Recycling has been a part of my life since I was a little girl. My mom and I recycled cans and bottles as far back as I can remember. Stomping cans flat and taking them to the recycling facility was a lot of fun – and we were paid for them! Later on, friends of mine and I started the Ecology Club in our high school. We collected paper, cans and bottles throughout the whole school to sort, stack, and stomp before taking everything to the recycling facility.
Then, it was a lot more difficult to recycle as we had to take everything to the recyclers. Not bad for just our family – but for the whole school, that’s another story. Now, recycling is a breeze. Many municipalities are going to curbside pick-up of recyclables so all you have to do is separate what is – from what isn’t – recyclable.
This begs the question – How do you know if it’s recyclable? Read below for a few simple guidelines to consider the next time you go to throw something away… you may find yourself tossing it into the recycle bin instead.
- Office paper, empty paper towel rolls, cereal boxes, cardboard, a shoe box, a magazine, or anything resembling what I’ve just mentioned, have good chances of being recyclable.
- You can recycle glass bottles, aluminum soda and beer cans, and steel soup cans.
- Plastic is recyclable and is stamped with a number denoting its recycling code (http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/latest/recycling-symbols-plastics-460321) Not all facilities take every recycling code – check with your local provider.
- Batteries!!! Yes – you should NOT throw your batteries in the trash. Please recycle them. (http://earth911.com/hazardous/single-use-batteries/)
- Clothing – take it to charity or to a recycling facility that takes textile goods, which can be made into sound-deadening materials, archival-quality paper, blankets and even plastic fencing!
- Tires can be reused for more than just swings! From playground material to horse arena fill – for a small fee, your local tire provider may offer recycling.
- Your old paint is recyclable – check out St. Charles County Division of Environmental Services (http://www.scchealth.org/docs/es/docs/recycle/rwc.html) for more information.
- Electronics and Appliances should never hit the trash can. Many have harmful metals or chemicals that are toxic to the landfills – plus they take up a LOT of space! Electronics recycling drives happen all the time around St. Louis or you can drop off. Check out http://www.witsinc.org for November recycling drives.
If your municipality doesn’t offer curbside pick-up, the Francis Scheidegger R ecycling Depository in Kirkwood is a great spot to drop off many different kinds of recyclables (http://www.ci.kirkwood.mo.us/pworks/recycling.htm). You can also visit earth911’s website (http://earth911.com) to search for recycling centers and drop-off locations near your neighborhood.
My husband and I have loved our curbside pick-up service. Since everything hits the curb, we easily realize just how much is recyclable vs. the amount of trash we actually produce. It’s easily 75/25, in favor of the recycle bin. Nearly anything can be recycled – even hangers (check the recycling code) and clothes tags!
Produce less waste – enjoy your world… Recycle!
