101 Ways to Recycle and Recover Resources

The Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery Helps You Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle

In this article, you'll learn:

• How to reduce your waste output
• The benefits of recycling and recovering resources
• Creative ways to reuse old items
• Common mistakes to avoid when recycling

Reduce Your Waste Output

The first step to reducing your environmental impact is to reduce the amount of waste you produce. Here are a few tips:

• Buy less stuff. The less you buy, the less you'll have to throw away.
• Choose reusable items over disposable ones. For example, use a reusable water bottle instead of plastic bottles, and bring your own bags when you go shopping.
• Reduce food waste. Plan your meals ahead of time to avoid buying too much food, and store food properly to keep it from spoiling.

The Benefits of Recycling and Recovering Resources

Recycling and recovering resources has a number of benefits, including:

• Conserves natural resources. Recycling and recovering resources helps to conserve natural resources, such as timber, water, and minerals.
• Reduces pollution. Recycling and recovering resources helps to reduce pollution, both in the air and water.
• Saves energy. Recycling and recovering resources saves energy, which can help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
• Creates jobs. The recycling and resource recovery industry employs millions of people worldwide.

Creative Ways to Reuse Old Items

There are a number of creative ways to reuse old items, such as:

• Turn old clothes into rags or dust cloths.
• Use old jars and containers to store food or craft supplies.
• Repurpose old furniture into new pieces.
• Use old tires as planters or garden decorations.

Common Mistakes to Avoid When Recycling

When recycling, it's important to avoid common mistakes, such as:

• Putting the wrong items in the recycling bin. Make sure to check your local recycling guidelines to see what items are accepted in your area.
• Contaminating recyclables. Do not put food or other contaminants in your recycling bin.
• Not rinsing out recyclables. Rinse out food and beverage containers before recycling them.
• Overfilling your recycling bin. Do not overfill your recycling bin, as this can make it difficult to transport and process the recyclables.

5 Ways to Help the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery

• Reduce your waste output.
• Recycle and recover resources.
• Reuse old items.
• Educate others about the importance of recycling and resource recovery.
• Support organizations that work to protect the environment.

By following these tips, you can help the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery reduce waste, conserve resources, and protect the environment.

Additional Resources

• Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery website
• EPA's Reduce, Reuse, Recycle website
• Earth911's Recycling Directory

Tables

Table 1: Benefits of Recycling and Recovering Resources

Table 2: Creative Ways to Reuse Old Items

Table 3: Common Mistakes to Avoid When Recycling

Table 4: 5 Ways to Help the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery