These days, more and more citizens are concerned with what they can do to help out the Earth and getting power from green sources of energy. One of the most traditional and effective ways of giving the planet a break is to recycle all of your waste. The following paragraphs discuss some things you can recycle, including possibilities that you may not have thought of.
Glass is perhaps the only material known to man that can be recycled an infinite amount of times without it ever losing its strength or durability. If you live in a major city, chances are, you can throw your glass in with the rest of your recyclables. This does not even have to be limited to glass jars, bottles and cans.
Plastic is perhaps the most recycled material on the planet, and it is good to do so. Not only does this mean that less petroleum is used to manufacture more, but it spares landfills and litter. It is anyone’s guess how long plastic takes to break down in nature, as no one has lived long enough to see it happen yet with many plastic products.
Metals are entirely recyclable. They can be rewelded, or smelted down back into liquid form and recast as whatever the creator desires. Metal waste never biodegrades, it just rusts. Anything metal should always be recycled.
Batteries can actually be recycled these days, and it is important to do so. The liquids and materials within them can be quite harmful to the soil and water where they lay as waste, contaminating plants and animals around them. Batteries typically do not get recycled with general community recycling, but many electronics retailers have places for battery recycling.
Electronics are a lot like batteries in that you have to hunt a little for where you can be rid of them, but you want to. When these devices go into general landfills, the mercury within them (among other things) eventually leaks into the ground and can poison soil for a long time, as well as water supplies.
Paper is where most people are introduced to recycling, as recycled notebook paper is quite popular in schools as a lesson in environmentalism. Virtually all forms of paper are recyclable and should be.
You might be wondering about large items, or items made of multiple materials, like furniture. Reuse them somehow. Call a local second hand thrift store for a pick up or donate them to anyone looking for a freebie online. Sell your unwanted things online, or put them in a charity auction or a consignment shop. Virtually anything can find a new home other than a landfill.
Even a lot of your food waste from your kitchen can be recycled. Consider starting a compost pile and doing your own gardening. In this, you can take your wasted food products and actually recycle them into new food you can eat or sell the following year.
Think about recycling water. You can now put in rain reclamation systems that keep rain water on your property instead of letting it run off. You can then use it for watering and lawn care. Some places even let you recycle some of your house water for the same purposes and maybe even laundry.
Recycling is one of the best and easiest ways to minimize or even zero out your impact on the planet. In some cases, it can even save or make you some money. Keep in your mind all that you have read here today.
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