10 Simple Recycling Tips

We all know that recycling is important, but sometimes we forget to do it. It can be as simple as remembering to throw your empty water bottles into the recycling bin in your garage instead of the garbage can in your kitchen, but sometimes old habits, or even just plain laziness can sidetrack us.Recycling is important for the environment, but you already knew that.

Going green in your household can make a bigger difference than you think, and you’ll be a part of a bigger initiative to help transition our world into a greener tomorrow. So if you want to be a part of it, here are a few ridiculously simple ideas that will make going green that much easier for you and your family.

1. Get a recycling bin and put it in an easy-to-reach place. It will be a lot easier to remember to recycle if you place your recycling container in a place that is easily accessible and a place that you frequently visit, like the kitchen.
   
   
2. Need separate receptacles for glass, paper, and plastic recyclables? Use some baskets or bins from around the house. This gives you a great opportunity to use some of those old containers you have lying around the house that don’t get much love anymore.
   
   
3. Return your leftover plastic grocery bags. Not many people know this, but if you take your empty plastic shopping bags back to the grocery store after you are done using them, the store will recycle them for you and the plastic will be reused to make things like plastic lumber.
   
   
4. Check the bottom of your plastic bottles before you recycle them. On the bottom of each plastic bottle is a number that identifies the specific type of plastic used in the bottle, that way you can tell if it is able to be recycled at your local center. If not, you can always find ways to reuse it!
   
   
5. You don’t need to rinse out cans and bottles. Save yourself some time when you recycle and remember that you no longer need to rinse all of those cans and bottles and remove their labels before you throw them in the recycling bin.
   
   
6. Junk mail can be reused or recycled too. Instead of throwing out those piles of unused and unread paper, envelopes and flyers, think of ways in which you can reuse them. Or, if you’re all out of ideas, recycle them.
   
   
7. You can even recycle old newspapers and magazines. Instead of letting them gather dust in piles in your garage, basement or attic, go green and recycle them. Just make sure the pages are clean and dry and all plastic, stickers, and rubber bands are removed.
   
   
8. Drop off your used cell phone and computer batteries. Helpful websites like http://www.rbrc.org/ will let you know where the closest battery recycling location is to you.
   
   
9. Split the job among everyone in your family. Going green is a family affair and it takes the cooperation of everyone, so split up the job of recycling and sorting items among your family members.
   
   
10. Still not sure what you can recycle and what you can’t? Print out a helpful list of commonly recycled items.

Photo by: Rawich (Freedigitalphotos.net)