Many of us are fortunate enough to have curbside recycling, and we’re pretty familiar with what we can drop in those bins.
Plastic bottles, aluminum cans, and cardboard boxes are staples of the recycling life. However, there are a lot of other household items you may not necessarily think of as being recyclable. Let’s look at a few of these items and see how we can most responsibly dispose of them.
Cooking oil is something many folks just pour down the drain. However, cooking oil can stop up drains, pipes, and even citywide sanitation systems. Simply designate a sturdy container to store your used oil in (metal coffee cans are great for this) and pour your used oil into it every time you cook. Click HERE to find a location near you to recycle your cooking oil.
Other recyclable items commonly thrown out are batteries. These contain mixes of chemical elements and metals that can be harmful to human health and to the environment if disposed of improperly. It’s important to note that there are many different kinds of batteries; check HERE for a helpful rundown of where and how to safely recycle each type.
You may have never considered shoes as recyclable, but they are! Notably, Nike will accept any type of athletic sneaker – you can drop your old shoes at any Nike store. If you have other kinds of shoes you don’t want to just throw out, check HERE for several convenient options.
These may all seem like small things in the grand scheme, but taking a little time to recycle these uncommon objects helps reduce waste and harm to the earth.
RESOURCES
How to Recycle Cooking Oil – Earth911
Used Household Batteries | US EPA