Items that Don\'t Have to Be Sent to the Landfill Right Away

Hello! It\’s still Earth Month and today I want to talk about my trash, your trash and everyone else\’s trash. All that stuff in the picture above has something in common: it doesn\’t have to go into your waste bin toward the landfill right away. It just takes a little effort on our parts to send them a different direction and make sure we as humans get the most use out of the product before discard. Of course with all of these products there are so many different DIYs that you could do, but if that\’s not your thing, keep reading.

– Old Pill Bottles Companies such as Matthew 25 Ministries, accept pill bottles to send to third world and developing countries, which gives them a storage container for their medications to keep them clean and away from children. Click here for more information.

– Bras There are so many companies that will recycle your bra or donate to women in lesser developed countries or women who are suffering economically. While there are so many companies out there, I\’m personally drawn to \”I Support the Girl\” and \”Free the Girls\” and am still deciding which company I\’ll use, but click here to see some other options!

– Contacts Did you know that your contacts could be recycled? Ok, well if you\’re around me a lot then you may have know that. Terracycle partnered with Bausch + Lomb to bring a free contact recycling program. All you have to do is mail in your used and dried up contacts. This is particularly great for all the daily contact users. Click here for more information.

– Mascara Wands Appalachian Wild Refuge, a wildlife rehabilitation center in North Carolina, collects cleaned mascara wands after you\’ve finished your tube

– Toothbrushes If you\’re not using a bamboo toothbrush like I am, then every few months, you just throw away your old one. (No shame – it\’s what you gotta do!) However, now through June 30, Colgate has partnered with Terracycle to bring a free recycling program. Click here for more info on that!

– Fabric Here at the Kent Fashion School, we have textile recycling, which is great for all the fashion majors here at school. But for everyone else, it\’s a little more difficult. Various groups accept clothing recycling donations. Trash is For Tossers shared a list of places that accept these donations. Additionally, Planet Aid is another group that accepts clothing to recycle, though they\’re aren\’t available everywhere.

-Markers Never throw away an old marker again with the Crayola marker recycling program! They accept all markers (not just crayola). Click here to learn more about this incredible program!

– Other #5 Plastics Preserve\’s Gimme 5 Program accepts #5 plastics. They\’ve partnered with Whole Foods and generally have drop-off boxes in their stores. If they don\’t have one yet, it is possible to ship them your #5 plastics. #5 plastics include pill bottles, yogurt cups, and plastic caps. Click here for more info!

Other Sources that you might be interested in: \”15 Surprising Things You Didn\’t Know Could Be Recycled\” Free Terracycle Programs