Environmental Tips for Individuals: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle - Step 3: Recycle

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Third: Recycle

• Recycle Bins: Create designated holding "bins" for each type of recycled product and place in convenient locations in your home/garage
• Recycling Fact Sheet: Create a local recycling fact sheet for yourself and interested neighbors. The local Yellow Pages, Internet Consumer Recycling Guide and Recycling Resources are great resources. Find out where you can recycle:
  • glass
  • paper products
  • plastic grocery bags (better yet - use cloth bags)
  • plastic - including 1 - 7 identification codes
  • aluminum
  • cardboard
  • tin cans
  • scrap metal
  • motor oil (one quart of oil can kill fish in thousands of gallons of water)
  • ink cartridges
  • household appliances such as refrigerators
  • computer equipment and other electronic devices
  • aseptic packaging (square boxes used for liquids)
  • styrofoam
  • tires
  • athletic shoes (contact a local sporting goods or athletic shoe store - some donate used shoes, others recycle them)
  • etc.
• Recycled Content: Ask your local retailers to stock more products made from recycled materials and buy products made from the highest recycled content whenever possible.
• Green Paper: In general, try to buy products/containers made from recycled material as often as possible to support the recycled product market. When purchasing paper products (toilet paper, etc,), look for paper that has been recycled using a minimum of 50% post-consumer waste. Also, purchase from companies that do not use chlorine to bleach their paper products (which creates dioxin waste).
• Natural Fertilizer: Leave grass clippings on the lawn as fertilizer.
• Composting: Start a compost pile with yard trimmings and food scraps. Learn more at Wikipedia's Compost page.
• Pack-it-Out: If you are traveling and no recycle bins are available, pack your recyclables home with you whenever possible.
• Eco-Friendly Burials: For the ultimate in recycling, check out the growing movement in eco-friendly burials.
• Hazardous Waste: The other key aspect of dealing with waste effectively is to dispose of toxic products at a hazardous waste facility. Products requiring special handling include:
  • Building Materials - paint , varnish, paint thinner, solvents, rust remover, wood preservatives and driveway sealer
  • Automotive products - gasoline, transmission oil, brake fluid, kerosene, charcoal lighter fluid, power steering fluid, used motor oil,used oil filters, used antifreeze
  • Household cleaners - spot removers, rug cleaners, metal cleaners, bathroom cleaners, oven cleaner, drain cleaner
  • Pesticides - insect killers, weed killers, flea products, moth crystals, fertilizers with weed killer
  • Miscellaneous - photographic chemicals, acids and corrosive chemicals, pool chemicals, compact fluorescent lightbulbs, Ni-Cd batteries