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Do You RECycle & FREECycle?

One person’s trash Is another’s treasures, so don’t go to the dump without Recycling or FREECycling! Give what you don’t need to someone who wants it. Go to: www.freecycle.org or www.earth911.org to see learn you can share your trash – everything from used motor oil to old computers. Keep Our Stuff Out of Landfills!

10 Things Everyone Should Recycle or FREECYCLE

By Barbara Denzer for Cardinal Pet Care ©2009

1. Soda Cans and Plastic Water & Soda Bottles (Aluminum) – and you get paid to recycle them! Better yet, donate the money to a Green organization!

2. Clothes– we grow up or out of our clothes, we change our style, we change our location and need a different kind of clothing for the climate. Don’t throw clothes away if they are in good shape, share with friends and family or donate! Churches, Goodwill, Veterans Groups and other charity groups will all be glad to recycle your clothing for you. If they’re NOT in good shape put them in a bag marked “rags”. Organizations will get them to companies that make them into usable rags for industries like auto mechanics that use a lot of rags.

3. Leftover Food – to recycle food scraps or waste food that doesn’t go down the garbage disposal, start a compost heap in your backyard – or a worm farm! Then you can use compost to fertilize a garden or your yard. Check out www.howtocompost.org or www.wormfarmguide.com

4. Plastic Grocery Bags– if you can still get your groceries packed in plastic grocery bags, the store has a collection can for recycling them! When you go to the grocery, take your old plastic bags with you. Re-use them or drop them in the recycle bin. Get used to taking your own re-useable bags with you everywhere you go.

5. Newspapers & Magazines– newspapers are shredded and turned back into more newspaper so put that Sunday news in the “Paper” bin of your city’s recycling plan along with all your other paper scraps. Magazines: first donate them to hospitals, doctor’s offices, and senior citizen centers, clubs – or anyplace there’s a waiting room. For magazines from last year or before – hit the paper bin or the Scout Paper Drives!

6. Ink Cartridges from Computer Printers – Some office supply stores will give you store credit for brining back your used ink cartridges. HP gives you a free mailing container to send back their ink cartridge in every one they sell. Hundreds of fund raising organizations collect them for recycling. Go to: www.PetsmartCharities.org Stop in any Petsmart store – right in the front of the store they have pre-addressed mailers for recycling Ink Cartridges.

7. Old Cell Phones, Telephones, Computers, Computer Printers, TVs, Smoke Dectectors – these objects are valuable for many reasons but mostly it’s their parts that are valuable. Some of them contain small parts that are hazardous material and they shouldn’t go to a dump. Many Vet organizations collect old cell phones to assist Vets or support our troops. Check out: www.PurpleHeart.org www.VeteransAdvantage.com for their cell phone recycling programs. Check with local computer clubs who collect and recycle computers. Do an internet search for places that buy old telephones and printers to use their parts. Ask your city where to recycle Smoke Detectors.

8. Product Packaging –. Packaging that encases our favorite products is one of the biggest needs for recycling. Most plastics are labeled with a symbol on the bottom that puts a number in a triangle made by arrows. That means they can go in the recycling bin for plastic. Many companies are packaging their products in containers made of starch or corn, which are compostable, instead of plastic. Look for other packaging materials. “Peanuts” and other foam packaging materials are often accepted for recycling at local shipping stores like UPS. Check on line for their recycling options.

9. Batteries – First, Use rechargeable batteries whenever possible. Second, recycle all batteries. No matter what kind of battery we talk about, it contains chemicals. The worst ones are Lead, Cadmium and Mercury. Silver, Zinc and Nickel aren’t that great either. We don’t want them in our landfills or incinerators to end up in our soil, ground water, surface water or air. www.earth911.com has a handy locator for recycling batteries or www.BatteryRecycling.com has lots of information.

10. Incandescent & Fluorescent Light Bulbs – Replace these light bulbs with Energy Efficient Fluorescent light bulbs to save energy and money. Old ones contain Mercury, a hazardous waste. It can be retrieved and reused if we recycle our light bulbs.

To recycle: Put the bulbs inside 2 plastic bags in case they get broken. Take them to the recycling center with your hazardous waste. Check with your local city for what to do with hazardous waste. Some hardware stores recycle them. IKEA furniture stores recycle CFLs. Some cities, that sort recyclables for you, allow you to put light bulbs in the garbage if you double bag them. Check with your city.