Topic: recycling

Recycle Last Year’s Fashion, Literally, With New H&M Effort

Recycle Last Year's Fashion, Literally, With New H&M Effort

Over those neon jeans you bought last spring? How about that colorblock bod-con skirt? (Yeah, I thought so.) Well, you can now feel good about getting rid of last year’s fashions with a new H&M program. Beginning in February, the retailer will recycle old clothes you drop off at any of its stores, and even give you a discount on buying more stuff in the process. More »

Florida Fat Bank Lets Liposuction Patients Store Their “Liquid Gold”

Florida Fat Bank Lets Liposuction Patients Store Their "Liquid Gold"

Don’t you just hate it when you have liposuction, and then a few months later, you want to inject some fat into your face to get rid of wrinkles, but all the lipo leftovers you were saving in your home refrigerator have gone bad? That’s the pits. Thankfully, a Florida doctor is providing his patients with a way to stash their excess fat–and withdraw from it later. It’s a fat bank! More »

It’s Earth Week. But Who Really Cares?

It's Earth Week. But Who Really Cares?

So, it’s Earth Week. But who really cares? Anybody? This year, Earth Week directly coincides with both Easter and Passover. So essentially, it’s a battle: Mother Nature vs. Jesus vs. the Ancient Israelites. Not to take anything away from dear Mother Earth, but for the record, my money is not on her to win this fight this week. Not with that kind of fiercely religious competition in the ring.

In case you weren’t aware, it’s actually been Earth Month for all of April. (And this Friday, April 22 is Earth Day.) But what does that really mean, other than that the requisite annual events, parades, activities, fairs, and open houses (that mostly serve to create more trash) are held around the world? Well, it means that for one day, one week, or one month, people talk more than they usually do about e-waste recycling, composting, buying jewelry made from reclaimed items, and trying to break themselves of those nasty bottled water and take-out food packaging. And sometimes they drink green cocktails. More »

6 Ways to Celebrate Earth Month That Aren’t a Scam and Don’t Create More Trash

6 Ways to Celebrate Earth Month That Aren't a Scam and Don't Create More Trash

Yesterday we gave you the negative, jaded, skeptical side of Earth Day, Week, and Month with our gallery of 6 Ways to Celebrate Earth Day That Are a Scam and Create More Trash, but today we’re all about looking on the bright side of this international hippie holiday, which technically falls on Friday, April 22 this year. So here’s our follow-up gallery of six ways to celebrate Earth Month that really aren’t a scam and don’t actually create more trash. Because, c’mon, who needs more junk cluttering up their lives? Not Mother Earth, and not us. More »

Pepsi and Washington, D.C. Launch “Greenopolis” Recycling Kiosks That Offer Pizza for Pop Bottles

Pepsi and Washington, D.C. Launch "Greenopolis" Recycling Kiosks That Offer Pizza for Pop Bottles

Pepsi and the nation’s capital have teamed up to put 363 new “Dream Machine” recycling kiosks in Washington, D.C., offering customers unique rewards like coupons for Dominos, Johnny Rockets, and Marriott hotels in exchange for their recyclables. There’s no doubt the machines will improve the city’s recycling rates (more drop-off points = more recycling, with or without the rewards), but their choice in rewards partners has us perplexed: Couldn’t they pick businesses and products that have their own green initiatives? More »

Why It Pays to Wash Your Recyclables

Why It Pays to Wash Your Recyclables

I don’t have a dishwasher, so every time I have to scrub a can or jar on its way to recycling, I wonder if the environment really needs my extra bit of labor. Turns out, it pays to clean your food containers before you recycle them (so no more excuses). An eco-conscious reader over at Mother Jones asked about whether she needs to clean her recyclables (her frustration stems from the slightly less-selfish concern over how much water she’s using to clean out used containers); according to their “Econundrums” columnist, food residue won’t turn your cans and jars into trash, but it will make it more expensive to recycle them. More »

6 Eco-Friendly Fashion Finds

6 Eco-Friendly Fashion Finds

You’re going through your closet and can’t find a thing to wear, and while once upon a time you might have run right out to buy the latest trend, you can’t help feeling a tinge of guilt about the carbon footprint being used to satisfy your fashionista cravings.

Guilt be gone, as our friends at Your Daily Thread have dug up six amazing fashion finds made out of recycled materials that will surely gratify the “Econista” in you. Read on for their picks. More »

Seattle Recycling Laws Ban Phone Books (Plus 10 Unnecessary Paper Products We’d Like to Outlaw)

Seattle Recycling Laws Ban Phone Books (Plus 10 Unnecessary Paper Products We'd Like to Outlaw)

Last month, the city of Seattle approved an ordinance that makes unsolicited phone book delivery illegal. The new recycling law is aimed at reducing waste, and also requires phone book publishers to pay for the cost of recycling unwanted phone books. If only all cities were so progressive: We can hardly figure out whether our office building actually allows us to recycle, let alone get the city to outlaw unwanted mail. More »

America Recycles Day 2010: 15 Eco-Friendly Events Around the U.S.

America Recycles Day 2010: 15 Eco-Friendly Events Around the U.S.

Today is America Recycles Day, a day dedicated by the EPA to educate communities about recycling and reducing waste. Events are taking place around the country today with the hopes of making people in your community more effective recyclers every day of the year. Chances are, there is a recycling drive happening today in your area. Check out these recycling events happening this week around the country.
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Evian’s Special Edition Bottle: Expensive and Not Eco-Friendly

Evian's Special Edition Bottle: Expensive and Not Eco-Friendly

When we saw that Evian was putting out a special-edition water bottle, we were impressed that a bottled water manufacturer would make a reusable bottle. Is it BPA-free? we wondered. Will it be dishwasher safe? Then we realized we were living in a dreamland if we thought Evian would be putting out a product that discourages people from buying their water. This “special” bottle was disposable, like all the others, but the flower on the front was designed by fashion designer Issey Miyake. More »

5 Ways to Recycle Your Running Shoes

5 Ways to Recycle Your Running Shoes

As an avid runner (and one with a mild addiction to sportswear), I’ve accumulated a pile of running shoes that’s larger than appropriate for my pint-sized Brooklyn apartment. I’ve dispersed my collection by stockpiling extra pairs at my office and other peoples’ houses (thanks, Mom!), but even after I’ve exhausted their mileage, I cling to them and tell myself they’ll come in handy the next time I volunteer on a muddy farm or paint a house. They’ve come in handy exactly once in the past two years, but otherwise, they mostly act as dust bunny-magnets and doorstops.

As I put summer clothes into storage, fluff up my sweaters for Fall, and prep my annual load of cast-offs for a trip to Buffalo Exchange, all those used running shoes are starting to taunt me: I can’t really sell them, and they don’t make for great hand-me-downs. But with a little research, I found a few places that would be glad to take my used running shoes and make much, much better use of them than the back corner of my closet. More »