{"id":31188,"date":"2026-04-28T14:57:59","date_gmt":"2026-04-28T14:57:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ldblifestylebenefits.com\/?p=31188"},"modified":"2026-04-28T14:57:59","modified_gmt":"2026-04-28T14:57:59","slug":"one-mans-recycling-is-another-mans-treasure","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ldblifestylebenefits.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/28\/one-mans-recycling-is-another-mans-treasure\/","title":{"rendered":"One Man\u2019s Recycling Is Another Man\u2019s Treasure"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wpb-content-wrapper\"><p>[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=&#8221;&#8221;]According to a <a href=\"https:\/\/filecache.mediaroom.com\/mr5mr_wm\/178243\/2025-WM-Recycling-Report.pdf\">2025 study<\/a> conducted by WM Recycling Report, 77% of Americans report that they recycle. But the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) shows a different story. <a href=\"https:\/\/filecache.mediaroom.com\/mr5mr_wm\/178243\/2025-WM-Recycling-Report.pdf\">Only 32.1% of discarded material is actually recycled<\/a>. An <a href=\"https:\/\/cmr.berkeley.edu\/2023\/05\/america-s-broken-recycling-system\/\">article<\/a> from California Management Review may point to the answer: most people just aren\u2019t sure what is or isn\u2019t recyclable. While policies may change depending on your state, here\u2019s a list of items you might not have known are recyclable:[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/4&#8243;][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;3\/4&#8243;][vc_column_text css=&#8221;&#8221;]<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Mattress: A lot of mattress components can be <a href=\"https:\/\/www.recyclingtoday.com\/news\/how-mattress-recycling-redefines-landfill-operations-jorge-hernandez-oc-waste-and-recycling\/\">reused in different products.<\/a> The foam and cloth can live a second life as insulation and carpet padding, the springs can be repurposed as car parts or building materials, and the wood frames can be turned into shipping pallets or mulch. <a href=\"https:\/\/earth911.com\/recycling-guide\/how-to-recycle-mattresses\/\">Earth 911<\/a> can help you locate a recycling center near you that will take your old mattresses. For those who live in California, Connecticut, Rhode Island, or Oregon, the government-backed <a href=\"https:\/\/byebyemattress.com\/\">Bye Bye Mattress <\/a>program streamlines the process.<\/li>\n<li>Toothbrushes and Toothpaste: If you have a Crest or Oral-B toothbrush, you can participate in their <a href=\"https:\/\/oralb.com\/en-us\/recycling\/\">Recycle On Us<\/a> They accept used plastic toothbrushes, toothbrush head refills, toothpaste tubes, mouthwash containers, floss containers, and floss picks. You can request a free shipping label from their <a href=\"https:\/\/oralb.com\/en-us\/recycling\/\">website,<\/a> and your old toothbrushes will be recycled into a multitude of products, including park benches and clothes. Colgate offers a similar recycling program and accepts all brands of toothbrushes or empty oral care packaging. You can find your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.terracycle.com\/en-US\/brigades\/colgate#@43.66204366667566:-87.44348101564981zoom:5\">local drop-off location<\/a> through their site.<\/li>\n<li>Carpet: Carpet is often made with synthetic fibers like nylon and polyester, which break down over time and <a href=\"https:\/\/antipollutionplan.com\/how-long-does-carpet-last-in-landfill.html\">leak harmful chemicals into the environment<\/a>. Most local municipality recycling centers will take carpet, but if you\u2019re installing new flooring, ask whether the retailer will take your old carpet. Several companies, such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.commercialflooring.com\/expertise-solutions\/reclamation\/\">Antron<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jjflooringgroup.com\/sustainability\/carpet-reclamation\/\">J + J Flooring<\/a>, have reclamation programs to ensure that used carpet doesn\u2019t end up in a landfill.<\/li>\n<li>Car Batteries: Car batteries contain lead and acid, which can <a href=\"https:\/\/greencitizen.com\/blog\/car-battery-recycling\/\">cause water and soil pollution<\/a>, as well as long-term health issues. You can recycle car batteries through municipality recycling centers, but <a href=\"https:\/\/www.autozone.com\/diy\/battery\/how-to-dispose-of-car-batteries\">metal recycling centers and car parts shops like the AutoZone will pay you to take the car batteries off your hands<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=&#8221;&#8221;]<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Nike Shoes: Nike offers their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nike.com\/sustainability\/recycling-donation\">Recycling + Donation program<\/a>, which allows you to drop off your old Nike shoes or apparel at any Nike store. The shoes are then recycled or donated to those in need.<\/li>\n<li>Packing Peanuts and Styrofoam Cups: Polystyrene, the material used in packing peanut and Styrofoam cups, breaks down into small pieces over time, which are <a href=\"https:\/\/environmentamerica.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Polystyrene-Factsheet-w-Sources.pdf\">harmful for wildlife<\/a>. Polystyrene <a href=\"https:\/\/science.howstuffworks.com\/environmental\/green-science\/polystyrene-recycling.htm\">cannot be recycled at a local recycling center<\/a> and must be sent to a centralized plant. The Dart Container Corporation, the world\u2019s largest manufacturer of foam cups and containers, <a href=\"https:\/\/take-back.dartcontainer.com\/\">accepts the return of Dart brand polystyrene products<\/a> (as well as Dart paper and plastic items). These are melted down and turned into polystyrene pellets, which can be used to make more polystyrene items.<\/li>\n<li>HP Ink Cartridges: Similar to Nike\u2019s recycling program, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hp.com\/us-en\/hp-information\/recycling\/ink-toner.html\">HP<\/a> allows you to drop off your old HP or Samsung ink cartridges at Staples, Best Buy, Office Depot\/Max, or Walmart for recycling. Their website also offers <a href=\"https:\/\/inktoner-recycle.ext.hp.com\/ui\/index.html?languageCode=en&amp;countryCode=US#\/recycle\/shipit-in\/get-started\">free shipping labels, boxes, and envelopes<\/a> if you prefer to mail back your cartridges, as well as the option to schedule a pickup if you have more than 1,000 ink cartridges.<\/li>\n<li>Batteries: Any batteries labelled with the word \u201clithium\u201d (lithium single-use or some coin-shaped batteries) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.epa.gov\/recycle\/used-household-batteries\">should never be put in the trash<\/a>. Lithium batteries can cause fires and must be properly dealt with by a recycling company. Many local districts hold collection events for batteries and some battery manufacturers, including <a href=\"https:\/\/batterynetwork.org\/\">The Battery Network<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ridwell.com\/\">Ridwell<\/a> have mail-in programs. Some <a href=\"https:\/\/www.homedepot.com\/c\/ab\/how-to-dispose-of-batteries\/9ba683603be9fa5395fab90124a115f1\">Home Depot locations<\/a> have The Battery Network bins for collection in store.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=&#8221;&#8221;]<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Recycling provides many benefits to our environment, but did you know it also benefits our economy as well? In a single year, recycling accounted for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.epa.gov\/recycle\/recycling-basics-and-benefits\">681,000 jobs, $37.8 billion in wages, and $5.5 billion in tax revenues<\/a>.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=&#8221;3\/4&#8243;][vc_column_text css=&#8221;&#8221;]Many companies offer easy (and free) ways to recycle your old items. With just a little effort, you can help reduce landfill waste, protect wildlife, and support the health of our environment.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/4&#8243;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=&#8221;&#8221;]According to a 2025 study conducted by WM Recycling Report, 77% of Americans report that they recycle. But the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) shows a different story. Only 32.1% of discarded material is actually recycled. An article from California Management Review may point to the answer: most people just aren\u2019t sure what is [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":31231,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[604,20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-31188","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-2026-may","category-lifestyle-and-wellness"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ldblifestylebenefits.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31188","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ldblifestylebenefits.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ldblifestylebenefits.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ldblifestylebenefits.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ldblifestylebenefits.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31188"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/ldblifestylebenefits.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31188\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31195,"href":"https:\/\/ldblifestylebenefits.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31188\/revisions\/31195"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ldblifestylebenefits.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/31231"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ldblifestylebenefits.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31188"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ldblifestylebenefits.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31188"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ldblifestylebenefits.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31188"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}