of all cookware types for a few reasons. First, PTFE nonstick coating is not recyclable and must be removed before a pan can be recycled. (This is why most curbside programs don't take nonstick cookware.) Second, they're popular, so there are a lot of nonstick pans (both PTFE and ceramic nonstick) to deal with. Finally, nonstick coatings only last for a few years, so they are disposed of much more frequently than any other type of cookware.
It's not clear whether ceramic nonstick coatings are recyclable, but we do know that they must be removed from pans before the base materials (i.e., aluminum or steel) can be recycled.
Thus, both types of nonstick pans present similar issues for recyclability.
Steps to recycle nonstick cookware:
- 1Check with your curbside recycler to see if they take it (if so, you can stop here).
- 2If not, call your waste management company or local municipality to see if there's a recycling program for nonstick cookware. If there is, find out where it is and how to treat pans before bringing them in.
- 3If there's no local recycling programs, then look for a scrap metal facility in your area. Most will take cookware, and even pay you for it, but may require you to remove plastic handles and glass lids.
- 4Look for websites, such as the EZ Cleanup program, or programs offered by cookware manufacturers. Both MadeIn and GreenPan offer recycling for old nonstick pans. Note that you may have to pay a fee to have your pans taken, or pay shipping to send your pans into a recycling program. Some manufacturers require you to buy new cookware (from them) before they'll take your old pans, and some don't.
If you can't find a place to recycle your old, worn out nonstick pans, please don't donate them to charity. Remember, if they're not safe for you to use, they're not safe for anyone else, either. You're better off throwing them in with your landfill items, although this is a last resort and shouldn't be necessary in most parts of the US and Canada.
Can you remove the nonstick coating? Possibly. This is beyond the scope of this article, but you can find information and even videos online that can show you how. And once removed, you can bring the pans to a scrap yard, who will pay you for the metal--or bring it to a recycling center. Don't put it in your curbside bin, even with the coating removed.
How to Recycle Clad Stainless Steel and Copper Cookware
Clad cookware has layers of more than one metal.
Background: Both stainless steel and copper are considered clad cookware because they're made of layers of different metals bonded together. Clad stainless cookware usually has layers of non-magnetic steel, aluminum, and magnetic steel (for induction compatibility). Copper cookware is clad with a stainless steel or tin cooking surface, with stainless being more common in modern copper cookware. (You can even find silver-lined copper cookware, but this is rare.) The good news is that most clad cookware is 100% metal, so you can usually sell the pans and make a little from your recycling efforts.
Options to recycle clad cookware:
Note that it's unusual for clad stainless or copper cookware to need recycling: both are extremely durable and tend to last for many decades, if not generations. So if the cookware is still in good shape, donate it to a local charity or pass it along to children or friends. If the cookware is still in good condition, re-using is a much better option than recycling.
How to Recycle Cast Iron and Carbon Steel Cookware (Including Enameled Cast Iron)
Cast iron and carbon steel are 100% metal, so they're easy to sell to scrap yards--but if they're still in good shape, giving them away is the best choice.
As with clad stainless and copper, these pans tend to not wear out, ever. So if they're still in good shape, passing them on to a child or friend is a better option (more environmentally friendly) than recycling. Even if old and rusty, they can be restored to like-new condition and used for decades. They should only need to be disposed of if they've cracked or the handle has broken off.
Cast iron and carbon steel pans tend to be 100% pure cast iron or carbon steel, so they are easy to sell for scrap metal. Most scrap metal yards will take enameled cast iron too, and pay the same price for it. (You won't get rich selling your cast iron and carbon steel, but it's better than paying for someone to take it.)
If the pan has a different material for a handle, such as stainless steel, it can still go to a scrap yard. If the handle is plastic or silicone (unlikely but possible), you may have to remove it before a scrap yard will take it.
Here are your recycling options for cast iron, carbon steel, and enameled cast iron:
How to Recycle Glass, Ceramic, and Pyrex Cookware
Corningware and Pyrex of any type is not recyclable.
Xtrema 100% ceramic cookware is recyclable.
Unfortunately, most glass cookware is not recyclable. This includes Pyrex and all kinds of Corningware. Most glazed stone ware, such as Emile Henry bakeware, is not recyclable, either (unglazed stone ware is recyclable, but it's rarely seen in the United States). Xtrema states that pure ceramic is made from sustainable and recyclable products (which is true), but when you search for recyclability, their "forever replacement" program comes up. So we suspect that, because of the glaze, Xtrema isn't actually recyclable.
The good news is that glass and stone cookware/bakeware will last forever unless you drop them or shock them with abrupt temperature changes.
Short story long, don't put any Pyrex, Corningware, or other glass or glazed ceramic products in your recycling bin before you check with your recycling company, because it's unlikely that they're recyclable. You can try finding another facility to take these products, but it's not likely you'll find one.
These products are excellent for any kind of oven cooking, though not great for stove top (and also not induction compatible because, no ferrous metal). If you handle them carefully, they should last a lifetime and even get passed on to your children. For this reason alone, they can be considered a sustainable product, even though they aren't recyclable. So if you do break one of these products, it will have to go into a landfill.
How to Recycle Hybrid Cookware
Hybrid cookware is safe for metal utensils, but it contains PTFE, so will still wear out in a few years, and must be treated like PTFE cookware when recycling.
Hybrid cookware (see our article on hybrid cookware for more information) is basically nonstick cookware that's been covered with a steel lattice, which helps make the pans last longer. But because hybrid cookware contains PTFE, all the rules for PTFE cookware apply to hybrid cookware. That is, pans can't be recycled until the nonstick coating is removed, so they require a special recycling program. The steel lattice overlay probably makes it even harder to remove the nonstick coating, so it may cost a fee to recycle hybrid cookware. It's just as bad for the environment as all nonstick cookware, so you should avoid letting it end up in a landfill if at all possible.
Recycling Cookware FAQs
Here are some common questions about recycling cookware.
Is it Free to Recycle Cookware?
It can be, but not always. If your curbside recycling program takes it, then it's free (other than your monthly fee for trash pickup). If you have to bring your cookware to a local recycling center, this should be free, although some programs may charge a small fee. There are some online programs that take old cookware, and most of these charge a fee. Some cookware manufacturers will take old cookware, and this is a free program though you may have to pay for shipping and/or buy new cookware from them. Scrap yards will usually pay you for your old metal cookware and they take steel, cast iron (including enameled cast iron), carbon steel, aluminum, and copper. They might take nonstick cookware, too, or they might take it only if the coating has been removed.
What Is the Most Sustainable Cookware Material?
Clad stainless steel, copper, cast iron, and carbon steel all tie for the most sustainable cookware. These are all metals that are 100% recyclable. Aluminum is also recyclable, but most aluminum cookware has a nonstick coating on it, which must be removed before recycling. All of these metals also last a very long time, which also makes them sustainable--again, unless they have a nonstick coating, which is neither sustainable or recyclable.
What Is the Worst Cookware for the Environment?
Nonstick cookware is by far the worst cookware for the environment. The nonstick coatings are not recyclable, so it has to be removed before recycling is possible, and this can be a fairly difficult process, which is why few curbside programs take nonstick cookware. Nonstick coatings are also short-lived, usually lasting for just a few years--so these pans make up the vast majority of cookware found in landfills. PTFE nonstick coatings are also terrible for the environment because they're made of "forever" chemicals that don't break down and have been associated with several health issues, including some cancers. Contrary to popular belief, "PFOA-free" does not guarantee a nonstick pan contains no forever chemicals. In fact, all PTFE pans contain forever chemicals, or can easily break down into forever chemicals. For these reasons, nonstick cookware is the absolute worst, most unsustainable cookware for the environment.
What Cookware Lasts the Longest?
Cast iron, carbon steel, and clad stainless steel (including copper with a stainless cooking surface) probably tie for the longest lasting cookware. All of these materials will last for decades or even generations, and are recyclable if they ever do wear out. Aluminum is also quite sustainable if it does not have a nonstick coating (but most aluminum pans do). Stone ware can also last for decades, but it is breakable and not recyclable, so although it's long lasting, it has drawbacks that metals don't have.
What's the Easiest Way to Recycle Cookware?
The easiest way to recycle your cookware is your curbside recycling program, if it takes cookware, which most do not. Your other choices are going to a local recycling center, finding a scrap yard (metals only) or finding a program that recycles cookware (usually for a fee). If your cookware is still in good shape, donate it to a charitable group who will find a family who needs it--but if it's old, worn out nonstick cookware, don't give it to a charity, because it has to be destroyed or recycled.
Final Thoughts
Recycling cookware--especially nonstick cookware--can be a challenge. Few curbside recycling programs take cookware, so you usually have to find a different way to keep it out of a landfill. Scrap metal yards will take old metal cookware of all types, and pay you for it, but not all of them will take nonstick cookware unless the nonstick coating has been removed. Most areas have options, but you may have to do a little digging to find them.
If you can't find any local options, there are websites and cookware manufacturers that will take it, usually for a fee.
If your cookware is still in good shape, you can donate it, but only if it's in usable condition. Please don't donate old, scratched nonstick cookware that isn't safe to use.
You can also repurpose old cookware into something new. There are a lot of ideas online to get your creative juices flowing.
Whatever you can do to keep your old cookware out of a landfill is the right thing to do.
Thanks for reading!
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