Top 10 Most Important Items to Recycle

Old batteries are one of the categories of household junk that can have the most diverse consequences on the environment if not properly recycled. If batteries are dumped into a tip, the hazardous chemicals in them can leak into the soil and ground waters and heavily pollute them. That’s why the proper waste disposal method for batteries is to deposit them at the special battery containers that can be found in your local supermarkets and retail stores; they are then collected and sent to recycling facilities for safe reprocessing.

Aluminum is one of the materials that can be recycled 100%. Use the waste recycling bins designated for metal junk to dispose of your aluminum cans and they will be completely recycled into new products. If everyone recycled their metal waste, this would slow down the depletion of earth’s raw resources significantly.

Plastic bottles and especially the ones made of PET plastic can be found all around us. These should be sent for recycling without any exceptions. Did you know that making a plastic water bottle out of recycled PET uses up just about one-third of the energy necessary for producing the same bottle from virgin plastic? That alone is reason enough to recycle all your plastic bottles.

CFL bulbs or compact fluorescent light bulbs contain a small amount of mercury and that is why they should never be dumped into landfills. You can drop off your old CFL bulbs at a local hardware store, or at a Home Depot or IKEA branch – they will see to it that old bulbs are sent for proper recycling; alternatively, you can hire a clearance company to dispose of and recycle those for you.

The printer ink cartridge is a junk item that should be recycled at all costs. There are a number of dangerous chemicals found in printer ink which, if they find their way to the ground waters through landfill seepage, could heavily pollute the environment. What you should do with your old ink cartridges, instead of dumping them into the rubbish removal bin, is take them to the supply shop where you get your new cartridges from. They will be happy to take old cartridges off your hands and you may even get a discount on your new purchase.

Cardboard boxes are a large part of our lives – just about everything can come in a cardboard box, from pizza to your favorite cereal to any electronics and white goods you buy. Although approximately 90% of all corrugated cardboard waste is produced by the commercial and retail sectors, households should not neglect recycling their cardboard waste either.

We’ve all been to a party where the food and drinks are served in cardboard or plastic plates and cups along with plastic cutlery. Using these is a lot easier than washing tons of dishes, but they should not be dumped straight into the bin. If you are hosting such a party, ask your guests to empty the food and drink remains from their plates and cups and dispose of the cutlery and dishes in a bag designated for the purpose. That bag should be then emptied into the plastic waste recycling container in your neighborhood.

Old electronics and white goods form a significant part of the household waste we dump every year. However, these should never end up in the landfill, as most of their parts can be reused or recycled. Some retailers accept old electronic and electrical goods when you purchase new ones from them and may even offer you discounts. Alternatively, to safely dispose of those items you can hire a company which offers specialized e-waste disposal services.

Sadly, junk mail is a part and parcel of daily life. Don’t dump junk mail into the regular waste bin, though. Instead, put a special bin close to your front door reserved only for brochures, envelopes and other junk mail. Empty that bin directly into the waste paper container.

The energy required to make glass products from raw materials is twice as much as the energy used in producing the same items from recycled glass. That’s why glass bottles and other glass waste should always be sent for recycling.