Recycling Tips

The Waste authority urges you to keep these helpful hints and tips in mind while recycling at home, school, and work.

Make visiting the local recycling location a part of your regular routine.
Have a yard sale or donate unwanted items.
Use food scraps, yard trimmings, and other organic wastes to create a compost pile.
When you mow, “grasscycle” by leaving grass clippings on your lawn instead of bagging then. The clippings will return nutrients to the soil.
If you have a wood burning fireplace, save your ashes instead of throwing them away. Once cooled, wood ashes can be mixed into your compost heap.
Use insulation made from recovered materials.
Buy rechargeable batteries.
When moving, use boxes with the highest content of recycled paper and bubble wrap containing recycled plastic. Be sure to recycle packaging materials after your move.
For cleaning chores, buy reusable mops, rags, and sponges.
Set aside storage for your recyclables. This storage doesn’t have to be inside but it should be clean and out of the weather.
DO NOT crush or flatten bottles or jars.
Rinse recycle beverage and food containers to keep insects away.
Buy products made from or packaged in recycled or returnable containers. Some packaging made from recycled materials is marked with a recycling symbol.
Buy items in the largest possible size because you’ll use fewer containers this way.
Avoid a disposable product when a reusable one will work just as well.

Purchase and use school supplies made from recycled products.
Keep waste out of landfills by using school supplies wrapped in minimal packaging and buying in bulk.
Save packaging, colored paper, egg cartons, and other items for arts and crafts projects.
Package lunches in reusable containers, carry food in reusable bags, and bring drinks in a thermos.
When buying lunch, grab only what you need. Too often extra ketchup packets and napkins go to waste.
Set up a composting program.
Make posters that remind students what can be composted or recycled.
Use both sides of a piece of paper during classroom activities.
Allow parents to receive communications from the school by email rather than printed mail.

Save hard copies of documents to your hard drive or email them to yourself to save paper.
Change your printer settings to make double-sided pages.
Pay your bills via e-billing programs when possible to save paper.
Use paperclips (over staples) when possible.
Reuse envelopes with metal clasps and reuse file folders by sticking a new label over the previous one.
Check for organizations that may be able to use your old equipment or try donating the equipment.
Make space next to your trash bin(s) in your break room and kitchen areas for a recycling container.
Purchase paper, pencils, and other products that are made from recyclable materials.
Buy energy efficient items with the ENERGY STAR ® logo or items that are EPEAT registered.