According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, Americans produce more than 200m tons of garbage each year, enough to fill two baseball stadiums. Of that amount, about 55% ends up in landfills, producing more than 22% of human-related methane, a greenhouse gas implicated in global warming.
The good news? There are ways to discard your castoffs responsibly, rather than throwing them in the trash. Here’s how.
Donate
Give away or sell items in order to extend their use. A quick web search will help you find local organizations that accept the goods. It’s possible to send items to specific places – say, musical instruments or computers to schools, or unused toiletries to shelters for the homeless or abused women. Some organizations to consider, depending on the product:
Electronics. Several nonprofits focus on getting donated electronics into the right hands. They include Students Recycling Used Technology (StRUT), Komputers 4 Kids and eBay Giving Works.
Musical instruments. Instead of letting your old flute collect dust in the attic, consider a donation to a nonprofit like Hungry For Music, Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation or Give The Gift Of Music.
Books. If you read on an iPad or Kindle, you likely have an unused collection of hard- and softcover tomes lining your shelves. Consider freeing up space by giving them to Books For Soldiers, Goodwill or Better World Books.
Household items. Remodeling your home? Rather than sending old hardware, appliances and furniture to the dump, consider handing them to Habitat for Humanity or Veterans of America, which will use them in their building endeavors and outreach programs.
Freecycle
This grassroots group of 9 million members in 85 countries finds local homes for goods that might otherwise end up in a landfill. Membership is free, and offered items must be free as well. Accepted items include household goods such as table settings, coffee makers and recliners; and personal items like clothing, magazines and books.
Recycle
Several things that you may not immediately think of are actually recyclable – like aerosol cans and Ziploc bags. Also, some companies are changing the packaging of their goods from plastic to recyclable paperboard.
When discarding castoffs at a local recycling center, “know what is accepted and not accepted”, says Patty Moore, founder of Moore Recycling Associates. “Don’t bring things that are not asked for and be sure to separate everything that is OK to recycle.”
For more simple tips on recycling and reusing, visit the Green Choices section of SC Johnson’s Family Home blog.
This content is brought to you by SC Johnson.
