Things You Can Recycle That You Haven’t Thought About

We all know we can recycle bottles, cans, paper and cardboard. Recycling has gone from a lifestyle choice to a real-world necessity in the last few years, and as awareness and participation grows, so do the number of products that are able to be recycled. For manufacturers all over the world, marketing merchandise as easily recyclable is now a big selling point - just take a look at the latest adverts for Apple laptops for evidence of this.

The great thing is, those empty bottles and cans can now be joined by almost anything you have hanging around the house. Below are some suggestions for how to recycle or re-use your chintz. A quick Google search will locate your nearest participant in any schemes.

Blankets
Don’t throw out your old blankets. Instead, donate them to animal shelters, where they can be used to keep cats and dogs warm through the winter months. No pooch will mind a few stubborn stains or frayed ends, and it will make you feel good too.

Bricks
Demolishing a brick barbecue in your garden? Tearing down a fireplace? Don’t chuck those bricks in the skip, get on the internet. You’ll be surprised at how valuable used bricks can be - there is a whole industry growing up around the recycling of second-hand bricks.

Clothes Hangers
Someone always needs coat hangers. Throwing them out is a terrible waste. Try taking them down to your local dry cleaners. They are always on the lookout for hangers and might even pay you a small fee - it’s cheaper than buying them new.

Compact Fluorescent Bulbs (CFLs)
IKEA will recycle any used CFLs for you free of charge. Keep them in the garage in a box until you next need to head to the furniture megastore and take them with you. It’s the quickest and most convenient way to dispose of CFLs and IKEA will put them into its recycling program on your behalf.

Flip-Flops
Most cheap flip-flops are made of easily recyclable plastics. Your holiday footwear could be recycled into anything from a pen lid to a cable tie. It’ll also give you an excuse to head out for a new pair before your next holiday, so you can follow fashions and save the environment at the same time.

Glasses
Old frames can be donated to a number of charities for the elderly and underprivileged. Check out The Gift of Sight for more information on how to recycle your specs.

Ink Cartridges
Pay a quick visit to your local ASDA store and purchase one of its own-brand ink cartridges which are compatible with almost every printer currently on the market. Inside the package is a pre-paid envelope into which you can pop your used ink cartridge to post back to them, free of charge. This recycling allows ASDA to reduce the price of its ink cartridges, saving you money while you save the planet.

Mattresses
Mattresses can be recycled. Okay, it might take a bit of work to haul the old dusty thing down the stairs, but if you can get it to a participating recycling centre, they can be cleaned, re-stuffed, resold or donated to charity organizations who can then pass them on to the needy. A bit of effort on your part can go a long way for someone not so fortunate.

Phone Books
Most people now consider the phone book a waste of paper, but a lot of us get one thrown against our doors periodically anyway. When it’s suitably out of date, pop it down to your local recycling centre. Most will take the phone book off your hands, and if not they will know someone who can.

Roof Shingle
To be honest, this isn’t one that’s going to crop up too often, but it’s worth knowing anyway.  Head to Shingle Recycling (http://www.shinglerecycling.org/) for more information on how roof shingle can be recycled to use in road laying.

Tools
We all have some old tools lying around in the garage or in the attic. Every couple of years, root through your toolbox and take out anything you a) can’t remember buying, b) can remember buying but have no idea why or what for c) feel was useful at the time but cannot see any possible use for in the future. Then, as long as the tools are in semi-decent condition, stick them on eBay. There is a healthy demand for good tools at reasonable prices and you should make a tidy sum.

VHS Tapes
If you have a substantial collection of VHS tapes, you might have a chance of recycling them. A quick search on the internet will reveal your options to you. Most participating organisations require VHS to be sent to them in bulk, but if you have a few hundred cluttering up your house, it might be worth looking into.

Wine Corks
Yemm & Hart (www.yemmhart.com) are producers of recycled building materials. It’s natural to presume that building materials would be made of stronger stuff than the humble wine cork, but Yemm & Hart turns them into floor and wall tiles for new builds. Collect your corks over the course of a year, box them and send them off. It’s also a good way to keep track of how much wine you’re drinking.

These suggestions only scratch the surface of what you can recycle. There are thousands of different household goods that can be re-used, and as can be seen from above, not all of them are as obvious as you might think. Happy recycling!

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