Five unusual items you can recycle

Everyone knows that they should recycle. Paper, plastic containers, glass ... but what about items that you can't put into your curbside recycling?

It takes a little more effort to recycle these items, but if you're trying for a zero waste lifestyle (or you get charged per bag of trash you throw out), it can make a difference. As I noted in some sections, it especially makes a difference if you can get your school, workplace or a local business to participate. But even if you can't, you probably have these five items lying around your home, and can help the environment or a charity by giving them a second life.

Eyeglasses
The Lions Club collects old eyeglasses to give away. You can either ship eyeglasses directly, or put them in a drop-off location (many banks and retail stores have boxes by the doors).

Batteries
Batteries are one item that people often toss, but definitely shouldn't. Batteries have harmful chemicals and should be disposed of properly. I haven't been able to find one large organization that collects them, but check to see if there is a local electronics recycling company near you--they often take batteries.

I have a jar of all the old batteries I find rattling in drawers, or dead batteries from flashlights and remotes. Once it's full, I plan to take it to a local recycling company. From now on, I plan on using rechargeable batteries, too.

Keys
Keys for Hope collects keys for recycling, and uses the money to fight hunger. I know I have plenty of old keys around my home that I can send in. You can read more about the charity here.

Plastic bags
Plastic grocery bags, some shipping materials, and a lot of plastic wrapping can be recycled. Before you toss plastic, flip it over and check for a recycling symbol. If it's there, bring it to a local store for recycling (hint: there's probably a collection box in the same area where aluminum cans are collected). Most curbside recycling programs aren't equipped to handle it, but the stores are.

Plastic Film Recycling has more information on what's recyclable. It's important to keep plastic bags out of trash, because they can easily blow away and harm wildlife.

Toothbrushes and oral care items
TerraCycle partnered with Colgate to create a recycling program for plastic toothbrushes, floss containers, and empty toothpaste tubes. This is more of a project for a whole school or workplace to collect and ship them in, to make the recycling program worthwhile. I've heard of dentist offices setting up collection bins, which is a great idea.


If you have any more information about recycling, or an experience to share, please leave a comment!

Photo credit: Tim Mossholder, Unsplash