Recycle Anything...yes Anything!

Crushing down plastic soda bottles, crushing aluminum cans, putting your empty bottles in a can; taking all of this down to the recycle store, this is what people call RECYCLING. But, there's more to it. Nowadays recycling has become reincarnation for these used products; you can turn medicine bottles into life jackets and old running shoes into new playground surfacing. Discover how and where to recycle everything you never thought you could...

Clothing

Goodwill provides job training to people with special needs, and affordable clothing and other household goods. Pick-up service is typically provided, but you can also drop off clothing at any location.

Salvation Army runs many social service programs such as homeless services and disaster-relief efforts. Drop off your items at any of its thrift stores nationwide, or arrange to have them picked up.

Fleece

Patagonia's Common Threads Garment Recycling Program will recycle your used Patagonia fleece, Polartec fleece from other manufacturers and Patagonia organic cotton t-shirts. Please make sure you wash them first before you take them to any Patagonia store.

Did you know? Patagonia will also recycle your Patagonia Capilene underwear, washed of course.

Formal Dresses

The Glass Slipper Project collects new and almost-new formal dresses and accessories and provides them, free of charge, to high school students who are unable to buy their own ensembles for Prom.

Shoes

Turn in your old athletic shoes, any brand, to Nike's Reuse-A-Shoe program so they can be ground up into new material and used in a different way to make new sports surfaces and playground surfacing.

Recycle your old Crocs and they will be shredded to make padding for children's playgrounds.

Gently worn shoes can be donated to Soles4Souls which is a nonprofit organization that will clean them and distribute them worldwide to those in need. Recently more than 900,000 pairs of shoes were collected in a coordinated relief effort for donation to victims of the Asian Tsunami, and Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. So round up those shoes that are taking up space in your closet, bind each pair together with a rubber band, and send them to one of Soles4Soul's two warehouse facilities.

Wedding dresses

By donating your dress to "Brides Against Breast Cancer" you will enable brides-to-be to find one-of-a-kind gowns at discount prices and the proceeds will help grant a wish for a woman with terminal breast cancer.

Nearly New Bridal is an online marketplace where you can buy or sell new or nearly new wedding dresses and accessories

Work Clothes

Dress for Success is a group providing a business suit or other clothing appropriate for the workplace to women needing outfits for job interviews and, after they get the job, a second suit to wear to work. There are 66 chapters in the U.S. and 78 in other countries. Donate business clothing, coats, shoes, handbags, and briefcases that are in excellent condition and no more than five years old. Clothing in size 14 and up is especially welcome.

Electronics

The Electronics Industry Alliance (EIA) maintains a listing of organizations nationwide that accept donations of working electronics products. You can also donate electronics in working condition to Salvation Army or Goodwill or trade them in exchange for a Circuit City gift card.

To recycle non-working electronics search Earth 911's database for electronics recycling, also known as ecycling, in your area.

Batteries

All single-use (alkaline) or rechargeable batteries can be taken to any Whole Foods Market or Radioshack for recycling. Rechargeable batteries can be recycled at any recycling kiosk within Best Buys nationwide. Rechargeable Apple product batteries can be recycled at any Apple retail location in the U.S.

Cell phones

The phones are either refurbished or recycled. With the funds raised from the sale of refurbished phones, Verizon donates wireless phones and airtime to victims of domestic violence.

Did you know? If you don't want to leave the house, the number one hassle free way to recycle your phone is through Charitable Recycling. Print out a nifty prepaid mailing label on your home computer, paste it to an envelope and drop your old phone in.

Computer

Some local Goodwills train workers to refurbish and de-manufacture equipment and resell systems and components. Find out what types of electronic equipment may be donated at your local Goodwill.

With Hewlitt Packard's Trade-In program you can send in used HP products and get cash back when upgrading to new ones. HP does their own in-house recycling. Apple offers free take-back and recycling of your old computer and monitor, regardless of manufacturer, when you purchase a new Mac.

Digital Cameras

Donate older models of digital cameras to a good cause. Operation Home Front distributes cameras to military bases and military family support groups so that families can trade images and stay in contact.

iPods

Recycle it for free at any Apple retail store, where they offer environmentally friendly disposal and a 10% discount on the purchase of a new iPod.

Printer

Hewlitt Packard's simple and environmentally sound take-back program is your best bet. Return any piece of computing hardware from any manufacturer, including printers to Hewlitt Packard who will recycle your old items for you.

Printer cartridges

Staple's accepts used Inkjet or Laser Toner cartridges. Simply return your printer cartridges to a FedEx Kinko's or Staples retail branch and they will take care of the recycling for you.

Stereo

For a nominal fee, Best Buy will haul away televisions, computer monitors, and appliances when new purchases are made or delivered. Best Buy also hosts a series of weekend recycling events at its store parking lots across the U.S. Find a Best Buy recycling event in your area.

Televisions

Televisions contain toxic materials which can contaminate the environment if broken in a landfill. In 1997 the U.S. EPA declared computer monitors and TV screens as hazardous waste and banned them from landfills. Because of their toxic nature there is usually a fee to recycle televisions. For a nominal fee, Best Buy will haul away televisions, computer monitors, and appliances when new purchases are made or delivered. Best Buy also hosts a series of weekend recycling events at its store parking lots across the U.S. Find a recycling event in your area

Household items

If your household items are in good shape, then you can donate them for reuse to the Salvation Army, Goodwill and other thrift stores. Or you can give them to Habitat for Humanity and help make affordable housing a little homier.

Appliances

Donate working toasters, blenders, microwaves, etc. to your local Habitat for Humanity and help make affordable housing a little homier.

Cutlery/utensils

Not all curbside recycling programs accept metal cutlery. These can be donated for reuse to the Salvation Army, Goodwill or thrift stores. Find out more about your municipal recycling program from the National Recycling Coalition.

Furniture

Freecycle.com is an international grassroots and entirely nonprofit movement of people who are giving (and getting) stuff for free in their own towns. One person's trash is another person's treasure! Everything posted on Freecycle is free; individuals and groups work out their own bartering systems. Sell it on Craig's List and you make the arrangements with the buyer for pick-up/drop-off. Or if eBay is your seller of choice, consider using Mission Fish to support your favorite causes through trading on eBay. A portion of the profits go to a nonprofit of your choosing, and you get a tax deductible receipt!

Excess Access serves both charities and the environment by matching your unwanted household materials with the wish-lists of nearby nonprofits that can provide pick-ups or accept drop-offs.

Donate furniture and other household goods to Goodwill International, Salvation Army, or the Vietnam Veterans of America (who will pick it up from the sidewalk in front of your house). One main source of funding for the Vietnam Veterans of America is through the solicitation and resale of donated household items.

Pots and pans

Not all curbside recycling programs recycle metal pots and pans. These can be donated for reuse to the Salvation Army, Goodwill or thrift stores. Find out more about your municipal recycling program from the National Recycling Coalition.

Tools

Donate tools to your local Habitat for Humanity where they can be put to good use building affordable housing.

I didn’t know I could recycle this:

Don't give up on your stuff! There's a better option than the trash and we found it. Scroll through our list and find out how to recycle everything from makeup to eyeglasses, paint, light bulbs, and even your toothbrush.

Aresol cans

Most curbside recycling programs accept empty aerosol cans sorted with other glass and metal recyclables.

Eyeglasses

Drop off your old prescription eye glasses, or even non-prescription sunglasses at a LensCrafters near you. LensCrafter's charity, Give the Gift of Sight provides free vision care and eyewear to under-privileged individuals in North America and developing countries around the world. Or, send them to Lions in Sight, another organization bringing basic eye care and eyeglasses to the needy.

Hangers

Sort wire hangers with other glass and metal recyclables for curbside recycling pick-up.

Your local dry cleaners will happily accept and reuse your old wire or plastic hangers on new customers.

Light Bulbs

Unfortunately you can't sort these with other types of glass for recycling. Most states do not have special requirements for the disposal of regular household mercury-containing fluorescent or incandescent light bulbs. To keep more light bulbs from ending up in landfills, buy a compact fluorescent (CFL) bulb; it lasts for years longer than regular incandescent bulbs. Lamp Recycle keeps a list of companies that do recycle light bulbs and the states that regulate them.

Makeup

You should only keep concealer, lipstick, eye and lip liners, fragrances, powders, blushes, and shadows for a year and a half to two years. But there are still ways to practice sustainable beauty. One good way is to reusable compact cases for eye shadows, blushes, and powders, and then just buy the refills when you run out. Stila makeup sells cheek and eye colors separate from their refillable compact case ($2). All of M.A.C.'s plastic packaged cosmetics are recyclable. Return six used items at any M.A.C. counter and receive a free lipstick in return.

Did you know that Cargo's PlantLove lipsticks come in a compost able lipstick case made from corn? This revolutionary bio-plastic is not only made from a renewable resource, it's also greenhouse gas neutral, which helps us fight global warming. What's more, you can plant the box the lipstick comes in and it will grow wildflowers!

Paint

Sort dried-out paint cans with other glass and metal recyclables for curbside pick-up. Remove the lid first and allow paint to dry fully, so that turned upside down, nothing spills out.

Donate new or leftover paint to your local Habitat for Humanity and make affordable housing homier.

Toothbrushes

The online retail website offers a toothbrush recycling program. Sign up to receive new toothbrushes at predefined intervals ranging from monthly to semi-annually. And for a few dollars extra the company will include pre-paid postage with each shipment for you to send back your old ones.

Another wise eco-choice is the Terradent line of toothbrushes from Eco-Dent. These innovative toothbrushes have replaceable heads, so that once the bristles have worn out, consumers can retain the toothbrush handle and just snap on a new head, thus minimizing waste.

The handle of a Recycline Preserve toothbrush, designed by dentists, is made out of recycled plastic from Stonyfield Yogurt cups. When you've finished using it you can either put it out on the curb with other recyclables (if your community offers #5 plastics recycling), or send it back to Recycline in a pre-paid envelope supplied to you with your purchase. It will likely then be reborn again as raw material for a picnic table, deck, boardwalk or other long lasting durable product.If you just can't live without your electric toothbrush we've got something for you!

Radius offers stylish sustainable toothbrushes made from naturally occurring cellulose derived from sustainable yield forests. They have a battery-powered electric Intelligent Toothbrush that uses replaceable heads to reduce environmental impact. The company will take back the handle for recycling once the battery is worn out, usually after about 18 months.

Paper

In 2006 a record 53.4 percent of the paper consumed in the U.S. (53.5 million tons) was recovered for recycling. Paper is generally divided into high and low grades in reference to the quality of the paper or pulp and can be sorted together for curbside recycling pick-up.

Books

If your household items are in good shape, then you can donate them for reuse to the Salvation Army, Goodwill and other thrift stores. Search Earth 911 for donation spots in your area.

High grade paper

Sort with other dry paper goods for curbside recycling pick-up. High grade papers are computer print-out, white ledger (office paper) in single sheets or continuous form such as white notebook paper, and colored ledger. High Grade white office paper can be recycled into almost any paper product, including tissue.

Low grade paper

Sort with other dry paper goods for curbside recycling pick-up. Low grade papers are cardboard, newspaper, magazines, and mixed office paper, which is a mixture of various grades including windowed envelopes and sticky notes. Used newspapers are usually made into new newsprint or egg cartons. Used corrugated boxes are recycled into new boxes or paperboard.

mail

Mail is Low Grade paper. It can be sorted with other dry paper goods for curbside recycling pick-up.

Did you know? Registering with the National Do Not Mail List reduces junk mail and removes your name from direct advertising mail lists.

Packaging peanuts

Take your old packing peanuts down to any UPS or Mail Boxes Etc. and they'll be glad to take them off your hands.

Plastics

The confusion over which plastics can or cannot be recycled continues to confound consumers. While common knowledge indicates that "good" plastics (numbers 1, 2, 4 and 5) are more readily recycled, and "bad" (numbers 3, 6 and 7) aren't, the truth is, different types of plastic require different processing, and even a small amount of the wrong type of plastic can ruin the reprocessing.

Some municipalities accept all types of plastic for recycling, while others accept only jugs, or containers and bottles with certain numbers stamped on the bottoms. The number system we're familiar with--a single digit ranging from 1 to 7 and surrounded by a the recycling symbol, a triangle of arrows--was designed by The Society of the Plastics Industry in 1988 to allow consumers and recyclers to differentiate types of plastics while providing a uniform coding system for manufacturers. The number symbols are located on the bottom of plastic containers. Sometimes they are small and you have to look hard to find them. Scroll through our list to learn more about which plastics you can recycle.

Plastics 1

Polyethylene terephthalate's (PETE), commonly found in bottles for soda, water, juice, beer, mouthwash, ketchup, salad dressing, medicine containers, and microwavable food trays are readily accepted by curbside recycling programs. They can be made into fiberfill for winter coats, sleeping bags, life jackets, bean bags, rope, tennis ball felt, combs, cassette tapes, boat sails, furniture, and of course, other plastic bottles.

Plastics 2

High-density polyethylene plastics (HDPE), commonly found in heavier containers that hold laundry detergents and bleaches as well as milk, shampoo, and motor oil are readily accepted by curbside recycling programs. They can be made into toys, piping, lumber, and rope.

Plastics 3

Polyvinyl chloride, commonly found in plastic pipes, shower curtains, medical tubing, vinyl dashboards, and baby bottle nipples, is accepted by few curbside recycling programs due to its low rate of recyclable.

Plastics 4

Low-density polyethylene (LDPE), commonly found in plastic wrapping films for food or dry cleaning, as well as grocery or sandwich bags, is accepted by very few curbside recycling programs. Unfortunately, most plastic bags will end up in the trash. However Whole Foods, Wal-Mart, and Wegman's Food Marts will recycle any plastic bags if you take them to the store.

Plastics 5

Polypropylene, commonly found in self-sealing containers, like Tupperware, is accepted by very few curbside recycling programs due to its very low rate of recyclable.

Plastics 6

Polystyrene (Styrofoam), commonly found in coffee cups, disposable cutlery, meat trays, packing peanuts, and insulation are widely accepted by curbside recycling programs. They can be made into cassette tapes and insulation. You can also take Styrofoam or packing peanuts that are clean and in good condition to any UPS Store or Mail Boxes Etc. for recycling.

Plastics 7

Mixed or layered plastics have virtually no recycling potential. These are usually imprinted with a number 7 or nothing at all. Ambitious consumers can feel free to return such items to the product manufacturers to avoid contributing to local waste.