Getty Images \ Stephen Barnett
READ MORE ABOUT:
It may at first seem counterintuitive to offer advice on how to green something that's already green but there's more to recycling than meets the eco-eye. The concept has been called "a design principal, a law of nature, a source of creativity, and a source of prosperity." To learn how to properly separate your recycle habits, check out Planet Green's "How to Go Green: Recycling."
Top Tips for Greening Your Recycling
Reduce the Need: It should start as immutable common sense that the less you consume, the less you will need to recycle. Step one, then, is to jump off the shopping bandwagon. Next, learn how to reuse and re-purpose what you already have. Make that blue recycle bin the last possible destination for your goods.
Precycle: When making a purchase, first consider if the item is recyclable. This requires you to not only have more than a passing knowledge of what can and cannot be recycled but also a vision of how certain forms of packaging can be reused and not trashed. Secondly, see if that item is made from recycled materials, thus maintaining the cyclical movement of materials through the system.
Freecycle: Throwing something in a garbage can or recycle bin is easy. Finding a new home for it requires a little more effort but is infinitely more earth friendly and more satisfying. This is part of what it means to function as a community.
Did You Know?
- The value of the global recycling industry is $160 billion and it employs over 1.5 million people
- 20 million tons of electronic waste is thrown away each year
- 79 million tons of waste material was diverted away from disposal in 2005 through recycling and composting
For more on Recycling Tips check out Planet Green's Guide, How to Go Green: Recycling. For more on Going Green, check out the Planet Green How to Go Green Archives.
-
- {}
