Recycling is the process of taking used or abandoned products and using them to create a new product. Recycling is a relatively simple way for anyone to help out the environment and conserve our resources. Additionally recycling saves money, saves energy and creates jobs across a wide spectrum of industries that process and sell  recycled goods.

DID YOU KNOW ...

Glass takes over one million years to decompose in a landfill?
It takes 80-100 years for an aluminum can to break down in a landfill?
It takes up to 700 years for plastic to decompose in a landfill?
Every year each American throws out 1,200 pounds of organic garbage that could be composted?
Americans throw away enough paper each year to build a 12 foot high wall of paper from New York to Seattle?
It takes a styrofoam coffee cup close to 500 years to break down in a landfill?
Every three months, Americans place enough aluminum in our landfills to rebuild our entire commercial air fleet?
 

WHERE & HOW TO RECYCLE

The collection of recyclable materials varies in each community. Some recycling programs are mandatory and others towns offer them on a voluntary basis. The main methods of recycling collections are:

• Drop-off Centers
• Buy-back Centers
• Deposit or Refund Programs
• Curbside Pickups
   

1. If you don't already know what recycling opportunities are available in your community, do some research to find out what kind of recycling is available and what the "rules" are. Often the department you would want to call is the Public Works department. If there are no recycling programs in your area, try to encourage them to begin one!
2. Many communities require that you recycle items like glass, plastic, and aluminum and will provide the recycling containers for each household. If your recycling program is voluntary or needs to be taken to a drop-off center, you can purchase recycling bin organizers in many catalogs or you can buy inexpensive bins at your local discount store. Use one for each type of recycled material and label them to make it easier to find the correct bin. Many households find it convenient to keep their recycling bins next to their trash cans.
3. Keep a smaller container inside your home to make it more convenient to gather your daily recyclables. We found it very convenient to keep a smaller container next to our kitchen trash can. You will want to rinse out your containers before you place them in your recycling bin to to avoid smells and varmints. Once the kitchen container is full, take them  out to your recycling organizers.
4. Consider buying a good shredder for your home office to shred all those "mistakes" you print or junk mail. It is a great way to keep secure information away from prying eyes and you can use them in your compost pile. Note: don't shred the "shiny" ad circulars - they are not good for your compost.
5. Close the loop and look for products that are made of or packaged in recyclable material  Also look at the level of post-consumer recycled content in a product. The pos-consuer recylced content is the material that has been collected from consumers and reprocessed in a product.
6. It does take some time to "re-train" yourself and your family to place your recyclable materials in your containers instead of just tossing them in the trash. However, you will be amazed at the volume of recycled materials that you collect in a week or two. Congratulations! You have kept all that out of the landfill!
    

Besides the basic recycling of paper, plastic, glass and aluminum, there are so many other things that we can recycle instead of throwing them out. We have a number of Recycle and Reuse tips on our Living Green page that will give you some ideas on how to creatively recycle your used and uneeded household items. The link below for Earth911 is also a great resource for information on recycling. You can type in your zip code on the site and find information to recycle all kinds of items in your geographical area.

DID YOU KNOW YOU CAN RECYCLE:

batteries [including car batteries]
automotive oil and antifreeze
computers
electronics
printer cartridges
eye glasses
light bulbs
tennis shoes
sports equipment
tires

See the link below for "21 Things You Didn't Know You Could Recycle"
and our Living Green page for more ideas on creative recycling!
 

LINKS

National Recycling Coalition - a national non-profit advocacy group with members that span all aspects of waste reduction, reuse and recycling in North America

Earth911 is an environmental services company that addresses solutions for products' end-of-life for both businesses and consumers.

Green America - 21 Things You Didn't Know You Could Recycle

YouRenew - Recycle your electronics and perhaps even get paid!