5 Tips That You Might Not Have Known About Recycling
I’m amazed at how much great information there is on recycling. Unfortunately, there is so much information that it becomes overwhelming.
After searching the web, I have come up with 5 tips that will help you become a better recycler.
- Know Your Plastics. Not all plastics are made the same. Even though it is sometimes hard to read, the little number that goes with the recycle symbol is really telling you something.
One of the best links I have found to explain the differences between the numbers is below. This website has great pictures and tells you what can be done with the item after it’s been recycled.
- Rinse Your Containers. This sounds simple but it really helps out the recycling world!
By rinsing your items correctly, you will be removing all impurities, including food scraps, that must be separated from the glass, plastic, tin or aluminum to ensure a high quality material that will be used in a new product.
- Recycle your Styrofoam. Yes, it can now be recycled. I had no clue until I started doing some research on it. Styrofoam is some of the worst stuff on earth. Just think about how much space it takes in the landfills.
I found a site that has a list of recycle centers you can download.
Go to: http://www.epspackaging.org/info.html (under locations download PDF)
Don’t forget most of the neighborhood shipping centers like (UPS Stores) will take your clean shipping peanuts.
- Get money for Computers (E-Waste). Everyone has to have the fastest, best new gadget right! I am very guilty of this and always want the new model. Until recently I would just sit on my old stuff or sell it on an auction site. But now I have started to trade it in.
The link below is for a company Costco works with, and they will pay the shipping for the old product to their warehouse. Based on the estimated value they will give you a Costco gift card for that amount.
http://costcotrades.greensight.com/Common/equiptypes.aspx?SiteXfrMsg=0
Another recycle program is at Game Stop
Game Stop will trade in your old games and systems. Just bring your old systems/games to them, and they will give you money towards a new system. My daughter just got a new Nintendo and I was surprised by how much she saved by trading in her old one.
- Recycle your Clothes. Think of all the stuff in your closet and your kid’s closet. How much are you really wearing? What fits? What doesn’t fit? When you start to think about it most people wear about 35% of their total wardrobe.
There are many different ways to recycle clothes:
Trade them on sites like www.uanditrade.com. This site is the best site for parents to trade their families’ used items. I say this because I am the Co-Founder of the site. Trading items with other people online is great because your network of available items is that much greater. The site is free for members to use, and no money is ever exchanged between members.
Another option is to donate your clothes to a woman’s shelter. They are always in need of clothes for moms and children. Most moms come to the shelters with only the clothes they are wearing.
Other options include putting them on consignment, donating them to a thrift store, or giving them to a friend. Whatever you do, just make sure they go to someone who will use them.
I hope you find this information helpful and useful for your day to day recycling habits. If you have any comments or suggestions, please send them my w
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