What you can and can’t recycle

A good general rule of thumb for folks interested in green living, is if you’re not sure that it can be recycled, don’t buy it. There are so many options for product packaging nowadays that it’s silly to buy stuff you have to toss – i.e. cellophane wrapped noodles over boxed noodles.

When shopping, look for the following materials which can be recycled in most areas…

• Paper and cardboard.
• Aluminum and steel, both in can form and other products.
• Most plastic bottles IF you remove the lids.
• Glass of any type so long as it’s clean.
• Batteries.
• Computers and other appliances. Sometimes you can’t recycle whole appliances, but you can usually find a recycling center that will take care of the entire appliance for you (they’ll save the usable and recyclable parts).
• Clothing and shoes (that aren’t beyond repair). Give used items to non-profits or thrift stores. If clothing is beyond repair or too dingy for words, cut up those shirts and use them to clean with. Score two for you because you get to ditch paper towels.
• CDs, DVDs, and computer discs.
• Paint.
• Your whole darn car – seriously.
• Some juice boxes (look for the recycle symbol before you buy).
• Sometimes you can even recycle aerosol products.
• Hangers – of the wire variety.
• Cell phones.
• Eye glasses.
• Prescription bottles

What you often CANNOT recycle:

• Dirty, greasy paper and cardboard (pizza boxes).
• Many aerosol cans.
• Squeezable plastics like ketchup bottles have not been deemed totally recyclable, so buy glass if you have a choice.
• Paper or cardboard with lots of glue or adhesive stuck on.
• Styrofoam – it’s rare to find a recycling center that takes Styrofoam or foam, but that doesn’t mean you can recycle it – use it for mailing packages – but don’t buy it unless absolutely necessary.

Not sure how to get started? If you’ve got products and packaging to recycle, first learn about the local recycling center in your area. Figure out what they take, and how they like it (for example, some centers hate dirty boxes while others don’t care.) After navigating your local recycling center, find places to recycle those harder to recycle items. You can check Earth 911 for a center that takes specific items.

[image via stock.xchng]