How to Recycle Your Medela Breastpump

Update: 2024 – Apparently this program is now over. I would recommend either recycling the parts in your town or passing on your pump to another parent, like in a Buy Nothing Group, if the pump still works, of course and you can get new tubing.

Breastfeeding was a very personal thing to me. So was using a breast pump. When my first child was born, I was only able to get to 4 months before we had to switch to formula. He couldn’t latch on and I didn’t make a lot of milk — however, thanks to pumping, I was able to get my supply up and give him pumped milk and nurse him for the 4 months. While I considered it a failure, without pumping — we wouldn’t have even gotten to 4 months. And that was a little victory. With my second and third child, I had to pump to help things along supply-wise and used to feed my babies when I couldn’t be there. We got so much farther with breastfeeding (to 7 months with kid #2 and 13 1/2 months with kid #3), and I considered my pump a part of myself. But the question is, what do you do with your pump when your baby has weaned? Does it sit on a shelf in your closet? Don’t you wish you could recycle your pump? Medela has an answer for that, with their new Medela Recycles Program.

Medela Recycles is a program that’s designed to allow more moms the opportunity to breastfeed—supported by the recycling of used Medela personal-use electric breastpumps. This was created in response to customer feedback (in fact, it started from a change.com petition by a mom), Medela Recycles provides a way to properly recycle personal-use pumps with the opportunity to positively impact another mom’s breastfeeding journey.

All pumps recycled through the Medela Recycles program will go toward a donation of hospital-grade Medela Symphony® Preemie+™ Breastpumps and breastfeeding supplies to the Ronald McDonald House Charities® (RMHC®).

The goal is to provide moms with the same high-quality equipment they use at the hospital during their stay at a Ronald McDonald House®.

By making Medela Symphony pumps (hospital grade) available at Ronald McDonald Houses, mothers have the ability to pump while resting to restore the energy needed to focus on their baby in the NICU. This consistency will ease the transition from the hospital to a Ronald McDonald House® and give families caring for a baby in the NICU one less thing to worry about.

Medela hopes to recycle 12,000 Medela breastpumps through this initiative to support its commitment to reducing solid waste and helping protect the environment.

Want to Recycle Your Breast Pump? 

Go to MedelaRecycles.com and fill in a few questions, put your address in and print your shipping label. It’s that easy. Note: It must be a Medela electric breast pump (the Medela Harmony manual pump and other brands of breast pumps will not be accepted). You also must live in a US State or territory. If you have another breast pump brand, please contact the manufacturer to discuss their disposal instructions. For more info on what exactly can be recycled, go to to MedelaRecycles.com.