Recycling Surprises

Last week we shared 7 Surprising Things You Can Recycle and hope that you found one or two new ways to give something a second (or third) life. Now we want to hear from you. Yes!

Please leave a comment below and tell us, what has been your biggest recycling surprise? Could be something you'd been recycling and found out you couldn't...or something you hadn't been recycling and learned you could. Or something funny about recycling.

No strict rules here! Just an opportunity to share. Thanks!

Comments

[Michelle (What's Cooking)]

I am not sure if this counts - but it does deal with waste...

I was surprised at how much of our food scraps our backyard chickens would really eat. While they love pasta and bread, they also scarf up all sorts of peels and the dregs from our dinner plates. In return, I get lots (and lots) of poop for our compost and fresh delicious eggs.

[Gina]

That's a great idea, Michelle. We've also been more aware over the past year just how much food scraps pile up in our house too - not so much from leftovers but the carrot and beet tops that are too wilted to eat, vegetable peels, apple cores, etc.

This is the year we compost! We haven't done it in the past because we didn't really have a good place for it. But we're going to figure it out because I don't want those nutrients going to waste!

Thanks for sharing, Michelle!

[Jodi]

We are pretty good at recycling everything but I am always disappointed when I hear about certain things that we cannot recycle. One of those is plastic forks/knives/spoons. If I can rinse out a yogurt container and recycle, why can't I rinse off one of those and recycle it too? It's a bummer. My solution, just try not to use them at all or keep using them until they fall apart!

[Gina]

Thanks for sharing with us, Jodi. Unrecyclable utensils used to drive me crazy too - and will tomorrow when I volunteer at the kids' school for lunch duty and see them piling up in the trash. We send hot lunches to school about 3 or 4 days each week and include one of our regular forks or spoons. Our kids know that it needs to come home just like their other containers so we've never had one not returned (knock on wood!).

I also believe that places like Whole Foods carries utensils that are compostable. Even if you don't compost, they're still better than the alternative in a land fill.

[Mike Lieberman]

The one project that I'd love to do for next winter is to build a greenhouse out of 2-liter soda bottles. I think it takes something like 1,500 or so.

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/04/recycled-bottle-greenhouse.php

[Gina]

Mike - That is absolutely brilliance! I'm already sending this link to my husband and father-in-law to see how we can make this for our yard. I've been wanting to build a removable cover for our raised bed - this could be my unique solution!

I can't thank you enough for sharing.