Recycle Everything

Well, almost everything. Co-op America has information on how to recycle stuff you might not have realized was recyclable. Some of them are not practical for us. For example, this one:

6. Compact fluorescent bulbs: Take them to your local IKEA store for recycling: www.ikea.com.

would require quite a trek, as the closest Ikea store looks to be well over 300 miles away.

and when I search for a local place for composting bio-plastics as this point suggests:

7. Compostable bio-plastics: You probably won’t be able to compost these in your home compost bin or pile. Find a municipal composter to take them to at www.findacomposter.com.

I get a local site that specifically excludes compostable plastics. Hmmm...

But there are good ideas there. I especially like this one:

21. Stuff you just can’t recycle: When practical, send such items back to the manufacturer and tell them they need to manufacture products that close the waste loop responsibly.

I remember at one point hearing the suggestion that excess packaging be removed at the point of purchase and left at the store. The logic was that if everyone did that the stores would insist companies use more responsible and less bulky packaging. When I do it the store personnel always look at me funny.

HT: treehugger