Unique Recycling Ideas

When most people think of recycling, newspapers, cans and bottles are what come to mind first, but recycling encompasses much more than that. Our resources on this planet are finite and recycling not only adds to available resources but as the name implies, it reuses the resources already taken from the earth.

Here are some additional recycling ideas to think about .

Clothing

In a fashion conscious western world , we gather and go through clothing at an astonishing rate. Closets get filled to overcapacity with unused and unwanted apparel. This is both a large source of over consumption and also a great resource for recycling.

Hand me downs from one child to another not only save money, but extend the use of the clothing. Clothing still in good condition can be used over and over. Many children outgrow what they wear long before it is worn out and it can still be put to good use.

There are a number of ways this clothing can be shared. Donating to a large charity like Goodwill is a very good option but if you want to bring it to a more personal level where you know it is going directly to local people, try contacting any local church groups. They often have people in need within their parish and they are more likely to help someone directly, plus they may have program set up for that. You could even ask if there is a specific family you might be able to help out and make a human contact that way too. The larger organization are set up for tax receipts and so forth but sometimes the one on one human touch is nice too. Many people have some distrust of larger organizations and prefer to know what they give is going directly to a person in need. Some of the larger organizations have been known to turn away perfectly good clothing but smaller organizations may be in need of new resources to help add to their available stock on hand.

There are always human tragedies in the form of natural disasters or wars that leave humans in need in their wake. Keep aware of places that are taking donations to help people like these or start something of your own to gather goods for these people.

You can also research and find a very specific place in need and continue to donate to them. There are many orphanages in other countries in dire need of clothing for the children in their care. You might consider contacting adoption agencies who deal with other countries and see if they have a need for clothing and find out where it can be sent.

Another way to recycle children's clothing is to circulate them to younger friends or relatives. When they become worn beyond use as clothing, recycle the fabric by using it for rags, crafts and so forth.

Human hair

A number of people I know have grown their hair long enough to have it cut and then donated it to organizations that use it to make wigs for people with hair loss from medical conditions or treatments. Instead of the hair being tossed out, it is put to a humane use, providing dignity and self confidence to people going through many types of long term medical hair loss. This is a wonderful program. If you are interested, check with your local hair salon to see who takes these donations and find out what the specific requirements are in order to be able to donate. Organizations like wigsforkids.org and locksoflove.org put this hair to good use . They do have requirements at each place; length of donated hair, health condition of hair, whether or not it can be chemically treated, how they want it donated and so forth. People sometimes do this over and over, growing their hair long enough to be cut for this specific purpose. This is truly a gift of self and a very unique way to recycle.

Automobiles

If you have an old car you don't want anymore, there are a number of organizations who are happy to take them off your hands. Some give you the added benefit of a tax write off . Many don't care if the car is even functional and some will even come haul it away for you. Do make sure the correct paperwork gets done, and that the clear title is in your possession, proper transfer of ownership and so forth especially if this is running car or is in good enough condition that someone could get it running again. You don't want to find out down the line the car is still in your name if a future owner gets involved in an accident or fees due on the car are being run up in your name when you don't have possession of the car anymore. DonationLine.com lists many charities that take automobile donations with their specific requirements. Some do require that the car be worth at least the value of the towing fee they pay for.

Online recycling resources

It has been said one man's junk is another man's treasure and to the avid collector and treasure hunter this is very true. One of the best online places to recycle things are auction sites like eBay.com and Craigslist.com. Auction sites offer selling and buying options and it is a good way to raise a little cash too if you have things to sell that someone may be interested in buying. It is much more comprehensive and far reaching than an ad in the local paper. To protect yourself you do need to do your research into the safety factors of buying and selling online within each site. One bonus that Craigslist offers is that it is a free service, but even so there are still people who will take advantage of this so be aware when doing any transaction, free or not. Craigslist also has sites for many areas depending on where you are located. They list every state and many countries and you can also look for items being given away for free in your area or post something in particular you are looking for. If you have perfectly good things to give away, post them for your area. The site sends the responses to your ads to your email, so you have the option of screening responses and of replying or not .

Books and Magazines

The amount of paper used in these industries is overwhelming, so make the most out of the books and magazines you read. School and public libraries are the ultimate recyclers of books and magazines. They are reused over and over, so instead of rushing out to buy every new book, consider joining your local public library and save a few trees. You can also join or create a reading circle with book discussions or merely create your own smaller library service between friends and neighbors, by passing the books around instead of buying multiple copies. It saves resources and money. If you have a magazine subscription, when you are done with those, see if your local schools, daycares, senior homes and so forth might like the magazines you have finished with. Of course you can donate books to these same places. You may have piles of children's books your children have outgrown that are just gathering dust . Schools, childcare programs, even local neighborhood children may be thrilled to receive your donations. You could contribute to a child's education or love of reading that way. You might consider starting a local reading program for
young children too.

These are just a few of the many ways you can recycle beyond the regular services your local areas may or may not provide. These are more personal and on a smaller scale than cans, newspapers and bottles but no less important in the fight to conserve our resources. Consider each one you do a contribution to the earth and the people and animals who make this planet their home.