Taking a little break from food blog posts, this one will be about recycling what we already have at home. I am presuming that by reading this blog post, you are yourself trying to make changes in your life to protect our environment. To do that, we have to slowly start changing the products we use at home as they run out, for example switching to a bamboo toothbrush when you are done with your plastic one, and so on. Still, what do you do with all the products you are done with?
This blog post will try to help you in disposing of the products properly. Some are recyclable or reusable, but some simply aren’t and I will try to give alternatives that you can start using.
Thank you to one of you amazing readers for this blog post idea!!
Cleaning products
When it comes to cleaning products as for most products, you should read what the product says. If it’s an aerosol can, most local recycling facilities accept them now. As for the type of plastic, plastic 1 and 2 are the most common and most likely accepted, however you should check with your local facility.
An other idea is to check if you have a zero waste bulk store nearby that allows you to bring your own container and fill up on detergents. This way you can reuse your cleaning supplies.
You can also make your own cleaning products! For example, to make an all purpose cleaner, mix one part white vinegar, one part water, lemon peels and rosemary. You can find way more recipes online that are fun and easy to make!
Razors:
Razors are a tricky one and there are several ways to limit your waste when shaving.
If you use disposable razors, then these cannot be recycled and end up in our landfills.
If you use cartridge razors, only the top part is replaced and so less is thrown away. However, this does still produce waste.
Safety razors and straight razors on the other hand are made up of metal, so can be widely recycled. You need to check with your local facility if they accept them and how, but most likely you can place them all together in a metal container or tin for recycling. These may be a pricier investment at first, but they last way longer than any other razor.
Something I found is a company called Preserve that makes their own razors out of plastic 5. Plastic 5 is a safe type of plastic but is not recycled as easily as plastic 1 or 2. Preserve collects plastic 5 and makes products out of them such as razors, these razors can then be returned to them for recycling.
If you live in the U.S, they have collection points at Wholefoods for all plastic 5’s. If you don’t live there and want to buy/re-send their razors or any plastic 5’s, their address can be found here: https://www.preserve.eco/pages/how-to-recycle
However, I would take into consideration transport and see if you can find any solutions nearer to you.
Makeup:
First step is to always check the container type and if your local recycling facility takes it in. Make sure the containers are clean before recycling them.
You can also check if the makeup brand you use collects their products back, such as Mac, Lush and The Body Shop. If not, sign up to Teracycle and send them your products
As many cosmetics aren’t recyclable, find ways to reuse them. Such as; cases to put in creams, medicine for travel and cases for jewellery, or to reuse in making your own makeup or creams. A fun one is to make your own lipstick. All you need is some clear lip gloss and eyeshadow. Check out videos on youtube! Also, mascara brushes and similar products can be kept to clean small areas.
Even with all the ways to recycle and reuse, the main solution to cosmetic waste is to buy less. To buy only what you need, to buy vegan and biodegradable products, and to also try and make your own.
Toothbrush
If you have some plastic ones left to use, once you are done, you can send them to Teracycle along with floss and toothpaste tubes. As Teracycle requires a minimum amount sent, you can ask if family and friends have some to recycle too.
If you want to continue with plastic toothbrushes, you should try buying from the brand mentioned above called Preserve, and send them back when done.
If you use an electric toothbrush, the batteries should be recyclable, and you can check your local facility for this. The body of the toothbrush however, is hard to recycle as it is made of plastic and metal parts. So although the body can be used for longer, it is still not the best option.
In the end, I do believe that we should all be switching to bamboo toothbrushes to reduce our waste. We currently send 4.7 billion toothbrushes to to our landfills and ocean each year, so why not switch to bamboo to reduce this? While you are at it, why not buy toothpaste pellets that require less packaging? Brush Fresh Co is a great company that is dentist approved, and I highly recommend checking them out!
Cookware:
Cookware in general are hard to recycle especially pots and pans. The first step is to check what material the product is made of. There are different types of metal, and different facilites accept certain types.
There are also types that are made out of ceramic that become a lot harder to recycle as they do not melt at the same temperature as glass and therefore cannot be recycled alongside. Finally, those coated with a plastic outer layer may be the hardest to recycle.
Any wooden utensils can be put alongside compost to biodegrade.
If you have cookware that is not recyclable, here are some ideas of what to do with them.
1. You could first check if there are any charities around you that accept old cookware
2. You can use them as your camping cookware
3. Use them as kitchen decoration
4. Use them to hold items
5. Keep them for kids to play with
Electronics/Ink cartages:
For most electronics you can bring them to a local computer store or even back to where you bought it. They will either take it back, buy it from you or let you know how to dispose of it.
In Hong Kong for example, you can go to Apple and they will give you the name of a company that can come and pick up any of your electronics such as computers and printers to be recycled.
With Ink cartages, check online at your recycling facility or government website, for the nearest collection zone.
Office supplies:
Office supplies are unfortunately an other hard one, as most of the products are made from many different components.
Same as other products, you can send your office supplies to Terracycle who will separate the material composition and recycle it. Terracycle has partnered with staples in the U.S and pen manufacturer Bic in the U.K. If you are in the U.K you can check for community recycling points at certain schools.
An other option is to make art with any old supplies or try to find artists who collect used supplies for their own artwork.
Also, if you have extra supplies that are not finished, you can donate them to a local school or charity such as the Salvation Army.
Lastly, try to buy biodegradable office supplies, such as highlighters and pencils made out of bamboo.
Wine corks:
Now if you are a wine enthusiast, you might have many of these around your home. If you are an artsy human being, then you may want to consider doing some fun art work with them, such as kitchen utensil holders or simply collecting them in a bottle (look up how to do these online). However if you aren’t, you can use them to close up oil and sauce jars. Also, if you bulk buy with tall thin like shaped jars, you can use them as well.
Compost:
I will be doing a whole separate post on at home composting, so send me any questions you have on this if you want them answered!
In the end a lot of products are hard to recycle and can leak hazardous chemicals into our environment, so the best thing to do is try to follow steps to reuse products and best of all, reduce the amount bought.
If I missed any products you would want, let me know and I can do another post.
Thank you so much for reading! Remember to like the post, share and join the mailing list! Also if you aren’t already, make sure to follow my instagram account @goingfrom2.8to1.
Thank you for all the support lately, means so much to me!
Remember to message me with any blog ideas you want to see!
Next post will be a nice sweet treat, so get excited!
Martina xx
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