Convert trash and driftwood to coal, cloth, and more in Stardew Valley

The Recycling Machine is useful, but its output is random. A machine’s tile pattern and a fixed loading time such as 7:20 a.m. do not create a universal “29 Coal from 10 Trash” route.

Verified Trash outputs in Stardew Valley 1.6.15

For the item named Trash, the local machine rules record has three branches:

Those are per-input branches, not a promise for a batch. Recycling other trash items—Driftwood, Soggy Newspaper, Broken CD and Broken Glasses—uses different output records, so do not combine them into one generic “trash return.”

About RNG-placement experiments

A repeatable RNG experiment must record the save’s unique seed, in-game day, game version, legacy-randomization option, machine tile, insertion order and exact time. A layout found in one save can change in another save or version. Treat machine-placement sequences as experiments to reproduce on your own save, not as guaranteed resource strategies.

Crab Pots and expected value

There is no universal daily return for 100 Crab Pots. The catch table depends on freshwater versus ocean placement, the Mariner and Luremaster professions, bait use and the mix of actual trash items. A valid projection must state:

• the number of pots in each water type;
• the active fishing professions and whether bait is consumed;
• the expected count of each trash item, not one pooled trash percentage;
• the number and uptime of Recycling Machines;
• whether outputs are sold or retained, and every sale price used.

Without those inputs, exact daily cash and material totals are not reproducible. Use your own one-week sample or a documented simulation before planning machine capacity.

Practical setup

Place enough Recycling Machines to clear the trash you actually collect, keep separate chests for raw trash and finished materials, and record several days of outputs if you want a save-specific forecast. The value of recycling is resource conversion and convenience—not a fixed guaranteed payout.