I enjoy recycling and recycle everything that I can. To keep the items we use in the house separated from the trash, I have a container just for recycling. Each day, I empty it into the large container outside which has a lid secured with a bungee cord. When we take the trash to the convenient site, we empty the recycling into the commingled recycling container.
According to a lady from the recycling company, that spoke at one of our meetings, you don't have to wash every container such as peanut butter and jelly containers. Just scrape out as much as you can. Even aerosol containers are recyclable if they are empty.
At the convenient site, there are separate containers for textiles such as clothing and rags, cooking oil, motor oil, oil filters, batteries and electronics. In addition to this, at the transfer station, you can recycle appliances, tires, light bulbs, concrete, and yard waste.
Recycling not only saves landfill space, it has created jobs and saved energy for making other products. Recycling is easy, once you get use to it, and you will find that you no longer want to put these items in the trash.
If you don't know what you can recycle in your area, contact your county's Solid Waste Department.
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You spent months calculating and saving on the perfect Christmas gifts. Now, it's time to save a little after Christmas.
Sometimes it is hard to know how to dispose of broken household items. It is best to try and find an alternative to the landfill if at all possible, especially since some things such as electronics and batteries pollute if not properly recycled.
We hang a cloth tote bag over the door handle in our bathroom and put all the recycleable items in the bag. Quick and easy, and you'd be surprised how quickly it fills up.
We rarely ever throw something out that might serve another purpose than originally intended. broken furniture gets taken apart, the usable stuff kept, the metal recycled and the wood (if not infused with fire retardant or otherwise toxic) piled for future use.
We all know that recycling is good for our planet and most people have the soda can and plastic and newspaper recycling down pat. But did you know there are other things that can be recycled?
Compared to others, I am new to recycling or green living. I learn more each day. Many people say they don't have time to recycle. Help them get started.
Here are some tips for household recycling. Be organized, use explicit notes so the entire household knows what is recycled and in which receptacle.
If you recycle, you may want to phone your city or municipality to ensure they will accept blue bags with recycling. They picked up blue bags at my previous home.
I use paper grocery bags for my recycling, I put them in the corner in my kitchen and they collect paper, newspaper, cans, and plastics. When the bag is full I just throw it out into my large recycling container in the garage and open a new bag in the kitchen!
Call your nearest garbage drop off to save money! I know some states pay for garbage through taxes, but for those of you who pay by bag, call the garbage facility in your area and ask about recycling.
Recycling relieves the environment of a burden, but can it ever be harmful? Is there a way to recycle wrong? It's not necessarily the recycling that can be incorrect; it's the steps leading up to the act of recycling that can cause more harm than good.
I recently signed up for the curbside recycling program here. It's through Waste Management Systems. They pick up garbage nationwide.
I have recycled cans and bottles for years - but lack of space has made it harder and harder to collect enough to make it worth a trip. But throwing the stuff out made me so guilty!
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
I have been unsuccessful in finding a company to which I can send unused nylon hosiery (still packaged pantyhose) for recycling. A couple of companies listed online no longer recycle hosiery.
New pantyhose (especially if they are older brands) are a very popular seller on eBay. I have sold them on and off for years. They are best sold as lots (2 or more of the same brand), but I have also done mixed brand lots.
I am pasting a link of sold items so you can see how people do it: www.ebay.com/
I do not have any sold in here so no conflict of interest.
If you are intent on recycling, it is actually easier to find new uses.
My 3 go-tos for used ones are:
1. We use the toes (with about 3-5 inches of hose) and a rubber band and attach them to catch lint from the washer (on end of the hose that drains in to the stationary tub).
2. We have also cut them up to tie up tomato and pepper plants in the garden (one of my favorite uses).
3. I have also used them to crochet. I cut and small rounds then when I am watching TV or can't sleep, I loop them together to make "yarn" which I crochet. I made one dog rug with it (it took a VERY long time to get enough...which is why the project was so small).
Post back what you decide! To me, in this struggling economy, selling them is the best option! I have always done quite well when I sell them, but hopefully your question will garner you lots of good other suggestions.
How do you recycle plastic bags?
Amber from Cincinnati, OH
I have been reading and researching "plarn". It is yarn made from recycled plastic bags. I have seen some really cute purses made from this. Google plarn and some instructions will come up. I just don't know how to knit so that is my next step!
If you crochet, you can make bags or rugs out of them. They are very sturdy & will last a very long time.
The majority of the time most grocery stores have a big cardboard box somewhere up front of the store encouraging you to recycle them there. Just drop them in.
Not for profit organizations would love to have your plastic bags to use in their resale shops. Our recycling center takes plastic bags as well.
I take 10 - 15 plastic bags and squash them down in the bottom of each of the small trash cans in all of my rooms, then use one plastic bag as a trash bag in the container. When I take out the trash, another bag is right there to use.
I donate used plastic grocery bags to my local thrift store. Also at 2nd hand book store. They welcome them to use at their register for customer's purchases. I just fill up one bag with dozens of other squashed down bags and take it to them. They appreciate having them.
I use plastic bags for shipping materials (instead of shredded newspaper or bubble wrap) in boxes that I mail.
When I share plants or veggies from my gardens, I use the plastic bags to transport them. The plastic bags will hold quite a bit of dirt around a newly dug plant for quite a while. And a plastic bag of fresh homegrown tomatoes is a welcome sight to the neighbors.
I crochet some of mine into rugs & other things.
I also crochet red bread bags (from raisin bread).
Some of them I started hooking a rug from strips.(yellow & white)
Some of them I reuse as small trashcan liners.
Some get used specifically for kitchen waste I don't want smelling up my trash.
I even tried stuffing them into a large zipper bag for use as a pillow.
I have many uses for plastic grocery bags and if plastic bags are ever banned, I dont know what I will do without them. I like them because they take up very little space especially if you press the air out and fold them. For convenience, I keep a tube of plastic bags hanging in the kitchen. Any time I get an excess, I take them back to the grocery store for recycling.
My tips:
Keep a plastic grocery bag in a gallon ice cream bucket for collecting wet and smelly trash that would be garbage in the kitchen trash. Tie it up at the end of the day and put it in a bag in the outside trash container. I use a lot of bags for this and it saves buying the tall kitchen trash bags for my trash container in the kitchen. When collecting the household trash, I go around and empty all the trash cans into a plastic grocery bag, tie it up and put it in the outside container.
Hang a bag for collecting items to recycle.
Wrap meat that is purchased from the grocery store for freezing. Put the packaged meat in the bag and fold it over. Use freezer tape to secure. Write the name and date purchased on the freezer tape with a Sharpie permanent marker. The plastic bag helps keep the package from tearing and protects the meat from freezer burn.
Fold several plastic bags and put them in the glove compartment of your vehicle. They will be handy for putting trash in when traveling. Also on a rainy day, you can take off your shoes, especially if they are muddy, and put them in a plastic bag rather than getting your car all wet and muddy. Keep a couple in your purse. Never know when one will come in handy.
This tip is my favorite. Walk the road or street in your neighborhood and pick up any litter you see as you get your walking exercise. I use a lot of my plastic grocery bags for this. My dresser stays cluttered with plastic bags I empty out of my pockets when Im getting ready for bed. I challenge you to give this a try. You will be surprised at how good it makes you feel.
How to fold a plastic grocery bag:
Tuck in the sides. Press all the air out. Fold over and then fold up. You can really make a plastic bag small and flat. If needed, I can easily stuff a couple dozen of these folded bags in the pockets of my shorts and jeans. You cant do that with paper sacks nor cloth bags. I keep these specially folded bags tied up in a plastic grocery bag.
I reuse them till they are near transparent then I take them to the recycle bin at the grocery store.
Many local libraries accept used plastic bags for their patrons to carry home their books. I would think food banks would also be able to make use of them as well.
I always prefer plastic over paper. Here is why. Plastic is 100% man made. No trees cut down to make even 1. They are 100% recyclable. Paper even partially recycled is usually only 40% recycled. that means a tree had to be cut down for that other 60% of that bag. :-) Whenever they ask I always reply with plastic please its better for the environment :-) (BUT ONLY if they are actually recycled)
I get paper bags from the store so that I can use them for sorting my recycling. However, I use the plastic bags for scooping out cat litter, and also for putting my leftover food/waste in so that I can easily take it out to my composte pile.
You can google how to knit or crochet, also. I have crocheted plarn bags. They are very strong. I have even put them through the washer (cold). My husband borrowed one to take the crockpot (full of gravy) to his office on a pot luck day.
I have a lot of 2 litre Coca Cola product bottles in my house. I am not knowing what to do. Is there any place out there for me to go sell them in Gauteng area?
By Illoysius
I'm not sure that you can sell them. I recycle mine, by washing them out, thoroughly, then putting fresh water in them, just in case of need, water is off, or water company tells you to boil your water, etc., also good for camping, watering yr plants, poke a hole in the lid, (small) then turn upside down by yr plants, if yr going to be out of town. I also fill some of mine with dried beans, rice, have one full of homemade taco seasoning. Lol.
Having a good system to clean, organize and store your recyclables will help keep them out of the landfill. This is a page about recycling metal, paper, plastics and glass.
This is a page about making money recycling your own bottles and cans. Depending on the state that you live in, you may be able to return your bottles and cans to receive the deposit back. You can also recycle them to receive their weight value. Here are some tips about recycling your cans and bottles.
Once the election is over there are ways to reuse the signs. This page is about recycling political campaign signs.
ThriftyFun is one of the longest running frugal living communities on the Internet. These are archives of older discussions.
I don't use plastic bags anymore, so everything I buy comes in paper bags. I use one paper bag for odds and ends of paper, such as labels from tin cans, receipts that I don't need to keep.
