When you buy carpet made from plastic bottles or doormats made from tires, you're helping "close the loop" on waste. Look for labels that indicate a product contains recycled content. Post-consumer content (materials that otherwise would have been thrown away) is thought to be greener than preconsumer content, which refers to waste collected during manufacturing. Products labeled recyclable have the most meaning when they're necessary purchases or have a short life span. For example, it's more important to be able to recycle a glass food jar than a vase.
Recycler's guide to tough items
How do you deal with tires, TVs, or your old toilet? Here's where you can take them to keep them out of the landfill.
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Recycling Resources
To locate recycling services in your area, visit earth911.com (now also available as an iPhone app) or 1800recycling.com.
Because reuse is even better than recycling, consider posting your unwanted items on freecycle.org or the free section (under "for sale") of craigslist.org. Check each site's terms for allowable items.
Keep up on recycling news and facts from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (energystar.gov/recycle), the National Recycling Coalition (nrc-recycle.org), and nonprofit recycler Eco-Cycle (eco-cycle.org).
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