Reduce…Reuse…Recycle

July 2016

 

Our big blue bin has allowed our family to become quite proficient in recycling.  In fact, sometimes, we find ourselves being so proficient that our recycling bin is bursting at the seams before our bi-weekly pickup.  In the past we didn’t know what to do with those extra recycled items. Recently, however, we discovered we can place our overflow recyclable materials in a cardboard box or extra plastic container marked “RECYCLING” and set it out for collection on our regular recycling day! 
 
Although most of you are familiar with acceptable items for your recycling bins, you might benefit from checking out the CurbIt Recycling List HERE if you are a Boise resident or your city’s waste management site if you reside somewhere else.  There were a few items mentioned on this list that we hadn’t thought to recycle before.  
 
In addition to city collected recyclables, several other household items you might not have realized are recyclable.  These items require a bit more work than setting your recycling bin curbside. But, considering the millions of tons of trash that go into landfills each year, it is probably worth the extra effort.   Here is a list of a few of those items:
 
GLASS:  Boise residents can either sign up for curbside glass collection or take their glass to one of several collection sites around Boise.  HERE is a link to the current collection sites available.   

OLD ELECTRONICS:  As a service to the community, a local business called Reuseum provides a convenient location, at 3131 W Chinden Blvd. for individuals to drop off their used, slightly working, or non functional technology and e-scrap for reuse and recycling. You can learn more about this organization HERE.  Proceeds from the donated items benefit Reuseum Educational Inc., which provides workshops, materials and expertise in the support of scientific and technological education.   

ATHLETIC SHOES:  Nike's Reuse-A-Shoe program takes old running shoes and breaks them down into their component parts to be recycled into new applications. You can learn more about the program HERE.  To donate your old shoes to the Reuse-A-Shoe program, simply drop your shoes off at the Nike Factory Store in the Village at Meridian located at 2150 N Eagle Rd in Meridian.  

COFFEE PODS:  If you are a regular K-cup brewer like us, you probably have quite a bit of plastic coffee pods making their way to the landfill.   Most coffee pods are made of plastic, aluminum, paper, and, of course, coffee grounds.  In order to recycle them, each of those components needs to be separated.  You can purchase a tool specifically for that purpose HERE, or manually peel back the aluminum top of your coffee pod, and separate it into its individual components before recycling.  

INK CARTRIDGES: Printer cartridges can have toxic materials that shouldn’t go into your regular trash. Office Depot will accept up to 10 empty cartridges per month for recycling.  They also offer a credit for this toward your next ink purchase. 

PLASTIC BAGS: Even if you bring your own reusable bags to buy groceries, plastic bags likely still accumulate in your house.  When it’s time to get rid of them, Fred Meyer and Whole Foods Market have plastic bag recycling programs with bins in the lobby of each store for plastic bag collection.