Recycling your aluminum, stainless steel, and cast iron cookware is relatively easy.  Most of the time, you can recycle this as scrap metal at a drop off facility in your community.  Check out our list of “Scrap Metal Recyclers by State” for a convenient location near you.  Before you recycle your used cookware, you need to take`time`to separate any other materials associated with the cookware.  Your handles and lids could be composed of various materials including glass, phenolic, silicone, or stainless steel.  For those of you unfamiliar with phenolic, this is a material used frequently for handles on pots and pans, plugs on electronic devices, and screw-tops on sodas among many other things.  Phenolic is commonly used in cookware and other things because it is an affordable thermal insulator.  All of these materials (glass, phenolic, silicone, and stainless steel) are recyclable. 
Your method of recycling glass, phenolic, silicone, and stainless steel will depend on your community.  It may be as simple as leaving your handles and lids out in front of your house or dropping them off at a nearby facility if you live in a highly environmental conscious community.  If you’re not sure, visit your state’s main website and search for recycling information.  You should easily be able to locate instructions on recycling these materials online.   You can also look in your local Yellow Pages for recycling information or call your local government recycling program.