Category Archives: Recycling

The 3 Rs with a Baby, Part 3: Recycle

Just as in the rest of life, recycling that which you can’t reuse is important. If you’re good at reducing and reusing, you can cut down the need, but odds are you’re going to have to recycle a fair number of items.

Recycle

Perhaps the most obvious thing you can recycle with a baby would be the baby food jars. That glass is so easily recycled is one of the reasons aside from BPA concerns to choose glass jars when you buy baby food. Of course, if you’re making your own baby food you won’t have a lot of jars to recycle. But there are times for most parents when jarred food is a simpler choice.

There’s also a site called BabyEarth.com that offers recycling of those things you don’t feel are worth reusing. I haven’t tried it, but the plan looks good. They break the goods apart and send them for appropriate recycling. If something is, in their opinion, still usable, they’ll donate it for a family to use.

Office Store Recycling Services

Did you know that some office supply stores do recycling for you? Both Office Depot and Staples have recycling programs. You may be familiar with the various ink and toner cartridge recycling programs, but more is available.

You will sometimes have to pay for it, though. But for electronic waste recycling that’s not all that bad a thing, so long as you are certain that the recycling is done correctly.

Office Depot, for example, sells boxes in their stores for you to put your old electronics in. They do all their recycling in the USA, which takes care of one of the big concerns of tech recycling. Too often it’s done wrong. They have a PDF of acceptable products.

Also important, they carry a lot of products with recycled content.

Staples also recycles ink and toner cartridges, computers, monitors, cell phones and more. And of course recycled content products.

It’s good to see companies that are working on offering both green products and services. Most of us come up with quite a bit of electronic waste that is just not that easy to recycle other ways. Even if you have to pay to recycle them, it’s good to have a way to get rid of old electronics properly.

Brita + Preserve = Pitcher Filter Recycling in 2009

Take Back the Filter has a great announcement up right now – Brita has partnered with Preserve so that the Brita Pitcher filters can be recycled starting in January 2009. You can read the entire PDF press release here.

I’m quite delighted, and hopeful that this includes their Brita On Tap filters, as that’s what I have. The release doesn’t mention them at all.

It’s a pretty nice deal. If there’s a Whole Foods near you, there will be a place for you to drop your filters off. Otherwise, you can just mail them in.

While I’m disappointed that my filter isn’t listed as included yet, it’s a nice first step. If the lack of recycling for filters has held you back from buying a Brita pitcher, that limitation is now gone, or at least gone in January, which is near enough for shopping purposes. That’s not long at all to start holding on to cartridges if you haven’t started doing that, as well.

I’m also thinking this could make for a nice combination for Christmas presents if you know anyone still buying bottled water. Get them a Brita pitcher and a reusable bottle (maybe more, depending on family size), with a note about recycling the pitcher filters. Might just work for those who make excuses about their tap water quality.

Are You Recycling Right? What About Reusing?

November 15 is America Recycles Day. It’s a nice concept, but as this article on TreeHugger points out, not quite perfect.

Recycling, quite simply, is not always the answer. Using reusable containers is a better solution whenever it’s practical. The article doesn’t really get into the times when recycling really is the best option, however. There’s only so much paper you can reuse, even with children all too interested in doing crafts.

But when you’re talking about drink containers, reusable is a great idea. That’s why buying reusable bottles is so encouraged, rather than buying bottled water.

It’s more difficult with a lot of other drinks. In my area I can save a lot by buying milk in gallons rather than half gallons. The cartons are more recyclable, of course, but the gallon jugs are at least #2 plastic, and so reasonably recyclable.

The challenge with putting larger quantities of milk into something more reusable or recyclable is that they would probably end up heavier. Glass bottles are great for reusing or recycling, but they’re HEAVY in comparison with plastic or cartons.

Then again, I have read about the new milk jugs Walmart has been distributing since earlier this year. They’re more efficient for storage and transportation. Reusable would be nice, but we can’t have everything every time.

The part we as consumers need to look at, of course, is whether we can encourage more reusable containers where recyclable ones are now preferred. We also need to consider how these containers get back for refills. Should they just go in with the current recyclables for convenience, and then be shipped from a central point? Will enough people bring back reusable containers even to get a deposit back?

It’s rarely so simple a question. But we need an answer.

For now, when you shop, think about not just recyclable containers, but reusable as well. They don’t have to be reused by you, but there’s a reason why reuse is more important than recycle.

Is It Trash or Craft Supplies?

Young children are very creative. It’s so much fun seeing what they can come up with if you just let them work on their own. But their craft supplies can really add up.

But sometimes you can make your own, free.

Kids love to make collages, for example. One of the easiest places to get materials can be in the junk mail you get every day. My son loves to be given a piece of junk mail to just sit around and cut into small pieces. It’s a bit messy, but keeps him entertained.

Using recycled items doesn’t completely negate the need to buy new supplies. Crayons, markers, glue and so forth are still a big part of most of the projects we do. But not having to buy a ton of other supplies is nice.

Here are some basic crafts you can do that go beyond junk mail collages:

Puzzle Piece Picture Frame

You need:
1 picture of child
poster paper
puzzle pieces
paint and paintbrushes (optional)
glue
magnetic strip

If the kids like, have them paint the puzzle pieces and allow to dry.

Cut the piece of poster paper to about an inch bigger than the picture, then glue the picture to the poster paper.

Have the kids glue the puzzle pieces around the picture to make the frame. Some like to do it in two layers to cover any gaps. Glue the magnetic strip to the back.

My daughter did this one at Christmas at her school, but I can see it as a use for those puzzles that have lost a piece or two. It’s a really easy way for kids to make a gift.

Cereal Box Puzzle

1 empty cereal box

Cut the front of the box off. Cut the front piece into a variety of shapes and give to child to put back together.

Paper Towel Tube Telescope

1 paper towel tube
black construction paper or black paint
yellow construction paper
tape (if using construction paper)
stickers or other decorations as preferred.

Cover the tube in black. On one end add a strip of yellow construction paper. Decorate as desired.

Bowling

10 plastic bottles (2 L or 20 oz work well)
decorating supplies
ball
sand (optional)

Decorate each bottle as desired. A very small amount of sand inside each bottle can make them more stable for setting up, but too much will make them too hard to knock over.

New Crayons for Old

several old crayons, all paper peeled off
cookie cutters
aluminum foil

Heat oven to 250 degrees F.

Wrap pieces of foil around cookie cutters, leaving tops open. Put foil over a cookie sheet and arrange the cookie cutters. Fill with old crayon pieces. Smaller pieces work better. Place in oven and cook for 10 minutes or until crayons have melted.

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