Recycling has become a necessary way of life. It is just as easy to throw out to trash materials that can just as easily be recycled. The question is, who is going to be the one that does it? The answer is simple enough. Just hold up a mirror in front of your face. That is the person in charge of recycling in your household.



What gets recycled? There are four basic recyclable materials. These are paper, glass, aluminum, and plastic.

Let's look at paper first. Most recycling centers accept all paper products. Put all your newspapers into a daily collection bin. You can start by reducing the amount of paper that comes in to our house. Cancel any unnecessary subscriptions to newspapers and magazines. Do you really need the newspaper if you don't read it as soon as it comes in?

You can cut down on your junk mail by putting up huge signs on your mailbox. Recycle things like envelopes, packing material, etc. Print both sides of the paper and whenever you can use recycled paper.

Expended dry cell batteries are hazardous to the environment. They leach chemicals into the soil. Make sure you don't put hem into the garbage as they contain harmful metals.. There are a number of places that pick up batteries for recycling. Find out is there is one near your home. You could call your local county government council to inquire. If possible, use rechargeable batteries so that you don't have to keep discarding them as soon as their charge is gone.

Make sure you are careful if you are handling broken glass. Most county recycle programs have blue bins to recycle glass. If you are putting glass into a general recycle bin provided by the council, just check whether they accept broken glass because some do not. Clean out all the glass articles before you put them in. You don't want the whole recycle center smelling to high heaven!

There are so many different kinds of plastic today but the two most recognizable items are polystyrene foam and polyethylene. Polystyrene comes in blocks or popcorn. Polyethylene is used in sheets and bottles. You should keep these materials in separate bags prior to local recycling centers where you can deposit plastic products. Clean them before you put them there.

And last but not least are aluminum cans. Every family consumes multiple gallons of beer and soft drinks. These take up voluminous air space, so you have to compress them. The easiest way is to pinch the empty can in the middle and then fold the top half over the bottom half. This will reduce the volume by half. There are can compressor presses available at some hardware stores where you can totally flatten an aluminum can just as if you were squeezing an orange.

Whatever way you choose to recycle, just do it. Nobody will give you a medal for your efforts, and you will not win the award of Recycler of The Month. Nobody will pay you a cent to recycle trash, although you could be fined if you violate a mandatory recycle law. The chief benefit comes knowing you are doing your part to keep the air and waterways clean. That is a benefit we all can live by