Recycling while living on the road is a lot more complicated than when living in a traditional home. That’s why we created this ultimate van life recycling guide!
By Bekah Whitney
In first grade, someone from waste management came to talk to us about recycling. From that point on, little 5-year-old me made it my mission to get everyone I knew to start recycling. That day the health of the environment became a passion of mine and it has only grown. I’m so excited you are here to learn how you can recycle while living on the road!
Recycling is the process of breaking down waste into reusable materials. Our earth is not a renewable resource and we need to be as sustainable as possible if we want to keep it a place where all living creatures can thrive. It’s easy to make excuses not to be sustainable, especially when living van life, but just because you live on the road does not give you an excuse to be wasteful. We all need to be as environmentally friendly as possible and do what we can.
Some materials are more efficient and cost effective to recycle than others. Knowing these facts can help you decide what’s worth holding onto and what might be destined for the landfill anyways.
Recycling regulations are ever changing and have evolved over the last 20 years with scientific innovations as well as studies on recycling impacts. Many people just throw items that are not recyclable into the bin because they don’t want to be the one throwing it in the trash. This wastes time, money, and resources. The saying, “when in doubt throw it out” came about due to this problem of recycling centers spending hours separating non-recyclables and sometimes just giving up on the whole batch and throwing it out. Below I will go through common household recyclables to determine what to recycle while living van life.
Van Life recycling guide suggestion: Save #1 and #2 plastics that can easily be cleaned out and dried.
In 2018 China stopped purchasing any of our plastics making plastic recycling rather limited in the United States. Many recycling programs only accept #1 & #2 plastics and by adding anything else into the bin you are actually creating a problem. They do not clean anything at the recycling center, so if you are not willing to use water to clean it, put it in the trash as it will end up in a landfill anyways.
Van Life recycling guide suggestion: Save paper that is clean and dry. Anything with food grease (such as napkins) or soaked in something (paper towels) go in the trash (or compost).
Paper products are very easy to recycle and make a huge impact, in a good way, when recycled! Paper waste contributes to deforestation and greenhouse gasses when added to a landfill. The same “when in doubt, throw it out” rule applies to paper, but it is a bit more obvious than plastics. Cereal boxes, beer boxes, and other thin “cardboard” is actually called paperboard and goes in the paper recycling (but sometimes, oddly, with the corrugated) so just be sure to read the signs at your local recycling center.
Van Life recycling guide suggestion: Save any cardboard boxes that are unwaxed or uncontaminated with food grease (no pizza boxes!) in a dry place.
Yes, cardboard is different from paper! We are talking specifically about corrugated cardboard such as thick cardboard boxes. This makes up a big chunk of the country’s commercial waste streams. Luckily, many big chains have specific cardboard recycling dumpsters and don’t mind if you put in a box or two, or, if you need boxes, they don’t mind if you take them out either! Feel free to go inside and ask the manager, but I’ve never been turned away from using a cardboard dumpster.
Van Life recycling guide suggestion: Save and crush all aluminum cans!
Aluminum is an amazing material because it’s 100% recyclable! It’s also much more cost effective to reprocess aluminum than to create new cans, which is why there are so many buyback programs. Plus you can compact them to make more space. You should never toss aluminum cans into the trash, even if they are scraps.
Van Life recycling guide suggestion: Avoid glass or reuse the containers.
Glass is one of those items that doesn’t have a clear answer across the U.S. as so many facilities have different processes and rules. Some only accept clear glass, while others accept anything and everything. My big distaste of glass is that there is no way to make glass smaller without breaking it so it takes up a lot of space that no one living on the road has. I personally avoid items that come in glass unless I want to reuse the container. I instead try to opt for something without a container or that comes in aluminum cans.
I suggest having 2 bins in your rig, a recycle bin and a trash bin. You may have to separate your recyclables when you get to the recycling center, but keeping them all together will save space. Crush your cans and break down your cardboard to pack more items into your bin. Since everything should be clean and dry in your recycling bin, it should not smell. We keep our recycling bin next to our trash bin and tuck flattened cardboard on the side of the bin where it is out of the way and takes up the least amount of space possible.
Van Life recycling guide suggestion: Google “Recycle center near me” to find the closest place to recycle, or ask a local (Sawyer’s favorite).
Different cities and states will provide recycling for different items. Many cities have invested in receptacles in large grocery store parking lots, or have free recycling centers. Many places where you get money back from cans have designated hours, but if you don’t want to wait around to get money back you can usually just drop them off or pawn them off on a homeless person with a half-full shopping cart of cans.
Sometimes google will have recycling centers and bins marked on maps, other times we just happen to find a place to recycle. If google has no answer for you, grocery store attendants make great resources! Ask them if they know of anywhere to recycle while you are checking out.
The goal is not perfection, it is reduction. If you think something may take too much water to wash out, such as a peanut butter jar, throw it out. If you keep breaking glass in your house because you haven’t been able to find a recycling center that accepts it for months, throw it out. Find a recycling routine that works for you and be proud of what you are contributing.
Remember that recycle is the last step, while reduce is the first. Try to purchase items that do not come in bags or containers. Always bring your own bags into the grocery store and reusable coffee cups to the cafe. The more you reduce and reuse the less items you will be carrying until your next recycling stop.
If you are struggling with the idea of stockpiling recycling while on the road, I suggest picking one material you always recycle and build up from there. If you drink a lot of soda or beer, maybe you always recycle aluminum cans. Recycling will become a part of your life and you’ll find that it’s actually pretty easy once if you just try.
Recycling while living on the road can seem challenging, but once you start, you’ll realize it’s much easier than it seems. Remember to be kind to yourself and know your contributions do matter.
Share in the comments section below what helps you recycle on the road, what you are struggling with, or any questions you have about being eco-friendly on the road!
Hi! I’m Bekah, but you can call me Beks, all my friends do! I travel full-time in a tiny home on wheels that my partner, Sawyer, and I built from a cargo trailer shell in 2019. We started out in beautiful Colorado and have been all over the United States over the years. This space is designed to inspire and guide the nature obsessed nomad, weekend warrior, and future roadlifer. I’m so excited you’re here!
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