Saturday 18 January 2014

Things You Didn't Know Were Recyclable

By Lenna Stockwell


We all know that soda cans and water bottles can be recycled, but there are many other items out there that can be recycled. So before you simply toss an item into the trash can, consider whether or not that product can instead be recycled and not end up in your local landfill.

One of the things which most Americans perhaps simply toss away in trash bins without the thought of it being recyclable are batteries, which are in fact included in the list of "must recycle items" because of the mercury content present in these products. In fact those manufactured before 1997 absolutely should be recycled due to the very high mercury content compared to the newer manufactured ones. So if you find a really old battery, be sure not to just toss it into the trash. To help you with the task of recycling these items, battery stores - both brick-and-mortar and online-based would gladly accept these batteries being dropped off to them. Even the lithium batteries and the rechargeable ones have places which accept them for recycling.

If you are using printers then you are sure to have ink cartridges which are among the recyclable items around. Don't be surprised if stores offer discounts or upfront payment, even when it is but a small amount in exchange for these cartridges. You see, parts of these items are being used for making other products because of its highly recyclable materials like aluminum and thermoplastic.

Clothing also can be recycled. Not only can you donate gently used clothing to charity stores, but clothes that are stained, torn or threadbare also can be recycled. These pieces of clothing can be transformed into everything from rags used for cleaning to insulation.

The compact fluorescent light bulb is a highly common type of light bulb which you probably have somewhere in your home or office. Because of its high content of mercury, these items are a definite "no-no" to being part of the waste build-up in local landfills - whether in your community or any other place. Large stores like Home Depot and or the home furnishings store IKEA have found a way to put them to good use and have created a recycling program just for this particular item.

Generally speaking, thermoplastic is definitely recyclable. Included on the list of products which can be recycled are those made of nylon, PVC and acrylic, along with several other types of plastic as well. This type of plastic is being used by thermoforming companies in order to make several types of products together with custom thermoformed packaging. More and more large metropolitan areas will welcome thermoplastic of any type into their recycling bins, making the process for recycling much easier for us all.




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