What Goes Where? (by Anna Peraino)
A few simple questions are needed when you’re heading toward the waste bins. Ask yourself:
1. Can I (or my dog, or bacteria) eat this? If so, it’s compostable.
2. Did this contain food? Berry cartons, pizza boxes, coffee filters, tea bags, paper ice cream containers, even take-out boxes are compostable. Glass bottles, aluminum cans, cereal boxes, portable coffee cups, and more are recyclable. One caveat: if the paper is coated (it has a shiny or waxy surface), it should go in the garbage. Additionally, all plastic bags are neither recyclable nor compostable, so gather them all up and bring them with you next time you get groceries—many grocery store chains have a plastic bag-reusing program.
3. Did I read it? All paper—newsprint, printer paper, envelopes, tissue paper, magazines, catalogs, phonebooks, and sticky notes—should be thrown into the recycle bin.
4. Did I check for labels? If you’re not sure what it’s made of, check the package. It might have a label or say that it is recyclable, compostable, or biodegradable.
Still confused? Check out sfrecycles.org or your local waste management site for complete lists of compostable, recyclable, and landfill items.
With three bins and a little know-how, you can literally help save the planet simply by properly disposing of your banana peels and junk mail. No cape necessary.
Top Recycling Tips (by Treehugger.com) [cont.]
- Recycle your robots Electronics recycling is becoming more common in many urban areas, battery recycling is ubiquitous (rechargeable batteries are ecologically sounder, but even they wear out after a while), and there are a number of non-profit organizations that will take computer parts and turn them into working computers for others. Companies like Ebay have also developed programs to help your electronics find new homes. Other groups will gladly recycle your cell phone or give it to a senior citizen, as even without a contract it can still make emergency calls. If you have a major appliance that doesn’t work and you’d rather replace it than try to fix it, offer it to local repair shops, trade schools, or hobbyists to tinker with. Many cities now offer hazardous waste recycling days when they will take not only hazardous waste, but electronics.
- Anticipate recycling In addition to buying recycled goods, keep a keen eye out for recyclable goods. Whenever you purchase something packaged, think about how you can reuse the packaging, return it to a shipping store for reuse, or try to otherwise recycle it. If you get something likely to run down or wear out over time, such as an electronic component, give preference to the model that can be easily upgraded or cannibalized for parts so that you don’t have to junk the whole thing if one part breaks. Products that are impossibly fused together are often called “monstrous hybrids” and are, while often cheaper up front, frequently unfixable and unrecyclable.
- If you don’t love something, let it go Lots of charities welcome your donations. Groups like Freecycle and Recycler’s Exchange exist to help you get rid of useful objects that you just don’t want to make use of. If you’re in a Craigslist city, make use of the “free stuff” section. Give away clothes that don’t fit, the boxes you used in your last house move, or scented soaps that don’t appeal to your sensibilities. Make it a rule in your house that nothing useable goes in the trash until you’ve given the community a fair shot at it.
- Become a waste-stream analyst To better understand the kind of materials that enter and leave your home, office, or school, consider conducting a waste audit. Set a span of time like a week or a month, and separate your waste categories. Weigh the different kinds of material flows that go out the door (landfill waste, organic compost, aluminum, recyclable plastic, reusable material, etc.). Design a “material recovery” program that minimizes the amount going to the landfill. This is a great exercise to do with kids but can be very convincing to corporate higher-ups, too, especially since most companies pay to have their trash hauled away and can get money for recycled paper, containers, toner cartridges, corrugated cardboard, and such.
Top Recycling Tips (by Treehugger.com) [cont.]
- Encourage an artist If you know someone interested in making art from recycled materials, offer to provide supplies. Many school children need items like paper towel tubes for art projects. Older artists use everything from rubber bands to oven doors. If you know someone who teaches art classes, suggest that an emphasis be put on making art from trash. While you’re at it, remind them to use recycled paper and biodegradable, earth-friendly glues, paints, and pencils whenever possible. See below for inspiration and groups that connect artists and students with useful “trash.”
- Recycle your water If you’re a homeowner, consider rearranging your plumbing so that rainwater or wastewater from your shower and tub is used to flush your toilet. If you have a garden, water it with leftover bathwater or dishwashing water (as long as you use a biodegradable soap). For more on water recycling see How to Go Green: Water.
- Recycle your greenery William McDonough and Michael Braungart, authors of the groundbreaking Cradle to Cradle, envision so-called “waste” divided into two categories: technical nutrients and biological nutrients. Biological nutrients are those that, at the end of their useful life, can safely and readily decompose and return to the soil. Composting is one of the simplest and most effective recycling methods. Both your garden cuttings and your green kitchen waste can go into an outdoor or indoor composter (with or without entertaining a population of worms). If you don’t have a garden yourself, find neighbors or a community garden that can make use of your soil. Composting food scraps will mean your regular kitchen wastebasket fills up more slowly and also won’t smell. Hotter, more active compost heaps can also consume tougher stuff like newspaper and paper napkins. After Christmas, many cities also have programs for turning your tree into mulch.
Japanese (Acer Palmatum) Maple trees at Westonbirt Arboretum, Gloucestershire, UK
Top Recycling Tips (by Treehugger.com)
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