My little Green World

Gift Cards Are Not Green

noreply@blogger.com (Me. Myself and Jonna) — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 16:00:00 +0000

I went shopping on December 26th and I learned a very valuable lesson - and it was not that I should not go shopping on the day after Christmas, although that was a lesson in itself.

What I learned is, gift cards are not green.

I went to Wal*Mart.
I used my gift card. I was asked if I wanted to keep it or if I wanted to trash it. I asked if I could reload it, which I was told I could not. So I asked, "well, what do you guys do with them, recycle them or something?"Image by Getty Images via Daylife to which the clerk just stared slightly confused and finally she answered, "naw, we just throw them in the trash hon'."
Are you serious? All of those plastic gift cards that people give back to Wal*Mart and they don't even reload them?? (Okay, later I found out some are re-loadable, but not others) And they don't even recycle all of the ones they get back? They just toss them? Craziness I say!
This must just be Wal*Mart and more of their crappy practices, it couldn't apply to everywhere!

Or could it?

I went to Starbucks.
My husband had given me a $5.00 gift card - and I won't even get into how he thought $5.00 would be enough to suffice for me - so back to the card.
I bought my tall, green tea latte and handed my gift card over to pay and it was recieved with a, "Would you like to reload this?" Well, of course I did! Just not with my money, so, I guess the answer was really a "no". But before I let the answer slide I had to find out so I asked, "what do you do with the card if I don't reload it?" and the reply? "throw it away". Seriously? Even Starbucks? You know, the Starbucks that advertize that they make their cups out of 10% post recycled consumer something-or-other??

This really must be just a weird, tear in the universe, kind of thing - how could this go unnoticed? I mean, do you realize how many gift cards are bought and used and thrown away every year? I don't know either, but I bet it's a lot!

I'm on a mission. I'm going to write letters. I'm going to recruit friends and family and urge them to complain. I mean couldn't these cards be used for something else? I keep my cards now and I let my son play with this as his "credit cards" but now I'm just teaching him to rack up credit card debt, so I will make this a mission to have someone change this "toss the gift cards" oversite that so many businesses are using!

So, join me in my mission!! Write Wal*Mart and Starbucks and explain to them about how wasteful they are being and how they could better use their resources and recycle their gift cards!

One Bag Of Trash And A Parchridge In A Pear Tree

noreply@blogger.com (Me. Myself and Jonna) — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 13:00:00 +0000

Until this year, our Christmas's ended quite the same way, with an overflowing trash bin on the curb with piles and piles of trash bags around it, filled with paper and ribbons and bows. Next to that is a mountain of cardboard boxes stacked as high as the car.

Not this year.

This year, we are including our Christmas waste in our Recycling Program!

It turned out easier to do and we got a better result than I could have ever imagined!

As we unwrapped, instead of just piling everything into 1 gigantic, stretched, almost-ready-to-blow trash bag, we split our wrappings into 2. One for paper and one for plastic (from the toy packaging) and any boxes get broken down.
It took an extra 5 minutes after we were finished to break the boxes down, however seperating the wrapping from teh plastics was just as fast.

The result?
2 bags of trash in our trash bin and a few boxes broken down, laying nicely next to the trash can. We were the only house on the block who didn't look like a gigantic wrapping factory blew up in our driveway.

What can I say! It's kind of cool!

Merry Christmas!

noreply@blogger.com (Me. Myself and Jonna) — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 15:01:00 +0000

Image by Road Fun via Flickr

Merry Christmas to all of my friends! I hope everyone has a wonderful christmas!

Don't forget to recycle that real tree (if you have one) by doing some of the following:

As your pine needles fall, add them to your compost!

Donate them to help restore sand dunes, wetlands, and fish habitat.

Or just check out Earth 911 to find a recycling program that will take your tree and chip it up for you!

All Around Goodness - Vinegar

noreply@blogger.com (Me. Myself and Jonna) — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 16:26:00 +0000

Vinegar and water is a great solution to clean with. It's a deodorizer and a disinfectant without all the harsh chemicals.

-- Windows, crystal clear.
-- Coffee pot, you'll never be afraid of what your drinking.
-- Counter tops, will take the smells off!
-- Garbage disposals, no more weird smells when you run it!
-- Crock pots, remove that soap and calcium buildup.

See! Good stuff!

Ok, so I'm sure more experienced Eco-friendly cleaners, or even those that just brought the habit down from their parents are reading this going, "Yeah, we know"!

But did you know that vinegar mixed with hydrogen peroxide can help cure fungus infections? If you want all the details on my personal experience you can read all about it here, or you can just take my word for it and head my advise that soaking your jewelry in a 2-part Vinegar and 1-part Hydrogen peroxide mix for 24 hours will not only totally disinfect them, but it will make them super-sparkly!

So, add jewelry cleaner to that list and save a bunch of money!

Work that Pumpkin!

noreply@blogger.com (Me. Myself and Jonna) — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 19:38:00 +0000

Now that the night of spooks and ghouls is done and all the costumes and decorations are being put back into the attic, what do you do with that spook0tacularly carved pumpkin of yours that's still sitting on the front porch?

There's quite a few things you can do with them, so take your pick!

First, call your local zoo and see if they take pumpkin donations! By donating your jack-o-lantern you can give an Elephant a Halloween treat! Yeah, I didn't know they liked them either, but apparently love love to stomp on them and then eat them.

Second, If it's not all saggy and soft yet, spin it around so the "spooky face" you carved is facing away from view and fill it with soil and a big, full mound of mums! What a beautiful fall flower pot!

Third, you can do what I will be doing and cutting it up into small pieces and adding it to my compost bin. Between the pumpkin and the fall leaves I should be composing like crazy!

Or, finally if you just feel a little lazy, throw it in with your yard waste for trash men to come pick up. Don't throw it in your regular trashcan, it won't be put to good use.

So, there you have it! A way to recycle that pumpkin this year!

Handmade Soap

noreply@blogger.com (Me. Myself and Jonna) — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 13:09:00 +0000

I wanted to share Peace, Love & Soap, which I posted about on my main blog with my blogger friends.

I found it while strolling through the Greenville open market last Saturday morning. I thought I was going to leave disappointed, until I ran across her booth!

Seriously, must get some.. so delicious smelling, so soft, and really an excellent product!

Another Thing to Recycle!

noreply@blogger.com (Me. Myself and Jonna) — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 16:06:00 +0000

As I was perusing the internet for fun, greenie ideas, as I commonly do, I came across Nike’s ReUse A Shoe Program and I have to admit, I was shocked that I had never heard of it before!

You haven’t either?

Well, Nike, in all their shoe splendor has decided to start and athletic shoe recycling program. They accept your old athletic shoes (and not just Nike!) and they recycle them with partner organizations to create this stuff called Nike Grind (which is rubber, foam and fabric), which is then used to make sports surfaces such as outdoor basketball and tennis courts, indoor basketball courts, running track, playgrounds and even mini or full soccer fields.

Pretty cool, huh!

So, of course, I’m going to be talking to friends, family and co-workers to see about collecting some old athletic shoes. Because, I have a pair of shoes, seriously, that I’d feel terrible donating to goodwill because although they aren’t torn up, I ran in them… a lot… and frankly, if I were someone else I’d be afraid to get within smelling range let alone put my feet in them.
But that’s not the topic at hand!

So, interested in getting rid of some old athletic shoes and want to make a difference? This is how! And yes, there’s even a list of recycling drop off’s in your area or an address to which you can mail your shoes to. But I guess they didn’t include a scripted apology note to your mail person who must handle your stinky shoes, maybe I should suggest that? Or maybe it’s just me with the stinky shoes?

Well, since my rain barrel project has been put off once again, it looks like I may be starting this one up! Join me? Want to send me your shoes?

Composting Composition

noreply@blogger.com (Me. Myself and Jonna) — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 16:31:00 +0000

Composting isn't just as easy as it sounds, you don't just throw stuff in and then *viola* get great compost soil later. It really is a science, the products you put in affects not only what you get in return but how long.

Learn from my mistakes:
1. Water your compost!
       We've had a drought and to help conserve water, I've not watered my compost bin and it's        made a huge difference in how long things are breaking down.
2. Green to Brown ratio
       Make sure you put equal parts green (household food waste) to brown (yard waste) - it will
       definitely speed the breakdown process and it gives your compost much needed
       nutrients.
3. Stir often!
       I got kind of slack and didn't turn it, again... speeds up the breakdown process.

So, now I'm back on track and hopefully will see a better turn around. The very bottom layer is looking hopeful but not enough to really use in my planters yet.

Blogged with the Flock Browser

A Rain Barrel Would Love Me

noreply@blogger.com (Me. Myself and Jonna) — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 18:44:00 +0000

If only I had one!
With all of this lovely rain we've gotten recently, a rain barrel would no doubt be full. But, alas, I have no rain barrel.

I have a super, cool, energy efficient washer though!

Next project.. rain barrel, for real!

A Washing We Will Go!

noreply@blogger.com (Me. Myself and Jonna) — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 23:04:00 +0000

So, the washer has been bought! A Maytag Epic 4.0 cubit foot high Efficiency Front Load Washer. What does that mean? It means I no longer need to beat the crap out of my washer to get the lid to properly latch right to start the cycle and it means that I will also be saving some water and energy when doing my laundry. Right now, honestly, I'm more excited about not having to box the washer into submission.

There's quite a few features that I really like about this washer, including the multiple settings I have to optimize and make my washing a lot more effective, including having a much faster spins cycle to keep my dryer from having to work harder. Which, by the way, we'll be getting the matching dryer next month. Also, another small feature, which no one but me seems to care about is the fact that the detergent compartment (which holds powder, liquid, fabric softener and bleach) is self-cleaning after each load! I mean hello, am I the only one who had a stained bleach container on their old dryer?

The price is a really good deal for a front loader in comparison to others out there. Granted, I don't have the Cadillac version of a washer but I would rank this up there with maybe a BMW.

The real question now is, how do I save MY energy by getting something that folds and puts the newly washed clothes away?!

Let's save some water!! Washer Style!

noreply@blogger.com (Me. Myself and Jonna) — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 13:07:00 +0000

Let’s take a moment to talk about washers.
I’m not yet in the market but I am starting my research for my next washer. I currently have one of the older, top loading, generic washers that when my husband and I first got married was perfect for one reason only… it fit our budget. And for the married folks out there, a lot of the time, that’s the only factor there is in making decisions about purchases.

The time has come, (7 years later!) that the good little dependable washer is in need of replacing. The spin cycle sounds like a sledge hammer, slamming around my wash closet and the lid had to be rigged to close properly so our clothes didn’t just sit in water for an hour. Which, for me means, time to start looking for a new washer because by the time I find one I may have 1) half-way convinced my husband that it’s necessary and 2) soften the blow of how much money I want to spend on an appliance that I typically complain about having to use anyway.

Also, when I purchase new items I always try to upgrade in some way. So, here are my requirements for my new washer that I want:
4.0 Cu Ft Capacity
Front Loader
Energy Star
Price Max at $900.00 (preferably around $700)

So, the hunt is on and I hope to report back with some news on some water saving washers in a price I can afford and hopefully one that won’t shake the walls while on spin!

Hello America!

noreply@blogger.com (Me. Myself and Jonna) — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 04:05:00 +0000

If you are interested in real life working alternative energy options for the United States, then check out The Pickens Plan
If you join, add me as your friend!

A Composting I will go!

noreply@blogger.com (Me. Myself and Jonna) — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 13:46:00 +0000

So, it's been about 2 months since I've set up our Compost Bin at home. We got a great deal on one at Sam’s Club. It’s a nice black, plastic type material with a nice locking lid.

We started it off with some left over pine straw that we had used in our garden and added into it grass clippings and leaves from our yard work. I realized after a week that I was missing some key ingredients, the “greens”, which include food products. So, to help us remember to take out some of our kitchen recyclables for our compost bin I put together our home made compost collector. I’ve seen the nice porcellin ones they sell that look all fabulous. Well, they don’t have anything on mine! I took an empty coffee canister (the plastic Folgers, with locking lid and a nice handle to carry it by) and took a Sharpie™ pen and wrote on the top “COMPOST”. Viola! Now, we fill that up with our left over coffee grinds and fruits and such that can be composted. I was nervous at first about it drawing mice or other animals, but after doing a Google search on composting I quickly found out what is good for composting and what isn’t.

So, we should be only about 2 months away from being able to use our compost soil! Let’s see how this progresses!

Green Thumb at last!

noreply@blogger.com (Me. Myself and Jonna) — Fri, 02 May 2008 18:18:00 +0000

When I mention Green Thumb, please note, I am not talking about me. I've managed to kill all but one palm plant I have, but I only think it's alive because my father in law watches over it.

However, my husband on the other hand seems to be a particularly wonderful gardener and has started getting very involved in his Square Foot Gardening. Our strawberries are coming in nicely, the tomato plants look fabulous, the peppers are popping and we have a head of romaine lettuce that is taking all of my will power not to just chomp on.

One thing that's nice is that we are going to start composting for rich soil, which in fact will probably be our next eco-project as the rain barrel is just taking so long to find someone locally.

Happy Earth Day!

noreply@blogger.com (Me. Myself and Jonna) — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 02:50:00 +0000

It would be unGreen of me to not wish everyone a wonderful Earth Day!

My Greenie activities have picked up, hence my blogging has slowed down. Our square-foot-garden is in full effect with quite the variety of yummies planted. We have some raspberries, tomatoes, onions, peppers, squash, cucumber and lettuce and a bunch of strawberries.

Still looking for a local contact to buy a rain barrel from. Kind of stagnant right now.

After the rain barrel, comes a solar panel or two! I hope!

Rain Barrels Galore!

noreply@blogger.com (Me. Myself and Jonna) — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 16:03:00 +0000

It always seems as though local stores in my neighborhood read my mind (or my blog). In this case, a while back when I posted about Rain Barrels I couldn't find any locally. I had seen a few listings on craigslist but there wasn't much of a selection of size or appearance. And considering I live in a neighborhood with restrictions, I try to adhere to some of them by keeping all of my "greenie" stuff nice looking (or at least trying to).

However, this past weekend while perusing the aisles of Home Depot in the garden center, lo-and-behold.. what did appear? A sleight and 8 tiny reindeer! Oh wait, wrong story. Rain Barrels!! It's as if they read my blog and answered my prayers!

The ironic part of this story, I still won't be buying my rain barrel from Home Depot, I'll be purchasing it from either here or here. Just a better selection and price. And considering that we are pulling out of our drought and the garden is seeding, it looks like I'll get my rain barrel just in time.

Green Dimes

noreply@blogger.com (Me. Myself and Jonna) — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 20:15:00 +0000

There is no dumb suggestions!

noreply@blogger.com (Me. Myself and Jonna) — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 15:14:00 +0000

Ok, yes there are dumb suggestions. I once suggested to my hair stylist that she only bleach my bangs a white blonde while leaving the rest a horrid, dirty brown. Really. Dumb. Suggestion. What? I was 14!

But what isn't a dumb suggestion is the one I made in my company's "Bright Ideas" suggestion program yesterday. I simply suggested that we make an effort to have all departments purchase and use recycled paper for non-presentation printouts (meaning general use) instead of non-recycled paper. I know how much paper myself and my boss goes through and to think that our habits are very small compared to most departments - it's really scary to think how much paper we actually go through!

To top it off, our recycling program here in house is really crappy and just getting up and started. Basically we've been told we are responsible for dumping our own trash in the appropriate bins. But no one has given us recycle bins for our desks to make this any easier so many people just don't do it. One small change could make a world of difference. If only I could convey this to some people. Just put your paper in a separate bin. Just throw your bottles away in the marked bin. Why is that so hard? It's hard because no one wants to change the way they do things and they are lazy. That infuriates me, but I can't change the world.

Local Disappointments

noreply@blogger.com (Me. Myself and Jonna) — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 11:20:00 +0000

I'm very disappointed in how difficult my local Public Works makes recycling.

Actually, they make it fairly easy to actually do, but trying to find out information about how or what is recycled all but takes a call up to the office and talking to someone who sounds just as pleased to be taking your call. Then, when you go to the main recycling center at the landfill, it's confusing! Nothing is clearly marked and again, the customer service when questions are asked is like asking someone to pleasantly stab you in the eyeball.

You would think that the County, who runs the landfill, who runs the recycling program would want more people to actually do it, and by making the information easily accessible (geez, it's 2008 - put the info on the website already!) it would make more people prone to do it.

Let me show you exactly what I mean, when I say it's difficult. Here is the County website. From that main page, you must first click on Public Works. Then from the Public Works page, you click on Solid Waste. Then from this page, you must scroll mid-way down the page and see the one little link that says "Click here" for a map of the County to see where the recycling centers are? Once you click that little link, it takes you to this very bad map by which you are supposed to locate your nearest recycling center. But that's not all! There's another tiny link to take you to a complete list, in case you can't make out the map - which I think is obvious. So that takes you.. here.

Now, in ALL of these different links to take you to find out WHERE you can recycle, not one of these links has any information (or even a reference link to any outside links!) to WHAT you can recycle or HOW! This varies greatly in almost every County and that information is critical to those of us who take our time to separate our trash, the least they could do is put one little page up (maybe with the cute recycling guys logo?) telling us the How's and What's of their Recycling Program!

Is that too much to ask?

We will see. Because I'm asking. See, I work for the County that I'm speaking about and I'm going to be shooting one of my infamous "Oh No She Didn't" emails off in the next week or so to suggest that our County website be more informative to everyone, not just the businesses of the area.

Wish me luck, yall!

Make It Right 9

noreply@blogger.com (Me. Myself and Jonna) — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 15:34:00 +0000

The Make It Right 9 project is amazing. Not only because their mission is to rebuild the Lower 9th Ward of New Orleans, but to do so in safe and healthy homes which could be sustainable. The project is sponsored by Global Green and some of the ideas and thoughts that are going into this are pure genius.

I'm not just saying this because Brad Pitt is basically the founder and vision of all of this. And it's not just because he's my uber-hot-dream-green-guy.

Ok, maybe it is, but it's still a wonderful project and if you haven't heard anything about it, please feel free to visit their website here.

Divorce is not Eco-Friendly?

noreply@blogger.com (Me. Myself and Jonna) — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 18:35:00 +0000

According to this article divorce isn't eco-friendly.

Let's see, family splits up, lives in two homes, uses double the energy.
Did it really take "research" to find this out?

Not Necessarily Green, but Great nonetheless

noreply@blogger.com (Me. Myself and Jonna) — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 15:54:00 +0000

FreeRice.com is a site where you can basically test your verbal knowledge and for each word you get correct, free rice is donated by the United Nations via the World Food Programme

All politics aside, it's very cool.

My eco-friendly Christmas Gifts

noreply@blogger.com (Me. Myself and Jonna) — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 21:17:00 +0000

I had great intentions this year of dong all eco-friendly gifts for everyone in my family this Christmas. An eco-friendly gift bag!

I found a great deal on these go-again bags on eBay. Each bag was going to be filled with environment friendly gifts. Almost immediately this plan changed, as I couldn’t find enough gifts in my price range to afford to fill each one of these bags for each family member. I’m talking 10-12 bags here, people!

So, my concept changed a bit. The bags are going only to the women in the family. And they are not only filled with natural gifts but eatable gifts and comforting gifts. None of the gifts will take up space on a shelf somewhere, nothing that will ever come back to haunt them as they look through the “gifts of past”, just little things here and there that may be useful or easily enough to get rid of.

For example, some natural lip balm, some super-soft comfy socks, tons of chocolate and other not-so-waistline friendly treats and of course, there will be a nice bottle of organic juice.

Cheesy? Maybe. But hey, it’s something new for me (and I’m sure my family) and it was more fun putting these together than running down the gift aisles of Wal-Mart looking for the “I didn’t’ just run down the gift aisles of Wal-Mart” gifts!

The Recycling Efforts & My Next Project

noreply@blogger.com (Me. Myself and Jonna) — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 16:37:00 +0000

The recycling efforts are going well both on the home front and in the office.

At the house I've got most things down to science now, the only problems stemming from the 2 non-English speaking, just don't want to get it, older folks (read as father-in-law and his sister) who insist on doing things their way. However, I must compliment my father-in-law as he has proven his skills as a master composter, something of which I wanted to start. He's kind of taken over that, at least for the sake of one small spot in our yard to which he's staked claim for his tomato plants.

At work, my little recycling center is doing really well. If I could only keep people from throwing their regular trash into my Aluminum/Plastics bin, it would be a total success. The "powers that be" are also arranging for us to get bigger bins that are collected by the County instead of my small bin that I donated out of my own pocked.

So, this leads me to my next eco-friendly project that I'm looking into.

If you live anywhere in the US right now, especially the southern states, you've heard about the drought going on, right? If not, look here. See the northern tip of South Carolina, that's me. That deep red means extreme drought.
So, during a drought, what's the last thing you'd need to start? Rain Barrels! What am I going to do? Rain Barrels!
Yes, I know it's not raining right now (duh.. drought) but for what little rain we do get, I think rain barrels would be a great way to save that water that isn't soaked up by our ever-thirsty ground. And hopefully, if we get through this anytime soon, the next wet season we have I can stock up on water in rain barrels to use for watering my plants and such.

So, let's talk a bit more about rain barrels. If you haven’t a clue as to what I’m talking about, a rain barrel is a big barrel (which now comes in complimenting styles and sizes) that you add to your gutter system. Basically, the gutter water runs through the down downspouts of your gutters, and through a filter (to keep leaves and junk out) and into your barrel, instead of running out into your yard. It’s fully enclosed (at least most of them are) to keep it safe from bugs or kids getting into it. Because breeding mosquitoes is the last thing we need here in the south! On the bottom of this barrel is a spigot or a connector to which you can attach a hose. This allows you to either fill buckets or connect hoses to water plants with. Barrels come in all sorts of sizes, so you can choose something that fits your water needs. Also, because they are becoming more main stream, they are coming out in some great styles as well that will compliment your home.

Two things to remember about rain barrels, NEVER drink from them and ALWAYS drain full ones if freezing weather comes around.

So, stay tuned for the rain barrel adventure about to begin!

Recycling 101: A newbies guide to getting green(er)

noreply@blogger.com (Me. Myself and Jonna) — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 14:21:00 +0000

When you think of “Green”, what’s the first thing you think about? Recycling! Or at least, it is the first thing that comes to my mind. So, logically this was my first project in “going green” (or at least greener).

Here are the steps that you can take to making an organized and convenient recycling station at your home or work.

First, find out what your local community recycles by calling your county’s Department of Public Works. This will give you the baseline to choose what you’d like to recycle. Also, check to see if your county or city provides containers for what is called “curb side recycling”, in which you can place your recyclables in and they will take it away for you. For example, my City provides carts for aluminum or paper, however they do not collect glass or plastics.

Once you find out what you can recycle, next it’s time to decide what YOU want to recycle. Although your county or city may recycle anything and everything, it may not be feasible for you to start off trying to recycle everything. A good plan is to start small and expand as you see fit. Try 3 basic bins, one for aluminum and bottles (if your facilities allow mixing), one for paper and one for glass or steel. These are the most common household items to recycle.

Next, you’ll want to find the right place and container to put your recyclables in. I went to my local Target store and bought the $6 trash bins with lids. The reason I did this is because I was planning to put my recycle station in the garage and I wanted to ensure that if I had left a trace of soda in a can or bottle or if the food didn’t totally get rinsed from the soup can, I wasn’t going to attract little critters into my garage. Feel free to use anything that works for your space and your style. I’ve seen very elaborate setups with beautiful containers with recycling logos on them, to plain bins with garbage bags as liners. I choose the easiest, cheapest and cleanest for me to maintain. To make things a little easier on myself, I taped labels on the lids of each container with packing tape (to protect from water) so I could easily identify each bin.

And finally, after getting your station put together, it’s time to recycle! A few tips to remember that will make things much easier on yourself and the recycling center. Try to rinse out all items before they go into the recycling bins. It will help you keep your bins cleaner and it keeps the recycling process neater (and cheaper!). With plastic bottles there are a few rules. Always remove the lids, as they are not made from the same types of plastic as the bottle and can’t be recycled. Not all plastics are the same. Each plastic item should have a number somewhere on it indicating what type of plastic it is.

Here are some examples:
Type #1 and #2 plastics are recyclable and are usually containers such as detergent containers, milk jugs, soft drink bottles, juice bottles, cooking oil containers and water bottles. Type #3, #5 and #7 get thrown out, they include plastic wrap and vegetable oil bottles, most bottle tops, syrup bottles, diapers and some bags. Type #4 is plastic bags (although some can be #2’s which is why you always want to look to be sure) and you can return those to your local grocery stores.

Just remember, if you have any questions that your local Public Works Department will always give you the answers you need and most of the time will welcome anyone who is willing to recycle to do so. So spread the word and start recycling!