7 Surprising Things You Can Recycle (or Reuse)

My son has been learning more about recycling this year at school and knows all about the usual suspects: paper, glass, plastics, cans and cardboard. But now he's ready to step it up and talk about recycling, or reusing, other things we no longer need but don't have to go in the trash. Why? Like you, we're concerned about our growing landfills. Anything that we can keep out of them is a great thing for future generations.

Here's a look at some of the more surprising things that we can recycle:

Packing peanuts can be taken to your local Kinkos/Fed Ex shop, or other pack and mail place to be reused. Or save it for the holidays if you ship gifts across the country. I've also seen preschools and daycare facilities use them in their sensory bins.

Shoes. Yes, you can take old sneakers, no matter their condition, to one of the many drop off locations to be turned into Nike Grind. Nike then uses that material to surface playgrounds and other athletic areas. 

Toys can enjoy longer playlife by sharing them with friends, your church, shelters for families, or places like Goodwill or Salvation Army. You can also drop them off at a children's consignment store and replenish your own toy funds.

Wine Corks can be collected and dropped off at many places. Our local Whole Foods accepts them and I know other grocers do as well
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Appliances big and small can be recycled too. Visit Earth911 to find a local donation center near you.

CFL Bulbs contain mercury and need to be disposed of in an eco-friendly way so that we keep that out of the ground. Thankfully Home Depot stores accept these bulbs and take care of that for us.

Doing some work on your home? Donate old hardware, molding, windows and doors to salvage companies, restoration organizations or put an ad on Craigslist. We gave away about 700 sq feet of our old carpet when we put wood floors down that way.

For so many items that we're done enjoying, we can always turn to places like Goodwill or Salvation Army. Sharing gently used items with friends is a great way to help another family out who might not be able to afford fancy new toys or clothes. We also know a few friends who rotate toys with other families so that their kids don't get bored with "the same old toys". And, of course, another option is to put your items up for sale on eBay or Craigslist or plan a neighborhood garage sale this summer.

Key: almost any thing can have a second or third life, even if it doesn't work or is in poor condition.

And it's easier than you think. We organize items that can't go out to the curb in our pantry, garage or in a closet by the front door - depending on the item. We drop off our donations as we run errands in that area so that we're not making an extra trip.

So, tell us...what do you recycle or reuse that might surprise us? Help us all with your ideas. Thanks

Comments

[Jodi]

We found that pretty much everything we have finds its way to a new home, someone either wants or needs it. We use freecycle.org.

[Gina]

Jodi - Thanks for sharing the tip on Freecycle.org. We've mentioned them before hear & they slipped my mind. They're a great resource for reusing too!

[Daisy]

Hardware from remodeling can be donated to a Habitat ReStore if you have one nearby.