Tips for Recycling Day In and Day Out

Many people today want to do more to help the environment and most would say they agree recycling is important. However, many people feel that recycling is hard, confusing, annoying, and cumbersome. To help make it easier to recycle into your day-to-day routine and to make it a part of your family’s everyday life, here are five things you need to do, starting right now!

Know what items are actually recyclable - not everything can be recycled. One of the biggest hassles for recycling plant workers and collectors is having to sort out things that cannot be recycled. Do your research and make sure you are only selecting the plastics, papers, glass, and metals that can be recycled. Don’t mix in things like Styrofoam, coated magazines, and other non-recyclable items.

Find out who takes recyclables and make it a routine – most areas have local drop off locations that take recyclable materials. If there are none in your area, see if your city has curbside services or other means of getting recycling picked up. If nothing like this exists in your area, look for ways to petition for local recycling to be a service offered in the future.

Involve the entire family in recycling - every person can make a difference so make sure you involve your entire family. Kids can learn to sort materials and many enjoy the process of collecting the cans and papers and plastic bottles and taking them to be recycled. Teaching kids the value of recycling today can go a long way in making sure it is something still done year down the road.

Think and plan before making a recycling run- one of the biggest complaints people who are new to recycling have been that it seems to take so much time. Make sure you have a system set up that works for you. From collecting and storing to dropping off, make sure it works as part of your routine rather than against your routine. Planning and being smart with your schedule will make it easier to stick with.

Start slow and build over time - the easiest way to get turned off of recycling as a family is to try and do too much all at once. Start by focusing on the most common recycled material you throw out. Collect it and hold it for recycling. Once that has become part of your normal routine, add in something else. Keep building and adding until you feel you and your family are doing enough to make an impact.

Even the smallest change can make a difference and one small adjustment or change for the better can make ripples that expand and grow and impact others. So, look for the little things you can do now. Start today and make it a family affair and look for ways you can make recycling a priority in your day-to-day life!