Recycling Basics

Turning a new leaf to becoming “green” can seem overwhelming. But we’re all adding to global warming by not recycling. Diverting materials from landfills and incinerators is easier than you think. According to the EPA, recycling cuts global warming pollution by the equivalent of removing 39.6 million passenger cars from the road. The average American uses 650 pounds of paper each year – 100 million tons of wood could be saved each year if all that paper was recycled.  About 80% of what Americans throw away is recyclable, yet our recycling rate is only 28%.  If all of our newspapers were recycled, we could save about 250 million trees each year! If every American recycled just one-tenth of their newspapers, we could save about 25 million trees each year. Recycling one aluminum can saves enough energy to run a TV for three hours. In spite of this, Americans throw away enough aluminum to rebuild our entire commercial fleet of airplanes every three months! To get everyone in the spirit of recycling Innovative improvements has some simple and easy to do recycling tips that can be incorporated into your daily life.

Recycling means a lot more than bringing your newspapers and cans to the curb. Truly successful recycling involves minimizing waste along the entire life cycle of a product, from acquiring raw materials to manufacturing, using and disposing of a product. Most environmental impacts associated with the products we buy occur before we open the package, so buying products made from recycled materials is just as important as sorting waste into the right bins. 

Charity and nearly new shops, jumble sales and community schemes are good places to donate or sell second hand clothes, toys and furniture. It is also well worth shopping at second hand outlets.

Bring your own reusable bags to local stores. Keep a ceramic mug for water or coffee at work rather than using disposable paper or plastic foam cups. Most cities in the United States have clean, drinkable water, so use tap water (you can filter it if you'd like) and refillable water bottles instead of buying bottled water. 

The best environmental choice is to repair, restore or adapt a product you already have. You may need professional help but it could still be cheaper than something new - half of electrical goods left at dumps work or require only very basic repairs.

Paper, plastic, glass and cans aren't the only items that should be diverted from incinerators and landfills. Reduce the environmental impacts of organic waste by composting food scraps, and by leaving short grass clippings on lawns to decompose.  Take advantage of manufacturer take-back programs for your unwanted electronics.

Our increased reliance on personal technology such as laptops, cell phones, PDAs, computer monitors, and printers  has resulted in vast quantities of garbage in landfills that could have been reused or recycled.   

Depending on where you live and the products you want to recycle, you can:

• Find an e-waste collection event in your town
• Send your used tech stuff back to the manufacturer
• Head to a nearby retailer that accepts old electronics

You may also be able to take advantage of the United States Postal Service's free e-waste recycling program. As of 2008, 1,500 post offices will provide free envelopes for you to mail back small electronics such as inkjet cartridges, PDAs, digital cameras and MP3 players. USPS started the program in 10 areas across the country, including Washington, D.C., Chicago, Los Angeles and San Diego, but may expand it to other regions if it proves successful.