We’re over one month into the Crinkly Plastic Packaging Pilot, and nearly 300 members are now recycling chip bags, candy wrappers, coffee bags, and other non-stretchy packaging. To join, purchase a $6 Pink Bag add-on in the Member Dashboard Shop, and we’ll deliver it at your next pickup. Please place crinkly packaging only in the Pink Bag, not the ReCo Pick or Plastic Film canvas bags. Our goal is to make this a permanent part of the program with its own canvas bag by mid-year.

Quick video: how to tell crinkly packaging from plastic film.

We heard your feedback in the 2026 Member Survey. We’re now recycling silica packets and clothing buttons. Add them to the Small Things ReCo Pick in July and help keep these small but persistent items out of the landfill.

Join Our Team at the Durham Farmers’ Market

We’re hiring a friendly, reliable community ambassador for a paid Saturday market role. You’ll represent The ReCollective, collect Purple Bins, talk composting and hard-to-recycle materials, and help new members get started. Free composting service included. Learn more

This March, place new or gently used hardcover and softcover books in your ReCo Pick Bag to help keep them in circulation and out of the landfill. Please only include books in good condition, no damaged books, encyclopedias, or magazines. As a bonus, stack clean paper bags up to 8 inches tall, remove any stickers, and place them in your black waterproof bag for pickup.

When memberships are paid with plastic, up to 5% of your monthly dues go toward processing fees. Choosing Bank Draft helps keep more of your membership focused on recycling and supports our young service on the path to sustainability.

If you’d like to switch, you can update your billing method anytime in your Member Dashboard under Account → Billing → Payment Method. Add your bank account and set it as your default.

We’ve restocked our Fillaree products in the Member Dashboard Shop. Stock up and refill your dispensing bottles again and again. When your refill pouch is empty, just give it a quick rinse, set aside the pump for future use, and place the pouch out with your ReCo pickup. We’ll return it to Fillaree for reuse, keeping more packaging in circulation and out of the landfill.

January’s ReCo Pick brought in a lot of ornaments, seasonal décor, and holiday extras. Everything was delivered to The Scrap Exchange in Durham, where the materials will be fully reused or creatively repurposed for art, education, and community projects instead of heading to landfill.

Maybe your municipality curbside recycling doesn’t accept #1 plastics (clamshells) or #5 plastics, or you’re simply looking for another solution. The ReCollective partners with Orange Recycling Services in Durham to responsibly recycle these materials. Add a 13-gallon #1 or #5 plastics bag in the Member Dashboard Shop before your next pickup, and we’ll deliver it for you to fill at your convenience.

Reference our new #1 and #5 plastics guide to learn more. Also see our other one page guides. 

Welcome to Thompson Ridge, our 9th Community Compost site. We’re excited to grow compost access in more neighborhoods across the Triangle. Learn more about Community Compost and how it works here.

We’re expanding across central North Carolina. Greensboro, Mebane, and Burlington are now open for signups. Charlotte is up later this year, once we have enough pre-signups to launch. Expansion helps more people recycle and keeps more stuff out of the landfill. Please tell your friends and family!

Not in our service area but still within 500 miles? No problem. You can still use ReCo by mail. Mailback members can purchase bags whenever they need them. Order the Almost Anything Bag for full flexibility, or choose dedicated bags for Plastic Film, Textiles, and Crinkly Food Packaging.

Our OneStop service combines composting and hard-to-recycle collection into a single monthly pickup—available in parts of Durham, Raleigh, Cary, Morrisville, and Chapel Hill. It’s flexible, convenient, and starts at just $21/month.

Do you live in an apartment or condominium? Whether it’s Hard-To-Recycle materials or Food Scraps, ReCo is here to help you recycle more!