There are plenty of clever ways to reduce the amount of things we throw away. While recycling is a big one, we can also upcycle, reuse, and donate. Below are five items that (most of us didn’t know) can be recycled – and the one item that can’t.
- Compact fluorescent bulbs: Take these to IKEA – they’ll recycle them for you.
- Appliances: Goodwill accepts working appliances, www.goodwill.org, or you can contact the Steel Recycling Institute to recycle them. 800/YES-1-CAN, www.recycle-steel.org.
- Carpet can be recycled if it is clean and usable.
- Old blankets, towels, and sheets can be donated to animal shelters. They can be used as makeshift beds for dogs and cats!
- Aluminum foil! According to Earth911 you should always wash your aluminum foil to remove food particles before putting it in the recycling bin. You can also buy 100% recycled aluminum foil which uses five percent less energy than the traditional aluminum foil manufacturing process.
Now what about pizza boxes? Technically, a pizza box is made out of cardboard, and therefore, can be recycled. However, once the pizza inside the box gets on its surface – ie, sauce, cheese, grease, etc. – then the box is no longer recyclable. So there you have it.
Folks who don’t have an IKEA near them should call their county/city to see how to set the Compact fluorescent bulbs out for recycling. Our recycling pick up also takes old appliances as does the recycling center, and they take them a part and recycle ALL the material. And people can join their local freecycle.org group and donate used blankets, sheets to others in need who will reuse them in making quilts or dog/cat blankets for the no kill animal shelter. If you buy pizza (which we don’t) consider asking the maker to place parchment paper on top so the cheese,sauce wont mess up the cardboard. And ask if you can re-use the cardboard box next time you come in to get your pizza, if its a pizza shop. Locally they love this because the cardboard boxes cost them money. In the end the main goal should be buy less to begin with.
Re pizza boxes – many boxes have a liner for just this purpose. The liner, much smaller than the box, goes in the trash (or compost, depending on material), while the clean box can be recycled normally. If your favorite pizza joint doesn’t use liners, ask them to!
Home Depots take old cfl’s
Pingback: Five Things You Didn’t Know You Can Recycle – And 1 You Can’t – waldina