Every year, Americans throw out enough soda cans bottles to stretch to the moon and back twenty times. Recycling is a great way to save energy and conserve the environment, but some high-volume waste items aren’t so easy to reuse, like the 18 billion diapers are thrown out every year in the US alone.
Still, every little bit helps waste companies when it comes to recycling, so here are some waste products you can try to help keep out of landfills:
Moving Waste: Boxes and packing paper are bad enough, but when combined with the gas emissions from moving vehicles, relocating can actually be pretty hard on the environment. Even harder is the amount of unneeded items that people throw away when moving. Consider using companies with eco-friendly transportation, and buy or rent reusable packing materials that cut down on waste. Garage sales or donations can be a great way to get rid of clutter without it ending up in a landfill.
Packaging Material Waste: Packaged materials are pretty much unavoidable, and even if the items in the packaging may be fine for the environment, the packaging itself might not be. Consider cutting down cardboard boxes to recycle them and recycle plastic wrapping if you can. You can also usually recycle shampoo bottles and make-up containers if you take the tie to check. Use reusable shopping bags whenever you can to cut down on plastic bag use as well, and bring them back to recycling centers or stores to recycle them.
Mercury Waste: Many people aren’t even aware that many of the products they use contain mercury. Thermostats, neon lamps, batteries and lightbulbs often contain mercury and aren’t always safe to throw in the trash. Put these items in a separate container and take them to hazardous waste companies or pick-up events to keep mercury out of landfills.
Consult with your local waste companies and recycling services to find out more about what to recycle and where to recycle it! Different waste management services have different recycling policies so be sure to ask them what they do to help the environment. Get more info here.
