Yes, soda cans and water bottles are among the things that we know to be recyclable but do you know that there are still several other items in this list? Note that before you throw away an item to put into the heaps of trash belonging to local landfills, consider first whether it can be recycled or not.
Batteries are one item that Americans often simply toss into the trash can, but these not only can be recycled, they also should be recycled because they do contain trace amounts of mercury. If you have batteries that were made prior to 1997, these absolutely should be recycled, because they contain a far larger amount of mercury than the newer versions. Many battery stores, both online and brick-and-mortar stores, will let you drop off your used batteries. There are also places where you can recycle rechargeable batteries and lithium batteries.
Ink cartridges from your everyday printer also can be recycled. Some stores will pay you a small amount for these cartridges or offer you a discount for turning in these items. The parts of these cartridges are used to make new products, as these contain highly recyclable materials such as thermoplastic and aluminum.
Clothing also can be recycled. Not only can you donate gently used clothing to charity stores, but clothes that are stained, torn or threadbare also can be recycled. These pieces of clothing can be transformed into everything from rags used for cleaning to insulation.
The compact fluorescent light bulb is a highly common type of light bulb which you probably have somewhere in your home or office. Because of its high content of mercury, these items are a definite “no-no” to being part of the waste build-up in local landfills – whether in your community or any other place. Large stores like Home Depot and or the home furnishings store IKEA have found a way to put them to good use and have created a recycling program just for this particular item.
Generally speaking, thermoplastic is definitely recyclable. Included on the list of products which can be recycled are those made of nylon, PVC and acrylic, along with several other types of plastic as well. This type of plastic is being used by thermoforming companies in order to make several types of products together with custom thermoformed packaging. More and more large metropolitan areas will welcome thermoplastic of any type into their recycling bins, making the process for recycling much easier for us all.
Lenna Stockwell loves blogging about how stuff is made. For further information regarding custom product packaging or to discover more about food packaging design options, please go to the Indepak.com website today.