Acrylic plaques are a common feature in business life, and represent a hard-to-recycle but widely used material since most local transfer stations do not accept them. These clear plastic awards are common in businesses and are often attached to wood or metal, which should be recycled on their own. Even when recycling is not available, disposing of acrylics properly helps prevent microplastic pollution.
What Are Acrylics?
Acrylics are clear, durable plastics that do not shatter easily. Lucite is a brand of acrylic resin made by Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation, while acrylic, also called polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), refers to a range of similar materials. Because they are lightweight, these plastics are often used instead of glass for plaques, awards, and decorations.
How Is Acrylic Recycled?
Most plastics can only be recycled into lower-quality products, but acrylic is different. It can be broken down and purified to make new, high-quality material. This allows for true closed-loop recycling.
Industrial recycling of acrylic typically involves breaking down the plastic through pyrolysis, a process that heats it to high temperatures. The resulting plastic monomers can be repolymerized into new acrylic sheets for construction, vehicles, retail displays, and plaques and award trophies. Companies like Lucite International are working with chemical recycling specialists to scale this technology, though most capacity currently serves industrial rather than consumer markets.
Recycling Preparation
Acrylic mounted on wood stands or backings can be separated from the wood, which can be recycled separately. To find wood recycling options near you, enter your ZIP code in the Earth911 Recycling Search.
If your plaque has a metal plate, take it off and send it to a metal recycler. Depending on your local rules, you might be able to put it in your curbside recycling or take it to a recycling center. To find metal recycling near you, enter your ZIP code in the Earth911 Recycling Search.
Where To Recycle Acrylics
You can drop off or mail acrylic items to places that accept them, but very few recycling programs currently take acrylic from consumers.
The Consumer Recycling Gap
It is still hard for consumers to recycle acrylic because the process needs a lot of material to make it worthwhile. Most recyclers need steady, large amounts to work well. Also, shipping small numbers of plaques or awards long distances can reduce the environmental benefits.
Like many materials, acrylics are not recycled much in some areas because there is not enough volume to make it practical. If you have several acrylic items, sending them together in one shipment can help make recycling more cost-effective and better for the environment.
Industrial Recyclers Worth Contacting
While industrial acrylic recycling is advancing rapidly, most programs focus on collecting materials from manufacturers, retailers, and commercial operations rather than individual consumers. However, consumers with acrylic plaques and awards may want to contact these companies to inquire about whether they can accept smaller quantities:
- Recrylic produces certified recycled acrylic sheets and offers a de-merchandising program to collect used acrylic from businesses. Their recycling process can handle any type or color of acrylic, including items that have been printed, painted, or dyed. Contact them at info@recrylic.com to ask about consumer recycling options.
- Power Plastic Recycling buys scrap acrylic plastic and works with various industries. While they typically seek larger volumes through a bid process, they may be willing to accept consumer shipments. Contact them at 877-250-9994 or info@powerplasticrecycling.com.
- Altrum Honors offers a mail-in recycling program specifically for Lucite and acrylic products. The company covers all depolymerization processing costs. Consumers can ship products to Altrum Honors’ Canadian factory by marking the package “Recycle my Lucite.”
- TAP Plastics operates retail stores across the West Coast and sells recycled acrylic sheets (EcoGreen line), though they do not currently offer a consumer take-back program.
What To Do if Recycling Is Not Available
If you cannot recycle plaques in your area, try donating or repurposing them. Schools, community centers, artists, and nonprofits may find them useful. Because acrylic is durable, it works well for craft projects, and artists sometimes melt scraps to make sculptures, jewelry, or other items. You can also reuse the plaque backing by taking off the engraved plate and adding a new one for future use.
If you cannot recycle, reuse, or repurpose your plaques, put them in your regular trash. This is not the best for the environment, but it keeps these materials from contaminating other recyclables. When throwing away Lucite or acrylic plaques, seal them in a bag or container to keep them from breaking and releasing small pieces that could harm wildlife or the environment.
It may take some extra effort to recycle Lucite, acrylic, wood backings, and metal plates, but you can find ways to dispose of them responsibly.
Find Recycling Guides for Other Materials
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published on March 17, 2023, and most recently updated in January 2026.