9 Simple Ways You Can Start Loving The Earth Via Recycling
Photo by Jack Church on Unsplash
We all know that we need to do our part to help the environment, but sometimes it can be hard to get started. Recycling and repurposing materials can help protect our planet and make a positive impact. So we’ve compiled a list of nine ways you can contribute to helping the environment.
1. Recycle Your Sneakers
Many companies are willing to collect shoes and sneakers for repurposing and some are willing to give you cash for them too.
Nike has a program where they collect your worn-out athletic shoes and repurpose them into new shoes.
You can find the list of other programs in the article 7 Places Where You Can Donate Sneakers For Cash
2. Recycle Wine Corks
Restaurants, bars, and other eating establishments that sell wine often hold onto their wine corks. Back in 2016/2017 we collaborated and swung by many restaurants each week to collect wine corks to recycle them for funds.
The program was run by a company that shut down not too long after we got started but it doesn’t mean the potential to recycle corks for cash should end there. You can always sell them on eBay or Etsy, create products out of corks to sell like floor mats, earrings, vases, etc, or start your own recycle corks for cash company.
3. Recycle Your Clothes
ForDays, H&M, The Bra Recyclers, and Patagonia are stores that collect your used clothing for recycling or repurposing. Some of these stores give you store credit or discounts when you bring in your clothes.
4. Recycle Your Furniture
Kaiyo buys and resells your used furniture in three easy steps.
Step 1 Submit the furniture that you want to sell.
Step 2 Pick a date for them to come to pick it up, they will clean and deliver the product to the buyer.
Step 3 You can wait for the item to get sold or cash out on your item immediately on the instant cash offer they provide.
5. Recycle A Basketball
Mylan Murphy turns a basketball into shelves, fanny packs, wallets, watch wristbands, crocs, candle holders, toiletry bags, and much more. You can click each item to watch his tutorials or visit Mylan Murphy’s Instagram page to see more of his ideas.
6. Recycle Your Books
You can sell textbooks, children’s books, and more at Decluttr.com, and Bookscouter.com.
Donate books to BetterworldBooks, Books for Africa, BookThroughBars, and Books to Prisoners.
Trade books on Paperback Swap, BookMooch.
7. Recycle Cell Phones
Staples.com, Bestbuy.com, EcoATM, Eco-Sell, Medic, Cellphone for soldiers, Gazelle, Call2Recycle, Recycling for charities, Verizon and AT&T are all places where you can donate your cellphone. Some of these places will charge you to donate it though.
8. Recycle Grass
The grass clippings you collect from mowing your lawn can be used to reduce the need for fertilizer. Just leave the clippings right on your lawn. This helps the lawn receive nutrients from the soil. Grass clippings are 80% water and 2 to 4% of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and other nutrients.
Short clippings will settle in the soil and decompose after some time and if even you have longer clippings you will have to get a rake to spread them across your lawn. It also can help reduce their disposal of clippings in plastic garbage bags.
9. Recycle Paint
Donate leftover paint to community projects with the Product Care Recycling Paint Share program in Canada. In the U.S. unopened cans can be given to PaintCare and Habitat For Humanity Restore.
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