Part 7 in a series on recycling. This originally appeared as part of a larger piece written by your truly that appeared on SheKnows.com.
Forget about those “refill-at-home” kits. Not only are they incredibly messy, but they use up nearly as much plastic for packaging as a new cartridge would. Cartridges can be recycled so the manufacturer can refill and reuse -- same with toner cartridges. Ecycle Group is an example of a great way to get this done, and make a little cash along the way!
Showing posts with label recycle. Show all posts
Showing posts with label recycle. Show all posts
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Recycling electronics
Part 6 in a series on recycling. This originally appeared as part of a larger piece written by your truly that appeared on SheKnows.com.
Do not toss that old TV, cell phone, or computer in the trash. Not only is it a wasteful practice, but it is also illegal in most places. Electronics often contain heavy metals like lead, dioxins, PCBs, cadmium, chromium, radioactive isotopes, and mercury -- stuff we definitely don’t want hanging around our environment. Some cities have collection services for such items, and organizations like PC Disposal can take care of proper disposal and recycling of your equipment while ensuring your personal information is secure.
Better yet, find a way to reuse these items. Donate your old computer to a local school or non-profit job training facilities. Battered women’s shelters gladly accept old cell phones so their residents always have a line to safety. Check out Collective Good for some great programs.
Do not toss that old TV, cell phone, or computer in the trash. Not only is it a wasteful practice, but it is also illegal in most places. Electronics often contain heavy metals like lead, dioxins, PCBs, cadmium, chromium, radioactive isotopes, and mercury -- stuff we definitely don’t want hanging around our environment. Some cities have collection services for such items, and organizations like PC Disposal can take care of proper disposal and recycling of your equipment while ensuring your personal information is secure.
Better yet, find a way to reuse these items. Donate your old computer to a local school or non-profit job training facilities. Battered women’s shelters gladly accept old cell phones so their residents always have a line to safety. Check out Collective Good for some great programs.
Recycling kitchen waste
Part 5 in a series on recycling. This originally appeared as part of a larger piece written by your truly that appeared on SheKnows.com.
Food scraps are biodegradable, but they still take up lots of room in our landfills. Reduce this waste and improve your garden by composting. You can also compost paper soiled with food products, like napkins and paper towels -- just make sure they are dye-and-fragrance-free and were not used with any toxic household cleaners.
Food scraps are biodegradable, but they still take up lots of room in our landfills. Reduce this waste and improve your garden by composting. You can also compost paper soiled with food products, like napkins and paper towels -- just make sure they are dye-and-fragrance-free and were not used with any toxic household cleaners.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Recycling glass
Part 4 in a series on recycling. This originally appeared as part of a larger piece written by your truly that appeared on SheKnows.com.
Like aluminum, glass can be recycled indefinitely as long as the mix is not contaminated and weakened. Recycled glass is remade into bottles and jars, or road paving material. As mentioned above, make sure you remove lids from glass bottles before tossing them in your bin.
Pyrex and sheet glass can not be recycled. Pyrex kitchenware pretty much lasts forever anyway, so just pass it along to your favorite cook or donate to a soup kitchen. Mirrors usually can’t be sent to recycling facilities because of their foil backing, but your local artist’s guild might like them.
Like aluminum, glass can be recycled indefinitely as long as the mix is not contaminated and weakened. Recycled glass is remade into bottles and jars, or road paving material. As mentioned above, make sure you remove lids from glass bottles before tossing them in your bin.
Pyrex and sheet glass can not be recycled. Pyrex kitchenware pretty much lasts forever anyway, so just pass it along to your favorite cook or donate to a soup kitchen. Mirrors usually can’t be sent to recycling facilities because of their foil backing, but your local artist’s guild might like them.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Recycling plastic
Part 3 in a series on recycling. This originally appeared as part of a larger piece written by your truly that appeared on SheKnows.com.
Most plastics can be recycled by local facilities. How do you know what to throw in your blue bin? Look at the number. Every plastic item has a special resin code on it that signifies its chemical makeup. Some cities only accept plastics with specific numbers for recycling, usually one and two, because some types are less cost-effective to recycle than others. Check your city website to make sure. You can also find this information in your local phone book, or even on the lid of your city recyclables collection bin!
Take the lids off your plastic bottles before recycling. Lids are usually made of a different plastic than the bottles and must be sorted separately. (This goes for glass bottles and jars with metal lids, too.)
Some grocery stores have a collection area for plastic bags. If yours does, use it! If it doesn’t, request one. Some stores even offer a discount on your bill if you return used bags. Your best course of action? Skip both the paper and the plastic bag options and bring your own canvas bag. While this might not be feasible for a big weekly grocery shop, it is perfect for the times you need to pop into the store and just pick up a few things. Reuse your produce bags or skip them all together and place delicate fruits and veggies at the top of your cart.
What about plastics your city won’t accept? Donate as much as possible wherever possible. School art classrooms and local art programs might be able to use your cleaned items. Make sure you ask before leaving a pile of trash on their doorsteps! Better yet, don’t purchase goods with excess plastic packaging that can not be recycled. You really don’t need your avocadoes pre-sliced and plastic-wrapped. You can take the extra minute to slice it yourself. Know what numbers your city accepts and check packaging prior to purchase.
Most plastics can be recycled by local facilities. How do you know what to throw in your blue bin? Look at the number. Every plastic item has a special resin code on it that signifies its chemical makeup. Some cities only accept plastics with specific numbers for recycling, usually one and two, because some types are less cost-effective to recycle than others. Check your city website to make sure. You can also find this information in your local phone book, or even on the lid of your city recyclables collection bin!
Take the lids off your plastic bottles before recycling. Lids are usually made of a different plastic than the bottles and must be sorted separately. (This goes for glass bottles and jars with metal lids, too.)
Some grocery stores have a collection area for plastic bags. If yours does, use it! If it doesn’t, request one. Some stores even offer a discount on your bill if you return used bags. Your best course of action? Skip both the paper and the plastic bag options and bring your own canvas bag. While this might not be feasible for a big weekly grocery shop, it is perfect for the times you need to pop into the store and just pick up a few things. Reuse your produce bags or skip them all together and place delicate fruits and veggies at the top of your cart.
What about plastics your city won’t accept? Donate as much as possible wherever possible. School art classrooms and local art programs might be able to use your cleaned items. Make sure you ask before leaving a pile of trash on their doorsteps! Better yet, don’t purchase goods with excess plastic packaging that can not be recycled. You really don’t need your avocadoes pre-sliced and plastic-wrapped. You can take the extra minute to slice it yourself. Know what numbers your city accepts and check packaging prior to purchase.
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Recycling Paper
Part 2 in a series on recycling. This originally appeared as part of a larger piece written by your truly that appeared on SheKnows.com.
All paper can be recycled one way or another, but your city might not accept all types. Check your municipal website. Whatever they don’t accept, you can compost -- just be careful of dyes and glues. Be aware that as paper rots it releases methane, a greenhouse gas 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide. Recycle as much paper as you can before choosing to biodegrade.
Paper can generally be recycled four or five times before the fibers become too weak to reuse. Most post-consumer paper is mixed with virgin pulp to provide strength. When shopping for computer paper, stationary, journals and even checks, choose those with the highest amount of post-consumer content possible. According to the Energy Information Administration, a paper mill uses 40 per cent less energy to produce recycled paper than paper from new pulp. Many mills even use waste product from the recycling process as an energy source!
Phone books, newspapers, office paper, old books, magazine, cardboard, and construction paper are most commonly recycled. Paper products with a waxy finish, like cardboard milk containers or butcher paper, are difficult to recycle, and many facilities do not accept them -- check before tossing them into your bin.
All paper can be recycled one way or another, but your city might not accept all types. Check your municipal website. Whatever they don’t accept, you can compost -- just be careful of dyes and glues. Be aware that as paper rots it releases methane, a greenhouse gas 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide. Recycle as much paper as you can before choosing to biodegrade.
Paper can generally be recycled four or five times before the fibers become too weak to reuse. Most post-consumer paper is mixed with virgin pulp to provide strength. When shopping for computer paper, stationary, journals and even checks, choose those with the highest amount of post-consumer content possible. According to the Energy Information Administration, a paper mill uses 40 per cent less energy to produce recycled paper than paper from new pulp. Many mills even use waste product from the recycling process as an energy source!
Phone books, newspapers, office paper, old books, magazine, cardboard, and construction paper are most commonly recycled. Paper products with a waxy finish, like cardboard milk containers or butcher paper, are difficult to recycle, and many facilities do not accept them -- check before tossing them into your bin.
Recycling aluminum
Part 1 in a series on recycling. This originally appeared as part of a larger piece written by your truly that appeared on SheKnows.com.
Did you know that recycling aluminum only uses 5% of the energy it takes to create a product from virgin sources? Aluminum can be recycled indefinitely. Today’s tuna can is tomorrow’s hub cap is next year’s soda can! According to Earth911, 54 billion cans were recycled in 2003, saving 15 million barrels of crude oil.
Aluminum recycling drives earn millions of dollars for organizations like Habitat for Humanity, schools, and Boy and Girl Scouts. Aluminum beverage cans are the most often recycled product, but don’t forget other aluminum items like home siding and lawn furniture, and aluminum kitchen wrap.
Did you know that recycling aluminum only uses 5% of the energy it takes to create a product from virgin sources? Aluminum can be recycled indefinitely. Today’s tuna can is tomorrow’s hub cap is next year’s soda can! According to Earth911, 54 billion cans were recycled in 2003, saving 15 million barrels of crude oil.
Aluminum recycling drives earn millions of dollars for organizations like Habitat for Humanity, schools, and Boy and Girl Scouts. Aluminum beverage cans are the most often recycled product, but don’t forget other aluminum items like home siding and lawn furniture, and aluminum kitchen wrap.
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