This week – actually between November 8th-15th – is Maine Recycles Week. The purpose of the week is to celebrate the efforts of residents, communities and businesses for providing recycling opportunities and services throughout the state for over 25 years.
My family is big on recycling and being as efficient as we can. At the end of the week, our recycling bins are overflowing, while we rarely take trash to the dump. We try to cut down on waste as much as we can by doing simple things like buying eco-friendly lunchboxes and ditching paper plates.
In honor of the week, here are some Recycling & Reuse Tips from the Maine Recycling Program:
- “Precycle” Make smart choices before you purchase an item. Try to buy items in bulk or that are packaged in material that can be recycled at your transfer station.
- Start composting. It isn’t difficult, doesn’t have to cost money, drastically reduces the weight of your trash, and provides a valuable soil amendment for the houseplants or garden.
- Grasscycle! When you mow your lawn don’t rake up the clippings. As they decay they actually improve your lawns health. If you have an excess of clippings, let them dry out and then add to your compost pile. (green grass will stifle your compost pile and cause it to go anaerobic = smelly)
- Composting at the office is easier than you think. Using a bin like the Earth Machine requires very little outdoor space and not a lot of effort to keep organic material out of the waste stream and convert it into valuable compost.
- Rain barrels are an effective way to conserve water. 55 gallon plastic barrels are a good way to collect water and are available in many locations around the state.
- Remember to take your reusable bags when shopping. Keep them near your keys, in your vehicle, or by the door as a reminder. Reusable bags can be used anywhere, not just grocery stores.
- Have a lawn sale! Your “unwanteds” are most likely someone’s treasure!!
- Donate clothing to Goodwill, Salvation Army or a reuse/thrift shop if your community has one.
- Animal Shelters are always in need of blankets, sheets and towels.
- If during a renovation or construction project you find you have left over items, donate them to a building reuse center such as Habitat for Humanity.
- Used motor oil is often accepted at automobile garages or transfer stations. This is reused as fuel for heating many facilities including some transfer stations.
- Skip the polystyrene cup at your local coffee shop and bring your own reusable one.
- Take your plastic bags (from any retailer) back to the grocery store for recycling.
- Remember to recycle when you are away from home. Many festivals and fairs now offer recycling opportunities. Or bring your recyclables home with you from a picnic, day at the beach or vacation if you aren’t able to recycle on location.
- Crush cans and plastic containers so they take up less space. Keeping the cover attached to cans by a little bit and then crushing it inside will eliminate sharp edges and increase the likelihood that the cover will also get recycled with the can and not slip through the cracks of the equipment.
- Look for a scrap iron dealer in your community before hauling your valuable metals to the landfill. Most will pay you for your material.
- Recycle your rechargeable batteries. Most cell phone, hardware, and office supply stores offer this service. Or go to www.call2recycle.org to find a drop-off location in your area.
- Recycle at your workplace. If your workplace doesn’t provide this service, volunteers can bring recyclables home for recycling.
- Recycled newspaper is worth more to your town than mixed paper by around 60% so next time you need to start a fire in the wood stove, consider using unwanted mail or boxboard instead of newspaper and put the newspaper in the recycle bin.
- www.Earth911.com is a resource for identifying locations to recycle unwanted items including computers, paints, and other odd items.
- Never throw a compact fluorescent light bulb in the trash. Most hardware stores offer free return of unbroken CFLs.
- Proper disposal of prescription medication will protect the environment. In Maine, use the Safe Medicine Disposal for ME Program. {Not only that, but proper disposal keeps unused prescription drugs out of the wrong hands.}
I might also add that many old, unwanted items can be used for fun art projects. We have found tons of uses for corks in particular. Do you have more tips? Please share!
