There's been such a build-up of waste on our beautiful planet, it's high time we sat back and took a look at which direction we are heading in. Down the same road spells disaster. For us, for our families, for the future. Fortunately, reason has prevailed in many quarters and there is a concerted effort being made to turn back the clock. What can we do to stop contributing to this form of pollution? Let's take a look at a few items and how we can dispose of them.

Paper first. Most recycling centers accept all paper products. You can start by reducing the amount of paper that comes in to our house. Cancel subscriptions to newspapers and magazines you don't read or if you tend to read the latest news online or watch the TV news channels, do you really need the newspaper? Cut down on your junk mail too 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.

Then come batteries. These are terribly hazardous to the environment as they leach chemicals into the soil. Make sure you don't put hem into the garbage as they contain harmful metals. They should be taken back to the manufacturer. There are quite a few places that pick up batteries for recycling. Find out is there is one near your home. You could call your local council to enquire. Make sure you switch to rechargeable batteries so that you don't have to keep discarding them as soon as their charge is gone.

What about furniture? You can donate to a whole lot of causes. You'll be surprised how many places willingly take old furniture. Talk to friends or neighbors and find out the nearest community centers or charity shops. Or, if you can't do that, have a garage sale or an auction. Make sure you give your furniture away in good condition. If it needs a touch-up or a bit of repairing, get it done before you give it away.

Now for glass. Glass is usually separated by color before it is given away. Make sure you are careful if you are handling broken glass. You can separate them and deposit them at any recycling center. Try and find out which is the center closest to you. You might just find that our supermarket has a collection corner so do ask around. This would make things really easy because then you just lug it along every week when you go in to do your shopping. If you are putting it into a general recycle bin provided by the council, just check whether they accept glass because some do not. Also make sure you clean out all the glass articles before you put them in. You don't want the whole recycle center smelling to high heaven!

Now comes the plastic items. There are so many different kinds of plastic today. You have opaque ones, transparent ones, PET, PVC, and so on. Most places have local recycling centers where you can deposit plastic products. Clean them before you put them there. You could also try using some at home to store things so you do not go out and buy more!