Recycling Centers in Rhode Island: 35 Locations

Recycling in Rhode Island

Rhode Island has 35 recycling centers across 20 cities and towns, including drop-off sites, scrap dealers, and hazardous-waste facilities. Recycling in the state is administered jointly by the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) and the Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation (RIRRC), which operates the state's only disposal site — the Central Landfill in Johnston. Under Rhode Island's Electronic Waste Prevention, Reuse and Recycling Act (signed June 2008), computers, monitors, laptops, and televisions are banned from the Central Landfill; manufacturers of those products must fund free take-back and recycling for households and K–12 schools. Rhode Island does not yet have a beverage-container deposit law, though legislation proposing a 10-cent deposit has been introduced in multiple recent legislative sessions.

More than a fifth of the state's listed centers are in the capital. Providence leads with 8 centers, followed by Pawtucket with 3. West Warwick, Tiverton, Lincoln, Exeter, Bristol, and Johnston each list 2 centers.

Rhode Island residents recycle through municipal curbside programs (single-stream, collected by or on behalf of RIRRC) and by dropping materials at the Central Landfill's Small Vehicle Area in Johnston, which accepts everything from cardboard and electronics to mattresses and paint. RIRRC's Materials Recycling Facility in Johnston is one of the largest MRFs in the Northeast, processing roughly 100,000 tons of recyclables per year. The Central Landfill is the state's sole permitted municipal solid waste landfill; projections have put its capacity timeline at 2046, which is one driver behind ongoing legislative discussion of a bottle bill and producer-responsibility legislation to reduce waste.

Top Cities by Number of Centers

Providence 8 Pawtucket 3 Bristol 2 Exeter 2 Johnston 2 Lincoln 2 Tiverton 2 West Warwick 2

All Cities in Rhode Island

Bristol 2 centers Chepachet 1 center Coventry 1 center Cranston 1 center East Providence 1 center Exeter 2 centers Johnston 2 centers Lincoln 2 centers New Shoreham 1 center North Kingstown 1 center North Smithfield 1 center Pawtucket 3 centers Portsmouth 1 center Providence 8 centers South Kingstown 1 center Tiverton 2 centers Warwick 1 center West Warwick 2 centers Westerly 1 center Woonsocket 1 center

Recycling in Rhode Island — FAQ

Does Rhode Island have an e-waste recycling law?

Yes. Rhode Island's Electronic Waste Prevention, Reuse and Recycling Act (2008) bans covered electronics — computers, monitors, laptops, and televisions — from the Central Landfill. Manufacturers who sell those products in Rhode Island must fund free recycling for households and K–12 schools, either through a state-run program run by RIRRC or their own approved take-back program.

Does Rhode Island have a bottle deposit?

Not yet. Rhode Island has no container-deposit law as of 2026, despite multiple legislative proposals. Bills introduced in recent sessions have proposed a 10-cent refundable deposit on glass, plastic, and metal beverage containers. The DEM has been tasked with studying options; no bill has passed as of mid-2026.

Where does Rhode Island's trash and recycling go?

All municipal solid waste goes to the Central Landfill in Johnston, owned and operated by RIRRC. Recyclables collected curbside statewide go to RIRRC's Materials Recycling Facility on the same campus, which processes roughly 100,000 tons of single-stream recyclables annually.

Where are the main recycling hubs in Rhode Island?

Providence leads with 8 listed centers; Pawtucket has 3; and West Warwick, Tiverton, Lincoln, Exeter, Bristol, and Johnston each list 2. Rhode Island is a small, dense state, so most residents are also within easy reach of the Central Landfill's drop-off area in Johnston.