5 Things You Didn't Know You Can Recycle

Recycling is an easy way to pitch in and save the planet.  There’s the usual paper, , cans and bottles that go in the big, blue recycle bin in your backyard.  

In addition to those, think twice before throwing these items into the trash bin:

1.        Phone books

Instead of throwing those unused phone books into the trash bin, contact your local recycling center and see if they accept old phone books.  If they do, take the time to drop them off.  If not, call Project ReDirectory at 1-800-953-4400, and find out where you can send your unused phone book to be recycled.

2.       Wine Corks

Yes, wine corks, ladies and gentlemen.  An environment friendly manufacturing company called Yemm & Hart (www.yemmhart.com), produces recycled building materials, including converting used corks into floor and wall tiles.

3.       Carpets and rugs

If your carpets and rugs are still in relatively good condition, donating it to charity is a better idea than throwing it in the trash bin.  However, if it has outlived its usefulness, then it’s time to find a private recycler.  Carpet America Recovery Effort (CARE) provides locations and listings to more than 50 carpet reclamation partners across the nation.  Visit their website and see where you can recycle your old carpets and rags.

4.       Potato chip wrappers

TerraCycle takes potato chip wrappers, foil wrappers from candy bars and other junk food, as well as department store plastic bags, and uses these materials to create a variety of items from messenger bags to office supplies.  To find out more about their products and how you can contribute to this fun creative recycling process, go to www.terracycle.net.

5.       CDs, jewelcases, DVDs, audio/video tapes, pagers, ink/toner cartridges

GreenDisk recycles technotrash such as scratched CDs or DVDs as well as old pagers and cartridges.  For a fee of $10, they will send you a box to place up to 25lbs of the aforementioned items.  This fee includes shipping and handling.  Visit their website at www.greendisk.com for more information on their rates and other services provided. 

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