Think beyond just recycling your paper, bottles and cans.

What you can do

There are a host of other items that should get a second spin (before you toss anything away, check with your solid waste department or online to see if it can have a second life):

• 

  E-Waste: Resource extraction consumes massive amounts of energy. And electronics contain toxic metals that can pollute the environment and threaten human health. When recycled responsibly, the metals can be put back into circulation, decreasing the need for new metal mining. Cell phones can be recycled at Recycle My Cell Phone. Information on computer recycling and other electronics can be found at the EPA.
• Sports shoes: Unless your tennis shoes have flashing lights or metal cleats, they can be returned to NIKE and NIKE will grind up the shoe, recycle it and use the material to create synthetic basketball courts, tennis courts and padding under hardwood basketball courts. Your shoes can be any type of athletic shoe (except lights and cleats) and can be any brand. Check out the reuse-a-shoe program and see if there is a drop-off site near you.
• Light Bulbs: Replace incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescents (CFLs). Compact fluorescents use four times less energy, and last eight times longer than incandescent bulbs.

For More Information

• Ecology Action: Ecology Action shows you how to recycle various e-waste products, such as computers, printer ink, and stereo systems.

• Energy Star: Energy Star demonstrates the advantages of CFL light bulbs.

• Recycle My Cell Phone

• Nike: Re-Use a Shoe Program

• Environemntal Protection Agency: EPA Plug In Partners

Tag it:

?