Top 5 Mis-recycled Objects

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So you want to recycle. That’s a good impulse. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, not only does recycling save energy and reduce pollution, it also creates hundreds of thousands of jobs per year and billions in tax revenue. Even for the not-so environmentally conscious among us, recycling is a no-brainer.

 

However, there is a way to do recycling wrong. According to USA Today, recycling non-recyclable materials can force recycling plants to more or less shut down their operations while they fish the garbage out of their machinery. Forcing plants to do this by recycling sloppily makes it less financially feasible to run a recycling operation. We want to make everyone a good citizen of the recycling world so we can continue to stuff those bins, save energy, and work toward a cleaner planet for everyone. Here are five materials that are often mis-recycled. Watch out for them!

 

 

1. Pizza boxes

 

Pizza-boxesThis one may be surprising because cardboard—out of which most pizza boxes are made—is practically the consummate recyclable material. But as the folks over at HGTV explain, the grease absorbed by cardboard boxes affects the process of making cardboard into new materials. So don’t let pizza boxes trip you up! Don’t mis-recycle them, throw them away and make recycling better for everyone.

 

 

2. Saran wrap

 

Saran-wrapThink it’s good to recycle plastic? You’re right! Just not this kind of plastic. According to Rebin, a sustainable design company, Saran wrap “can jam the machinery used to recycle plastic, costing time and money.” Think of where your recycled plastic wrap goes, and you’ll be much less likely to mis-recycle it.

 

 

3. Batteries

 

BatteriesBatteries today can be thrown out with your trash because they do not have as much mercury as those before 1997, when new mandates to phase out mercury were passed. But if you come upon older batteries or feel environmentally conscious about causally tossing them out, there are various recycling options from which you can choose. Older batteries contain heavy metals, so letting them rest in landfills is a long-term environmental risk for us all. Take batteries to a local facility that’s dedicated to recycling batteries and check out Call 2 Recycle for their recycling programs.

 

 

4. “Paper” cups

 

Paper-cupsEver wonder how paper cups are made to hold hot beverages, but are also recyclable? Unfortunately, only one of those two things is true. Most paper cups are made out of a non-recyclable plastic. Don’t get tripped up and mis-recycle them.

 

 

5. An Apple 1 computer worth $200,000

 

An-Apple-1-computerAccording to the pop culture site Konbini, a woman mistakenly tried to recycle an extremely rare, extremely valuable piece of tech history. This doesn’t have much to do with saving energy, but, um, don’t be like her!

   

5 Products You Will Be Shocked to Learn Are Made From Recycled Materials

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We’ve all heard that recycling is good for the planet. We’ve all dragged our designated materials to the curb and stuffed them in that dull-colored bin. But it’s possible that we’ve never truly appreciated the realized process of recycling. After all, products are actually made from those recycled materials—pretty remarkable products. Cans aren’t just recycled and turned into more cans. Here are five products you’ll be shocked to learn are made from recycled materials.

 

 

United States Soccer Uniforms

 

uniforms-easy-energyAccording to Time Magazine, Nike has made soccer uniforms for both the U.S. men’s and women’s national team from recycled materials. Your old plastic bottles are on the pitch helping our boys take down Algeria! Nice.

 

 

ReCycle Bikes

 

ReCycle-easy-eneregyThat’s right. There’s an entire company that makes bicycles from recycled aluminum and cork. As if cycling didn’t save enough energy in the form of conserving fossil fuels, this pun-friendly company took conservation to another level. This is just more evidence that recycling is truly a wild ride.

 

 

Graduation gowns

 

Graduation-easy-energyIt’s always a magical moment when caps fly through the air to commemorate the achievement of a hard-earned degree. But the next time your heart swells thinking about your family member’s upcoming commencement ceremony, allow it to swell an extra size or two, Grinch style. According to Global Citizen, there’s a decent chance your favorite grad’s outfit was made from energy saving recycled materials.

 

 

Lumber used for building

 

Lumber-easy-energyYou’d never believe what’s holding up some building in Norway. We’ll give you a hint: it’s black and white and read all over. No, it’s not a sunburned penguin; for one thing, you’ve got to work on your homophones. For another, sunburned penguins are unionized. Too expensive.

 

The recycled material is newspaper! And the wood made from a newspaper is actually really useful, per City Metric, because it’s flame retardant. Who knew?

 

 

Toothbrushes

 

Toothbrushes-easy-energyWe know what you’re thinking. “Why would I want to brush my teeth with garbage?” We assure you, the Preserve toothbrush is perfectly clean, recycled from plastic bottle caps. (And they’re very cheap!)

 

Every time you use a recycled material, you’re saving energy because the production process involved in making raw materials is taken out of the equation. Even if you don’t make the U.S. Men’s or Women’s National Soccer team, you can do your part. Consider buying recycled materials, and the planet will thank you.

   

Apple Inc. Makes Strides in Preserving the Environment

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Apple Inc., a leader in technology today worth billions of dollars, has taken on strong initiatives to create an eco-friendlier and environmentally sound company. Apple has used much of its revenue to invest in multiple projects to adopt more efficient energy sources, focus on recycling, and remove toxins from their electronics.

Meet Liam

Apple-Inc-Makes-Strides-in-Preserving-the-Environment-robot-liam-iphonesApple wanted to solve the problem of waste that comes with throwing away old electronics or replacing them with news ones. The company’s solution: Liam. Liam is a 39-armed robot whose sole purpose is to break down old iPhones part-by-part to repurpose the materials inside of those parts. As per Apple’s video introducing the robot, Liam will take out the phone’s battery to rescue cobalt and lithium, remove the gold copper from the camera, and extract silver and platinum from the main logic board. This way, these elements can be recycled and used to make new products.

100% Renewable Energy

Apple-Inc-Makes-Strides-in-Preserving-the-Environment-renewable-energy-recycleWhile this is quite a heavy goal, Apple is determined to use energy that is made up of 100% renewable sources. In 2015, 93% of the energy used was created from these sources. In efforts to reduce their carbon footprint, Apple’s products have steadily decreased in their carbon make-up, and almost all of their stores, offices, and data centers produce clean and renewable energy. In the last year, the company has also reduced their energy and power usage in their facilities. Currently, Apple stated that they are building 200 megawatts of solar in China to begin counteracting their manufacturing emissions.

Use and Reuse

Apple-Inc-Makes-Strides-in-Preserving-the-Environment-use-and-reuse-recycleApple has vowed to protect and preserve the forest as much as possible. That being said, they have begun to use recycled products for their packaging. Not only are they recycling paper products, they have also vowed to reduce their water usage as well. In order to diminish the amounts of their products in landfills, Apple implemented the Apple Renew program. Apple Renew allows customers to recycle their devices inside of their local retail store or online. Not only does this promote environmentally sound techniques within the company, but to Apple’s customers, as well.

Taking Out Toxins

Apple-Inc-Makes-Strides-in-Preserving-the-Environment-taking-out-the-toxinsA lot of electronic products contain hazardous substances, such as mercury, lead, and beryllium. Apple wants to make products that are not only safe for the environment, but for customers as well. They have set high standards for checking each of their products for these types of materials. In order to implement these regulations, Apple needed a board of experts to advise the company on innovative ways to minimize toxins in products. And so, they created their own Green Chemistry Advisory Board made up of some of the world’s most elite toxicologists, researchers, and academics.

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