A word about Recycling...

I think it's a slightly misunderstood. When I was a kid, I remember it was extremely inconvenient to recycle. I remember it being taught in school but not being implemented in the homes of anyone I knew. When I was really young, one even had to crush pop cans and put them in the bin. You also had to separate each type of plastic, and that had to be separate from paper, ect. There was a list of things you couldn't recycle. You couldn't use staples or tape on paper that you had to recycle. It was not, in any way, something that was fun or easy to do.

However, we've come a long way.

I encourage everyone to do a little research. You can recycle pretty much anything these days. I was amazed when I started researching just how much trash we were making that could be recycled. My magazines, for example, can now be put in the curbside bin. I started putting empty ketchup bottles, milk cartons, and those silly advertisements that come every day in the mail in there too. I've been taking cans and bottles back to the grocery store for years. I also found out that I can take ANY number plastic to the local recycling center. That means even hard plastics like the cups from fast food joints and those red plastic cups from Costco. We've recently started replacing all of our lightbulbs with CFL's, which require proper disposal, but can be taken to a Home Depot or Lowe's (this is Michigan; there's one every five feet). Batteries and ink cartridges can be taken to Best Buy. The list goes on and on.

When you can't find the info online, don't hesitate to call your recycling company! I called mine and found out that shredded paper, when placed in a brown paper bag, would be collected from the curbside bin. This solved my quandary over whether to shred all those receipts.

The only problem is this: there's not a convenient place in the garage for the recycling bin. Right now it's outside with the garbage cans, and winter is coming. And this is Michigan.

To solve this problem, I'm going to clear some old junk from a place near the can receptacle and make something similar to this recycling center from Martha Stewart. Not exactly the same, because I have different needs than those shown, but I love the pegboard idea. This would be a major clutter buster, since right now these things, especially the stupid ink cartridges, don't have a home to stay in between the printer and Best Buy. I also plan on making a chart showing everyone which items can be put in the bin, which have to be taken to the recycling center, and which have to be taken somewhere else (such as the CFL's to Home Depot).

Don't worry, I have no delusions that anyone but me will read this list, since all my parents will have to know is where I am so they can say, "Hey, Kate, go put this in the recycling." :oP