10 Things You Can Recycle or Repurpose

Recycling at Home: 10 Things You Can Recycle or Repurpose · 1. Plastic Water Bottles · 3. Aluminum Foil · 5. CDs, DVDs, VHS Tapes · 6. Wine Corks · 7 ... 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Whetheryou’relookingforeco-friendlywaystodeclutterorjusttryingtofindoutwhatyoucanrecycleathome,thereareplentyofpracticalandcreativeideasforrecyclingathomeorgivingnewlifetoolditems.Infact,yourhomeisprobablyatreasuretroveofitemsyoucanreuse,recycle,repurpose,orupcycle.Whenyouchangeyourperspectiveofthrowingthingsaway(whereis“away”anyway?)…you’llfindyourselflookingateverydayobjectsinadifferentlight.WhattoRecycleAroundYourHomeThesearethehouseholditemsmostcitiesincludeintheirrecyclingprogramsIfyoudon’thavecurbsidepickup,youcanfindyournearestrecyclingcenterviaEarth911.Paper,cards,junkmail,magazines,newspaperBrownpaperbags,shoeboxesAllpaperproductsaslongastheyarecleanandwithoutembellishmentslikeglitter,etc.ShreddedpaperEggcartons–paper/cardboardorplasticCardboardboxes–flattenedandbrokendownintomanageablesizesAluminumcans/steelcansPlastic&glassbottlesPlastic&glassjars(makesureglassandplasticcontainersarefreefromfoodresidue)YogurtcontainersAerosolcansCleanfoilWhenitcomestogoinggreen,reducingisthemostimportantofthe3R’s.Cutbackonwhatyouconsume,andyou’llhavelessstufftoworryaboutrecycling.10ThingsYouCanRecycleorRepurposeatHomeHereyou’llfind10everydayitemsyoucanbreathenewlifeintoandaregreatforrecyclingathome.1.PlasticWaterBottlesMostimportantly,REDUCEyouruseofwaterbottlesbyinstallingawaterfilteringsystem(findoutwhydrinkingfilteredwaterisbest) anddrinkingfromrealglassesormugsathome.Carryareusablewaterbottle forwateronthego.Ifyoudon’thavealow-flowtoilet,youcanaddplasticwater(filledwithwatersoitdoesn’tjustfloattothetop)toyourtanktooffsetexcesswaterflow.Cutoffthebottomsofwaterbottlesandplantseedlingsinthem.CheckPinterestforupcycledbottlecraftideas.Ifyouhavetouseaplasticwaterbottle,makesureitendsupintherecyclebinratherthancontributingtothesingleuseplasticwastecrisis.2.PlasticBagsJustasyou’rereducingallyourplasticconsumption,refuseplasticbagswheneverpossible.Carryyourownbagstothegroceryandfarmer’smarket–onceyougetinthehabitofusingthem,it’sasimpleswitch.Butsometimesyoustillendupwithaplasticbag–likewhenyourlocalnewspaperdropsoffafreetrialorsetofsaleadswrappedinaplasticbag.Therearewaysofreusingthemorrecyclingathome.Lineyourwastebaskets insteadofbuyingplasticbinliners.Forprojectslikepainting,slipaplasticbagoverthepaintcanlidbeforereplacingitsodirtorflakesofdriedpaintonthelid’sundersidewon’tfallintotheliquid.Savethemtowrapfragileitemsforstoringorshipping.Recyclethematsupermarketsandatcertaincurbsides.FindupcycledplasticbagcraftideasonPinterest.3.AluminumFoilThereareloadsofwaystoreusealuminumfoil.Justmakesureit’scleanandfreefromanyfooddebris.Reflector:Placefoilbehindplantsintheshadetoreflectlightonthem.Utensilsharpener:Foldusedaluminumfoiloverto6layersthick.Sharpenscissorsorknivesbycuttingthroughthefoilseveraltimes.Jewelrycleaner:Lineasmalldishwithfoil.Addhotwaterandonetablespoonofpowderlaundrydetergentandmixtogether.Swirljewelryinthemixturefor1-2minutes,thenremoveandairdry.Dryerball:Crumplefoilintoa2-3inchballandplaceinthedryeralongwithyourwooldryerballstohelpremovestaticclingandwrinkles.4.OldTVsOureditorlikestosharehowshe’sneverhadmorethantwoTVsinherhome,andherhusbandisevenmoreproudofhowmanytimesherepairedtheir10-year-oldTV.Astemptingasitistoupgrade,TVscontainharmfulchemicals…upto8poundsofleadandotherheavymetals.Goodwillandotherdonationstoresdon’ttypicallyacceptTVs.We’veactuallybeeninthedropoffareaandwatchedayoungcoupleheaveasetintothedumpster.TrytofixyourTVbeforegettingridofit.JusttypetheproblemintothesearchonYouTube,andyou’llfindananswerthatmayjustinvolvedremovingsomescrewsandcleaningsomethingoff.BestBuyrecyclestelevisionsets.Callorchecktheirwebsiteforelectronicsrecyclingdetails.SearchEarth911.comtofindfacilitiesinyourareathatrecycletelevisions.5.CDs,DVDs,VHSTapesDidyoufinallytransferallthoseoldhomemoviestodigital?Whenyou’rereadytopurgeoldmediaitems,checkwithyourlocalrecyclingcentertoseeifthey’lltakethem.That’stheeasiestoptionforrecyclingathome.Otherwise,herearesomeinterestingwaystomakesuretheydon’tendupcrowdingthelandfill.MakeacreativescarecrowusingCDs.Thelightreflectedwillkeepbirdsandsomedaytimecrittersawayfromyourgarden.Orifyouhaveanoutdoorpet,ithelpskeepthecrowsfromeatingthefoodyouputoutsidefortheanimal.Recyclethematalocalartsandcraftscenter,wheretheyusethemtomakegiftbagbasesordropspindlesforspinningwool.CreateacollageofreflectiveCDsforyourwallorceiling.UseoldVHStapetobindpoststogetherinyourgardeninsteadofbuyingplasticrope.6.WineCorksDoyouhaveawinecorkcollection?They’rejustwaitingtobeturnedintosomethingcreative.Makeamazingartlikethepieceabove.Cutwinecorkstomakenoticeboardtrivetsoutofthem.Decorateyourfridgewithcorkmagnets.Usethemtocorkbottlesofhomemadesauces,oils,andpreserves.Propupgardenpotswithwinecorkstoaiddrainage.7.OldCellPhones&DevicesSincethisarticlewasoriginallypublished,electronicdeviceshavemultipliedtothepointweneededawholearticleonreducingyoure-waste.CheckEarth911forhowtorecycleacellphoneinyourarea.Ifit’sstillanin-demandmodel,sellitoneBay.Cleanupyouroldphone,getanewcover,andgiftordonateittosomeonewhoneedsit.Disassemblethephone.Recyclethebatteryandotherpartsatcomputerorelectronicrecyclerunits.Usethemanufacturer’sTakeBackprogramwhenyouupgradetoanewphone.8.JunkMail&EnvelopesIfreplyenvelopesareingoodcondition,reusethemtosendyourownmail.Coveranylogosorreturnaddresswithyourownreturnaddresslabels.Keep usedenvelopesonhandtokeepgardenseeds,ortapethembelowdrillstocatchdust.Shredtheenvelopesandusethemtocreateorganicmulchinyourgardenortofillpillowcasestokeepoutdoorpetswarminthewinter.Besuretorecycleallpaperyouaren’trepurposing.9.OldTrophiesAreyoureadytosaygoodbyetothoseoldtrophies?  Takeaphotosoyou’llalwaysrememberthem,thensendthemto acompanylike LambAwards&Engraving or TotalAwards&Promotions,Inc.,whowilldonateyouroldtrophies,plaquesandmedalstocharitableorganizationsorrecycletheirpartstocreatenewawards.10.MiscellaneousItemsUsehairelasticstobindcreeperstosupportpolesinyourgarden.Turnoldclothingorjeansinto bags,aprons,skirts,patchworkquilts.Saveoldmascarabrushesandtoothbrushesforcleaninginsmall,hard-to-reachplaces.OrdonatethemtoWandsforWildlifetogroomanimals.Donatetornjeanstotheragbinatyourlocalhouseholdwastesite.Thecottoninthejeanswillbereclaimedforindustrialuse.Re-doingyourfloors?TheCarpetAmericaRecoveryEffort(CARE)providessolutionsforrecyclingcarpet.Mailinyourworn-outflipflopstoreceiveanexclusivecouponforanin-storepurchaseatOldNavy.Electronicsandofficesupplystoresalsoacceptavarietyofequipmenttorecycle,includingcomputersandmobilephones,sodon’tforgettochecklocally,aswell.VisitTerraCycle togetmoreinformationonanyofitscollectionprograms.TakeoldprinterinkcartridgesforrecyclingatofficesupplystoreslikeStaplesorOfficeDepot.Turnyouroldeyeglassescaseintoasewingkit.Whenoldcrayonsaretoosmallorbrokentouseanymore,don’tthrowthemout:givethemnewlifebysendingthemtotheCrayonRecycleProgram. ThisnationalinitiativewillcollectthecrayonsandturnthemintoCrazyCrayons–oldcrayonsmeltedintofunshapesandswirledcolors–whichyoucanthenorderforyourkidstoenjoy.CFLlightbulbsareitemsyou’llwanttobecautiousaboutrecyclingathome.Becausecompactfluorescentlamp(CFL)bulbscontainsmallamountsofmercury,youcan’tdisposeofCFLbulbsinyourcurbsiderecyclingorinthetrash.InsteadyoucandropthematanyHomeDepotorIKEAstoreforsafedisposal.Ifyoudon’tlivenearoneofthosestores,yourlocalrecyclingserviceshouldbeabletotellyou(orshouldlistontheirwebsite)infoonwheretofindlocalhazardouswastefacilities.AuthorRecentPostsGreenChildMagazineSince2010,GreenChildhaspublishedanaward-winningpublicationdevotedtonaturalparentingandconsciousliving.Notedas“goodforagreenmama’ssoul,”GreenChildhasgrownintoaresourcevaluedbyparentswhocareaboutbringingsimplicity,compassion,socialresponsibility,andinstinctualintelligencebacktoparenting.LatestpostsbyGreenChildMagazine(seeall) 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PreviousPost:«AquariusNamesforWaterBearerBabies-to-BeNextPost:HowtoRaiseaMotivatedStudentandWhyIt’sImportant»ReaderInteractionsCommentsIhadneverconsideredtousealuminumfoilbehindplantstohelpgetmorelight.Itmakessenseintheorywhythiswouldwork,butIwonderiftheplantneedsdirectsunlighttogroworiftheraysneedtogrowcanbereflectedoffthefoil.I’llhavetoexperimentwiththisathome.ReplyThefortheinformationIreallyloveitReplyGreattips!Mysisterisrecentlytryingtoreduceherfamily’swasteandtheserecyclingideaswillbeofagreathelpforher.I’mdefinitelyrecommendingyourposttoherandtosomefriendstoo.Thanksforallthisgreatinformation!ReplyLeaveaReplyCancelreplyYouremailaddresswillnotbepublished.Requiredfieldsaremarked*Comment*Name*Email*WebsiteSavemyname,email,andwebsiteinthisbrowserforthenexttimeIcomment.ΔThissiteusesAkismettoreducespam.Learnhowyourcommentdataisprocessed.PrimarySidebarSearchoursiteFooterSearchoursiteAges+StagesLivingHealthFoodGet'emoutside!FREEEMAILBONUS5SecretstoRaisingKidsWhoLoveNatureInstillaloveoftheoutdoorsinourchildrenYES,IWANTTHISSharethisArticleLikethisarticle?Emailittoafriend!Friend'sEmailAddressYourNameYourEmailAddressCommentsSendEmailEmailsent!