When you can't reduce or reuse, recycle. Any household item that no longer has a place around your home might just fit the bill for some other household and enjoy a much longer useful life. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says that recycling saved over 72 million tons of trash from landfills in 2003, and it creates millions of jobs, reduces greenhouse gases, saves energy and natural resources and decreases pollution. Items that can't be refurbished are remade into new objects with high percentages of post-consumer recycled material. So recycle your castoffs, and keep the cycle going by purchasing recycled products, too.
Everyday Trash: Many municipalities have programs that pick up recyclables several times a week. It's up to you to separate what goes in each recycling bin; a list of those items is available from your local government. Typical non-food recyclables are newspapers, magazines, cardboard boxes, envelopes, phone books and yellow pages, printer paper (tip: use both sides first), most junk mail, empty soda and water bottles, glass bottles and jars, metal cans and aluminum foil. Metal and glass are usually collected separately from other recyclables. Paper and cardboard go in their own flattened stacks. Waxed milk and juice cartons, yogurt and other food containers may not be recyclable, depending on regional programs. Plastic shopping bags can go back to the store for recycling; better yet, bring your own reusable shopping bags.
Tech Trash: It's frustrating that essential technology seems to have a built-in replacement date. When your computer blips the blue screen of death, or the printer jams but never prints, or the television gives it up for the big wavy line or your cell phone is crushed by a car, recycle it before replacing it. Electronic products contain elements like lead, mercury and cadmium that can leech into a landfill. Many stores and some charities will recycle electronic gear safely for a small fee. Cities and towns have tech trash drop-off centers. Old toner cartridges can be slipped into prepaid mailing envelopes and returned to the manufacturer for recycling. Technology that is outdated but still useful should go to a charitable organization that will refurbish it and donate it to a school or other organization.
Big Stuff and Old Threads: Furniture, appliances and clothing may be broken, dated and outgrown, but still have plenty of use left in them. If the clothing isn't threadbare, wash and donate it to a resale charity like Goodwill Industries or the Salvation Army. An alternative is to consign clothing through a shop or sell it through a neighborhood coop or online resale site. You can create a swap recycling system for children's clothes with neighbors, family or school friends. Furniture can go to charity resellers like Housing Works or Salvation Army, church bazaars, online sales or to The Freecycle Network. If the furniture is trashed enough to be trash, break it down and put appropriate materials in various recycling bins for metals and plastics. Untreated wood and some fabrics might go in your compost pile. Household appliances that no longer work go to scrap metal recyclers or municipal dumps that handle those items.
Hazardous Waste: Some items are too toxic to be recycled and should be disposed of properly. Pesticides, harsh cleaning products, leftover paints, auto lubricants like old motor oil, batteries and even some light bulbs need special handling. Follow local directions for municipal garbage pickup of hazardous wastes. Where there is no designated trash collection, check for community household hazardous waste recycling and exchange centers, annual or seasonal safe-disposal days with temporary collection sites or local businesses that accept certain products, like used motor oil, for recycling. Don't dump corrosive liquids and old paints down the drain, into storm sewers or behind the garage where they can pollute the water table or poison the ground.
(Source: http://greenliving.nationalgeographic.com)
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