Every year millions of pounds of plastic are being produced with only 9 percent of it being recycled according to National Geographic. Plastic is harmful to the environment because it takes a long time to break down and it stays on the earth forever. The United States Environmental Protection Agency reported that 93.9 million tons of waste were produced in the US.
I am going to share ideas to encourage people to be more conscious about the waste that they produce. All of these ideas are free or low cost meaning that anyone can do this.
Upcycle/Repurpose:
Think about how you can give an item another purpose before throwing it in the trash. one example is upcycled gardens where people repurpose broken, unwanted or unused items in gardens.
Clothes
- Swap clothes with friends or family
- Donate gently used clothes to a nonprofit or charity
- Drop off clothes at textile recycling programs in your area
- Cut old t-shirts and turn them into rags
You can also check out my blog post where I share 10 ideas for unused clothes here
Electronics
Check if your community or stores in your area off electronic recycling programs. Since you can’t just throw your electronics in the regular trash or recycling bin because they may contain toxic substances. You can also donate electronics in good condition to a nonprofit.
Beauty
You can donate makeup to nonprofits/charities that collect makeup if it meets certain criteria for hygiene/safety reasons. Some charities include
- Project Beauty Share
- Wands for Wildlife
- Project Beauty Bus
Single Use Plastic
- Eco Bricks: They are made by stuffing plastic into plastic water bottles to be turned into reusable building blocks. They have been used to build walls, furniture, various structures, and more. The goal is to encourage communities to be mindful of the dangers of plastic because it can only be reused a few times then it ends up in landfill or oceans.
- Take plastic film or bags to stores that offer plastic recycling programs
TerraCycle
TerraCycle offers programs for hard to recycle items around the world. Businesses or individuals can buy TerraCycle boxes to fill or mail back items to TerraCycle to be recycled. They also offer free recycling programs for makeup, toiletries, coffee pods, e-waste, toys, and more. Click here to learn more.
Buy nothing project
The buy nothing project was started to help connect with your community and prevent things from being sent to the trash. You can join a buy nothing group on Facebook to give away services or goods. There is no trading or bartering allowed, everything is free. Check out the buy nothing project for more information.
I am not saying that I want you to stop recycling. Instead I want to you be more informed about what you do recycle.
- Reuse items first if you can like glass jars
- Check the recycling guidelines in your area for what you can and can’t recycle
- Rinse off items before placing them in the recycling bin
- Food soiled items cannot be recycled
- Mixed material items such as chip bags cannot be recycled
- For plastics check the recycling number to see if your area allows them to be recycled