What We Take

Click on each item for more details about what we accept. Plus, find out how each material gets a second life through reuse, reimagining, or recycling!

UPDATE: We have an urgent need to help provide cold-weather clothing and other gear for the recently resettled Latin American refugees in Denver.

Learn More About Requested Items and How We’re Helping

Clean and dry pouches with caps attached.
NO dripping, sticky pouches.
Recycle: TerraCycle
Alkaline, NiCd, NiMH, lithium-ion, lithium primary, mercury, silver oxide, button cells, sealed lead acid, rechargeable batteries and car batteries
Alkaline batteries are subject to a $3/lb surcharge when totaling over 3lbs. NO swollen or damaged batteries.
Recycle: Battery Solutions, Call2Recycle, Advanced Auto, SustainAbility
Bike tubes (from inside bike tires).
NO bike tires, no tubes containing puncture-resistant slime.
Reimagine: Green Guru Gear
Books of any type and condition.
NO magazines or notebooks with personal writing.
Reuse or Recycle: DreamBooks
Metal bottle caps from beer and soft drink bottles.
NO screw top metal bottle caps, NO plastic bottle caps.
Reimagine: Craftsman & Apprentice
Small, undamaged, propane and butane camping fuel canisters.
Recycle: MetroGas
Rigid plastic 4-pack or 6-pack can carriers (Paktech branded).
NO flexible 6-pack carriers (made of clear film).
Reuse: Hugo’s Beer & Spirits
Recycle: Eco-Cycle
Car seats, car seat bases, and booster seats.
Print and attach this +1 item form to your car seat to indicate whether or not it’s been in an accident.
If the car seat was either in an accident or is expired, please ALSO cut the straps to make it very clear that it’s not safe for reuse.
Reuse & Recycle: WeeCycle
CDs, DVDs and video games in their original cases.
NO software, CD-ROMs, DVD-ROMs loose discs, books of discs, or burden discs.
Reuse: DreamBooks
Clothing, sheets, towels, pillows, curtains, fabric scraps, bags.
Ripped or stained is ok, but must be laundered and dry.
Reuse: Clothes To Kids Denver, Denver Rescue Mission, tonlé design
Recycle: Midwest Textiles
Wine and champagne corks.
Reimagine: Craftsman & Apprentice, Neighborhood Art Studio, local artists
Deliver Zero restaurant takeout and delivery containers.
Reuse: Deliver Zero (formerly Repeater)
Cellphones, tablets, MP3 players, headphones, cables, chargers, surge protectors, keyboards, mice, cameras, flashlights, telephones, stereos, flatscreen TVs, flatscreen monitors, VCRs, DVD players, video game systems, printers, scanners, paper shredders, fax machines, modems, routers, vacuum cleaners, sewing machines, irons, clocks, lamps, toasters, toaster ovens, microwaves, food processors, rice cookers, slow cookers, air fryers, coffeemakers, blenders, electronic toys, electric power tools, humidifiers, electric space heaters.
NO CRT televisions, air conditioners, refrigerators, freezers or oil-filled heaters.
NO smoke alarms or mercury thermometers.
NO items over 50 lb. or items that require two people to lift.
A $0.95/lb. surcharge applies to any item(s) (singular or cumulative) over 5 pounds in weight
Reuse: Denver Street Stories, Denver Rescue Mission
Recycle: SustainAbility

Must be clean and dry.
Reuse: The Food Bank of the Rockies
Eyewear of any kind, including prescription glasses, readers, and sunglasses.
Reuse: Lion’s Club
All types and sizes of fire extinguishers.
$9 surcharge per unit applies.
Recycle: Cintas Fire Protection
Must not be leaking. Please dispose of leaking packs in the trash bin.
Reuse: Food Bank of the Rockies
Metal house keys.
Reimagine: Craftsman & Apprentice,
Recycle: Denver Metal Recycling
CFL, LED, halogen, and incandescent light bulbs. Fluorescent tubes.
$1 per foot surcharge applies for fluorescent tubes.
NO individual fluorescent tubes longer than 4 feet.
Recycle: Veolia North America
Latex, acrylic, water-based, alkyd, enamel; Primers, undercoats, stains, shellacs, lacquers, varnishes; Waterproofing concrete, masonry, wood sealers; Metal coatings, rust preventatives, lawn paints.
NO paint thinners, mineral spirits, solvents, aerosol paints; No caulk, epoxies, adhesives, roof patch, industrial coatings; No containers that are empty, leaking, missing original label; No containers smaller than a quart size.
Recycle: GreenSheen Paint
Clean, dry bags made from plastic film types 2 and 4. Examples include grocery, produce, cereal, bread, zip lock, newspaper and dry cleaning bags.
When in doubt: Grab the plastic film with two hands and gently pull it apart. If it stretches, it’s generally acceptable. If it doesn’t stretch, it’s unacceptable.
NO food crumbs, liquid, dirt.
NO frozen food bags; NO soil, mulch or compost bags; NO dog food bags; NO coffee bags.
Recycle: Trex
Visual Guide: Accepted Plastic Bags & Packaging
Clean, dry packaging made from plastic film types 2 and 4. Examples include bubble wrap, air pillows, all-plastic padded mailing envelopes, all-plastic unpadded mailing envelopes, and shrink wrap.
When in doubt: Grab the plastic film with two hands and gently pull it apart. If it stretches, it’s generally acceptable. If it doesn’t stretch, it’s unacceptable.
NO mailing envelopes with silver foil outside & bubble wrap inside; NO mailing envelopes with paper outside & bubble wrap inside.
Recycle: Trex
Visual Guide: Accepted Plastic Bags & Packaging
Printer ink and toner cartridges from any type of printer.
Reuse: Environmental Office Solutions
NOW ACCEPTING COOKWARE THROUGH MAY 31st! Other than metal pots & pans, the items should be in reusable condition. Please take precautions with any sharp items. Learn more.
Special collections for seasonal items, such as school supplies, holiday lights and cookware.
Any condition, paired or unpaired.
Pairs should be tied together with laces or rubber bands.
Reuse & Recycle: Soles4Souls
Rigid, white block styrofoam in the form of blocks, sheets, and coolers.
NO packing peanuts, egg cartons*, takeout containers; NO foam insulation; NO flexible foam sheets or blocks.
*Egg cartons are not recyclable, BUT we can accept them if they are in good condition as we have a partner that can reuse them.
nRecycle: SustainAbility
Gently-used toys.
Reuse: WeeCycle, ARC Thrift, Goodwill

Please note: We do not accept single-stream recycling items, such as aluminum cans, glass bottles, plastic bottles, or cardboard. Those items can go in your curbside recycling bin!

Accepted Item Visual Guides (Printable)

Our Mission

At The Happy Beetle, our mission is to keep as many items out of the landfill as possible.

That being said, there are many ways to approach waste diversion. Here are the guiding principles we apply towards each accepted item that arrives in our warehouse (in this order):

Reuse: Our primary goal is to give your item a second life in its original form. If it can be reused, we will find a new home for it. We prioritize donating valuable resources to our local community whenever possible.

Reimagine: Some items can’t be reused in their original form, but can be reimagined by our community. We partner with local schools, artists, and innovators to give your items a new purpose.

Recycle: If we can’t find an organization or individual to reuse the item, we will ensure it makes its way to the proper recycling facility.

Certified Responsible Disposal: Some items contain dangerous materials that are not recyclable, like the mercury in certain types of light bulbs. In these instances, we work with organizations that possess industry-leading certifications ensuring that their practices are environmentally sound.