Take Action / Hard 2 Recycle
Hard 2 Recycle
Our volunteers have made it possible to keep hundreds of thousands of pounds of hard -to-recycle items out of our Buncombe County Landfill in Alexander. Want to join this amazing team?
Support Hard 2 Recycle
These events could not happen without the generous support of donors like you.
Give a gift now to support Hard 2 Recycle
P
1 million!
Pounds of materials saved from the landfill since 2016
Upcoming Dates
Feb 21st 2026, 10 am - 2 pm
Enka High School (West)
390 Enka Lake Drive, Candler, NC 28715
May 9th, 2026, 10 am - 2 pm
AC Reynolds High School (East)
1 Rocket Drive, Asheville, NC 28803
To find out about upcoming events, join our newsletter!
Don’t want to wait for the next H2R? Scroll down to Recycling Resources for more information about where to recycle items outside of these events, or visit the Waste Wizard to search for an item.
Accepted Items
Accepting listed items (click “ + “ symbol for more information)
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We DO NOT provide shredding services at our events.
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ALL TV’S AND CRT MONITORS $10 recycling fee, not accepting wooden console televisions.. *Please consider taking large electronic/ metal items directly to BIMCO.
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Hard Drives destroyed on site
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Cups, meat trays, egg cartons, styrofoam clam shells, etc.
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All styrofoam must be clean and free of dirt, debris, tape and stickers.
No Packing Peanuts or insulation will be accepted.
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Razors and packaging; squeezable food pouches; Mouthwash bottles and caps, toothbrushes, deodorant containers and caps, soap packaging, floss containers, and toothpaste tubes and caps.
NOT ACCEPTING
the following items:
• Packing peanuts
• Paint, stains, sealer
• Light bulbs of any kind
• Cooking or motor oils
• Hard plastics
• Vinyl/PVC
• Rigid Plastics
(lawn furniture, buckets, flower pots, etc.)
• VHS/cassette tapes
• Plate glass, foam
• Wooden items or cement
Click here to see alternate ways to recycle some of these items.
How to Recycle with Terracycle
Click to view larger images
How to Recycle Styrofoam
Want to help make it easier on us?
1. Your styrofoam must be clean of dirt and debris and free of tape, stickers, and any other non-styrofoam materials (like cardboard)
2. Clear plastic bags or recyclable containers (paper bags or cardboard boxes) are best for drop off. Please be prepared to take any other containers or bags home to reduce trash.
3. Packaging styrofoam is considered to be more rigid styrofoam that snaps when you bend it. We cannot accept soft foams or insulation.
4. There is currently no fee to recycle styrofoam at our events, however donations are accepted and deeply appreciated to help us offset the cost of processing the materials.
Recycling in the City of Asheville can be tricky.
Want more information on local recycling?
Recycling Resources
Alternative Places to Recycle Your Items!
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Asheville Waste Paper Company 304 Lyman St, Asheville, NC 28801
Staples
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Biltmore Iron and Metal (BIMCO): (1 Meadow Rd, Asheville, NC 28803)
Transfer Station’s metal bin (190 Hominy Creek Rd.)
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Biltmore Iron and Metal (BIMCO)
Asheville Transfer Station
Buncombe County landfill electronics recycling (free to residents)
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Buncombe County Landfill (81 Panther Branch Rd. Alexander) or Transfer Station (190 Hominy Creek Road)
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Our Buncombe County Landfill holds special collection days. Check the schedule here.
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Publix takes food grade (1830 Hendersonville Rd)
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Feed Me Foam: 600 Parkway View Rd Mars Hill (collection 7am-6pm M-F, 7am-5pm Saturdays, closed Sundays.) Visit their Facebook page for pop up events.
For other pop-up collection events, visit
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Find accepted items and drop off locations at: www.nextrex.com
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Look for bins at your favorite restaurants with a blue and white sticker that says Blue Ridge Biofuels. For help locating a bin near you, call 828-253-1034 or email info@blueridgebiofuels.com.
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ABCCM: (155 Livingston St, Asheville, NC 28801) OR Habitat for Humanity
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Buncombe County Landfill, Home Depot, or Lowes.
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Switch to silicone bags you can put in the dishwasher!
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NO broken or long tube type bulbs Take to Buncombe County Landfill on Hazardous Materials Days. Check their website for schedule.
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— Lowes or Home Depot
— Asheville GreenWorks does NOT accept pots for recycling. We will take donations of 3, 5, 7 and 10 gal black pots, in good condition, at the Asheville GreenWorks Nursery (Sandhill Nursery 24 Apac Cir.)
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Place in hard plastic container with screw on top (e.g. laundry detergent jug) and take to Buncombe Transfer Station SHARPs disposal
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TerraCycle—find events at West Village Market (771 Haywood Rd)
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Donate OR GreenZone (email Info@GZRUSA.com to find locations near you!)
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Best buy ($25)/Landfill on a TV recycling day ($10)
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Staples: Single-use alkaline , Non-rechargeable lithium, Rechargeable Nickel cadmium (Ni-Cd), Lithium ion (Li-Ion), Small sealed lead acid (SSLA/Pb), Nickel metal hydride (Ni-MH), Nickel zinc (Ni-ZN)
Batteries Plus Bulbs: all kinds
Rechargeable: Target stores, Best Buy, Lowe’s, Home Depot, Buncombe County Landfill
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UPS store (all locations), plus grocery stores that accept plastic film. Find drop-off locations: plasticfilmrecycling.org
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Advanced Auto or Autozone or the Buncombe County Landfill
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Donate them instead
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Donate them
*Accepted at Asheville GreenWorks Hard 2 Recycle events
Thank you to our Partners
Without the assistance and expertise of these dedicated waste reduction superheroes, our Hard 2 Recycle events would not be possible. Thank you!
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Biltmore Iron and Metal Company
828-253-9317
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Curbside Management
828-252-2532
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One Click Fix
828-318-8558
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Smoky Mountain Waste
828-515-5003
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City of Asheville
828-251-1122
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Buncombe County
828-250-5460
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Feed me Foam
224-406-4204
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Biltmore Computers
828-382-8283