How to Recycle Effectively

More than half of all Americans have access to curbside recycling programs. Most programs take certain types of plastics, paper and glass. It's easy to set up a recycling area in your home. Check out these simple steps.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Cardboard Boxes
• Compost Bins
• Trash Cans
• Markers
• Multi-purpose Labels
• Recycle Bins
• Trash Bags

1. Designate an area in your house where the recyclable materials will go. Be sure you have enough room in the area for at least three or four recycling containers.
2. Use trash cans, plastic bins or cardboard boxes to hold your recyclables. If your community has a curbside recycling program, it will probably provide you with recycling bins.
3. Label your recycling bins with each of the following: plastic, mixed-color paper, newspaper, cardboard, and aluminum and tin.
4. Consider placing small recycling containers in different rooms in the house if the recycling area is far away. The recyclables can be separated and recycled with the larger bins on a weekly basis.
5. Keep a small trash can or plastic bag handy in your kitchen for plastic grocery-store bags. These can be dropped off for recycling at your local grocery store.
6. Recycle all white office paper, mixed-color paper and newspaper. These may need to be separated by type depending on your community's recycling program.
7. Place all glass together. Be sure to leave out ceramic, mixed-colored and broken glass, mirrors, windows, Pyrex, light bulbs and glass tableware. These cannot be recycled
8. Put type 1 (PETE) and type 2 (HDPE) plastic containers in separate recycling bins.
9. Think about composting (allowing plant materials to decompose) your yard trimmings and kitchen waste instead of throwing them out. Compost is a great for the soil in you garden or for houseplants.
10. Call 1 (800) CLEANUP for more information about recycling in your community.

Tips & Warnings

• Call the Alliance of Foam Packaging Recyclers, at [phone], or visit their Web site to find a local recycling center in your area that will take foam packaging (type 6 plastic, Expanded Polystyrene, which is also known as EPS). Other type 6 items, such as plastic utensils, will most likely need to be thrown out.
• Reuse or collect plastic packaging "peanuts," and drop them off at your local packaging store. Most chain packaging stores, such as Mail Boxes Etc., will accept them.