Some of these great ways to be “green”recycling tips were in April issue of Best Life. Most I had never heard of before so I figured they would be great to pass along. Try to pass along one of these helpful tips to someone else today.

• Cellphones apparently have circuit boards containing toxins such as cadmium, lead, mercury and arsenic. Instead of dumping these in the trash so these dangerous chemicals end up in a landfill, you can contact the Battery Recycling Corporation.  This  nonprofit organization collects discarded phones nationwide and either recycles them or refurbishes them. For more info go to call2recycle.org

• Shoes that we have worn out can be recycled in Nike’s Reuse-a-Shoe Program. The recycled shoes are made into Nike Grind, a major ingredient in synthetic surfaces such as basketball courts, tennis courts, running tracks and playgrounds. Niketown and Nike outlet stores will accept any brand of athletic shoe as long as they are not wet, cleats or contain metal.

• Carpeting that you have recently replaced can be recycled by contacting the Carpet America Recovery Effort. They will let you know where your carpet can be recycled locally. Old carpeting can be used to make new carpet, automotive parts, fiber padding and more. For more info look into carpetrecovery.org

• Computers are basically useless after five years but don’t throw you old one in the garbage yet. Best Life shares that computers that are discarded are shipped to China where worker are poisoned by flame retardants when they tear apart machines for scraps. Some of the lead is even made into costume jewelry that is resold in China. Dell and Sony will take back all of their old products. Toshiba recycles their laptops and Apple will dispose of any brand of computer you discard when you buy one of their products. If you return your old iPod you can get a 10% discount on a new one. Check out computertakeback.com

• Construction materials that are salvageable like old doors, decking, or a broken dishwasher can be donated to Habitat for Humanity’s ReStores. Here people can buy these products at a large discount. ReStores are in 45 states and have raised enough money in cash to build an extra 10 homes a year. Check out habitat.org

• CDs and DVDs discarded that end up in dumps are often incinerated, releasing harmful toxin fumes into the environment. GreenDisk, will pick up old CDs and DVDs at your house and recycle them into car parts and office supplies. Greendisk.com

• Composting is a great way to reduce your contributions to a landfill and make yourself fertilizer at the same time. You can try one of the $170 bins that use earthworms to recycle your natural waste and turn it into garden feed. My own note here is that if you are afraid of thousands of earthworms, as I am, you can always get an old fashioned composting bin, minus the worms. It just doesn’t work as fast. For those with a strong stomach check out plantenatural.com for the earthworm bins.

• Latex paint leftover from projects is actually being recycled in some places. Check epa.gov to see if there is a local facility near you that recycles leftover paint.

• Some fleece apparently has a synthetic that doesn’t actually decompose. Check out the Common Threads Garment Recycling Program started by Patagonia, Teijin, and Polartec. You can drop off old fleece at Patagonia stores and select retailers, or mail it to Patagonia’s distribution center. One fifth of Polartec’s offerings come from recycled fibers and 100% of their fabrics are recyclable.

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