Recycling
While recycling is good, PLEASE check with your local recycling facility to see what can & cannot be recycled. At ours, nothing that is contaminated w/ food can be. So plastic & styrofoam cups & plates have to be rinsed out.
Don’t put trash in the recycling bins. You are only making more work for others. & ask yourself this, Are you really that lazy that you cannot take that minute & separate & walk the extra steps to put it in the CORRECT bin? Jesus calls us to be servants & to glory in working.
Recycling Facts www.nrdc.org/cities/recycling/gsteps.asp
The U.S. currently recycles 32.5 percent of its waste, compared with about five percent in 1970.
According to the EPA, recycling cuts global warming pollution by the equivalent of removing 39.6 million passenger cars from the road.
Before 1973, no curbside recycling programs existed in the United States. By 2006, about 8,660 curbside programs had sprouted up across the nation.
31 percent of plastic soft drink bottles, 45 percent of aluminum cans and 67 percent of all major appliances are now recycled.
Less than half of all post-consumer paper discarded in the United States is recovered for recycling.
Airports and airlines recycle less than 20 percent of the 425,000 tons of passenger-related waste they produce each year.
http://betteroffknowing.wordpress.com/2007/10/09/going-green-by-the-numbers/
20 gallons of water you use per soak in the bathtub. The average shower takes about half that amount.
50 gallons of water you can save each week by turning off the shower while you shampoo & condition your hair.
1600 pounds of trash generated by an American every year.
1 million number of trees saved when you buy a package of recycled-paper napkins instead of the non-recycled variety.
10 million pounds of pesticides that would NOT be used annually if every single person ate organic.
12 million barrels of oil used each year to produce plastic shopping bags.
14 million number of trees used annually to produce paper shopping bags.
100 million number of compact fluorescent bulbs Wal-mart has pledged to sell this year.
Recycling 101 www.nrdc.org/cities/recycling/gsteps.asp
A refresher course in the basics, plus tips to take your recycling game to the next level.
Recycling is one of the most feel-good and useful environmental practices around. The benefits go way beyond reducing piles of garbage -- recycling protects habitat and biodiversity, and saves energy, water, and resources such as trees and metal ores. Recycling also cuts global warming pollution from manufacturing, landfilling and incinerating.
But recycling means a lot more than bringing your newspapers and cans to the curb. Truly successful recycling involves minimizing waste along the entire life cycle of a product, from acquiring raw materials to manufacturing, using and disposing of a product. Most environmental impacts associated with the products we buy occur before we open the package, so buying products made from recycled materials is just as important as sorting waste into the right bins.
And when we reduce the amount of stuff we buy in the first place, and reuse what we can, we reduce the environmental harm associated with acquiring raw materials and manufacturing.
Here are some tips that will help you cut down on waste and boost your recycling skills:
Shop smart: Purchase paper and other products for your home and office that are made with post-consumer recycled content and packaged in recyclable materials. (See our paper guides for businesses and consumers) Buy in bulk when you can to reduce the amount of packaging that gets thrown away.
Convenience is key: Put collection bins in various places around your home and office to make recycling convenient. Use different bins that follow your city's recycling policies, (see New York City's recycling guidelines as an example) so you don't have to separate it out later. If you tend to forget what's recyclable and what's not, make a sign like this one and post it near your bins.
Don't forget to reuse: Paper, plastic, glass and cans aren't the only items that should be diverted from incinerators and landfills. Reduce the environmental impacts of organic waste by composting food scraps, and by leaving short grass clippings on lawns to decompose. Donate old clothing to homeless shelters, thrift stores, animal shelters and other community organizations. Take advantage of manufacturer take-back programs for your unwanted electronics.
Make waste an endangered species: Bring your own reusable bags to local stores. Keep a ceramic mug for water or coffee at work rather than using disposable paper or plastic foam cups.
Talk to your local government and businesses: Encourage local officials to consider incentives and more ambitious recycling initiatives. Give positive feedback to store managers and manufacturers who are making good environmental choices.
Take your good habits on the road: Recycling policies can vary from city to city and from state to state. A plastic container you recycle at home might be garbage-bound in another community. Or something you can't recycle at home might be recyclable in your school or workplace. When traveling away from home, learn the local rules (from the city's website or by reading signs) and follow them.
Paper, trees, rainforests
-150 acres of rainforest are lost every minute of everyday.
At present rates seventy percent of our rainforest will be gone by 2050.
Rainforests cover 2% of the earth but 50% of all plant species, many of which have important medicinal value and animals call this home.
Rainforests regulate temperatures for us all.
550,000- Number of trees you would save if you recycled all the newspaper in the U.S. on one average Sunday -“Go organic” newsletter
4,281- Number of acres of rainforest lost every hour worldwide -“Go organic” newsletter
Links to recycle as well as links on ways to reuse them
All
www.recycleForBreastCancer.org The organization will send you prepaid shipping labels, recycle your goods for a profit, and then donate all the money to a national breast cancer charity. They'll accept printer cartridges, too.
www.terracycle.net recycle program from candy wrappers to drink pouches to 20 oz. soda, they pay you a few cents for each.
Swap anything- www.swapathome.com & www.poshpoints.com
Bags
www.baggreen.com produce bags
www.ecobags.com canvas & produce bags, eco friendly
Batteries
Books
www.literacytrust.org.uk/campaign/swapabook.html
Cash for books www.cash4books.net
Bottle caps
www.aveda.com/caps If you’re tired of throwing away all those plastic bottle caps, join the Recycle Caps with Aveda campaign and recycle them instead.
Buy recycled products
www.recycline.com Preserve products- toothbrushes, razors, plates, etc
CD’s/ DVD’s
www.greendisk.com For a small fee, you can send those promo CDs to Green Disk. This Redmond, WA-based company recycles promo disks, as well as CDs, tapes, videocassettes, computer disks, and related packaging. We also recommend returning the CDs to their maker, asking them to remove your name from their mailing list.
Swap CD/DVD- www.barterbee.com & www.switchplanet.com
Swap movies- www.peerflix.com
Cash for CD/DVD www.cashforcds.com or www.secondspin.com
Cell phones
www.collectivegood.com will refurbish & resell it at a considerable discount to people in developing countries
www.ripmobile.com to sell your phone
www.wirelessfoundation.org for domestic abuse
PetsMart stores have postage-paid envelopes for people to send in their old cell phones and dead printer ink cartridges. They use the proceeds to help homeless animals.
Or try
Circuit City or PayPal
-The EPA says mobile phones are hazardous waste because they contain lead, mercury, cadmium, and arsenic. About 100 million or so toxic cell phones are “retired” each year in the US, so recycling unwanted cell phones is a great way to protect people and the planet.
To erase data on cell phones so you can safely DONATE (rather than smash) them
www.recellular.com/recycling/data_eraser/default.asp Free
Cash for cellphones www.greenphone.com or www.simplysellular.com Also check if your carrier offers a buyback program.
Clothing
www.patagonia.com/web/us/patagonia.go?assetid=1956 Return your used Patagonia clothes through their Common Threads Garment Recycling Program, and your old clothes are turned into new ones.
Swap clothes- www.swapstyle.com
Computers
www.cfy.org Computers for Youth provides computers for low-income children, aiming to improve the home learning environment.
www.Cristina.org National Cristina Foundation distributes computers to people with disabilities.
www.dell.com/content/topics/segtopic.aspx/dell_recycling?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs
www.hp.com/hpinfo/globalcitizenship/environment/recycle
www.refurbdepot.com to buy refurbs- all electronics
www.sharetechnology.org (computers & other office equipment)
If you aren't sure whether your computer still has some life in it, check with the manufacturer advises Kate Krebs, executive director of the National Recycling Coalition. IBM has a general return program, and will sort out for itself whether your item is fit to donate or should be sent to the scrap heap. Dell, on the other hand, offers extensive guidelines to help you figure out what to do with your hardware.
www.staples.com/sbd/content/about/soul/recycling.html
To erase hard drive data on computers so you can safely DONATE (rather than smash) them
Cleaning the Hard Drive
No matter where you computer is headed — to the recycling bin or to a charity — it's important to remove your personal information before it leaves your hands. And a simple "delete" isn't enough. Someone with computer knowledge can easily restore your files and check out everything you didn't want seen.
"Reformatting the hard drive won't do it," says Beth Givens, director of the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, a consumer advocate. "Use a more in-depth program that over-writes it several times with zeros and ones." For a no-cost solution, check out:
www.download.com/Eraser/3000-2092_4-10231813.html?tag=lst-5-2 , a free download with high ratings from CNET, an electronic review site.
www.engadget.com/2005/03/15/how-to-erase-old-hard-disks
Cosmetics
www.maccosmetics.com/customerservice/index.tmpl?ngextredir=1&faq=recycling For all you glamour gals, recycle six of your MAC cosmetic packages with their Back to MAC program and get a free lipstick. Also, did you know that you can get refills for MAC compacts and containers?
www.teensforsafecosmetics.org About Teens for Safe Cosmetics
Teens for Safe Cosmetics is a coalition led by dynamic and passionate young women raising awareness about potentially harmful ingredients in beauty and daily use products that may be linked to cancer, reproductive harm and other health risks. Their mission is to educate the public about harmful chemicals found in cosmetics and personal care products, advocate for legislation that protects one’s right to health and to inspire teens across the nation to work together around these issues and create change within their communities.
http://safecosmetics.org/your_health/ Dangers of lead & other toxic chemicals in everyday products
Electronics
www.apple.com/environment/recycling/ipodrecycling/ Apple electronics
Recycle your old iPods and cell phones with Apple. It’s free and good for the earth. Products that are still functional may be re-used, while the collected material is processed locally to safely and responsibly reclaim usable metals, plastics and glass.
www.epa.gov Check out the EPA’s list of eCycling companies with similar initiatives
www.reconnectpartnership.com RECONNECT is a comprehensive electronics recovery, reuse and environmentally responsible recycling opportunity for consumers in participating communities. RECONNECT offers FREE drop-off recycling and reuse options for unwanted electronics.
www.recyclingforcharities.org Takes old cells, printer cartridges, etc
Cash for electronics www.gazelle.com
Glasses
Ink cartridges
PetsMart stores have postage-paid envelopes for people to send in their old cell phones and dead printer ink cartridges. They use the proceeds to help homeless animals.
You can also check with a Staples or Office Depot near you; many will safely dispose of used cartridges.
Cash for empty printer cartridges www.tonerbuyer.com or www.recycleplace.com Can also drop into any Staples store w/ used HP or Staples cartridges & they’ll give you an in-store credit.
Note: these 2 sites also offer fundraising options for your organization.
Light Bulbs & lamps
www.ikea.com/ms/en_US/about_ikea/social_environmental/environment.html Because they contain mercury, you can’t just throw compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) in the trash; they must be disposed of properly. Every IKEA location has bins for CFL disposal. , you can find other take-back programs in your area.
Packing peanuts
Plastics
www.stonyfield.com/SpecialOffers/Recycline.cfm We can’t forget a company that’s very important to ours. Return your used Stonyfield Farm yogurt cups to be recycled into our Preserve toothbrushes and razors handles.
Shoes
www.nikebiz.com/responsibility/community_programs/reuse_a_shoe.html Help Nike’s Reuse A Shoe program and recycle your used athletic shoes. The Nike Grind material that results is used to make surfaces for athletic fields.
http://oneworldrunning.blogspot.com/
www.solesunited.com/how_it_works.html Donate your used Crocs to be recycled and turned into new shoes for impoverished people around the world.
Toys
Swap toys- www.totsswapshop.com & www.toystotrade.com
TV’s
Recycling locally
www.recyclebank.com The RecycleBank Process. Redeem your RecycleBank Points for exciting products and services from our favorite offerings. Together, RecycleBank, our partners, and you are making a difference.
Reuse before Recycling, assorted
www.allfreecrafts.com/mothers-day/cd-letter-holder.shtml make a CD letter holder
www.artistshelpingchildren.org/cdjewelcasescdsartscraftstideaskidsprojects.html
www.artistshelpingchildren.org/plasticbagsartscraftsideasprojectskids.html
www.associatedcontent.com/article/328037/recycle_craft_make_a_dog_leash_from.html
www.care2.com/greenliving/plastic-free-picnics-protect-family.html plastics
craftydaisies.com/2007/07/18/recycling-plastic-bags/
etsylabs.blogspot.com/2007/05/long-overdue-fusing-plastic-bag.html
www.gather.com/viewArticle.jsp?articleId=281474977072814 water bottle holder
www.myrecycledbags.com/2007/08/11/crochet-a-recycled-clothes-pin-bag/
www.myrecycledbags.com/2008/06/24/recycle-a-cup-into-a-plastic-bag-keeper/
http://photocreations.ca/cd_lamp2/index.html make a CD lamp
www.reusablebags.com/store/shopping-bags-produce-bags-c-2_10.html reusable bags
bravenet.com