Items to REcycle That Make the Biggest Difference
18 items ranked
Reduce. Reuse. Recycle. Those are the buzz words of the green movement and the recycling industry. Almost every community has recycling programs in place, but which items that you recycle in your household will have the biggest impact on the environment? The following list should help.
Click on up and down arrows to affect item's ranking
1.
Aluminum Cans
Aluminum is by far the most energy intensive consumer packaging in existence today. Recycling aluminum cans not only keeps the cans out of the landfills, but keeps them in the production cycle so as to avoid having to go through the process again.
85 points - added 14 years ago by thewordwarrior -
2.
Plastic Bottles and Containers
Plastic stays in the environment forever. It breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces, but it never disappears altogether. The smaller it gets - the more dangerous it becomes to the animals and the environment. Recycling plastic containers has a tremendous impact on the environment.
51 points - added 14 years ago by thewordwarrior -
3.
PVC Plastics
Also known as Polyvinyl chloride or sometimes just vinyl, PVC's are some of the most toxic - and also some of the most widely used plastics on the planet. Check your local recycling center to see if they have collection points.
40 points - added 14 years ago by thewordwarrior -
4.
Electronics
There are so many componant parts in today's electronics (computers, printers, cell phones, radios etc) that it is nearly impossible to assign them a "standard" recylable level. Electronic waste (or ewaste as it is called) can be taken care of by contacting electronics stores or recycling centers that usually have collection points for electronic waste.
35 points - added 14 years ago by thewordwarrior -
5.
Motor OIl
Motor oil is highly toxic but easily recyclable, most recycling centers will take clearly labled motor oil
33 points - added 14 years ago by thewordwarrior -
6.
Single Use Alkaline Batteries
Because of the chemicals in alkaline batteries that are toxic to the environment, these need to be kept out of regular waste collection. Most recycling centers have a collection point for alkalline batteries. Depending on how many batteries you go through, recycling batteries can be a significant part of your recycling plan.
30 points - added 14 years ago by thewordwarrior -
7.
Household Toxics
Poisons, Paints, excess cleaners, herbacides, all of these are extremely toxic and, if sent to the landfill can seep into the water supply or leech into the air. Most communities' recycling centers have a household toxics drop-off day.
25 points - added 14 years ago by thewordwarrior -
8.
Printer Cartridges
Nearly every printer cartridge company will recycle printer cartridges by sending the purchaser a pre-paid package to send the cartridge back to them.
10 points - added 14 years ago by thewordwarrior -
9.
Chlorinated Fluorocarbon or "CFC"
CFC's are found in any sort of refrigeration unit. Air conditioners, refrigerators and heat pumps. These need to be drained if they are being discarded and the CFC recycled at an industrial recycling center. Important in the grand scheme of things, but not an item recycled often enough in households to warrant a great deal of consideration.
10 points - added 14 years ago by thewordwarrior -
10.
Steel
Steel is created through an energy intensive process. All steel or "tin" items should be recycled.in order to keep the process from having to be repeated for new items.
10 points - added 14 years ago by thewordwarrior -
11.
Newspaper
With the millions of newspapers in print every day, the more that are recycled the fewer trees have to be cut down.
9 points - added 14 years ago by thewordwarrior -
12.
Paper
and you save more trees
6 points - added 14 years ago by thewordwarrior -
13.
Bio-degradables
bio-degradable items are the leading cause of methane emissions in landfills. By composting bio-degradables (food, yard trimmings, cotton linnens etc) methane can be elminiated and overall waste reduced by up to 1/3.
5 points - added 14 years ago by thewordwarrior -
14.
Corregated Cardboard
5 points - added 14 years ago by thewordwarrior -
15.
Waxed Cartons (Milk/Juice)
Each Waxed carton is lined with platic and can be easily recycled. Same rules apply to these as to regular plastic containers.
5 points - added 14 years ago by thewordwarrior -
16.
Phone Books
Save a few more trees.
5 points - added 14 years ago by thewordwarrior -
17.
Glass
Glass is easy to recycle. It can be used over and over again in its current form or melted down and reformed.
3 points - added 14 years ago by thewordwarrior -
18.
Clothes and Linnens
If the clothing item is beyond donating to a second hand store, don't put it in the waste. Cut them up for rags and use them in place of paper towel. You can put them through the wash so that they are reusable. Old towls can be cut up for washclothes or for car buffing.
2 points - added 14 years ago by thewordwarrior -
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