Author: Rachel Evans

2024 Holiday Recycling Guide

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Wondering what’s OK to recycle in your recycling cart this season?

Our Holiday Recycling Guide can help!

YES, it goes in the cart!
Flattened cardboard boxes
Plain wrapping paper
Empty wrapping paper tubes
Plain paper (no glitter) gift/shopping bags
Tissue paper
Greeting cards & envelopes (even photo cards)
Newspapers, magazines & catalogs
Popcorn and cookie tins
NO, it doesn’t go in the cart!
Rechargeable batteries
Glitter or metallic foil wrapping paper
Ribbons & bows
Styrofoam (even if it has a number on it)
Plastic bags and films
Artificial Christmas trees
Holiday lights
**Electronics of any kind**

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And don’t forget to keep all recyclables LOOSE in your cart!

NEVER MISS RECYCLING DAY AGAIN! Davenport and Bettendorf residents can use this free recycling reminder tool

Electronics recycling
Strands of lights—along with computers, monitors, televisions, printers, digital cameras, and video game systems—are considered e-waste. These items may be dropped off for recycling from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday-Friday and 8 to 11:30 a.m. the first Saturday of the month at the Electronics Recovery Center, 5640 Carey Ave., Davenport. There is no charge for residents from Scott and Rock Island counties. Residents from other counties as well as businesses can recycle electronics for a fee. Click for more info! Watch what to do when you arrive at our site!

Residents of Davenport and Bettendorf may place large e-waste items (that do not contain personal data) at the curb for pickup on their recycling/bulky waste day. Get your collection schedule.

Cooking oil
Frying a turkey? Strain out the solids from the oil and bring it to the Household Hazardous Materials Facility, 5640 Carey Ave., Davenport for recycling. This service is free for residents of Scott and Rock Island counties. Click for more info! Watch what to do when you arrive at our site!

​Have more recyclables than can fit in your bin? View our drop-off recycling locations here. 

Recycle Right!

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We’re excited to share the Scott Area Recycling Center underwent some updates in 2023. The good news is that our recycling rules aren’t changing. Keep reading for reminders on how you can Recycle Right!

Three new optical sorters have increased the system’s sorting speed from 10 tons-per-hour to 11.5 tons-per-hour and it captures more recyclables (particularly polypropylene, the type of plastic in items like yogurt containers, butter tubs, and cold beverage cups). Optical sorters use infrared technology to recognize and sort materials at a rate of 600-900 items per minute while a person can sort 35-50 items per minute.

Technology is changing the way the Waste Commission of Scott County sorts recyclables, but what can be recycled curbside remains the same. Residents should keep using the image on Go All In carts as a guide to Recycle Right!

What Goes in Your Cart?

  • Glass bottles and jars: Empty and rinse containers.
  • Plastic bottles, tubs and jugs: Labels and lids are OK.
  • Paper and cardboard: Flatten all boxes.
  • Aluminum and steel cans: Place all items in your cart loosely. No plastic bags!

When recycling right, be encouraged that the updated equipment at the Scott Area Recycling Center is capturing an additional 900,000lbs of recyclables annually. This includes eight times more polypropylene collected than before!

Want to learn more?

Keep batteries out of garbage & recycling carts

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Help prevent fires at recycling centers and landfills! Keep lithium and rechargeable batteries out of your garbage and recycling carts, and drop them off at the Electronics Recovery Center for proper disposal instead.

Lithium and rechargeable batteries — like those found inside rechargeable electronics such as laptops and cell phones — have caused numerous fires at our facilities (including this one in June 2023 which was suppressed by our Fire Rover system until the Davenport Fire Department arrived) and around the country. These preventable fires can damage public and private property, harm workers and the environment, and even cause loss of life.

Because of this, the Waste Commission of Scott County urges residents and businesses to drop off lithium and rechargeable batteries at the Electronics Recovery Center, 5650 Carey Ave., Davenport for proper disposal. 

The Electronics Recovery Center is open from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, and from 8 to 11:30 a.m. the first Saturday of each month. No appointment is necessary, and there is no charge for residents of Scott and Rock Island Counties. Residents of other counties as well as businesses may drop off batteries for a small fee. Watch what to do when you arrive at our facility!

Alkaline (non-rechargeable) batteries are considered trash and are safe to throw away in household garbage. We know it can be hard to know what type of battery you have, so if you’re unsure, bring them in and our staff can help.

Thank you for stopping the spark by keeping lithium and rechargeable batteries out of your garbage and recycling carts!

Not sure how to dispose of something? Search the database.

Please note: The Electronics Recovery Center cannot accept batteries with a capacity of 300 or more Watt-hours (Wh). Please contact the manufacturer for proper disposal instructions.