When I was growing up, we had a single garbage can that caught all the detritus of my family’s daily life, from food scraps to furniture. Sometime in the 1990s, a new bin was designated for aluminum cans. Then we started setting aside glass bottles and jars, and eventually we started bundling up our newspapers for recycling, too. Now, the average household has three or more trash receptacles.
Recycling is, of course, important for the environment, but it can feel overwhelming to have multiple bins in the kitchen, unsure where things that defy easy categorization—like old cell phones, compact disc players, or light bulbs—should actually go. Luckily, cities, towns, and even many companies have gotten in on the recycling act, making it easier than ever to dispose of our troublesome trash.
Drugs and Medicine
When my grandmother passed away, she left behind a small garbage bag full of leftover medication that left my family wondering, “Well, what do we do with this?” There are two main reasons not to throw away drugs in the trash. First, children and pets could be harmed if they ingest them, and second, medications dissolve and make their way into the soil and water supply. Also, never flush unwanted meds down the toilet, because most municipal water filters don’t fully remove them.
If you take unwanted, unused, or expired medications to a pharmacy, most pharmacists will send them back to the distributor or incinerate them. They often appreciate the opportunity to dispose properly of things like powerful painkillers or sedatives. Often, doctors’ offices are also willing to accept medications for safe disposal. If all else fails, the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy recommends mixing crushed pills with some sort of unpleasant household waste—coffee grounds, used kitty litter, a full vacuum cleaner bag—and seal them in a leak proof bag before putting them in the regular trash. This increases the chance that the drugs won’t end up in the water supply or in the wrong hands.
Energy-Saving Light Bulbs
We’ve come a long way from the days of old incandescent light bulbs. Today, energy-saving halogen, fluorescent, and HID (high-intensity discharge) bulbs are on the rise for home and commercial use, but they contain mercury, and shouldn’t be put in the regular trash. According to the EPA, about 670 million mercury-containing bulbs are discarded this way each year, meaning that mercury ends up in landfills, contaminating the soil and groundwater. Even though they only contain about 1/100th as much mercury as a thermometer, they need to be treated like hazardous waste. Home Depot stores accept mercury-containing bulbs for recycling, no matter where you purchased them.
Batteries and Electronics
When you finally accept that your Laserdisc player will never make a comeback, don’t just put it on the curb. Electronic items generally contain heavy metals and chemicals that can degrade and leak, and should not be put in the regular trash. If you have old lithium-ion, nickel-cadmium, or mercuric batteries, keep them out of the landfill by recycling them. (Common alkaline batteries are fine to toss.) Many places that sell these batteries (such as mechanics and auto supply stores) also have recycling programs, and are happy to take consumer batteries, too. Most cities have designated days for hazardous waste removal, and batteries can be disposed of on those days as well.
The EPA says that recycling one million cell phones can save enough energy to power more than 19,000 U.S. households for an entire year. Also, if they wind up in a landfill, they contain chemicals that could leach into the soil. Some charities collect old computers and stereos for donation, so check with your local Goodwill or United Way. Many businesses also facilitate electronics recycling. Small products like MP3 players, headphones, or cameras can be dropped off at kiosks inside any nationwide Best Buy store, and AT&T stores allow customers to drop off old cell phones, PDAs, and accessories at select retail stores, regardless of where the products were purchased. Many manufacturers also sponsor recycling programs, and allow customers to print return shipping labels directly from their Web sites. If all else fails, don’t kick electronics to the curb until the designated hazardous waste pickup day.
Oil and Grease
Never put used frying oil or grease down your drain, as it can clog and damage pipes. If you do a lot of frying, strain oil and save it for another use in a clean, airtight container. For sporadic use, put cooled oil in a sealable container in your regular trash. Saving jars from pasta sauce or plastic butter containers can come in handy for this. In my house, I put hot bacon grease into an aluminum can, and toss it into the trash once it’s cooled and hardened. Some restaurants and individuals are happy to take grease and oil off your hands, since they can use it to make biodiesel. Some industrious home cooks also dispose of vegetable oil by freezing it in Ziploc baggies or absorbing it with paper towels.
If you’re handy enough to change your car’s oil by yourself, don’t even think of pouring the used oil into the sewer. Dirty oil can seriously contaminate water supplies, and improper oil dumping is a crime in many places. Auto servicing companies like Jiffy Lube and Pep Boys sell their used oil for re-refining, so they are usually willing to take yours, too.
Many other household items can be repurposed and recycled, rather than relegated to the landfill. Old furniture, toys, games, and clothes can be donated or consigned, food scraps can be composted, and even old metals and wiring can be recycled or sold for scrap. With so many options for so many kinds of household waste, few things should even make it into the trash nowadays. If you need more information on waste pickup or recycling sites in your area, visit Earth911 for more information. Recycling as much as possible ensures that in our landfills, there will be far fewer chemicals and much more room.