Walmart Recycling and Car Seat Trade-In
What Walmart's official pages say about its free recycling drop-off units, the car seat trade-in event, and returning tires and car batteries.
By Olivia HarperContributing writer. Policy checked .
On this page
This is a summary in our own words of Walmart's corporate pages on recycling, read on October 26, 2026. Walmart.com and its help pages did not load for us, so services that are only described there (such as Auto Care Center take-back) are not covered in detail. Ask your local store before you bring anything in.
Community Recycling Units
Walmart runs a free, self-service drop-off container called the Community Recycling Unit at select Walmart and Sam's Club locations. The units are open around the clock and take packaging of any brand, wherever you bought it. Units at Walmart and Sam's Club take the same materials; only the colors and logos differ.
| Material | Accepted | Not accepted |
|---|---|---|
| Aluminum | Drink and food cans, foil, baking tins | Plastic or glass |
| Clear plastic containers | Clear clamshells, fruit cups, egg cartons | Colored plastic, plastics #3, #5, #6 and #7 |
| Cleaning and beauty bottles | Detergent jugs, cleaning and hygiene bottles | Aerosols, glass |
| Plastic bags and film | Shopping, bread, produce and garbage bags, bubble wrap | Chip, salad and pet food bags |
| Plastic bottles | Water, soda and sports drink bottles | Glass or aluminum |
| Rigid food packaging | Dairy tubs, frozen meal trays | Cardboard or paper |
Empty out all food and liquid first. Walmart notes that recycling is not guaranteed and that dirty or ineligible items can spoil a whole load. The location list on the page, when we read it, showed stores in Arkansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas, so check the list before you make a trip.
Car seat trade-in
Walmart's corporate site describes one car seat trade-in event, run with TerraCycle in September 2019. During the event, customers could bring a used car seat to the service desk of a participating store and get a $30 Walmart gift card, with a limit of two per household. Booster seats did not qualify. The event was set to run September 16 to 30, 2019, but Walmart ended it early, on September 21, after collecting more than 1 million car seats.
We found no newer car seat trade-in event on Walmart's corporate site. If you hear about one, check the terms on Walmart's own pages; the 2019 terms above do not carry over.
Tires and car batteries
The Walmart Return Policy covers buying and returning these, not recycling old ones:
- Tires: new tires that were never mounted can be returned within 90 days, but only at a store with an Auto Care Center. Used or mounted tires, wheels and rims are final sale.
- Car batteries: a 90-day guarantee gives the original buyer a refund or exchange if the battery tests bad. After 90 days, the battery can only be exchanged under its warranty.
For dropping off an old tire or battery, ask the Auto Care Center at your store what it takes and whether a fee applies.
Before you go
- Find out whether your store has a Community Recycling Unit; the list is short.
- Sort and empty your recyclables at home.
- Call ahead about tires, batteries or car seats.
For other stores, see Best Buy recycling and trade-in, Home Depot recycling and Advance Auto Parts recycling.
Sources
Community Recycling Unit, Car Seat Recycling Event and Return Policy, Walmart. Checked October 26, 2026.