Aerosol cans recycled with other cans, as long as you pull off the plastic cap and empty the canister completely.
Batteries: Recycling batteries keeps hazardous metals out of landfills. Many stores, like RadioShack and Office Depot, accept reusable ones, as does the Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation (rbrc.org/call2recycle).
Cell phones: According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, fewer than 20 percent of cell phones are recycled each year, and most people don’t know where to recycle them. The Wireless Foundation refurbishes old phones to give to domestic-violence survivor calltoprotect.org.
DVDs, CDs, and jewel cases: greendisk.com for recycling.
Eyeglasses: neweyesfortheneedy.com (sunglasses and plastic frames in good condition can also be donated). Or drop off old pairs of glasses at participating stores and doctors’ offices, which will send them to onesight.org.
Formal wear: operationfairydust.org or catherinescloset.org
Gadgets: Recycleforbreastcancer.org will send you prepaid shipping labels, recycle your gadgets, then donate the proceeds to breast cancer charities.
Holiday cards: After they’ve lined your mantel for two months, you could throw them into the recycling bin, or you could give them a whole new life. St. Jude’s Ranch for Children (stjudesranch.org), a nonprofit home for abused and neglected youths, runs a holiday-card reuse program in which the kids cut off the front covers, glue them onto new cards, and sell the result―earning them money and confidence.
iPods: Bring in an old iPod to an Apple store and get 10 percent off a new one. Your out-of-date iPod will be broken down and properly disposed of. The catch? The discount is valid only that day, so be prepared to buy your new iPod.
Jam jars: remove any remaining jam, but no need to get obsessive―they don’t have to be squeaky clean. Before putting them in the bin, remove their metal lids and recycle those with other metals.
Keys and nail clippers: any metal that isn’t a can is considered scrap metal and can be recycled.
Leather accessories: repair if possible; If they’re beyond repair, they have to be thrown in the trash. There’s no recycling option. A product labeled “recycled leather” is often made from scraps left over from the manufacturing process, which is technically considered recycling.)
Mattresses and box springs: Mattresses are made of recyclable materials, such as wire, paper, and cloth, but not all cities accept them for recycling. (Go to earth911.org to find out if yours does.)
Nike’s Reuse-a-Shoe program (nikereuseashoe.com) accepts old sneakers (any brand) and recycles them into courts for various sports so kids around the world have a place to play. You can drop them off at a Nike store, other participating retailers, athletic clubs, and schools around the country (check the website for locations), or mail them to Nike Recycling Center, c/o Reuse-a-Shoe, 26755 SW 95th Avenue, Wilsonville OR 97070.
Office envelopes that are "Goldenrod": Those ubiquitous mustard-colored envelopes are not recyclable, because goldenrod paper and dark or fluorescent paper are saturated with hard-to-remove dyes. It’s called ‘designing for the dump,’ not the environment.
Pizza boxes: I recently started using this in my garden. Yep! Anywhere you want to grow your soil, simply open them all the way up, and place them where ever you do not want grass or weeds. Cover with mulch or woodchips and wait while the earth creates itself - weed free.
Quiche pans and other cookware: These can be put with scrap metal, and “a plastic handle isn’t a problem,” says Tom Outerbridge, manager of municipal recycling at Sims Metal Management, in New York City.
Recreational equipment: Trade sports gear in at Play It Again Sports (playitagainsports.com), or donate it to sportsgift.org, which gives gently used equipment to needy kids around the world. Mail to Sports Gift, 32545 B Golden Lantern #478, Dana Point CA 92629.
Shoes in decent condition to solesforsouls.org, a nonprofit that collects used footwear and distributes it to needy communities.
Tires: leave old tires with the dealer when you buy new ones (just check that they’ll be recycled). Worn-out tires can be reused as highway paving, doormats, hoses, shoe soles, and more.
Umbrellas: If it’s a broken metal one, drop the metal skeleton in with scrap metal (remove the fabric and the handle first). Plastic ones aren’t accepted.
Videotapes, cassettes, and floppy disks: aren’t accepted. They get tangled and caught on everything.” Instead, send tapes to the ACT (actrecycling.org) facility in Columbia, Missouri, which employs disabled people to clean, erase, and resell videotapes. You can also send videotapes, cassettes, and floppy disks to greendisk.com; recycling 20 pounds or less costs $6.95, plus shipping.
Wine corks: To turn them into flooring and wall tiles, send them to Wine Cork Recycling, Yemm and Hart Ltd., 610 South Chamber Drive, Fredericktown MO 63645. Or put them in a compost bin.
Xmas lights: Ship your old lights to holidayleds.com, Attention: Recycling Program, 120 W. Michigan Avenue, Suite 1403, Jackson MI 49201. The company will send you a coupon for 10 percent off its LED lights, which use 80 percent less energy and last 10 years or more. And they’re safer, too. LEDs don’t generate much heat, whereas incandescents give off heat, which can cause a dry Christmas tree to catch fire.
Yogurt cups: Many towns don’t recycle these because they’re made of a plastic that can’t be processed with other plastics. But Stonyfield Farm has launched a program that turns its cups into toothbrushes, razors, and other products. Mail to Stonyfield Farm, 10 Burton Drive, Londonderry NH 03053. Or you can join TerraCycle’s Yogurt Brigade (terracycle.net) to recycle Stonyfield containers and raise money for your favorite charity.
Zippered plastic bags: Venues that recycle plastic bags will also accept these items, as long as they are clean, dry, and the zip part has been snipped off (it’s a different type of plastic).
Photo Credit: Phil Koch, Awareness credit, Michelle Law ;)
thank you, again, rebel thriver
Hungry for Change:A documentary about what is keeping us from Having the Health we deserve.
