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Twenty-one things that you might not know how to recycle, and how you can.

By
Real Estate Agent with Mainstreet Brokers

1.  Appliances: Goodwill accepts working appliances, www.goodwill.org, or you can contact the Steel Recycling Institute to recycle them. 800/YES-1-CAN, www.recycle-steel.org.

2.  Batteries: Rechargeables and single-use: Battery Solutions, 734/467-9110, www.batteryrecycling.com.

3.  Cardboard boxes: Contact local nonprofits and women's shelters to see if they can use them. Or, offer them up at your local Freecycle.org listserv or on Craigslist.org. If your workplace collects at least 100 boxes or more each month, UsedCardboardBoxes.com accepts them for resale.

4. CDs/DVDs/Game Disks: Send scratched music or computer CDs, DVDs, and PlayStation or Nintendo video game disks to AuralTech for refinishing, and they'll work like new: 888/454-3223, www.auraltech.com.

5.  Clothes: Wearable clothes can go to your local Goodwill outlet or shelter. Donate wearable women's business clothing to Dress for Success, which gives them to low-income women as they search for jobs, 212/532-1922, www.dressforsuccess.org. Offer unwearable clothes and towels to local animal boarding and shelter facilities, which often use them as pet bedding. Consider holding a clothes swap at your office, school, faith congregation or community center. Swap clothes with friends and colleagues, save money on a new fall wardrobe and back-to-school clothes  – then donate the rest.

6.  Compact fluorescent bulbs:   Take them to your local IKEA store for recycling:  www.ikea.com.

7.  Compostable bio-plastics: You probably won't be able to compost these in your home compost bin or pile. Find a municipal composter to take them to at www.findacomposter.com.

 8.  Computers and electronics: Find the most responsible recyclers, local and national, at www.ban.org/pledge/Locations.html

9.  Exercise videos: Swap them with others at www.videofitness.com.

10.   Eyeglasses: Your local Lion's Club or eye care chain may collect these. Lenses are reground and given to people in need.

11.  Foam Packing peanuts: Your local pack-and-ship store will likely accept these for reuse. Or, call the Plastic Loose Fill Producers Council to find a drop-off site: 800/828-2214. For places to drop off foam blocks for recycling, contact the Alliance of Foam Packaging Recyclers, 410/451-8340, www.epspackaging.org/info.html

12. Ink/toner cartridges: Recycleplace.com pays $1/each.

13. Miscellaneous: Get your unwanted items into the hands of people who can use them. Offer them up on your local Freecycle.org or Craigslist.org listserv, or try giving them away at Throwplace.com or giving or selling them at iReuse.com.  iReuse.com will also help you find a recycler, if possible, when your items have reached the end of their useful lifecycle.

14. Oil: Find Used Motor Oil Hotlines for each state: 202/682-8000, www.recycleoil.org.

15.  Phones: Donate cell phones: Collective Good will refurbish your phone and sell it to someone in a developing country: 770/856-9021, www.collectivegood.com. Call to Protect reprograms cell phones to dial 911 and gives them to domestic violence victims: www.donateaphone.com. Recycle single-line phones: Reclamere, 814/386-2927, www.reclamere.com.

16.  Sports equipment: Resell or trade it at your local Play It Again Sports outlet, 800/476-9249, www.playitagainsports.com.

17.   “Technotrash”: Easily recycle all of your CDs, jewel cases, DVDs, audio and video tapes, cell phones, pagers, rechargeable and single-use batteries, PDAs, and ink/toner cartridges with GreenDisk's Technotrash program. For $30, GreenDisk will send you a cardboard box in which you can ship them up to 70 pounds of any of the above. Your fee covers the box as well as shipping and recycling fees. 800/305-GREENDISK, www.greendisk.com.

18.  Tennis shoes: Nike's Reuse-a-Shoe program turns old shoes into playground and athletic flooring. www.nikereuseashoe.com. One World Running will send still-wearable shoes to athletes in need in Africa, Latin America, and Haiti. www.oneworldrunning.com.

19.  Toothbrushes and razors:  Buy a recycled plastic toothbrush or razor from Recycline, and the company will take it back to be recycled again into plastic lumber.  Recycline products are made from used Stonyfield Farms' yogurt cups.  888/354-7296, www.recycline.com.

20. Tyvek envelopes: Quantities less than 25: Send to Shirley Cimburke, Tyvek Recycling Specialist, 5401 Jefferson Davis Hwy., Spot 197, Room 231, Richmond, VA 23234. Quantities larger than 25, call 866/33-TYVEK.

21.  Stuff you just can't recycle:  When practical, send such items back to the manufacturer and tell them they need to manufacture products that close the waste loop responsibly.

OK, that was 21, But to update you on recycling in Amador County, check out "Take-It-Back!" a new program at Ace and Meeks to drop off household batteries and fluorescent lamps.

Comments (6)

Bill Gassett
RE/MAX Executive Realty - Hopkinton, MA
Metrowest Massachusetts Real Estate
Mike - Cool post. I actually started recycling recently when my town made it mandatory. I know I should have been doing it sooner. It is a good policy that my home town of Hopkinton MA has put in place.
Sep 11, 2007 03:36 AM
Michael I. Pulskamp
Mainstreet Brokers - Jackson, CA
REALTOR, EcoBroker, GREEN Desingnee
  • Bill, We have "supplied household recycling bins" here but I am always surprised on trash day at how few of the recycling bins are put out. It's not like it's hard to do or anything, and the systems usually pay for themselves. Thanks

Sep 11, 2007 03:44 AM
Charlottesville Solutions
Charlottesville Solutions - Charlottesville, VA

Mike , Excellent post, I had no idea so many things were recycled. Appreciate the education!

Best regards from Charlottesville!

Charles McDonald

Sep 11, 2007 03:50 AM
Michael I. Pulskamp
Mainstreet Brokers - Jackson, CA
REALTOR, EcoBroker, GREEN Desingnee
  • Charles, This is just a beginning! If you want to check out some other cool ideas, one of my favorite magazines,READY MADE is chock full of great ideas, mostly reuse, stuff like nice garden chairs out of shipping pallet wood, and lamps from CD spindles. Thanks for the nice comment.
Sep 11, 2007 04:00 AM
Danielle V. Lewis
DDR Realty - Newburgh, NY
DDR Realty
Thanks for this wonderful post. I am the "tree hugger" in the family, and really appreciate knowing how to tackle these often hard to place items. =)
Sep 11, 2007 04:02 AM
Candy Henthorne
Results Realty - Spring, TX
Spring Texas Real Estate
I appreciate the helpful information you have provided for us.  I will mark it and refer back when needed. 
Sep 11, 2007 04:10 AM