green living is the best living: part ii

photo credits: nab hostel

 recycling

since recycling is a key ingredient to being eco-friendly, it's only fitting that the second installment of my green living series focuses on recycling. aside from being one of the most important aspects of green living, recycling is a very easy way to transition to a green lifestyle.

so here's my compilation of everything you need to know (and a little extra) about recycling.

what can you recycle?

the list of what can be recycled is actually quite extensive, so here's the summary of common recyclable items that can be placed in curbside bins:

• glass bottles
• empty aerosol cans
• plastic bottles and jars
• metal cans
• aluminum cans
• aluminum foil & foil trays
• cardboard
• paper bags
• bagged shredded paper
• newspapers
• phone books
• paper & catalogs
• mail & magazines
• paper & frozen food boxes

while those items are the items that can be placed curbside for recylcing, there are various other items that can be recycled by bringing them to a certain location. cell phones can be recycled at the nearest best buy center. best buy can also recycle your rechargeable batteries and printer ink cartridges. you can also recycle your computer and other electronics. some locations will even give you cash if you bring your electronics to them to be recycled.

it is also important to recycle your paint, oil and toxic household cleaning supplies. these items are extremely dangerous and should be disposed of properly, and not just thrown away in your garbage can.

for a more detailed list of what can be recycled, you can visit this link. also, as a side note, every city will accept other things to be recycled, so check with your city's sanitation department to find out if they'll accept any other items.


how can you recycle?
to recycle the common items, there is generally only two steps. the first step is to ensure that the containers have been cleaned out properly. this is especially important with cans and boxes that previously contained food. the second step is to separate your recyclables. out of consideration, you should always try to keep the paper recyclables separate from your other recyclables. if you only have one bin for curbside recycling, you can keep your paper products in a brown paper bag in your recycling bin.