A Simple Reminder to Recycle More, and Throw Away Less

Having recently relocated to the beautiful state of Oregon, my husband and I find ourselves making an honest effort to live a greener lifestyle. One thing that we've specifically been trying to do, is recycle as much as we possibly can. And, with the encouragement of the resources available here, Oregon really has done a great job making recycling easier on our daily lives.

That said, it's been fun to challenge our brains and see how much more we can really recycle if we just put our minds to it. There are so many products floating around that are packaged in either paper, plastic or glass, that when you really think about it, many of the very things we throw away each day... could probably be recycled.

Paper - Think outside the box on this one. Most of us try to recycle the newspapers and magazines that we're no longer reading, we might throw in a few broken down boxes that we've received packages in, and maybe we even go as far as recycling our junk mail after we've removed our personal information. But, what about things like the cardboard inserts that come inside toilet paper and paper towel rolls. Or we could even go as far as to recycle the Mac & Cheese box we might have opened to make last night's dinner or the cereal box that we emptied this morning before work. Even further than that, the paper bags your groceries might have come home in... could be recycled as well. Or your son's homework that the dog chewed up. Paper. It's everywhere! You might be surprised by it once you start paying closer attention.

Plastic - Plastic is a tough one, because there are actually seven different variations of recyclable plastic, and not all recycling facilities accept all kinds. Here's a quick note about the first two types of plastic that are also the easiest, and most common to recycle either at your curb or at local collection centers.

# 1 - Any plastic with a recycle symbol that has a number one on it is considered PETE plastic, also known as polyethylene terephthalate. These types of containers are such things as water bottles, soda bottles, cooking oil containers, medicine bottles and peanut butter jars. Many of your beverage and food type containers are often a PETE or #1 type plastic.

# 2 - The second number in the plastic recycling system is number two, and this one is called HDPE, or high density polyethylene. This type of plastic is the kind that's a little heavier, and is often used for things like laundry detergents and milk jugs.

There are still 5 more types of recyclable plastics, but they aren't typically the kinds that are picked up in local neighborhood waste programs. At any rate, be sure to always check the bottoms of any plastics you come across that might be able to be recycled. And be sure to check your local services and see how much you really can recycle in your area.

Glass - Glass is something that comes through my house quite a bit. We like to enjoy a bottle of wine now and then, and we also enjoy a few good micro brews as well. But we also go through our fair share of easy meal sauces that come in glass jars too. Think about spaghetti sauce jars, alfredo sauce jars, jam and jelly jars, salsa jars, baby food jars, jars for pickles and other tasty treats. Vinaigrette's and other cooking sauces often come in glass bottles, as do various cosmetics and health care items.

As you can see, there are so many items that run through our hands each day that could potentially be recycled. This really is only the beginning of a very long list of examples, and it really is as simple as knowing how far your local recycling programs go, and putting your mind to the test. Even further more, being eco-conseous of how much you buy, and how much you throw away, can be startling as well. Making an honest effort to recyle more, and throw away less, is a simple way to try living a greener lifestyle. Every little bit helps!