Earth911 is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to .. Earth911 also teams up with other affiliate marketing partners to help keep our lights on and the waste-fighting ideas flowing. If you purchase an item through one of the affiliate links in this post we will receive a small commission. From your car, to your desk, to your kitchen table, plastics are all around us and make up the products we interact with daily. While you may already know how to recycle your common plastics (water bottles, bags and milk jugs, just to name a few), do you really know what to do with those “other” plastics? The average American office worker goes through around 500 disposable cups over the course of 12 months. Americans even toss out enough paper and plastic cups, forks and spoons every year to circle the equator 300 times. Much for the common disposable dinnerware, such as plastic utensils, cups and plates, is made from plastic #6.
It’s the same resin used to make polystyrene foam, but because these materials are not extremely lightweight, they are easier to recycle. We are avid touters of using your reusable dinnerware for your next shindig, but if your guest list exceeds your supply and disposable is your only option, look for dishware made from plastics that are recyclable in your curbside program or dishes that can be washed and reused. Preserve tableware and utensils are a great choice. Made from 100 percent recycled materials, Preserve makes an entire line of dishes, cups and utensils that are sturdy enough to withstand the rigors of everyday use. They have two versions of their tableware, one for regular use in your home and one that more closely resembles the lighter make of disposables for easy transport. Both are dishwasher and microwave safe. Carpet is widely used (and hugely discarded) in the U.S. In fact, the amount of carpet sent to landfills each year could cover an area bigger than New York City.
According to the Carpet America Recovery Effort (CARE), carpet is difficult to recycle because of the many substances that constitute it. For example, in a typical carpet, the two main components are the face fiber and the backing system. The face fiber is what you see and walk on, is the most valuable portion of the carpet for recycling and is typically made of nylon, polypropylene, polyester, latex, PVC, among other materials. To recycle residential carpet, your dealer is a good place to start to find local solutions for recycling. If you are in the commercial sector, contact your representative at the carpet mill to find out how they can assist you. Also, some nonprofit organizations such as Habitat for Humanity accept relatively clean carpet for reuse. You also can reuse carpet at home for floor mats and runners, cat scratching posts and to stifle weeds in your garden instead of pesticides. Recycled carpet can become a number of substances from auto parts and plastic lumber to parking stops and carpet backing.
When buying new carpet, look for product made from recycled materials. By buying recycled carpet, you help create a demand to continue recycling efforts. We often think about recycling in the kitchen, garden or even the office, but we sometimes tend to forget about the bathroom. Your bottles of shampoo, soap, lotion, hair gel and mouthwash are all made of recyclable plastic. The trick is remembering to toss them in the bin. Check out the small number in the center of the recycling symbol on these bottles, and you’ll more than likely find that they are made from plastic #2 (HDPE), which is a highly recycled plastic. Its chemical makeup makes it durable and ideal for packaging. You will also find this resin in detergent bottles, milk and juice containers and plastic bags. While the bottles are pretty straightforward, makeup containers can be a little tricky, as they are commonly made of plastic #5. Origins was the pioneer nationwide cosmetic company to offer consumer cosmetic packaging recycling, regardless of brand.
Empty cosmetic tubes, bottles, lipstick covers, jars and caps can be brought to an Origins retail store or department store counter nationwide for recycling or energy recovery. As an added bonus, customers will receive a free sample of an Origins skincare product for bringing in their empty containers. MAC cosmetics accepts its packaging back for recycling either in-store or online, and you receive a free MAC lipstick with the return of six containers. We get a lot of questions about recycling toys, but the truth is that there isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. This is because toys are made from so many different materials that include plastics, electronics and hazardous materials. However, Lego toys are a different story. While they fall under the ominous plastic #7 category (which is a mixture of different resins), we were surprised to find how high the demand is for donating and reusing this toy. “Lego Bricks are recyclable, just not in the way that most people think of recycling.
Lego bricks are one of those things that never break and most people pass them down from generation to generation, thus keeping them alive,” a Lego representative told Gizmodo in a 2008 interview. “Also, during production we recycle all of the residual plastic used. In the molding machines, we crunch any faulty elements and put the granulate back in to the mold. Plastic that we can no longer use is sold to industries that can make use of them.” While plastic #7 is often hard to recycle, there are several donation options for Legos, from avid collectors to charity organizations. Check out your local Habitat for Humanity, nursery school or childcare center. Legos also fetch a pretty nice return (depending on type) on sites like Ebay. Most golf balls are made in two or three parts. A two-piece ball is made of rubber and plastic, and is mostly used by the casual golfer. According to Arizona-based Dixon Golf, more than 300 million golf balls are discarded in the U.S. each year.