Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

With the hubs out of town last week, I was a busy little bee checking things off my to-do list.  I have lots of updates coming... but today I wanted to check another item off my 30before30 bucket list.

#15 Start Recycling!

Well, we finally caved and filled up our first {clear} recycling bag yesterday! We found a good spot to keep cardboard/paper in our back room, which was really the only thing holding us back. {besides just being lazy} I was excited to make an effort to help do something towards a good cause and maybe even save a few trees while we're at it!

While I as trying to figure out the best way for us to be effective, I cam across this article from Country Living. It gives easy tips and ways to start recycling.

EASY RECYCLING TIPS

1. Find a convenient place to collect recyclable items. Most things come from the kitchen, making it a good spot to set up a recycling center.

2. The great thing about recycling is that it lets you put your favorite old containers, bins, or baskets to use. Assign containers for glass, plastic, and aluminum. To avoid messes, choose solid containers for storing items such as glass jars or cans that may have a sticky residue.

3. Take leftover plastic bags back to grocery stores where they are collected and reused to make plastic lumber.

4. Check the bottom of plastic items to identify what type of plastic they are. If the type is not recycled at your local center, consider ways to reuse the container.

5. Save water and time when recycling cans and bottles. You no longer need to rinse them out or remove their labels.

6. Recycle junk mail or reuse it as scratch paper. To opt-out of certain junk-mailing lists, go to opt-out.cdt.org.

7. Newspapers, magazines, and white paper can all be recycled as long as the paper is clean and dry. Plastic wrap, stickers, or rubber bands should be removed, but staples and plastic window envelopes are OK.

8. Recycle worn-out rechargeable batteries like those used in cell phones, computers, or power tools. Go to www.rbrc.org to find a drop-off location in your area.

9. Divvy up recycling duties among family members and sort items on a daily basis.

10. Print out this list of commonly recycled materials. Post it where you recycle for easy access.

“It's not how much we give,

 but how much love we put into giving.”

~Mother Teresa