Recycling is easy, right? There are blue bins next to your trash can you can just dump mixed paper, plastics and metals in. There are bins on the street and in restaurants where you can place your paper and plastic or glass bottles. There is even another waste can under my desk for recycling printer paper.
Yes, that is a start, but according to earth911's recycle guide there are almost 60 items that can be recycled that should not necessarily go in a curb-side bin. You can easily get a list of what you can put in your curb-side container by entering your zip code in the directory on the left side of their page. Here is a list of things you may want to look out for in your own municipalities.
Drink boxes/ milk or juice cartons - I assumed because of the wax coating that these boxes could not be recycled, but as processes advance so do the amount of items taken grows, which is great. Check with your recycler to make sure they can take these items.
#5 plastic - yogurt, butter, cottage cheese and dip containers are made with this pliable plastic but not all recyclers take them. Check your local recycler and the numbers on the bottom of the plastic containers. If your area recycler does not take #5 you can drop them off at a local participating retailer that partners with Stonyfield Organic Yogurt and the Preserve plastic movement to turn these containers into other plastic items, like a tooth brush.
Plastic Bags - Though plastic chemical companies say that the bags can be recycled, many are not. Some grocery stores will take the bags in drop-off containers located by their doors. Check the Plastic Film Recycling website for registered drop-off locations to ensure these awful bags go somewhere good.
Recycling needs to be done and many companies see the need as well as the lack in recycling participation, therefore the How2Recycle program was released earlier this year with the partnership and participation of concerned consumer goods companies. This is an awesome initiative (yet kind-of sad it had to happen) to help ease people through the fact that recycling takes some effort.
If you have seen these labels, please let them know what you think: http://www.how2recycle.info/contact/ or take the label survey on the right side of their page navigation bar.













