Cast Iron Skillet Maintenance for Beginners: The Complete Guide
Cast iron skillet maintenance for beginners is genuinely simpler than the internet makes it look. You don’t need a rigid ritual, a proprietary scrubber, or a fear of soap — just keep the pan dry, cook with fat, and wipe it with a little oil before putting it away. That’s most of it. The rest of this guide fills in the details: the science behind why seasoning works, which oils and cleaning tools suit a non-toxic kitchen, what to do when rust shows up, and how to store a pan that could realistically outlive everyone in your household.
Why Cast Iron Is One of the Safest, Most Sustainable Pans You Can Own
Before getting into care routines, it helps to understand why you chose cast iron — because that “why” is the same reason maintenance matters.
No Synthetic Coatings, No PFAS, No Microplastics
Most conventional nonstick cookware is coated with polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), commonly known by the DuPont brand name Teflon. PTFE itself is considered stable at normal cooking temperatures, but the problem has always been what surrounds it — specifically PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid), the processing chemical used to manufacture PTFE coatings. PFOA has been linked to thyroid disease, certain cancers, elevated cholesterol, and developmental issues in children. It was phased out of U.S. manufacturing by 2013, but the replacement chemicals (often called “GenX” or short-chain PFAS) are now under similar scrutiny, with the EPA flagging them as emerging health concerns.
Scratched or overheated nonstick pans carry a separate problem. A 2022 study from the University of Newcastle in Australia found that a scratched nonstick pan could shed around 9,100 plastic particles from small scratches during cooking, with significantly damaged pans releasing far more.
Cast iron has none of this. It’s raw iron and carbon, cast in a foundry. When you season it, you’re building a protective layer from actual food-grade oil — not a synthetic polymer. A well-seasoned cast iron pan is essentially inert and non-reactive during normal cooking.
A Cast Iron Pan Can Outlast You — and That’s the Point
Cast iron cookware can last over 100 years with proper care and can be fully restored even after decades of neglect. That’s not marketing language. Antique cast iron pans from the 1800s are still being cleaned up, re-seasoned, and used daily. Lodge, the most widely available U.S. brand, has been making cast iron in the same South Pittsburg, Tennessee foundry since 1896.
The average nonstick pan, by contrast, needs replacing every two to five years as its coating degrades — and because the coating is bonded to the metal, the whole pan goes to landfill. Over a 30-year cooking life, a household might throw away ten or more nonstick pans. Someone using cast iron throws away zero.
A cast iron pan is also completely recyclable at end of life. It’s just iron.
Understanding Seasoning: What It Is and Why It Matters
“Seasoning” is probably the most misunderstood word in cast iron maintenance. Most beginners assume it means the pan has been rubbed with spices, or that it’s a coating applied at the factory. Neither is true. Understanding what seasoning actually is makes caring for a pan much less stressful.
The Science of Polymerization (In Plain English)
When you apply a thin layer of oil to cast iron and heat it above the oil’s smoke point, the fat molecules undergo a chemical reaction called polymerization. The long carbon chains link together and bond to the iron surface, forming a hard, plastic-like layer that is neither oil nor iron — it’s a new substance entirely.
This matters for two reasons. First, it explains why a well-seasoned pan is nonstick: the polymer layer fills in the microscopic pits and grooves in the iron, creating a smoother cooking surface. Second, it explains why soap doesn’t strip seasoning. Once oil has polymerized, it’s no longer oil — it’s a bonded polymer. Modern dish soap is designed to cut through fats and grease, not chemically bonded plastics. You’d need something much more aggressive — lye, or an oven cleaner — to actually damage seasoning. More on the soap question below.
Each time you cook with fat and apply heat, you add another thin polymer layer. Over months and years, these layers build into the dark, slick, matte-black surface you see on a well-used cast iron pan. The pan gets better with use. That’s genuinely unusual for cookware.
What a Well-Seasoned Pan Looks and Feels Like
A properly seasoned cast iron skillet looks matte black, not shiny. A glossy or mirror-like sheen usually means the oil was applied too thickly and didn’t polymerize evenly. Run your hand across the surface — it should feel smooth, not tacky, sticky, or rough.
Here’s a quick self-assessment for beginners:
- Matte black across the entire cooking surface: good seasoning
- Dark brown or gray patches: seasoning is still building — keep cooking with fat
- Sticky or tacky surface after oiling: too much oil was applied; see the sticky seasoning section below
- Rough texture like sandpaper: bare or stripped iron — needs seasoning
- Orange or reddish patches: rust — needs treatment before use
A pan doesn’t need to be perfectly black to be usable. Many home cooks use cast iron that’s still developing its seasoning for months before it reaches that classic look. It cooks fine throughout.
Does Your New Pan Need Seasoning Right Away?
Most cast iron pans sold today — including all Lodge skillets — come pre-seasoned from the factory. Lodge uses soy-based vegetable oil applied in an industrial oven, which gives you a functional starting layer, though a relatively thin one compared to what builds up over months of home cooking.
If your new pan came pre-seasoned, skip the oven session before first use. Just wash off any factory residue, dry it thoroughly, heat it on the stovetop for a few minutes, and start cooking. The first few cooks should be something fatty — bacon, sausage, pan-seared chicken thighs, fried eggs with plenty of butter — to build seasoning quickly.
If you bought a stripped vintage pan, or stripped your own intentionally, you’ll need to season from scratch before use.
How to Clean Your Cast Iron Skillet After Every Use
This is the daily routine. It’s four steps and takes about five minutes. Order matters.
Step 1 — Wash While Still Warm
Let the pan cool slightly after cooking before washing — not because cold water will crack cast iron (that’s a myth; you’d need a much more extreme temperature differential for thermal shock to be a real risk), but because a slightly warm pan rinses cleaner than a cold one, and a scalding pan is just dangerous to handle.
Use warm to hot tap water and a stiff brush or scrubber. Loosen any stuck-on food. If something is really stuck, add a small amount of water to the pan while it’s still on the warm stove, let it simmer for 30 seconds, then scrape with a wooden or silicone spatula.
Step 2 — Dry Completely, Every Single Time
This is the single most important step in cast iron care, and the one most beginners skip. Water is cast iron’s only genuine maintenance enemy. Iron oxidizes when wet — that’s rust — and even a small amount of residual moisture left overnight can produce surface rust by morning.
After washing, do two things:
1. Dry the pan immediately with a clean cloth or paper towel.
2. Put it on a burner over low to medium heat for 1–2 minutes to drive off any remaining moisture. When the pan looks completely dry and matte, it’s ready for the next step.
Never air-dry cast iron. Never.
Step 3 — Apply a Thin Layer of Oil
While the pan is still slightly warm, apply roughly half a teaspoon of oil to a 10-inch skillet using a paper towel or clean cloth — then wipe it back. Keep wiping until the pan barely looks oily. Held up to the light, it should have the faintest sheen, not a visible oil film.
This is the step most beginners over-do. More oil is not better. Excess oil doesn’t polymerize evenly in storage — it pools, goes sticky or rancid, and can turn gummy over time. The goal is the thinnest possible layer. When in doubt, wipe more off.
You don’t need to heat the pan again after oiling during daily maintenance. The oil layer is just a moisture barrier until next use.
Can You Use Dish Soap on Cast Iron?
Q: Can you use soap to clean a cast iron skillet?
A: Yes. A small amount of mild dish soap is safe on cast iron. Modern soaps use gentle surfactants, not the harsh lye-based formulas of the past, and they won’t strip a properly polymerized seasoning. Dry the pan completely after washing and apply a very thin layer of oil before storing.
The no-soap rule came from the era of lye-based soap — the kind made from wood ash and rendered fat. Lye (sodium hydroxide) is extremely caustic and would absolutely strip cast iron seasoning. Modern commercial dish soaps — Dawn, Method, Seventh Generation, Ecover — are surfactant-based. Their job is to surround and lift grease. They can’t unbond a polymerized oil layer, because polymerized oil is no longer a fat.
A drop or two during a normal wash is harmless on a well-seasoned pan. Using dish soap every day in generous amounts might gradually wear down a thin or new seasoning over many months — but a pan in regular use is re-seasoning itself with every cook. Use soap when you need it, skip it when you don’t, and stop worrying about it.
What about plant-based or zero-waste dish soaps? Biodegradable options like Seventh Generation Free & Clear, Dr. Bronner’s Castile Soap, Ecover Dish Soap, and EarthHero’s compostable soap bars all work the same way as conventional soaps for cast iron purposes — surfactant-based, not lye-based. Solid soap bars used with a natural fiber brush are perfectly fine. If you’re using Dr. Bronner’s, dilute it first (it’s concentrated), and follow up with the full dry-and-oil routine.
The Best Oils for Seasoning Cast Iron — Especially for a Non-Toxic Kitchen
Most cast iron guides barely discuss oil choice. For a kitchen built around non-toxic cookware, it matters — the oil you use to season and maintain your pan does come into contact with your food.
What Makes a Good Seasoning Oil
Three things matter:
1. Smoke point: The oil needs to reach its smoke point in the oven so polymerization can happen. Most oven seasoning runs at 400–500°F.
2. Degree of unsaturation: More unsaturated fatty acids polymerize more readily than saturated fats. This is counterintuitive — coconut oil and lard are stable at room temperature but season slowly.
3. Application thickness: This matters more than which oil you choose. Any oil applied too thickly will create a sticky, gummy surface.
Eco-Friendly and Health-Conscious Oil Options
Organic flaxseed oil became popular after a widely shared blog post by Sheryl Canter, later cited extensively by Cook’s Illustrated, promoted it for its high degree of polyunsaturation. The theory: highly polyunsaturated flaxseed oil creates a harder, more durable seasoning. In practice, flaxseed seasoning tends to flake off with regular use, which has frustrated many home cooks. It’s also expensive and goes rancid quickly at room temperature. Skip it for this purpose.
Organic refined coconut oil is a popular choice among health-conscious cooks. It’s saturated, so it’s very stable and won’t go rancid in the pan — but that same stability means it polymerizes slowly. It works, but takes more seasoning cycles to build up. If you already use coconut oil in your kitchen and want to keep things simple, it’s a reasonable choice. Look for expeller-pressed, not solvent-extracted.
Cold-pressed sunflower oil — particularly high-oleic varieties — is a strong all-around option. Smoke point around 440–450°F, a good balance of monounsaturated fats, widely available in organic form. It polymerizes well and doesn’t leave a sticky residue when applied thinly. It’s also among the lower-pesticide crops when grown organically.
Organic canola oil is recommended by Lodge, America’s Test Kitchen, and Serious Eats for its high smoke point (around 400°F), neutral flavor, and affordability. Standard canola oil is almost always solvent-extracted using hexane. If the organic versus conventional distinction matters to you, organic cold-pressed canola exists but is harder to find. Worth noting: the polymerization process transforms the oil completely — the final seasoning layer isn’t really “canola oil” in any meaningful sense. But if you prefer cold-pressed oils throughout your kitchen, high-oleic sunflower oil is an easier-to-find alternative with similar properties.
Lard and tallow — rendered animal fats — are what cast iron was traditionally seasoned with, and they still work well. They’re saturated (stable, slow to polymerize) and produce a durable seasoning over time. If you source lard from a local farm or render it yourself, it’s a genuinely low-waste option. The seasoning won’t build as quickly as with a polyunsaturated oil, but it won’t flake off either.
For the daily maintenance wipe after washing, any of the above work. Many people use whatever cooking oil is on the counter — olive oil, avocado oil, a dab of butter — and that’s perfectly fine. You’re not adding a major seasoning layer every time you put the pan away; you’re just keeping the surface from drying out.
Oils to Avoid for Oven Seasoning
Unrefined or extra virgin olive oil has a relatively low smoke point (around 325–375°F depending on quality) and contains fine particles and polyphenols that can leave a dark, sometimes rancid residue rather than a clean polymer layer. Fine as a daily wipe-down oil, but don’t use it for oven seasoning.
Mixed vegetable oil blends (the standard yellow grocery store bottles) are refined and have a higher smoke point, but they’re often a mix of industrial seed oils processed with chemical solvents. They’ll season a pan adequately, but cold-pressed organic oils are the better-aligned choice for a non-toxic kitchen.
Whatever oil you choose: applied too thick, it goes rancid and sticky. Technique matters more than brand.
Eco-Friendly Tools for Cleaning Cast Iron
This is a gap most cast iron guides leave open. Lodge pushes its branded scrubber. Serious Eats and America’s Test Kitchen mention tools only briefly. For a zero-waste kitchen, the question deserves a real answer.
Natural Fiber Scrub Brushes and Compostable Scrubbers
A stiff natural fiber brush — sisal, coconut coir, or agave — is the ideal daily cleaning tool. It handles food residue effectively, doesn’t scratch seasoning, and composts when it wears out. Redecker (a German company with a long track record), Full Circle, and Oakwood Mill all make natural fiber cast iron brushes sized and stiffened for the job.
Compostable scrubbers made from plant cellulose — the Twist brand Naked Loofah Scrubby, for example — also work well for everyday cleaning. They’re softer than sisal but fine for pans in good shape. Don’t use them on rusty or very rough cast iron where you need more abrasion.
When You Need More Scrubbing Power
The salt scrub method is the classic zero-waste approach for stuck-on food. Pour a tablespoon or two of coarse kosher salt or sea salt into the warm pan, add a small amount of oil or water, and scrub with a folded cloth, paper towel, or stiff brush. The salt provides gentle abrasion without touching the seasoning. Rinse, dry, and oil as normal. The used salt goes in your compost.
Chainmail scrubbers — woven rings of stainless steel — have become popular in the cast iron community. They’re highly effective at removing stuck food without damaging seasoning when used correctly (with water, not dry). A quality chainmail scrubber from Knapp Made or Camp Chef will last years and is itself recyclable. It’s not a natural material, but from a longevity standpoint it generates far less waste than disposable synthetic scrubbers. Think of it as a durable tools purchase rather than a zero-waste one.
For something truly stubborn — carbonized grease, polymerized residue in the wrong places — boiling a small amount of water in the pan for a few minutes first will usually loosen it enough for a brush or chainmail to finish the job.
What to Avoid: Steel Wool, Dishwashers, and Soaking
Steel wool (SOS or Brillo pads) is too abrasive for regular use. It will strip seasoning and scratch the iron. The only appropriate time for steel wool is when you’re intentionally stripping a pan down to bare metal for a full re-season.
The dishwasher is a definite no. Prolonged water exposure, high heat, and dishwasher detergent — which contains more aggressive alkaline agents than hand soap — will strip seasoning, cause rust, and can warp the pan over repeated cycles.
Soaking in water is inadvisable even for ten minutes. Cast iron rusts quickly. If something won’t budge with normal scrubbing, use the boiling water method on the stovetop rather than submerging the pan in the sink.
How to Re-Season Your Cast Iron When It Needs Extra Love
Full oven re-seasoning isn’t something you’ll need often. Most home cooks manage entirely through regular cooking and daily oiling, never running a full oven session. But it’s worth knowing the process for when you do need it.
Signs Your Pan Needs Re-Seasoning
- The cooking surface looks dry, gray, or matte in an uneven way
- Small rust spots have appeared (light surface rust, not deep pitting)
- Food is sticking noticeably more than it used to
- The pan smells a little off after drying — sometimes a sign of rancid oil buildup
- You’ve just scrubbed off a rust patch and exposed bare metal
Q: How often do you need to re-season a cast iron skillet?
A: For most home cooks, full oven re-seasoning is rarely necessary — perhaps once or twice a year if you cook regularly. The best way to maintain seasoning is simply to cook with fat frequently. If your pan looks dry, has small rust spots, or food starts sticking more than usual, that’s your cue for a quick touch-up.
The Oven Method: Step-by-Step
1. Preheat your oven to 450–500°F. You need enough heat to push the oil past its smoke point so polymerization can happen.
2. Clean the pan first. Remove any rust (see the rust section below). Scrub off old gunky buildup. Start with a relatively clean surface.
3. Dry the pan completely. Set it on a stovetop burner over medium heat for 2–3 minutes to drive out all moisture.
4. Apply a very thin layer of oil. Use a paper towel or lint-free cloth. Cover every surface — inside, outside, handle, bottom. Then wipe it back aggressively. The pan should look almost dry. This is not intuitive, but it’s the key step. Thick oil creates gummy patches; thin oil creates a smooth polymer layer.
5. Place the pan upside down in the oven on the center rack, with a sheet of foil or a baking sheet on the rack below to catch drips.
6. Bake for one hour. No need to check on it.
7. Turn off the oven and let the pan cool inside. The slow cooling allows the polymer to fully set.
8. Repeat 2–3 times if seasoning from scratch. For a pan that just looks a little dry, one round usually does it.
Stovetop Touch-Up Seasoning
For minor touch-ups — after scrubbing off a rust spot, or following an aggressive cleaning session — skip the oven. Heat the pan on the stovetop over medium heat until it’s uniformly hot, apply the thinnest possible layer of oil, let it smoke briefly for a minute or two, then wipe off any excess. Not as durable as oven seasoning, but it works well for maintenance between full sessions.
How to Handle Rust on Your Cast Iron Skillet
Rust on cast iron is a maintenance issue, not a crisis. Every beginner panics the first time they see orange spots. Here’s the calm, practical response.
Is Rust on Cast Iron Dangerous?
No. Surface rust on cast iron is iron oxide — the same chemistry as rust on any iron surface. Consuming small amounts of iron oxide is not a health hazard; iron is an essential dietary mineral, and trace amounts from a rusty pan are unlikely to cause harm to healthy adults. People with hemochromatosis, a condition involving iron overload, should consult their doctor about cast iron use generally. The FDA does not list iron oxide from cookware as a health concern.
That said, remove rust before cooking. It degrades the seasoning, creates uneven cooking surfaces, and gives food a metallic, off taste. Fix it for quality reasons — not because it’s toxic.
How to Remove Light Rust at Home
The salt scrub method:
1. Pour 2–3 tablespoons of coarse kosher salt into the pan.
2. Add a small splash of neutral oil.
3. Scrub vigorously with a cloth, paper towel, or stiff brush, using the salt as an abrasive. The orange will start to lift.
4. Rinse, repeat if needed.
5. Dry thoroughly on the stovetop.
6. Apply a thin layer of oil and do a quick stovetop touch-up seasoning.
For moderate rust — visible patches but no deep pitting:
Use a non-soap steel wool pad (not the soap-impregnated Brillo type) or a natural sisal scrubber with more pressure. Scrub the rust away, rinse, dry immediately on the stovetop, and follow with either a stovetop touch-up or a full oven session. A chainmail scrubber with water is also effective here — the linked steel rings provide significant scrubbing power without gouging the iron.
When Rust Is Serious Enough to Need Full Stripping
If you can feel pitting with your fingertip, or the rust is thick and flaking in multiple layers, the pan needs to be stripped to bare metal and fully re-seasoned.
Electrolysis is the most effective method for severely rusted pans. It uses a battery charger, washing soda, and water to dissolve rust through an electrochemical reaction. It sounds technical but is widely documented online and requires no harsh chemicals beyond washing soda (sodium carbonate). It’s especially useful for antique pans with deep, uneven rust that scrubbing can’t reach.
The self-cleaning oven method works for stripping old or damaged seasoning from a pan that’s not severely rusted. Run the pan through a full self-cleaning cycle (typically 800–900°F for 2–4 hours). The extreme heat burns off all seasoning and organic residue, leaving bare gray iron. The pan will look rough and ashy, but it’s completely salvageable — just dry and re-season it immediately before any moisture touches it.
Lye-based oven cleaner such as Easy-Off can also strip a pan in a sealed plastic bag over 24–48 hours. It works, but uses harsh chemicals — not aligned with the ethos of this site. Electrolysis or the oven method are the better options here.
Acidic Foods and Cast Iron: What Every Beginner Should Know
Sooner or later you’ll make tomato sauce in your cast iron pan, then wonder why it tastes slightly metallic. Here’s what’s happening and what to do about it.
Why Acidic Foods Can Strip Seasoning
Acidic ingredients — tomatoes, citrus juice, wine, vinegar-based sauces — react chemically with iron. Two things happen: the acid can slowly dissolve part of the polymerized seasoning layer (not catastrophically, but perceptibly over extended cooking time), and it can cause a small amount of iron to leach directly from the pan into the food. That’s what produces the metallic taste.
How much stripping happens depends on how acidic the food is, how long it cooks, and how thick your seasoning is. A splash of lemon juice in the last 30 seconds of a sauté is very different from simmering a full tomato sauce for 45 minutes.
When It’s Safe to Cook Tomatoes, Citrus, and Wine Sauces
Once your pan has developed a mature, established seasoning — typically after several months of regular use — it handles brief contact with acidic ingredients much better.
Rough rules of thumb:
- Brand-new or lightly seasoned pan: avoid prolonged cooking of acidic ingredients (more than 10–15 minutes of active simmering)
- Moderately seasoned pan (a few months of regular use): fine for quick acidic additions; avoid long braises with high-acid ingredients
- Well-seasoned pan (a year or more): handles most cooking, but still not ideal for long-simmered tomato sauces that stay acidic throughout
A stainless steel or enameled cast iron pan like a Le Creuset braiser is genuinely better for long tomato braises. That’s not a failure of cast iron — it’s just using the right tool.
What to Do If Your Food Tastes Metallic
The food is safe to eat. The amount of iron leaching from cast iron is generally considered safe — and for some people, it’s a benefit. Some research suggests that cooking in cast iron can increase the iron content of food significantly compared to other cookware. For people who are iron-deficient (a surprisingly common condition, particularly among women of childbearing age), that’s a mild positive side effect.
If the metallic taste bothers you, use a different pan for highly acidic dishes. After any prolonged acidic cooking, dry the pan thoroughly, apply a thin layer of oil, and do a stovetop touch-up seasoning. The acid may have dulled the surface slightly, and this brings it back.
How to Store Your Cast Iron Skillet Properly
Storage is the section most cast iron guides skip over. It matters more than people realize, especially in humid climates or kitchens with limited airflow.
Hanging vs. Stacking — What’s Best?
Hanging is the best storage method, full stop. A cast iron pan on a pot rack or wall-mounted hook has full airflow, can’t trap moisture between surfaces, and its seasoning stays intact without contact with other cookware. A simple wall-mounted hook rated for 10+ pounds works fine — a 12-inch Lodge weighs about 8 pounds. Space multiple pieces so air can move between them.
If you have to stack, the method matters.
If You Stack, Always Use a Liner
Never stack cast iron directly on cast iron, or on other seasoned surfaces. The weight and metal-on-metal contact can damage seasoning and create micro-scratches that trap moisture.
Between every stacked piece, place one of the following:
- A pan protector — cloth circles with felt-like material, sold by Lodge and third-party brands in sets of three sizes
- A folded cloth or dish towel — cotton or linen works perfectly
- A layer of brown kraft paper or newspaper — a zero-waste option that also absorbs any trace moisture
The liner does two things: prevents seasoning damage from friction, and absorbs any ambient moisture before it can settle on the iron.
The One Storage Mistake That Causes Rust
Storing cast iron with a lid on it in a damp environment. If you store a lidded cast iron pan in a cabinet, any residual moisture inside becomes concentrated. This is the most reliable way to get rust inside a pan that seemed perfectly fine when you put it away.
Store lids separately, or keep the pan with the lid slightly ajar. In a high-humidity climate — coastal areas, the American South in summer — consider placing a small food-safe silica packet in your cast iron cabinet, or storing pans somewhere with consistent airflow rather than a closed cupboard.
The Iron Leaching Question: Is It Safe?
Small amounts of iron leach from cast iron into food during cooking. The amount varies by food type, cooking time, and acidity. Based on available research:
- Non-acidic foods cooked briefly (eggs, sautéed vegetables, seared meat) take up very little iron
- Acidic foods cooked longer take up more
- The iron that leaches is dietary iron — the same mineral found in red meat and leafy greens
One study found that cooking in cast iron increased the iron content of food by more than 16% compared to other cookware. For most people, this is neutral to mildly positive. Iron is an essential nutrient, and most adults aren’t getting too much of it from dietary sources.
People with hemochromatosis (hereditary iron overload disorder) should be cautious and consult their doctor. For everyone else, the minimal iron leaching from a well-seasoned cast iron pan is a non-issue — and in some cases, a small benefit.
The Sustainable Kitchen Case for Cast Iron vs. Nonstick
Here’s the lifecycle picture that most guides never get around to framing.
The Real Cost of Replacing Nonstick Pans Every Few Years
A quality nonstick pan — a T-fal or Calphalon — costs $30 to $80 and has a useful life of two to five years before the coating begins visibly degrading. Once a nonstick coating starts peeling, scratching, or flaking, the pan should be replaced. Over a 30-year cooking life, a household might purchase six to fifteen nonstick pans.
Each one goes to landfill. The PTFE or ceramic coating can’t be separated from the aluminum or steel base for recycling in most municipal programs. The pan body might be recyclable as scrap metal, but in practice, most nonstick pans are simply thrown away.
A cast iron pan purchased once — even a $30 Lodge — can last a lifetime and then some. The math doesn’t need dressing up.