Hasta La Ideas

If you’re trying to be an environmentally conscious unclutterer, you probably know that reuse is preferable to recycling. If someone can enjoy the paperback book I’m getting rid of, giving the book to that person (directly, or through a venue such as a used bookstore) is better than tossing the book into my recycling bin. But, sometimes the recycling bin is the right answer. If the book is falling apart or it’s a reference book that’s now seriously outdated, it’s ready to be recycled.

For many of us, recycling is easier than ever because of curbside recycling services provided by our local governments or private trash companies. Databases, such as the one from Earth911, can help you find places to recycle whatever you may have: broken crayons, Tyvek envelopes, etc. In addition to Earth911, the following are a few resources you may not know about that can help you recycle your clutter:

Pantyhose: No Nonsense recycles tights, pantyhose, and knee-highs of any brand; these can be turned into park benches, vehicle insulation, playground equipment, toys, and more. You will have to pay the shipping cost yourself, though.

Styrofoam blocks: Styrofoam is actually a trademark of the Dow Chemical Company; most of what we casually refer to as Styrofoam is not actually Styrofoam, but expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam: the rigid foam often used in packaging. This EPS foam can be hard to recycle, but if you live in the San Francisco Bay Area, you can recycle it at GreenCitizen, for $5 per 30-gallon plastic bag. Waste to Waves lists other places in California that accept EPS foam that gets turned into new products, including surfboard blanks. There are programs in other parts of the country, too.

If you’re looking for recycling options in your area, you might check out the EPS Industry Alliance website. Or go to Earth911, and search for #6 Plastic (Polystyrene). If you find a recycler, be sure to call and confirm whether or not the service takes EPS foam blocks before driving to their facility.

Nespresso capsules: Nespresso has a recycling program for their coffee capsules. You can either drop them off at numerous collection points or mail them to a provided address.

Cosmetics packaging: If you use Origins cosmetics, you can recycle the containers at their store. As the company says: “Starting March 29, 2009, Origins introduced a program in North America that encouraged its customers to bring their empty previously unrecyclable cosmetic tubes, bottles and jars, etc. — regardless of brand — to their nearest Origins retail store or department store counters. All returned packaging is sent back to a central location where products will be recycled or used for energy recovery.” M•A•C Cosmetics, Kiehl’s, Aveda, and others also have packaging recycling program, and some of them reward you with samples or discounts when you recycle their containers.

Even more: TerraCycle has its Brigades, where you sign up to recycle a specific type of item, such as Brita filters, energy bar wrappers, drink pouches, or cheese packaging. You collect your specific item and then mail the collected items in, postage paid (in most cases).

All of these recycling alternatives are more cumbersome than curbside recycling, and not everyone will choose to take advantage of all (or any) of them; we each need to make our own decisions about what we do. Sometimes, it’s all we can do to simply get the items out of the house; recycling just isn’t going to happen. Even ongoing recyclers may have moments when they decide to skip it, just for once.

As the process becomes increasingly easy, more of us will decide it’s worth the small extra effort to recycle items as we unclutter our possessions.

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