How to Recycle Tricky Materials: Guide to Recycling

[G_j]

http://www.motherearthnews.com/nature-community/how-to-recycle-zw0z10zsie.aspx?utm_content=10.11.10+HE&utm_campaign=HE&utm_source=iPost&utm_medium=email


How to Recycle Tricky Materials: Our Guide to Recycling

Find out how to recycle challenging materials such as paint, computers, furniture, printer cartridges and car batteries.

By Lindsey Siegele and Brittney Tyler-Milholland - October 7, 2010

Everything from computers and electronics to paint and fluorescent light bulbs can be recycled.

It’s no secret that recycling is good for the environment. According to the Environmental Protection Agency’s Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) Generation, Recycling, and Disposal in the United States: Facts and Figures for 2008, Americans generated 249.6 million tons of waste in 2008 alone. An impressive 33.2 percent of that waste was recycled — a number that has been steadily rising since the 1980s.

“Over the last few decades, the generation, recycling, composting and disposal of MSW have changed substantially,” the Facts and Figures report says. “While solid waste generation has increased, from 3.66 to 4.50 pounds per person per day between 1980 and 2008, the recycling rate has also increased — from less than 10 percent of MSW generated in 1980 to over 33 percent in 2008. Disposal of waste to a landfill has decreased from 89 percent of the amount generated in 1980 to 54 percent of MSW in 2008.”

This progress is a huge step in the right direction for the environment, but we can do more. Our landfills will be less crowded and our air, water and soil will be cleaner if we learn to use only what we need and reuse as many items as possible. Many of us are already taking steps in the right direction: We’re recycling our soda cans, glass bottles, newspapers and office paper. But what should we do with more difficult items such as cell phones, computers and paint?

We’ve found some great solutions and resources to help you learn how to recycle many challenging materials.

...LOTS of excellent information!...

http://www.motherearthnews.com/nature-community/how-to-recycle-zw0z10zsie.aspx?utm_content=10.11.10+HE&utm_campaign=HE&utm_source=iPost&utm_medium=email

[HillbillyBob]

1. Pretend its the depression and don't buy disposables..

oh wait for some of us it is a Depression. We do not buy much, but do make sure that it will last and can be recycled and have been doing so for years.

[Booster]

2. I read somewhere that 90% of our trash should be recycled, so

now I rinse out almost everything and I have a very small kitchen bag of real trash. I even put gum wrappers in the recycle bin. Where I am I pay a lot for trash pickup so I figure they can sort it out, and I'm helping to keep people working (I think).

[HillbillyBob]

3. We do too. I buy with recycle in mind, we put out about 1 2 gallon bag per wk

of real trash that has to go to landfill. Compost veggie matter.
I don't use gum..so I had not even though about gum wrappers.
My partner works in a nearby city that has bulk recycle so about 2 times a month we load it up and he puts it in at the collection center on his way to work.

[Booster]

4. I've been wondering about bulk recycling. I'm an idiot when it

comes to that kind of thing. For instance, do they take like shredded paper, bulk paper (I seem to have LOTS of paper). I know about cans, etc, but I don't have a lot of that stuff. I take magazines, catalogs, etc to the convalescent home, but most of my trash is damn paper.

[G_j]

5. k

[blondeatlast]

6. I had no idea the "trickies" were so easily recycled/reused. Great info, thanks! nt

[G_j]

7. =

[Dappleganger]

8. Our recycling company has increased the variety

of what they pickup/recycle, but sometimes I wonder just how much is actually recycled. Is there a way to find out? We've been able to cut back what goes to the landfill significantly because of this, but sometimes I can't help but wonder what they actually follow through with wrt recycling.