Whether you’re a homeowner or a business owner, you need to recycle to help the environment. People know it’s important to recycle metal and other materials, and yet so many still choose not to. But do they really choose not to, or do they just not know what’s recyclable? Some people confuse what they can and can’t recycle, and there are quite a few surprising items you can actually recycle. Continue reading to learn what you didn’t know was recyclable.
CDs and DVDs
If you were born after the year 2000, you might not even know what a CD is—but believe it or not, some people still have CDs and DVDs. When a CD, DVD, or video game disk goes bad, a lot of people just throw them out. However, you can absolutely recycle them.
Printer ink and toner cartridges
Anytime you use up the rest of the ink or toner in a cartridge, you should recycle the cartridge correctly. Some online organizations will give you a few cents or a dollar or two so that they can properly recycle the cartridge for you. However, if you don’t want to deal with shipping and the pennies aren’t that important to you, plenty of brick-and-mortar stores also recycle cartridges.
Packing materials
In the days of Amazon, people order more items online than ever before—which is fine, if they’re being environmentally responsible. Obviously, the cardboard box they send you is recyclable, and so is much of the packing material. However, if you receive a bag with bubble wrap lining, you need to take the bag to a plastic bag recycling facility. The bubble wrap and adhesive can otherwise contaminate the rest of the recyclables.
Now you know some of the items you previously didn’t know were recyclable. All in all, it’s important to remember that you can recycle many items other than cardboard and aluminum cans. In fact, many organizations seek out items—from corks to asphalt shingles—to recycle into other materials or products, so keep an eye out for these companies.
