Dealing with the Trash

No one likes taking out the garbage, especially when you realize just how much garbage you make.  Many of us do our best to recycle everything we can, but it still seems like the garbage adds up.  However, there are some interesting, unique types of trash cans that can help us control the garbage we make.

By putting a limit on how much garbage we produce, we can find different ways to reuse or recycle items.  That’s the idea behind the adjustable trash can marketed in Japan, anyway.  This trash can has an adjustable depth so it can be a full-sized trash can or a smaller one.  If kept at the smallest level, perhaps people would make less garbage?  So far, no studies have been done, but it does sound like an interesting concept.

Another interesting trash can is the sidewalk collector used in Germany.  This is one of the deepest trash cans around.  What’s interesting is that only the top of the trash can appears on the streets of Hamburg.  However, lurking under the ground is a huge, 400-liter trash can.  The concept here is that larger trash cans need emptying fewer times, thus saving the money associated with weekly garbage collection.

Finally, there’s the Big Belly solar powered trash can.  Now, why would a trash can need power?  Because the Big Belly actually compacts down the trash thrown in it.  This allows it to hold up to eight times as much garbage as a trash can the same size.  Of course, the downside here is that no oxygen can get into the compacted bundles of trash, which causes some issues with decomposition.  However, recyclables can also be compacted down, which can help save space in recycling plants.

Green Pizza Boxes

Parents of college students see it all the time: they go to visit their son or daughter in the dorm expecting to find him or her living in a tidy, if small, little room.  When they walk in, however, they realize they can’t see the desk, the bed, or anything else.  Why?  The entire room is covered in pizza boxes!  OK, it’s often not that bad, but the traditional image of a college dorm room or bachelor pad full of pizza boxes is sometimes not that far from the truth.

There’s more than just the cleanliness to be concerned with.  Pizza boxes are one of the worst products in existence from a recycling standpoint.  They take up so much space it can be difficult to fit them in recycling containers, and there’s really no way to fold them up.  Even in the garbage, they are still unwieldy and take up a lot of space.  Plus, there’s the mess factor—many have so much caked on cheese and oil that they may not be able to be recycled.

Fortunately, the Environmentally Conscious Organization, Inc. may have an answer for us.  They have created what they call Green Boxes, pizza boxes that are made from completely recycled materials and are designed in such a way as to make them take up much less room.  The Green Boxes are perforated in several places that allow pizza lovers to actually remove the lid and break it into several pieces.  These pieces can then be used as plates, saving on dishes or paper plate usage.

Another perforation on the bottom of the box actually allows it to fold in half, creating a smaller left-over box that takes up a lot less room in the refrigerator.  The top of the new box securely closes, so there’s no need to use aluminum foil to keep the pizza fresh.  Just stick it in the refrigerator.

College Creates Freecycle Store

If you’re a college student and looking for a way to get involved in helping your campus go green, here’s one great idea: create a freecycle store.  That’s exactly what the Earth CORPS group at Mills College in Oakland, California, did.  The students in the group realized that many students, especially those who were moving back home and didn’t have space to take a lot of things, simply threw away stuff they had purchased over the course of the year.  These items included things like stereos, cooking items, small televisions, computer equipment, and more.

Almost all of these pieces of equipment were in perfect working order.  Why, then, the Earth CORPS students wondered, were they being tossed in the garbage and being sent off to landfills?  It seemed like a waste, and so they decided to open a freecycle store.  The point of a freecycle store is that, instead of throwing away all of that good stuff, the students bring it to the store.  Then other students can come into the Reuse Store, as the Mills College group calls it, and select items they’d like to have.  There is no charge.

Earth CORPS takes their Reuse Store one step farther, however, and allows community members to take items that they need as well.  Community members and students alike find themselves looking through different holiday decorations, equipment, phone chargers, and even some designer clothes and other expensive things.  School supplies, of course, are in high demand, but they are also the top donated item.

The students at Mills College modeled their Reuse Store after a similar store located at Berkeley.  When setting up the store, they didn’t go out and buy new tables or shelves.  Instead, they visited a local landfill and gathered wood and other items, plus some bookshelves and tables were donated from other campus departments that no longer needed them.

Five Things to Never Throw Away in the Garbage

When it comes to recycling, some people find it a chore.  In fact, up to 70 percent of everything that goes into a landfill could be recycled.  A good amount of those items, though, simply take up space in a landfill.  However, there are some items that absolutely should never be thrown away because, in addition to taking up landfill space, they are toxic and can work their way back into our water or our food.  These five items must always be recycled or disposed of in the proper way.

•    Electronics, including televisions, old computer monitors and parts, cell phones, and stereos.  Often, these items contain harmful substances like mercury.  Many cities have special electronic recycling days or collection areas, and most electronics stories will take old cell phones and recycle them.
•    Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs are another danger.  They contain mercury, which means they don’t go in landfills.  Some stores, including Home Depot, are now taking old CFL bulbs.  Since they last so much longer, however, you won’t need to recycle them that often.
•    Car fluids, including wiper fluid and antifreeze.  Basically, any type of fluid that comes out of your car should not go into a landfill due to its toxic nature.  Check with your local garbage company to learn how to dispose of these fluids.
•    Likewise, paint should be taken to the local hazardous waste collection center.  Many cities have laws against disposing of what is called free-flowing liquids in the garbage, so in addition to putting toxins in the ground, throwing away your paint may actually be illegal.
•    Finally, lithium-ion batteries should not be thrown away.  These include rechargeable batteries and batteries used in cell phones and other devices.  Many electronics stores also recycle these batteries.

What is X-Board?

You’ve probably never heard of X-Board, but chances are, you’ve got some of it in your home.  X-Board is a fairly new, lightweight type of board that is created using a structural core of paper or a type of fiberboard support.  The result is a sheet of board made from recycled material placed between two layers of very, very thick paper.  When the flimsy inner material is placed between these two thick sheets of paper, the entire thing becomes very rigid and sturdy.

This type of green product is relatively new, but many companies have jumped on board the X-Board bandwagon.  It’s especially useful for creating lightweight, inexpensive home furnishings like those purchased from IKEA and other department stores.  It’s also an alternative to plywood and medium density fiberboard.  In fact, X-Board is often combined with plywood or wood veneer to make an even stronger piece.  For companies that do many trade shows, X-Board is perfect for creating temporary booths that are only needed for a week or so.  It’s also used in building bookshelves, desks, tables, and other pieces of furniture and as material for walls in buildings.

X-Board was designed by the Xanita company.  Its creators saw huge bales of recycle paper waste and realized that the waste could be put to some use.  They set out to create a board made from the recycled waste that would be completely environmentally friendly.  Today, Xanita creates a number of ecologically friendly boards and other construction goods, all of which are made from this post-consumer paper waste.  The X-Board is made to replace formaldehyde-based boards, petroleum-based PVC materials, and polystyrene/polypropylene sheeting.  Generally, the X-Board can be used in any construction project as a replacement to these products, although in a few instances, the light weight of the X-Board may be an issue.

Increase your Recycling

While some nay-sayers claim recycling doesn’t really do much, we all know that’s not true.  Even if it does take a good amount of energy to recycle materials, at least those materials aren’t going into a landfill somewhere.  Many people, however, only recycle their newspapers and plastics.  There are many other things that can be recycled.  Here are some ways you can increase your recycling efforts.

1.    Recycle your plastic bags.  Many grocery stores have recycling boxes located at the front of the store for used shopping bags.  You can also use these small bags as trashcan liners.

2.    Rather than recycling catalogs, unwanted magazines, and junk mail, do your best to contact the sender and cancel the subscription or have your address removed from their mailing list.  Recycling is great, but never using the materials is even better (and getting less junk mail is always good).

3.    Don’t forget that many electronics stores will accept cell phones and ink cartridges for recycling.  Many places will also take old computers, monitors, and printers.  If they’re in good working condition, you may even get a bit of a discount off a new product.

4.    Know what you can recycle and what you can’t.  If you know of materials that your local recycling center does not take, try to avoid those materials.  Likewise, know how to recycle or dispose of hazardous wastes.  Compact fluorescence light bulbs, for examples, should not simply be thrown in the trash with other garbage.

5.    Instead of buying plastic containers, reuse butter tubs and other plastic food containers that include lids.  Most can be recycled, too, so once a container gets worn, toss it in with the recyclables.

6.    Create a compost heap as a way of recycling your organic waste.

The Small Things Add Up

Many people think they need to make some huge, grand gesture to show that they’ve gone green.  They need to buy a hybrid car, completely change their lifestyle, or completely stop using paper products.  However, this isn’t true—just changing a few small practices can have a huge impact.  Making drastic changes in your life as a way of going green will most likely make you resent changing, anyway, so it’s best if you start small.  Here are a few little things you can do to start going green without making huge, sweeping changes.

•    Stop using paper plates.  While this does mean you’ll use more water since you’ll be washing your plates more often, you will use fewer resources and create less waste, plus the increased water usage isn’t really that much.

•    Likewise, use cloth towels instead of paper towels and cloth napkins instead of paper napkins at meals.  While there are some messes you really only want to use paper towels to deal with, most daily spills can be cleaned up with a cloth towel.

•    Take your cloth shopping bags to the stores instead of using the paper or plastic bags they provide.  Many stores now carry cloth shopping bags for you to purchase if you don’t have any of your own.

•    Use the dishwasher instead of hand-washing dishes.  It actually uses less water.

•    Simply turn off the lights when you’re not in the room.

•    Likewise, don’t leave the television on if you’re not watching it.

•    When replacing light bulbs, put in compact fluorescent bulbs instead of standard bulbs.  You’ll save money in the long run.

•     Start a compost heap.

•    Finally, if you don’t already, start recycling.  Most cities have a recycling program, and you can get a free bin to collect your recyclables in.  If your city doesn’t have a recycling program, urge your city council to start one.

Cut Down on Food Waste

Think about how much food you scrape off your plate after each meal.  How much food are you wasting?  While it may not look like much, if you took all the food you wasted every week and added it up, you might be surprised at just how much food is there. 

For many, it’s simply a matter of learning portion control.  Many people fix too much food with each meal.  If they simply cut a recipe in half, for example, they may find that they don’t have any leftovers.  There’s no need to feed an army if you’re cooking just for yourself.  If, however, you do have leftover food from each meal, here are some ways you can put that food to use instead of simply throwing it away.

If you have leftovers that can be used in baking or in soups or stews, you may be able to freeze them.  You can also use them in the next day’s meal.  If you have leftover meat, make a pot pie or a sandwich of some sort out of it.  Leftover vegetables might go in a stew.

If you can’t use the food in any recipe, create a compost heap with it.  Composting is a great way of providing your garden with minerals, and it saves you money because you won’t need to buy fertilizer.

If you find yourself with a large amount of leftovers, offer some to your neighbors or donate it to a local shelter or soup kitchen.  People are always interested in food, especially if it’s a home cooked meal.

Fixing too much food is often a result of buying too much food.  Try to cut down on the amount you buy so you save money or, on the other hand, start buying in bulk.  This uses less packaging and gives you the option of dividing the portions.  You can also grow your own vegetables as a way of consuming less packaging.  Plus, fresh vegetables taste better, too!

Get Paid To Be Green & Recycle Your Old Electronics

Most of the time when we think of recycling we don't really think of getting paid, but if you've got one too many electronic gadgets cluttering up your space this might be a game changer for you. The following 2 websites are offering cash for your used electronic devices
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