21 Things You Didn't Know You Can Recycle

[Triana]

Garbage. Americans produce more and more of it every year, when we need to be producing less.

Even the most waste-conscious among us can feel overwhelmed by the amount of household waste that goes beyond what municipal recyclers and compost bins can handle.

That’s why our editors have spent the summer investigating the state of waste management in our country, and putting together information for you, our Co-op America members, explaining how we can get serious about the three R’s – reducing, reusing, and recycling. Supporting members of Co-op America can expect to receive this issue of the Co-op America Quarterly this fall. If you’re not already a supporting member, join us now to get this special issue mailed to you.


1. 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.

2. Batteries: Rechargeables and single-use: Battery Solutions, 734/467-9110, www.batteryrecycling.com.

3. Cardboard boxes: Contact local nonprofits and women’s shelters to see if they Boxcan use them. Or, offer up used cardboard boxes at your local Freecycle.org listserv or on Craigslist.org for others who may need them for moving or storage. If your workplace collects at least 100 boxes or more each month, UsedCardboardBoxes.com accepts them for resale.

4. CDs/DVDs/Game Disks: Send scratched music or computer CDs, DVDs, and PlayStation or Nintendo video game disks to AuralTech for refinishing, and they’ll work like new: 888/454-3223, www.auraltech.com.

5. Clothes: Wearable clothes can go to your local Goodwill outlet or shelter. ShirtsDonate wearable women’s business clothing to Dress for Success, which gives them to low-income women as they search for jobs, 212/532-1922, www.dressforsuccess.org. Offer unwearable clothes and towels to local animal boarding and shelter facilities, which often use them as pet bedding. Consider holding a clothes swap at your office, school, faith congregation or community center. Swap clothes with friends and colleagues, and save money on a new fall wardrobe and back-to-school clothes.

6. Compact fluorescent bulbs: Take them to your local IKEA store for recycling: www.ikea.com.

7. Compostable bio-plastics: You probably won’t be able to compost these in your home compost bin or pile. Find a municipal composter to take them to at www.findacomposter.com.

8. Computers and electronics: Find the most responsible recyclers, local and national, at www.ban.org/pledge/Locations.html.

9. Exercise videos: Swap them with others at www.videofitness.com.

10. Eyeglasses: Your local Lion’s Club or eye care chain may collect these. Lenses Glassesare reground and given to people in need.

11. Foam packing: Your local pack-and-ship store will likely accept foam peanuts for reuse. Or, call the Plastic Loose Fill Producers Council to find a drop-off site: 800/828-2214. For places to drop off foam blocks for recycling, contact the Alliance of Foam Packaging Recyclers, 410/451-8340, www.epspackaging.org/info.html

12. Ink/toner cartridges: Recycleplace.com pays $1/each.

13. Miscellaneous: Get your unwanted items into the hands of people who can use them. Offer them up on your local Freecycle.org or Craigslist.org listserv, or try giving them away at Throwplace.com or giving or selling them at iReuse.com. iReuse.com will also help you find a recycler, if possible, when your items have reached the end of their useful lifecycle.

14. Oil: Find Used Motor Oil Hotlines for each state: 202/682-8000, www.recycleoil.org.

15. Phones: Donate cell phones: Collective Good will refurbish your phone and sell Cellphoneit to someone in a developing country: 770/856-9021, www.collectivegood.com. Call to Protect reprograms cell phones to dial 911 and gives them to domestic violence victims: www.donateaphone.com. Recycle single-line phones: Reclamere, 814/386-2927, www.reclamere.com.

16. Sports equipment: Resell or trade it at your local Play It Again Sports outlet, 800/476-9249, www.playitagainsports.com.

17. “Technotrash”: Easily recycle all of your CDs, jewel cases, DVDs, audio and video tapes, cell phones, pagers, rechargeable and single-use batteries, PDAs, and ink/toner cartridges with GreenDisk’s Technotrash program. For $30, GreenDisk will send you a cardboard box in which you can ship them up to 70 pounds of any of the above. Your fee covers the box as well as shipping and recycling fees. 800/305-GREENDISK, www.greendisk.com.

18. Tennis shoes: Nike’s Reuse-a-Shoe program turns old shoes into playground and athletic flooring. www.nikereuseashoe.com. One World Running will send still-wearable shoes to athletes in need in Africa, Latin America, and Haiti. www.oneworldrunning.com.
19. Toothbrushes and razors: Buy a recycled plastic toothbrush or razor from ToothbrushRecycline, and the company will take it back to be recycled again into plastic lumber. Recycline products are made from used Stonyfield Farms’ yogurt cups. 888/354-7296, www.recycline.com.

20. Tyvek envelopes: Quantities less than 25: Send to Shirley Cimburke, Tyvek Recycling Specialist, 5401 Jefferson Davis Hwy., Spot 197, Room 231, Richmond, VA 23234. Quantities larger than 25, call 866/33-TYVEK.

21. Stuff you just can’t recycle: When practical, send such items back to the manufacturer and tell them they need to manufacture products that close the waste loop responsibly.

[lazyriver]

1. Great post. Thank you. ..Recommended.

[cspanlovr]

2. Thank you so much for this post. I've been doing some

spring cleaning (I tend to procrastinate!) and have piles of the items you've mentioned. I said to my daughter "there must be a place I can take them to recycle them", and here they are! I've bookmarked the thread and will use them. Thanks again! :hi:

[Triana]

13. Same here - I always clean out my shoes/clothes/and kitchen items

every few years. It'd be nice to donate the clothing to poor women who need professional attire. There are also often local 'freecycling' programs (look on Yahoo groups or craig's list) that you can participate in and give/get/exchange stuff.

I also donate to Vietnam Veterans of America too. They pick up items, and sell them, the proceeds going to help Vietnam Vets. (edit: I like VVA much better than goodwill or salvation army but that's a personal preference).

[Saturday]

3. 22. Follow the example of St Lucie County FL....

and build a plasma converter which burns your garbage with no pollution and provides a source for energy as it does it.

http://www.ecofakto.com/archives/renewable-energy/florida-county-plans-to-vaporize-landfill-trash/

[druidity33]

8. interesting link... nt

[jojo54]

4. Pretty cool post, Triana.

Thanks for the info. I never knew that tennis shoes are recycled into athletic floors.

K & R!

[rosesaylavee]

5. Renovating? You can also recycle building materials

from your home or office buildings. Donate to your local ReStore or ReUseIt Center...

ReStore is a program of Habitat for Humanity and there are hundreds of these stores throughout the country.

ReUseIt Center is a local program in the Chicago metro area that takes donated kitchen cabinets, windows, doors, etc. New and or used. http://www.reuseitcenter.org

[Triana]

14. Another good point!

We have one of those in our city. I can't remember the name but they accept building materials and resell them. You can often find stuff there you can't find elsewhere too, such as old-timey type doors, fixtures, hardware, etc.

[youthere]

6. Sign up with your local Freecycle.org group...

One man's trash is another man's treasure.

[Ian David]

7. You forgot #22

22. Republicans.

Soylent Red is Republicans!

It's made from Republicans!

[5446]

9. Battery recycling.

I'd love to find a place to recycle batteries at, however there's no local dropoffs.

I won't lie, I'm lazy and I'm cheap. Ergo, I'm not paying to mail them to someone. You may consider me a bad person for this, and that's fine. Its your opinon, and won't change mine.

Radioshack used ot accept used batteries, but no longer does. Does anyone know another location that will?

[rosesaylavee]

10. There may be a local non-profit collecting them

for revenue. Visit http://www.rbrc.org/call2recycle/dropoff/index.php to find a drop off site near you.

[rosesaylavee]

11. 8. Recycling electronics

My county (Kane, Illinois) does this once per month. Be sure to check out what your county offers in terms of recycling programs.

[Triana]

12. Good point. City and county...

...our city accepts a lot of stuff for recycling (they provide blue containers and pickup along with trash pickup), but they don't recycle everything, of course.

Counties often have pickup or drop-off points for a lot of stuff cities might not recycle - like oil, electronics, batteries, etc. Most city/county websites will have information on this.

[Sick_of_Rethuggery]

15. K & R!

:kick:

[eppur_se_muova]

16. kick & recycle

[FloridaJudy]

17. Yet another reason this town needs an IKEA... n/t

[krkaufman]

18. "our editors"? If this is an article from elsewhere, do you have a link ...

... to the original?

[Dead_Parrot]

19. It's from Co-op America - Here's the link:

http://www.coopamerica.org/pubs/caq/articles/21Things.cfm

[tom_paine]

20. K & R

[mod mom]

21. Thanks for the information. rec'd.

[il_lilac]

22. thanks- bookmarked nt