As a part of an Earth Day 2021 initiative, Google Maps has released a new feature that allows businesses to inform customers where they can recycle locally, and exactly what drop-off options are available to them. Drop-off options can be inside or outside of a storefront and come in many forms such as recycling containers, kiosks, and dumpsters.
Based on the category of an entity, one or many of the following drop-off options will now be available to publish on Google Maps:
| Option | Description | Yext Categories |
|---|---|---|
| Batteries | New or used household or phone batteries (i.e. alkaline, carbon-zinc, lithium, lithium-ion, silver oxide, and sealed lead-acid batteries as well as NiCad and NiMH batteries) | Electronics Store, Home Improvement Store, Recycling Center |
| Clothing | New or gently used clothing | Department Store |
| Electronics | New, used or broken consumer electronic devices (e.g. cell phones, laptops, cameras, etc.)l | Computer Repair Service, Computer Store, Electronics Repair Shop, Electronics Store, Recycling Center, Used Computer Store |
| Glass Bottles | Empty glass beverage or food bottles and/or jars | Grocery Store, Recycling Center |
| Household Hazardous Waste | Solvent-based paints, pesticides, garden chemicals, car batteries, motor oils, petrol, kerosene, cleaning or polishing chemicals, swimming pool or spa chemicals, etc. | Recycling Center |
| Ink and Toner | New or used ink cartridges and toner | Office Supply Store |
| Light Bulbs | New or used light bulbs | Electronics Store, Home Improvement Store |
| Metal Cans | Empty metal beverage or food cans | Grocery Store, Recycling Center |
| Plastic Bags | Plastic bags and packaging film (e.g. grocery bags, produce bags, bread bags, mailers, Ziplock bags, etc.) | Grocery Store, Department Store |
| Plastic Bottles | Empty plastic beverage bottles | Grocery Store, Recycling Center |
| Plastic Foam | Plastic packaging foam (e.g. molded polystyrene or styrofoam, packaging peanuts, etc.) | Mailing Service |
Users will be able to see what collection options are available on Google Maps cards as follows:
Locations that have an eligible GMB category will automatically see these fields in the Google My Business Attributes section of the entity profile in the Yext Knowledge Graph:
You can also see more information about ways to find and support eco-friendly places on Maps on Google’s blog.