How To Recycle

It may seem simple enough, but there are certain specifics to recycling that can help the environment and your sanitation service. Recycling reduces waste that builds in landfills in order to make new products from the old. This is rewarding for us and the world in which we live. But it may not be as simple as it seems. Haven’t you ever wondered if you recycle this or that? And if so, how? Does it go with the plastics, or the metals, or the papers? Well prepare to have all of your questions answered.

1. First, find out what your sanitation or recycling service requires. Some prefer to separate all kinds of products, like the plastic bags from the cardboard boxes and the cans from the newspapers. If this is the case, make sure to designate a specific area for each kind of recycling.

2. Some states provide cash for recycling bottles and cans. If yours is one of them, save up and take them to a recycling center for some extra monies.

3. Some services require that you wash or remove lids from your recycling.

4. Paper is especially easy to recycle. If you work in an environment that uses a lot of paper, keep some around to use as scrap by writing on the backs of it. Keep a bin under your desk or a stack that you can easily move to the recycling can. This way you save time by disposing it all in one trip and you help to conserve a valuable resource.

5. At home, reuse your plastic bags. Whether you have extras from grocery shopping or you have empty bread bags or newspaper bags, they can easily be reused as smaller garbage can liners. Just make sure they don’t have holes — if they do, double up. If you still have extras you can bring them with you when you do your grocery shopping to hold your groceries or to drop off at a recycle center at your local supermarket. You can even use plastic bags in the car to hold scraps and stray litter. Plastic bags are also great to clean up after your pets when you walk them or clean out the litter box or yard (you can even bring them to the animal shelter because if you don’t need them, they sure do). You can save them for packaging when sending boxes or use them as stuffing for shoes to help keep them keep shape while drying. Plastic bags also have potential for art — you can make a wreath or scarf by melding bags together.

6. There are tons of items that you may not think of when you hear the word recycle. Here are just a few: magazines, milk cartons, packing peanuts, cell phones, batteries (especially important) styrophome (also takes forever to decompose) old televisions, and computers.

Recycling is very beneficial for the environment and for the soul. It helps you to feel like you’re contributing to the good of the world, and is a good habit for today and for future generations.