I always sort out all of our belongings that cannot be used anymore. All biodegradable materials and items are labeled. It is easy for me to do that when they are stored in boxes and containers. I can just pick them up or have the collectors grab them. After a month, I would sell them to local recycling centers. It’s actually my secret of gaining extra income.
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Do you know that nearly most of your personal items can be reused and recycled? The words “reuse” and “recycle” have different meanings. Do not be confused with it but to tell you they have the same purpose. That is to remain them useful throughout all times when their main and original functions do not work anymore or if you think they cannot do good anymore.
“Reuse” is when you use a particular item as to its same function. For example, the disposable cups you use during the birthday party of your kid can be reused for another event. We do this most of the times at home whenever there’s family gathering, whether formal or casual.
“Recycle” is when you use an item for another different purpose. One good example is shoe boxes, which you can use as a container of your children’s toys or as a wrap box of a gift. With all the things you can find at home, almost all of them are good recyclable items. Let me share with you what household and personal items can you recycle.
1. Paper and Cardboard
I subscribe some magazines about food, health, fashion and electronics. When I have a ton of collections from my subscriptions 3 to 5 years ago, I thought about what I could do to make them still useful. I searched, and to my surprise, there were lots of ways to make magazines functional. One thing that I found amazing was the pages of magazines could be used to make a basket and table display.
What you probably know about recycling paper and cardboards is that they are shredded and processed until they become new pieces or sheets of paper again. That is very true. That is the traditional way of recycling papers and cardboards. If you have tons of papers which you cannot use anymore, it’s better to donate or sell them to recycling centers than throwing them. You are not only helping recycling centers to have more collections of papers but also to save the trees. Instead of getting ingredients from trees to make paper, the idea of recycling used newspapers, magazines, scrap paper and cardboards is a good solution. Even cartons like grocery boxes, shoe boxes and electronics boxes are useful for recycling. Those cardboards that are glossy and waxy coated or plastic covered are not acceptable as they can clog shredding paper machines.
2. Plastics
One of the items that can cause harmful and toxic chemicals is plastics. Plastic bottles, plastic bags and plastic dish ware are examples of commonly used items that you can see in many homes. Since they are made of different chemicals, plastic items are non-biodegradable. This means they cannot decay in a quick period of time. They rather release harmful chemicals that can pose a threat to the health and the environment. So, how are you able to recycle plastics?
We used to have some plastic bottles of juices and condiments. I cut the bottom part of bottles to make them pots of plants. I was able to save some money as I didn’t have to buy new pots at all. It won’t take a lot of time to cut plastic bottles and turn them into pots. What else can you lose when you try doing this?
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If you have enough plastic bottles, simply collect them and label them as recyclable materials. Like papers and cardboards, you can give or sell them to recycling centers. Collectors of garbage can do that when they come to your neighborhood. What you only have to do is to put them all together in one container or a large box and label it as recyclable items or non-biodegradable.
3. Glass
Broken or unused glass is recyclable too. You can make them as pathway in front of your house or at the backyard. However, it can be dangerous to use them as pathways at home if you have small kids. They may walk barefoot and hit the glass without knowing. In case you have little kids, just give your collection of glass to any nearby recycling center or store that accepts glass. By the way, when I say glass, this does not only refer to cups and bottles. Light bulbs, fluorescents and mirrors are also considered glass that can be recycled.
4. Copper, Aluminum and Steel
Aside from plastic materials, items that are made of copper, steel and aluminum are also harmful when they are thrown. These items are highly accepted for recycling. Food cans, paint cans, repellent bottles and foil packaging are a few samples of items that you must not throw after using them or whenever they are empty. You better collect them also and give to places that accept recyclable items.
5. Electronics
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CDs, old computers, wrecked printers, chargers and batteries are also items that can be recycled. I believe your eyes just opened wide after hearing that. All the electronics that you think are junk when they are not functional anymore can still be recycled and use for other things. Many big companies and organization want them. You have to check out your local listing where to give or sell these items. It’s better to have them recycled as that’s the simplest way for you on how to get rid of them out of your house.
Now that you have learned the items that are good for recycling, you can make them useful to your home once again. Better yet, use them as an opportunity to generate additional cash. If you have a good heart without the need of extra money, make sure that you still donate them for recycling.
