The Most Forgotten Single-Use Plastic in Your Home? Your Furnace Filter. There’s a Better Way.

Jun 27

Out of sight, out of mind — that’s the story of the disposable furnace filter.

Tucked behind a return vent or sealed into your basement or attic furnace system, you don’t see it. You don’t think about it. You replace it every few months (if you remember), and then… you toss it in the trash. Simple, right?

But here’s the thing: what you’re throwing out might be one of the most overlooked sources of single use plastic waste in your home.

Can You Recycle Furnace Filters?

The short answer is no. Disposable HVAC air filters — even the ones with cardboard edges — are not recyclable. While they look like they’re made of paper, the filtering layer inside is actually a non recyclable synthetic polymer. In plain English: plastic.

Because the materials are fused together, they can’t be separated for recycling. So every time you swap one out, it’s heading straight for landfill.

Now multiply that by every house, every commercial space, every HVAC unit across North America. That’s hundreds of millions of filters being tossed each year — or millions of pounds of plastic waste. All from something we rarely even think about.

The Scale of the Problem

Every single disposable filter contains plastic, even if the outer frame is cardboard. Most people think they are “paper” filters, but the ugly truth is they are plastic and extremely wasteful. It’s like tossing 100 water bottles into the trash every 3 months. Pound per pound, its hard to think of a larger source of single-use plastic waste in the house that gets tossed so quickly.

The average home uses 4 to 6 air filters per year. None of them are recyclable. All end up in the trash.

It’s one of the last unchallenged single-use plastics in the average household — and it’s long overdue for a rethink.

Our Recommendation: Cycle Air Filters. The Most Eco-Friendly Furnace Filter Option

Cycle Air (www.CycleAirFilters.com) make laundry-washable filters that can be washed and reused over and over. They are made with 100% recycled materials and can be reused instead of tossed. Checking all of the R’s, Reducing waste, Reusing the filter, and Recycling materials into something new. Sounds like a no-brainer!

Wait — Aren’t Washable Furnace Filters Already a Thing?

Yes, technically. There are hose-down filters on the market that can be rinse off outside. This requires homeowners to remove the filter, lug it outside, and spray it down with a garden hose or cleaning solution. It’s a weekend DIY project, assuming you don’t mind splashing around in the driveway, and if you’re in a cold winter climate – good luck!

But here’s the issue, its super inconvenient to lug the thing outside every couple months (especially in winter). It also takes a couple of days to drip dry. All of which is enough friction to turn away the majority of people because of the inconvenience. That is where Cycle Air stands apart.

What Makes Cycle Air Filters Different?

Cycle Air is the best washable HVAC air filter we’ve seen because it’s designed to fit into real life — it’s quick, easy, and effective to get clean because it washes in the laundry.

• No hose required

• No harsh sprays or degreasers

• No waiting 48 hours for it to air-dry

• No standing outside in the snow with a dust-clogged monstrosity

Instead, pop Cycle Air filter it in your washing machine, toss it in the dryer, and reinstall the same filter instead of buying new. No landfill, no purchasing new ones. Repeat every month or two. We opted to get a second filter sleeve for convenience (they sell them too, without the frame, at a reduced price). But for us it dried in about 10 minutes in the dryer, so really quick!

Eco-Friendly Furnace Filters

Built from 100% recycled materials, they make the filtration media from recycled bottles.
Shipped with plastic-free packaging. This was a nice surprise... there was no plastic at all, and it came in a neat little box that reminded us of those “bed in a box” brands. Cycle Air claims that since it ships smaller it cuts 80% of emissions, and it took us about 3 minutes to put the screws into the frame for assembly before first use.
Designed to last for years, not weeks. They are wash tested for 50 washes. If we wash it once every 60 days that about 8 years!

In other words, it’s not just reusable — it’s sustainably made from the start. It’s also made in Canada which is a breath of fresh air (pun intended!) because just about everything these days is made offshore. Our initial impression was it is really well made.

Who Is This For?

If you’ve swapped to shampoo bars, metal straws, reusable shopping bags, and low-waste cleaning products, but you’re still tossing your furnace filter every 90 days — this is the swap you didn’t know you needed.

And let’s be honest: it's easier than most sustainability changes. Most houses in North America have central HVAC systems and so this works for most. At the time of writing Cycle Air has 25 sizes listed on their website, and it works for furnaces, heat pumps, central AC, wall and ceiling return slots, and they even have the wide sizes.

What About Air Quality?

Cycle Air filters are rated MERV 7, which is ideal for most residential homes. It captures dust, dander, pollen, mold spores, and other common indoor pollutants without choking your HVAC system like some ultra-dense filters do. Plus, regular cleaning = consistent performance. Most HVAC trades professionals agree that a MERV 6-8 filter is ideal for balancing airflow and dust capture.

Final Thought: Small Swap. Massive Impact.

Replacing disposable air filters will quietly eliminate dozens of pounds of waste from your household over the coming years.

You won’t notice the difference... until you start thinking about how many filters you’re not throwing away.

Cycle Air filters are available online at CycleAirFilters.com. It’s nice to see they are NOT on Amazon so you’re not contributing to the behemoth of waste... You can use the coupon code “WFP” at checkout and get 10% off with free shipping.

Reusable, recyclable, and radically easier than you'd expect.