We all know how to recycle typical things like food containers and cardboard and you probably have your favorite local general donation center. But what about unusual stuff? Check out my A-Z list:

• Anything & Everything: Join your local Buy Nothing group (on Facebook or other platforms) to easily connect with people who want your stuff. Just be sure you're giving more than you're taking!
• American Girl dolls & accessories: GirlAGain sells gently used American Girl dolls, clothes, and furniture.
  It is operated by Yes She Can Inc., a nonprofit organization that teaches and develops job skills for young women with autism.
• Art supplies & oddities: Reach out to the art department of your local college or community college. Students love to make art out of donated supplies and found objects.
• Athletic Shoes: With GotSneakers, you earn cash when you recycle reusable athletic sneakers.
• Baby items: RI's Foster Forward Community Storefront takes cribs and baby gear as well as clothing, furniture, and other household items for foster families and youth.
• Batteries: BatteriesPlus+ stores will recycle all kinds of batteries, even single-use alkaline batteries. Staples will recycle all except single-use alkaline batteries. Technically, alkaline batteries can be put in the trash, but it's better to avoid that. Duracell and Battery University have extensive information on battery care and disposal.
• Books: Donate to your local library and general donation centers. If you have just a few books, look for a Little Free Library near you or install one at your house. If you have specialty books (part of a collection or specific genre), locate a museum, library, or historical society centered around that specialty and see if they would take the donation. If you have to mail the books, save money by sending them via the USPS Media Mail rate.
• Bras: Yes, you can donate gently used bras! Check The Bra Recyclers website for a drop-off location near you.
  
• CDs, DVDs, VHS, cassettes: Mail to GreenDisk.
• Car Seats: Twice a year, Target offers a car seat trade-in program.
• Cashmere & Silk: The artisan behind CashmereLuxCo will turn your moth-eaten garments into one-of-a-kind creations through visible repair or upcycling. If you don't want your piece repaired, you can simply donate it to her.
• Clothing: Your nearest donation center (Savers, Goodwill, Salvation Army, St. Vincent dePaul, etc.) is a great option. If shipping is easier for you, donate through Zappos for Good or turn old clothes into cash with ThredUP.
• Cosmetics:  Project Beauty Share accepts donations of makeup, lotion, hair products, and much more. Amenity Aid accepts donations of new toiletries and hygiene products as well as hotel amenities.
• Electronics: Staples, Best Buy, and BatteriesPlus+ stores can recycle all electronics such as cell phones, computers, laptops, tablets, etc. For a fee, they will also wipe hard drives. Walmart will allow you to exchange electronics for a Walmart gift card.
• Eyeglasses: Find a Lions Club drop box near you or bring them to a participating Walmart Vision Center.
• Flags: Check with your local VFW or American Legion to locate a U.S. flag retirement dropbox near you.
• Fluorescent light bulbs: BatteriesPlus+ stores will recycle all kinds of bulbs. Home Depot stores have recycling bins near their service desk for compact fluorescent bulbs.
• Gift bags: Kreatelier, a favorite shop of mine here in Providence, repurposes gift bags as their shopping bags. If you're not near Providence, see if a boutique near you would like to start this kind of program.
• Hearing aids: Donate to Hearing Aid Project.
• Hotel Amenities: Donate unused hotel soap, shampoo, toothbrushes, toothpaste, and airline amenity kits to Amenity Aid.
• Ikea furniture: Though it's easy to sell online for local pickup, you may prefer the Ikea Buy Back program.
• Ink cartridges: Staples stores will recycle these and give you rewards credit.
• Jeans: Blue Jeans Go Green lets you drop off old denim at a participating retailer or mail it for free via Zappos for Good.
• Junk Mail: Cut down on junk mail and reduce the need to recycle! Register with the Direct Marketing Association at DMAchoice.org to choose what promotional mail you receive. The fee is $4 and your registration lasts for 10 years. Check FTC.gov for ways to opt out of credit card solicitations and reduce email spam. The PaperKarma app makes it easy to unsubscribe from catalogs, donation requests, and other mail solicitations.
• Kindles: Promote a love of reading when you donate your old Kindle to Pageturner (formerly Kindle Classroom Project). The all-volunteer Pageturner provides Kindles and an unlimited library of books to elementary, middle, and high school students in Oakland and the Bay Area. Fill out the form on their website and they'll get back to you with shipping instructions.
• Lego®: Pass your Lego bricks forward with LEGO Replay. If you're in Rhode Island, try Providence Brick Exchange. If you'd like to sell your bricks, contact me and I can put you in touch with a buyer.​
• Makeup: Project Beauty Share accepts donations of makeup, lotion, hair products, and much more.
• Maps: Donate to the Road Map Collectors Association.
• Medical equipment: Med-eq.org takes unused medical supplies and lightly used medical equipment. Goodwill also accepts medical equipment donations. For a comprehensive list, see the NCOA's guide, How to Manage Unused Medical Supplies.
• Medication: Police stations in Rhode Island have drop boxes or go to safe.pharmacy/drug-disposal to find a drop box near you. For instructions on home disposal, check FDA.gov or try a Deterra drug deactivation pouch.
• Musical Instruments: Contact your local school, music school, or youth orchestra.
• Paint: Many paint stores will recycle your paint. Check paintcare.org for a drop-off site near you. Latex paint can be thrown in the trash as long as you let it dry out first.
• Pet Products: Animal shelters are a great place to donate and, in addition to pet supplies, they often take old towels and blankets. Petco stores will accept donations of pet items and also unopened pet food.
• Plastic bags: Many grocery stores and Ocean State Job Lot stores have bins out front for recycling stretchy plastics such as bags and bubble wrap.
• Produce: Are you a gardener with an abundant crop? Contact your local food pantry to see if they take produce from local gardeners. The East Bay Food Pantry in Bristol, RI, allows you to drop off on Wednesday and Friday mornings.
• Sharps and needles: Collect these in a sturdy plastic container and throw in the trash or check safeneedledisposal.org to find information and disposal options in your area.
• Shoes: Zappos has partnered with Soles4Souls so you can ship your shoes to them for free!
• Sneakers: With GotSneakers, you earn cash when you recycle reusable athletic sneakers.
• Stuffed animals: Stuffed Animals for Emergencies provides stuffed animals to comfort children in traumatic and emergency situations. Lightweight stuffed animals are easy to ship to any of the SAFE locations. Or check with your local police, fire, and rescue departments to donate directly to first responders.
• T-Shirts & Sweatshirts: My T-Shirt Blanket in nearby Fall River, MA, turns your t-shirts into custom blankets and pillows.
• Textbooks: Buy, sell, and rent textbooks at BookScouter.com.
• Textiles: H&M stores and Savers thrift stores accept garments and textiles (old sheets, linens, towels) for recycling.
• Toiletries: Amenity Aid accepts donations of new toiletries and hygiene products as well as hotel amenities or travel-sized toiletries. Project Beauty Share accepts donations of makeup, lotion, hair products, and much more.
• Trophies: Mail to the Nationwide Trophy Recycling Program in Madison, WI. They will donate the rebuilt trophies to other nonprofit organizations nationwide.
• Umbrellas: Recycle broken umbrellas. Bring metal parts to a scrap metal recycler and donate fabric to textile recycling.
• Umbrella Covers: Believe it or not, there's an Umbrella Cover Museum and you can donate unique umbrella covers to them!
• Zucchini: Are you a gardener with an abundant crop? Contact your local food pantry to see if they take produce from local gardeners. The East Bay Food Pantry in Bristol, RI, allows you to drop off on Wednesday and Friday mornings.

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Note: Some of these resources are specific to the greater Rhode Island area. If you're not nearby, use these as inspiration for a search in your local area.