Buy plastic bins and mark them with “newspaper”, “paper”, “plastic bottles”, “cans” and place them in the kitchen. To keep the kitchen clean, you can place them in the closet. They don’t have to be super big, just enough for a few days to a week’s recycling. Then teach you children and husband where to find them and how to fill them up.

But a composting bin and place in on the kitchen counter and place all unwanted vegetables in it and empty it in a designated composting pile area in the backyard.

Make recycling fun for your children. You can do the same with unwanted toys and clothes. Place two medium sized plastic bins in children’s closets and ask them to place unwanted toys and out-grown clothes in them. Then take the items and donate them to the salvation army. This way, the house stays neat and organized and everything is recycled.

2. Make sure bottles and tins are cleaned before putting in the recycling bin. This prevents flies both at home and the recycling place.

3. Reorganize the kitchen so it has an efficient recycling area with good sized containers to help with sorting and holding. This will encourage everyone in the family to remember to recycle.

4. Cut both the tops and the bottoms off metal cans and squash them makes them smaller to fit into the recycling bin.

5. Put a ‘no junk mail’ sticker on your letter box. You’ll be amazed at how much this reduces your junk mails.

6. Spread the word and set an axample in your community. By telling other people and helping them to get started, we increase the savings that can be made. Get your kids involved , if we can educate them early, they will grow up and appreciate waste reduction and will be able to apply these skills in later life.

Then collect lots and lots of plastic bottles. 2L bottles are ideal and you will need to use bottles that have straight sides, shaped bottles will not work for this. Whichever size you choose don’t forget that all your bottles will need to be of the same size.

My greenhouse took approximately 1,500 bottles to make) Simply cut off the bottom of each bottle and then thread them onto metal rods, you will need to make sure they are all threaded on in the same direction so that the top of each bottle fits snug into the underside of next bottle. Next fix metal rods (top and bottom) to framework, butting up each column of bottles to the next until all walls and the door are created. The use of a few coloured plastic bottles above the door will give an interesting stained glass effect!

Non-Automotive Lead-Based Batteries
Gel cells and sealed lead-acid batteries are commonly used to power industrial equipment, emergency lighting, and alarm systems. The same recycling process applies as with automotive batteries. An automotive store or a local waste agency may accept the batteries for recycling.

Dry-Cell Batteries
Dry-cell batteries include alkaline and carbon zinc (9-volt, D, C, AA, AAA), mercuric-oxide (button, some cylindrical and rectangular), silver-oxide and zinc-air (button), and lithium (9-volt, C, AA, coin, button, rechargeable). On average, each person in the United States discards eight dry-cell batteries per year.

• Alkaline and Zinc-Carbon Batteries
  Alkaline batteries, the everyday household batteries used in flashlights, remote controls, and other appliances. Several reclamation companies now process these batteries.
• Button-Cell Batteries
  Most small, round “button-cell” type batteries found in items such as watches and hearing aids contain mercury, silver, cadmium, lithium, or other heavy metals as their main component. Button cells are increasingly targeted for recycling because of the value of recoverable materials, their small size, and their easy handling relative to other battery types.
• Rechargeable Batteries
  The Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation (RBRC), a nonprofit public service organization, targets four kinds of rechargeable batteries for recycling: nickel-cadmium (Ni-CD), nickel metal hydride, lithium ion, and small-sealed lead. Its “Charge Up to Recycle!” program offers various recycling plans for communities, retailers, businesses, and public agencies.

Source: http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/conserve/materials/battery.htm

Just the Facts

• Americans purchase nearly 3 billion dry-cell batteries every year to power radios, toys, cellular phones, watches, laptop computers, and portable power tools.
• Inside a battery, heavy metals react with chemical electrolyte to produce the battery’s power.
• Wet-cell batteries, which contain a liquid electrolyte, commonly power automobiles, boats, or motorcycles.
• Nearly 99 million wet-cell lead-acid car batteries are manufactured each year.
• Mercury was phased out of certain types of batteries in conjunction with the “Mercury-Containing and Rechargeable Battery Management Act,” passed in 1996.
• Recycling batteries keeps heavy metals out of landfills and the air. Recycling saves resources because recovered plastic and metals can be used to make new batteries.

Batteries contain heavy metals such as mercury, lead, cadmium, and nickel, which can contaminate the environment when batteries are improperly disposed of. When incinerated, certain metals might be released into the air or can concentrate in the ash produced by the combustion process.

One way to reduce the number of batteries in the waste stream is to purchase rechargeable batteries. Nearly one in five dry-cell batteries purchased in the United States is rechargeable. Over its useful life, each rechargeable battery may substitute for hundreds of single-use batteries.

Source: http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/conserve/materials/battery.htm

To avoid the potential risks associated with household hazardous wastes, it is important that people always monitor the use, storage, and disposal of products with potentially hazardous substances in their homes. Below are some tips for individuals to follow in their own homes:

• Use and store products containing hazardous substances carefully to prevent any accidents at home. Never store hazardous products in food containers; keep them in their original containers and never remove labels. Corroding containers, however, require special handling. Call your local hazardous materials official or fire department for instructions.
• When leftovers remain, never mix HHW with other products. Incompatible products might react, ignite, or explode, and contaminated HHW might become unrecyclable.
• Remember to follow any instructions for use and disposal provided on product labels.
• Call your local environmental, health, or solid waste agency for instructions on proper use and disposal and to learn about local HHW drop off programs and upcoming collection days.

Source: http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/conserve/materials/hhw.htm

Improper disposal of household hazardous wastes can include pouring them down the drain, on the ground, into storm sewers, or in some cases putting them out with the trash. The dangers of such disposal methods might not be immediately obvious, but improper disposal of these wastes can pollute the environment and pose a threat to human health. Many communities in the United States offer a variety of options for conveniently and safely managing HHW.

Source: http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/conserve/materials/hhw.htm

In 2007, almost 12.5 percent of the total municipal solid waste (MSW) generated in American households was food scraps and less than three percent was recovered. The rest was thrown away and disposed in landfills or combusted in incinerators.

The decomposition of food and other waste under anaerobic (without oxygen) conditions in landfills produces methane, a greenhouse gas (GHG) 21 times more potent than carbon dioxide. Landfills are the largest human-related source of methane in the United States, accounting for 34 percent of all methane emissions. Recover ((i.e. food donations) and recycling (i.e., composting) diverts organic materials from landfills and incinerators, thereby reducing GHG emissions from landfills and waste combustion.

Food waste recovery and recycling is already occurring across the country. State governments are encouraging businesses (e.g., supermarkets, restaurants, institutions) to separate excess, uneaten food for donations and to compost the remainder. Reusing and recycling excess food saves money by reducing disposal fees. By separating food waste, businesses can inventory the excess food they are creating and then implement source reduction practices to save money. Several local governments provide curbside collection of homeowner food waste for composting at municipal or commercial facilities. Many homeowners also are composting their kitchen waste in their own backyards and even in their kitchen using worm bins.

Source: http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/conserve/materials/organics/food/fd-basic.htm

Many local governments offer drop-off and/or curbside collection of yard trimmings not composted by homeowners. Drop-off sites work best with residents accustomed to delivering their household discards to landfills or transfer stations to avoid the costs of a curbside collection program. Curbside collection is more expensive than drop-off but typically garners higher participation and diversion rates. The higher operational costs of curbside collection programs can be offset by:

• Decreased disposal costs (tipping fees);
• Increased landfill life; and
• Potential revenue from compost and/or mulch sales.

Yard trimmings collection programs might occur seasonally or by request depending on where you live.

Source: http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/conserve/materials/organics/yd-basic.htm