Prevention Magazine - How to recycle anything
Filed under: Earth 911 - April 1, 2006
Your trash could be a school’s treasure
MacMillan, Amanda
Prevention Magazine
April 1, 2006
How to Recycle Anything ?: Make your home more earth-friendly–onetrash bag at a time By Amanda Macmillan
America has had some trashy affairs: In 1969, Ohio’s garbage- and oil-laden Cuyahoga River was so polluted it caught fire. Eighteen years later, a stranded trash barge sailed the East Coast for 7 months, searching for a landfill where it could unload more than 3,000 tons of waste. Six states and three countries turned it away before the cargo was even-tually incinerated.
We’ve cleaned up our act considerably, thanks to national recycling efforts and stricter disposal laws. And we’ve earned a big health payoff: For instance, in the past decade, there has been a 45% reduction in cancer risk in California, due in part to the decrease in air and water pollutants, reports the Air Resources Board. Nevertheless, there’s more work to do. In 2003, the average American generated almost 4.5 pounds of garbage each day, up from nearly 3.3 pounds in 1970. And about 70% went into dumps or incinerators, not the recycling bin. But with a little research, you can recycle almost anything–last night’s dinner, last season’s technology, or even that fuchsia bridesmaid dress from the last millen-nium.
Here, 21 things not to trash.
1. computers Your out-of-date PC holds not only years’ worth of vacation photos, but also toxins such as chro-mium, cadmium, and lead that can contaminate food and water supplies if the computer gets crushed, dumped in a land-fill, or incinerated. These toxins can cause serious health problems, including headaches, seizures, kidney damage, and cancer. Instead of tossing your dead PC, send it back to the manufacturer; many will accept nonworking computers for a small fee (up to about $34). They’ll safely open your machine, extract the components,and recycle the majority of the material for other products. If the computer you’re going to eighty-six still works, donate it. Wipe the hard drive clean (ShredIt can do that for you; $20; www.mireth.com/shredit.html). Then contact the National Cristina Foundation (www.cristina.org); they’ll match you with a school or organization in need.
2. cell phones That old mobile contains many of the same toxic materials as a computer, but it can help build a new life for someone else. The Wireless Foundation, a national nonprofit organization, will reprogram your phone with emergency numbers and shelter info and distribute it to a woman at risk of domestic violence. Drop phones at theBody Shop or visit www.calltoprotect.org for other locations.
3-7 other electronics If you’re ditching a TV set, PDA, camera, or MP3 player, visit www.recycleforbreastcancer.org. The organization will send you prepaid shipping labels, recycle your goods for a profit, and then donate all the money to a national breast cancer charity. They’ll accept printer cartridges, too. (You can also check with a Staples or Office Depot near you; many will safely dispose of used cartridges.)
8-11 Items with mercury Fourteen years ago, scientists discoveredthat just 1 g of liquid mercury per year–the kind found in thermometers, thermostats, and some bug zappers and lightbulbs–could pollute a 20-acre lake, making the fish inedible. Though thermometers are no longer made with mercury, plenty of old ones still contain the stuff. So when you’re ready to get rid of yours, take them to a hazardous-waste recycling collection facility. There, the mercury is ex-tracted and eventually sold to scientists. Visit www.earth911.org to find a facility in your area.
12-16 car junk A garage, salvage yard, or public works department may be able to mix your old antifreeze and motor oil with new fluids to reuse or resell. Call first to make sure and ask how they want it transported. Some also take brake and transmission fluid and gasolinefor safe disposal.
17 Paint Has burnt sienna made its last appearance on your walls? Ask your local high school drama department, church, or Habitat for Humanity if they accept donations of unused paint. If you have the latex variety, you can also find a reuse-and-recycle program through www.earth911.org; your paint will be blended with new materials and resold.
18-21 batteries When your rechargeable batteries (including Ni-Cds, Ni-MHs, cell phone and laptop types, and oth-ers) finally wear out, bring them to a RadioShack. (Call 877-273-2925 for a complete list.) They’ll be disassembled at a recycling facility; the recovered nickeland iron will be reused in stainless-steel products, and the cadmiumwill be saved to fuel new batteries. (Regular batteries may be recycled, too. Check with your community recycling facility.) Car, boat, and motorcycle batteries contain lead and should also be recycled; many auto shops will take your old battery when you buy a new one.
Don’t forget the fridge Keep food scraps and yard trimmings out ofthe garbage and you’ll keep about 25% of your household waste from landfills and incinerators. Start your own compost pile today.
Set up a 1-cubic-yard bin in a convenient and shady (if possible) spot not too close to your home. Place items such as grass clippings, leaves, twigs, soil, fruit and veggie scraps, crushed eggshells, tea bags, and cof-fee grounds inside. Compost is created when nitrogens (grass, food waste) combine with carbons (leaves, plants), so keep an equal amount of each in your pile. (Don’t add animal-based items such as meat, grease, bones, dairy, or waste; they’ll attract pests.) Lightly water to prevent it from drying out, and turn it with a pitchfork every few weeks. When the material is completely broken down (in as little as 6 months), the bottom of your pile can be added to your soil; your plants will love it.
Wear it–then share it Formal wear Don’t trash your taffeta; your nightmare bridesmaid’s dress could be a teenager’s dream. Give formal gowns, shoes, and accessories to an organization that dresses financially challenged girls for their proms. Try www.fairygodmothersinc.com or www.glassslipperproject.com.
Eyeglasses The Lions Club International collects used glasses to be cleaned, repaired, and distributed in developing countries to people who can’t afford new prescription specs. Drop them off at participating LensCrafters stores.
Sneakers Send your scuffed-up sneakers (all brands) to Nike; the company’s NikeGO campaign recycles the rubber, foam, and leather into materials used in basketball courts, playgrounds, and other areas designed to keep kids active (www.nikereuseashoe.com).
Prevention Editorial Assistant Amanda MacMillan printed 300 pages of research for this article. She is now reusing them as scrap paper.