Recycle it!
Wednesday 18 July 2007
We all accumulate loads of junk as we go about our day to day lives, but by recycling you can clear a bit of space, do your bit for the environment, and maybe help a charity or two.
The three R's
Before you throw stuff away think about the three R’s - reduce, reuse, recycle. Can you cut down on the amount of paper you use? Maybe you can use old paper for scrap before throwing it away? Perhaps your little sister can use that top you've grown out of? A few new buttons and some adjustments and it might look pretty cool. Vintage is all the rage after all! Finally if you really do have to throw something away then recycling it where it's at!
Paper view
Don't just chuck old newspapers and magazines in the bin; get them to a recycling point as soon as you can!
Paper is one of easiest materials to recycle, and something that most of use every day, so it's important to get as much of it as we can back into the recycling chain to avoid chopping down even more trees!
In the can
If you're a soft drink junkie, you can do your bit by saving and recycling your drink cans. Cans are usually either made of aluminium or steel and you should be able to find the details of the material that made your can on the can itself.
An easy way to test whether a can is made of aluminium or steel is to get a magnet and press it to the side of the can. If the magnet doesn't stick, it's aluminium.
Check your local recycling point and see which sort of cans it accepts. If you don't have the sort of cans it needs, give your local council a call and see where the can be taken for recycling.
Cans that have contained food can be recycled too, but you'll need to take the labels off and give them a rinse.
First glass
All glass is suitable for recycling, whatever the colour. Some recycling points ask that you separate the different colours of glass before you put it in the recycling bins, but others aren't too bothered.
Whatever you're recycling, be it jars or bottles, you should make sure that it's clean and doesn't have any labels stuck to it. If you're having difficulty getting a label off, just run it under warm water and the label should give way eventually.
Wear the heart is
As well as recycling your school uniform how about recycling your clothes too? If you're sick of your old wardrobe and want to get a new look, don't just fling your old clothes in the bin. You could take them to your local charity shop or, if you live near one, a recycling point. Many recycling points now have special bins where you can put your old clothes.
If you do recycle your clothes, make sure that they're clean before you donate. Don't worry about them being out of fashion; all donations will be gratefully received by someone.
Good books
Books are great, but they can get in the way and once you've read one a couple of times, you don't really want it hanging around. Charity shops are always looking out for books and a lot of recycling points let you leave the books there. It doesn't really matter if the books aren't in top condition, as long as there aren't any pages missing.
Let the music play
Now that more people are carrying around MP3 players, stacks of unwanted CDs and tapes are mounting up in bedrooms all over the country. Why not donate them to charity shops and let someone else hear your favourite Akon tracks? Of course, if you have absolute favourites that you couldn't live without, hang on to them in case your MP3 player wipes your tracks.
