project archives

Anyone who’s ever moved from a larger place into a smaller one knows how difficult it can be to jettison unwanted stuff in an environmentally friendly way—especially when it’s bulky, of unknown origin, or the type of thing that requires wearing a Hazmat suit to recycle. Seeking answers, ReadyMade enlisted the help of Ideal Bite, a daily email newsletter devoted to “light-green living,” to create a crib sheet for those with the urge to purge. Downsizers, don’t leave home without it.

APPAREL

Clothing Free up some closet space by giving away that big sack of old threads. Donate women’s professional outfits to Dress for Success (http://www.dressforsuccess.org), a nonprofit that helps disadvantaged women find jobs. The Salvation Army (http://www.salvationarmy.org) will take your tees with open arms. If you want to trade, invite friends over for a frock swap, or haul your garb to a Buffalo Exchange store (http://www.givethegiftofsight.org).

Shoes More than 16 million pairs of sneakers have been recycled through projects like Nike’s Reuse-a-Shoe, which grinds up worn-out soles and converts them to basketball and tennis courts and running tracks. Find out where to drop off your worn-out kicks (whether or not they’re Nikes) at http://www.nike.com/nikebiz/reuseashoe.

AUTOMOBILE

Motor oil If it’s disposed of improperly, used oil can render fallow a four-acre area of soil for more than 20 years. But recyclers can re-refine it to create lubricating oil. Many auto shops, including Jiffy Lube and Kragen, will take the stuff off your hands.

Wheels Car tires make up 2 percent of all solid waste in landfills. Retailers like Big O and Goodyear will accept old tires for a few dollars apiece, and most local waste management companies organize free collection days. The road-weary rubber gets recycled into playground surfacing, soil additives, and flooring.

CHEMICALS

Cleaners Donate your out-of-use under-the-sink stash to a shelter or other nonprofit (call ahead), or visit http://www.freecycle.org to find people who’ll cart away your spray bottles and powder cans.

Medication In recent studies, more than 80 percent of rivers sampled contained chemicals from antibiotics, birth control pills, and/or antidepressants, largely because of flushed or dumped meds. The Starfish Project (http://www.thestarfishproject.org) redistributes certain meds to countries in Africa, while some states, such as Ohio and Wisconsin, run local repository programs. For expired prescriptions, call your pharmacy to see if it’ll accept them for incineration.

Paint If kicked to the curb, a single gallon of the conventional stuff can seep into the earth and pollute 250,000 gallons of drinking water. Earth 911 (http://www.earth911.org) lists local drop-off locations for both reuse (or proper disposal) and can recycling.

ELECTRONICS

Batteries Some stores (Ikea, for one) will take your alkalines for proper disposal, but you can actually recycle rechargeable batteries when they reach the end of their long lives (you can use them up to 1,000 times). They do contain hazardous chemicals like cadmium, though, so take them to a specialized drop spot (check http://www.rbrc.org for locations).

Cell phones Rather than sending your expired handset to join the more than 500 million mobile phones already in landfills, bring it back to the store where you bought it—T-Mobile and Verizon will recycle all brands of used cell phones. If you don’t have access to a store, check out Collective Good (http://www.collectivegood.com), where you can turn cell donations into cash for your choice of charity.

Computers About three-quarters of obsolete PCs—each with an average weight of 60 pounds—are sent to landfills. The Cristina Foundation (http://www.cristina.org">www.cristina.org) will pick up any old-but-working machine for redistribution to someone who can use it. Trade in newish computers through recycling programs organized by tech companies like Toshiba (http://www.toshiba.eztradein.com) or HP (http://www.hp.com/united-states/tradein). To find local spots to donate dead computers, visit E-cycling Central (http://www.eiae.org).

Fax machines Clear some space in your office by sending and receiving faxes digitally via eFax (http://www.efax.com) or MyFax (http://www.myfax.com), then list your hulking machine at Throwplace (http://www.throwplace.org) and send it in as a donation.

Ink The average printer cartridge can take more than 450 years to decompose. The Funding Factory (http://www.fundingfactory.com) and RecycleFund (http://www.recyclefund.com) will pony up cash for empty cartridges, then recycle them. Many national office-supply stores also accept ink cartridges.

MATERIALS

Appliances Looking to upgrade your oven or fridge, and need a place to donate your old one? Habitat for Humanity (http://www.habitat.org), a charity that builds homes for those who can’t afford them, will pass along your in-working-order castoffs to a family in need.

Carpet More than 2.5 million tons of rugs are discarded each year. Get a list of recyclers nationwide from Carpet America Recovery Effort (http://www.carpetrecovery.org), launched by carpet producers and the EPA, or donate like-new shag to Habitat for Humanity.

Plastics Just because there’s a number inside the arrows on the bottom of your yogurt container doesn’t mean it belongs in the recycling bin. Plastics #1 and #2 (detergent and water bottles, and food containers) are accepted by most municipal programs. Plastics #3–#7 (Styrofoam, shrink wrap, padded envelopes, product display casing, many to-go boxes, and yes, yogurt containers) are more difficult to recycle. If your city’s recycling program doesn’t accept them, try to reuse the items you can’t avoid acquiring in the first place.

Roofing. Construction jobs generate 11 million tons of asphalt shingle waste each year. If you’ve recently reroofed, http://www.earth911.org has a directory of recyclers who’ll turn old shingles into pavement and new roofing.

Wallboard About 12 percent of new drywall doesn’t survive installation. Luckily, it’s made from gypsum, a mineral that can be recycled into new drywall or used for cement production. Head to http://www.earth911.org for drop sites.

MEDIA

Books Got tomes that are gathering dust? Trade them in at your local used bookstore, or drop them at the library. You can also list unwanted volumes on Book Crossing (http://www.bookcrossing.com), a free service that alerts users to books left in public places.

Computer CDs, DVDs; jewel cases; VHS tapes Recycle these through Act Recycling (http://www.actrecycling.org), a nonprofit that helps people with disabilities find work. GreenDisk (http://www.greendisk.com) will take any hardware lying around the office (up to 20 pounds of monitors, cords, mice, and so forth) for $6.95.

Paperwork Clear out your filing cabinet by scanning photos and paper documents. Digitize photos on sites like Flickr (http://www.flickr.com). Check with your local waste management service about photo paper, and recycle all standard-issue stock after digitizing records, articles, and any other notes you can’t bear to part with.