When I found out that Terracycle and Calphalon have partnered on a new, absolutely free program to recycle old cookware, bakeware, and cutlery, I immediately joined.
We’ve been talking about somme of the increasingly eco-friendly changes we’ve all been making in our homes over the past few years, like my family’s recent switch to reusable bamboo paper towels. So this is one more change that I definitely want to implement.
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Most municipal recycling programs don’t accept cookware, so I tend to just toss (with a strong pang of guilt) or donate mine when I upgrade — provided they’re worth donating. Sometimes they’re beyond help. That’s why I’m glad that Terracycle’s cookware recycling program is so easy: just sign up, print the label, and mail your old cookware to Calphalon, which they will then break down through smelting, then upcycle into something brand new,
You don’t even need to wrap them in paper or bubble wrap — although sheathing those knives would be a considerate move.
Best of all, they don’t just accept Calphalon. You can send in all all brands of metal-based cookware, bakeware, and cutlery, including nonstick aluminum, stainless steel, carbon steel, and even cast iron.
Hopefully though, you can rescue those precious cast iron pans of yours — you should be able to bring that Lodge fry pan or cast iron dutch oven back to life with a little elbow grease and patience. Recycling ours would definitely be a last resort.
If you haven’t checked out Terracycle‘s wide variety of free recycling programs — like the Loop program we covered on Cool Mom Picks — you can learn more on their website. Maybe it gives you an excuse to finally invest in that new cookware collection or knife set you’ve wanted for years.
