10 Recycling Tips

So of course you are recycling, but there may be areas you can improve on. Check out this list of 10 great recycling tips:

1. Make sure you are recycling everything you can - contact your local recycling company for more information on what your community recycles.

2. Once you know what can be recycled, do your best to avoid items that can't be recycled.

3. Compost food scraps and yard waste.

4. Contact catalog companies to stop any catalogs you receive and choose to shop online instead.

5. Stop junk mail as much as you can by checking out the tips found at http://www.obviously.com/junkmail

6. Use the backs of any junk mail you receive for notes or shopping lists before putting them in the recycling bin.

7. Be sure to recycle your hazardous household waste properly, consult earth911.org for more info on how and where to recycle hazardous waste in your area.

8. Create an attractive and organized recycling center in your home so your family can easy help with your recycling efforts.

9. Create some recycling fun for your kids by making crafts with items that might typically end up in the trash. Need some inspiration, check your local library or bookstore for Laura C. Martin's book Recycled Crafts Box.

10. Try to find ways to recycle everything - donate used clothing to thrift stores, donate magazines, books, and movies to the library, donate cell phones to charitable organizations for recycling, donate old towels to the local animal shelter, donate craft supplies to local schools or nursing homes, offer items you no longer need on freecycle.org - the list goes on and on. Try to make the trash can the last choice for items you no longer need.

Recycle with Intent

I've previously discussed recycling magazines, which can be recycled by donating them to the library, nursing homes, or in some locations in your curbside recycling bin. However here's a fun activity to do before you recycle your magazines, use them to make an intention collage. I spent last night with some amazing women hanging out and making collages. Every creation was as unique as the woman who made it - some choose images, others words or phrases, others included beads or other objects that spoke to them. What is an intention collage or vision board? It is a collection of pictures, images, words, or phrases that reflects your passions or desires. You can do a board to bring a specific thing into your life - a new home, a puppy, a new career - or you can create a collage to discover your passions. Start by going through magazines and cut out phrases or pictures that appeal to you - don't analyze why you like a particular image or word just trust your intuition. Then go through your clippings and choose your favorites, weeding out ones that no longer feel right. Glue your items on your board and hang it in a place you will see it often. My collage came together to reveal my passion for living green and my desire to simplify mine & my family's life this year. I plan to do another collage with some things I'd like to manifest - a new home, a trip to Costa Rica, etc. My daughter also wants to make one, so I guess my magazines will hang around a bit longer before they make it to the recycling pile.