How to Dispose of Candles, Wax and Candle Jars

How to dispose of candles comes down to splitting the candle into its parts. The wax itself goes in the regular trash, or gets reused. The container is where the choices are: a clean glass jar can often go in glass recycling or be reused around the house, a metal tin may go with metal cans, and ceramic or decorated holders usually end up in the trash or at a thrift store. Battery-powered candles are a different item altogether, because their batteries need to stay out of the garbage. Here is how to sort each kind, how to get stubborn wax out of a jar, and the few things you should never do with old wax.

The quick answer

• Wax, wick and metal wick tab: regular trash, once the wax is fully cool and hard.
• Glass jar: scrape or melt out the wax, wash it, then recycle it if your program takes glass containers, or reuse it.
• Metal tin: clean out the wax and recycle it with metal cans where accepted.
• Ceramic, stone or painted holders: reuse or donate; otherwise trash.
• Unused candles: donate or give away.
• LED or battery candles: remove the batteries for battery recycling; the rest goes to electronics recycling or the trash, depending on local rules.

Before you toss a candle

Make sure the candle is out and cold. Wax holds heat longer than people expect, and a wick that still has an ember can smolder inside a bin full of paper. Let a recently burned candle sit for a few hours. If you are clearing out jack-o’-lanterns or a fall display, pull any real candles out of pumpkins before the pumpkins go to compost or yard waste; our guide on how to dispose of pumpkins covers the rest of that cleanup.

Candle wax is not household hazardous waste. Paraffin, soy, coconut and beeswax candles can all go out with ordinary trash. What recycling programs do not want is wax stuck to their glass and metal, because it gums up the sorting and melting.

How to get wax out of a jar

There are three common ways. Pick the one that suits the amount of wax left.

Freeze it

Put the jar in the freezer for several hours or overnight. Wax shrinks as it gets cold and often pulls away from the glass. Loosen it with a butter knife or spoon and pop it out. This works best with harder wax such as paraffin; soft soy wax may need a little more prying. Let the glass warm back to room temperature before you wash it in hot water, since a sudden temperature swing can crack it.

Use hot water

Set the jar in the sink on a towel and fill it with hot water, leaving some room at the top. The wax melts and floats. Once the water cools, the wax hardens into a disc you can lift off and throw away. Wipe out any film with a paper towel, then wash the jar with dish soap.

Warm it in the oven

For several jars at once, line a baking sheet with foil or parchment, set the jars upside down on it and warm them in the oven on a low setting until the wax runs out onto the liner. Use oven mitts, because the glass gets hot. Let the wax harden on the liner, fold it up and put it in the trash. Do not use high heat or a stove burner; melted wax is flammable.

The metal tab that held the wick is usually glued to the bottom. Pry it off with a knife once the wax is gone. It is too small for most recycling sorters, so put it in the trash.

Glass jars, tins and other holders

• Glass jars. Many curbside and drop-off programs accept clean glass containers, but not all, and some only take glass at a drop-off. If your program takes glass, a clean candle jar can usually go in with bottles and food jars. Lids may need to come off and go to a separate bin depending on the material.
• Drinking-glass style and heavy decorative glass. Some candles come in tumblers or thick, colored or frosted vessels. Many glass programs only want bottles and jars, so check your local list before you add these.
• Metal tins. Travel and tin candles can often go with metal cans once the wax is out. Very small tins can slip through sorting equipment, so some programs ask you to put them in the trash instead.
• Ceramic, concrete, stone or wood holders. These do not belong in glass or metal recycling. Reuse them, donate them, or put them in the trash.
• Broken jars. Wrap broken glass in newspaper or a box, tape it closed, label it and put it in the trash. Our tips on disposing of mirrors apply the same way to sharp candle glass.

A clean candle jar is also handy to keep. People use them for cotton swabs, pens, spare change, small plants and kitchen storage. That keeps the glass in use and saves a trip.

What to do with leftover wax

If you would rather not throw the wax away, it has a few easy second lives:

• Wax melts. Pieces of scented candle can go in a wax warmer. Keep scents you like together.
• New candles. Melt scraps gently in a double boiler or a heat-safe container set in simmering water, then pour into a clean jar with a new wick. Never melt wax directly over a burner.
• Fire starters. Dip pine cones or dryer lint packed into a cardboard egg carton in melted wax and let them set. They help light a fireplace or fire pit.
• Small household fixes. Rubbing a little wax on a sticky drawer runner, window track or stubborn zipper can help it slide.

Unused and unwanted candles

New candles, gift sets you never opened and candles that have barely been burned can be given away. Many thrift stores and donation centers take them, and neighborhood groups and free-item sites are another easy route. Some churches, schools or community groups use candles for events and crafts. Call first, since each place has its own rules. Candles that are dusty, cracked or faded can still be useful to someone who melts down wax for crafts.

Battery and LED candles

Flameless candles are small electronics. Take the batteries out before the candle goes anywhere. Many places let single-use alkaline batteries go in household trash (California is a notable exception), but rechargeable and lithium batteries should not go in the trash or recycling cart, because they can spark fires in trucks and sorting plants. The battery recycling guide explains where to take them. The empty candle body can go to an electronics drop-off if your area accepts small electronics, or in the trash where that is allowed. Our electronics guide covers how those programs usually work.

What not to do

• Do not pour wax down a drain or toilet. It hardens as it cools and can coat pipes and cause clogs. The same goes for the hot water you used to melt it out; let it cool, lift the wax off and only then pour the water away.
• Do not toss a warm candle in the trash. Wait until it is fully cool and the wick is out.
• Do not put waxy jars in recycling. Clean them first, or put them in the trash.
• Do not throw out lithium batteries from flameless candles. Take them to a battery drop-off.

Candle disposal FAQ

Can you throw candles in the trash?

Yes. Candle wax is not hazardous waste, so a fully cooled candle can go in the regular trash. Make sure the wick is out and the wax is cold first, and take any batteries out of flameless candles.

Are candle jars recyclable?

Often, once they are clean. Many programs accept glass jars after the wax and wick tab are removed. Thick decorative vessels, tumblers and ceramic holders are often not accepted, so check your local recycling list.

What is the easiest way to get wax out of a candle jar?

Freeze the jar for several hours so the wax shrinks and pops out, or fill the jar with hot water so the wax melts and floats to the top, then lift it off once it cools. Wash the jar with dish soap afterward.

Can I pour candle wax down the drain?

No. Wax hardens as it cools and can clog pipes. Let melted wax harden, then put it in the trash or reuse it.

What can I do with leftover candle wax?

Use scented pieces in a wax warmer, melt scraps into a new candle with a fresh wick, or make fire starters by dipping pine cones or lint-filled egg cartons in melted wax.

How do I dispose of LED or battery candles?

Remove the batteries and take rechargeable or lithium ones to a battery drop-off. The empty candle can go to an electronics drop-off if your area takes small electronics, or in the trash where that is allowed.

The bottom line

How to dispose of candles is mostly a cleanup job. Let the candle cool, put the wax and wick tab in the trash or reuse the wax, and clean the jar so it can be recycled or kept. Tins can often go with metal cans, ceramic holders get reused or trashed, unused candles get donated, and batteries from LED candles go to a battery drop-off. Keep wax out of drains.