“Sustainability is the integration of environmental health, social equity and economic vitality in order to create thriving, healthy, diverse and resilient communities for this generation and generations to come". Here at Hand and Land, sustainability is at the heart of our mission. We are inspired everyday to make the world a better place and contribute to the resiliency of Kansas City. Yet, while we work tirelessly to provide our customers with mindfully crafted, packaged, and distributed goods, the road of sustainability does not end when our products walk out our doors. We encourage all of our customers to recycle. The complexity of recycling, however, cannot be ignored. We created this simple guide to recycling in Kansas City in hopes that our customers will unite and contribute to making Kansas City a more sustainable community.

Curbside Recycling

The easiest place to begin is with KC Recycles, Kansas City’s completely voluntary but highly encouraged curbside recycling program. It is likely you have seen the blue recycling bins speckled around your neighborhood. To begin recycling, we recommend you to start by purchasing one of these blue bins at any of the Westlake Ace Hardware or Price Chopper stores. You can set out your bin on the same day as trash day and a KC Recycles truck will swing by and whisk your recyclables away. It is important to note that this curbside program does not recycle everything. We recommend you print of this list and tape it to the side of your bin. 

Drop off Recycling Centers

So what about the recyclables that are not allowed in the blue bins, is the landfill their only fate? Luckly, Bridging The Gap recycling program takes many items that aren’t accepted at curbside - from glass, to aluminum cans, to clothes, and more. Bridging The Gap’s mission is to make the Kansas City region sustainable by "connecting the environment, economy and community”. We think they are living up to this goal as they manage three of KCMO’s recycling centers. 

1) Deramus – 4707 Deramus Ave. KCMO 64127

2) South – 5200 E. Red Bridge Rd., KCMO 64137

3) North – Pleasant Valley Park, 5601 NE Pleasant Valley Rd.

We suggest you have a separate recycling box for BTG that you can take to one of these three centers every few weeks. However, hours during the holidays vary so click here to make sure the drop off center is open. 

Terra Cycle Free Recycling Programs

For all other items we suggest checking out TerraCycle. TerraCycle offers a range of national, easy-to-use recycling platforms allowing everyone to #RecycleEverything. Some of these programs are free, and offer recycling solutions for typically hard-to-recycle waste streams. You can join as many programs as you like to help reduce your impact on our planet. 

H&L’s Curbside Sustainable Refill Station 

While we are on the topic of sustainability, we would like to take the time to talk about our refill station. We sell a variety of plant based, biodegradable cleaners, hand and dish soap, laundry essentials, shampoo, conditioner, body oil, plastic free alternatives and more. All you have to do is head over to our website and select the product you want filled, enter the number of ounces your reusable bottle holds, and place your order. We have refillable bottles and jars available to purchase, or you can use your own! Next, bring your sanitized bottles to H&L and give us a call when you arrive 816-768-8400. We will fulfill your order from a safe distance.