Kitchen sponges are something everyone will have at home. Once they start to look grimy we throw them away. Or are sponges recyclable?
In my journey to live a more sustainable life I have turned to my kitchen and my cleaning cupboard. I almost overlooked the humble kitchen sponge.
Like most people, I get a new one out quite regularly and throw the old one away. Then it hit me, can these not be recycled?
And if I wondered that, then the chances are other people will too. So I decided to do some research and find out.
So in this article, I will share my findings with you and answer the question: are sponges recyclable?
What Are Sponges Made Of?
To know if anything is recyclable, you have to know what it is made of. So to answer our question of are sponges recyclable, we have to look at their materials in more detail.
Like with so many things nowadays, most commercial cleaning sponges are made of plastic. To be more precise, of two types of plastic.
The most recognisable cleaning sponge is the yellow one with a green top that is meant for scrubbing away stubborn stains.
The soft yellow part is made of polyurethane, while the green, coarse part is made of polyethylene.
Other plastics such as polyfoam and melamine are also used to make sponges.
Non-Plastic Sponges
There are also non-plastic sponges available. Some are made from cellulose. This is a synthetic material that is made from plant fibres, such as wood or cotton.
Sometimes a mix of plant-based materials are used. But sometimes plastic is also added, so it pays to check what the sponge is made of.
Another non-plastic type of sponge is the sea sponge. This is actually an animal, so while there is no plastic in sight, you would have to live with the fact that you are using part of an animal to clean your home.
How about growing your own sponge? Loofah sponges are the fruit of the Luffa plant. This plant is in the same family as cucumbers and pumpkins.
The fruit is dried out and peeled. The dry flesh is then used as a sponge.
So now that we know what sponges are made of, let’s see if they are recyclable.
Are Sponges Recyclable?
To answer the question of “are sponges recyclable in the UK?” we have to look at each different type. Let’s start with the most common sponges you can buy.
Plastic Sponges
While the most common plastics that sponges are made of, polyurethane and polyethylene, are both recyclable, as sponges they aren’t.
This sounds mad, but I’m afraid it’s true. The majority of recycling facilities in the UK cannot process these plastic sponges because they are too light.
But this is not the only reason. Think about what you do with a sponge: you clean dishes, bathrooms, kitchen worktops and more.
This means the sponge will be full of residue from cleaning products and also food particles. Because of this the sponges could contaminate the whole load.
That’s why the majority of UK councils won’t accept plastic sponges in their recycling programmes. So the only option we have is to put our sponges in the general waste bin, which means they end up in landfill.
Not even TerraCycle accepts these sponges in any of their recycling programmes, from what I could find.
So what about the non-plastic sponges, are they recyclable?
Non-Plastic Sponges
Let’s start with cellulose sponges. According to studies, these are actually recyclable. But you might have already guessed it, you can’t put them in the recycling bin at home, because most UK councils won’t accept them.
So unless you live near a special recycling facility that accepts cellulose sponges, you have to put them in the black bin. However, as long as the sponges are made 100% of plant cellulose they can be composted at home.
Loofah and sea sponges are both natural materials that are compostable, but can’t be recycled.
While they can be put on a home compost heap, this should be carefully considered, given the chemicals they might have been used with.
However, cellulose, loofah and sea sponges are also biodegradable, which isn’t the same as compostable, so at least if they end up in landfill they won’t cause the same harm to our environment than plastic ones.
What Type Of Sponge Is Best For The Environment?
Knowing that the answer to our question “are sponges recyclable in the UK?” is no, leads us to another question.
What sponge type is the most eco-friendly and has the least impact on our planet?
Plastic Is The Worst
It might not surprise you that the worst type of sponge is ones that contain plastic. And there are several reasons:
- Most plastic sponges are made from fossil fuel-derived plastics
- They cannot be recycled
- Every time a sponge is used it emits tiny plastic particles, so-called microplastics
- While not single-use, they are only used for a short time before being thrown away
- Plastic sponges tend to be drenched in chemicals such as triclosan, which are harmful to the environment
You can find out more about how bad these sponges are for the environment in our complete guide about this topic.
So, we have established that plastic sponges are bad news for our planet. But what about the other types?
Cellulose Sponges
Because cellulose sponges are made from plant-derived sources, they are more sustainable. At least the ones that are made from 100% cellulose.
Watch out for ones that have plastic added, as they won’t be as eco-friendly as they appear.
To produce these cellulose sponges, the plant fibres have to undergo certain processes. These processes can use quite a lot of energy, which means they won’t be particularly eco-friendly.
Also, like the plastic sponges, many cellulose sponges are also soaked in chemicals or pesticides that will keep bacteria at bay until the sponge is used.
Try to avoid cellulose sponges that have been soaked in harmful chemicals, as these can still harm the environment.
One big advantage of 100% cellulose sponges is that you can pop them in the dishwasher to keep bacteria build-up under control.
Due to the high temperatures in the machine, bacteria that have settled on the sponge get killed, and food residue gets removed too.
You can then reuse the sponge for several months, rather than only for a matter of days or weeks. Not only is that better for the environment, it will also save you money.
Even though 100% cellulose sponges aren’t accepted by most councils for home recycling, they are compostable. So they don’t need to go into landfill.
I would clean the sponge in a dishwasher though before cutting it up and putting it on the compost heap.
However, if you don’t have a home compost bin, then you have to throw your cellulose sponge in the general waste bin.
While it is difficult to find out, due to lack of information on council websites, it looks like most councils won’t accept these cellulose sponges in their garden waste bins.
If you have a home compost bin, then these 100% cellulose sponges are an eco-friendly alternative to traditional plastic sponges.
Sea Sponge And Loofah Sponge
Both the sea sponge and the loofah sponge are 100% natural and will biodegrade and compost.
However, given that sea sponges are classed as animals, there is always a risk that we harvest too many and contribute to its extinction.
So any sea sponge you buy should be harvested sustainably. But we are still left with the ethical question. Do we want to clean with part of an animal?
I suppose this is something that everyone has to decide for themselves, like with using silk floss.
Loofah sponges, on the other hand, are sustainable and vegan. You can even grow your own.
Once you are done with it, the loofah sponge will naturally break down into useful nutrients. So no harm for the planet from them.
And because they are basically tried fruits, you can compost them at home too. As long as you haven’t used any cleaning products with them that could contaminate your compost heap.
So while both the sea sponge and loofah sponge aren’t recyclable, they are at least natural and won’t cause any harm to the planet once discarded.
Conclusion
The answer to our question “are sponges recyclable?” is generally no, if you are thinking of being able to put them in your recycling bin at home.
And we have also learned that the classic synthetic sponges that are made of plastic are very harmful for our environment. So if you want to live a more sustainable life, keep away from them.
However, there are eco-friendly sponges out there that are made from natural materials. This includes cellulose sponges, which can be cleaned in the dishwasher and reused several times.
Because cellulose is made from natural fibres, you can compost sponges that are made from this plant cellulose. This means no waste.
Loofah sponges are another great eco-friendly alternative. Natural sea sponges are also made from sustainable materials, but as they are animals, there is an ethical consideration to make.
Now that you know if sponges can be recycled and what alternatives there are, why not make the swap and clean your home in a more eco-friendly way.
Not sure where to start? Here are two non-plastic sponges we tried:
