That's pretty cool. I definitely didn't know you had to take the caps off of your bottles when you recycled them.. or that you could even recycle your empty milk cartons - and with the bottles and cans?? Who knew?!

Thanks! I had NO idea that milk cartons went with bottles and cans...or that you could recycle metal hangers!

Thanks! Incredibly helpful post! Does anyone know if the stuff you are recycling can go into plastic bags? Or does it have to go directly in the bin? I know the plastic bags aren't recyclable, but I'm not sure how else to get my apt.'s stuff into the bins with out them!

If your apartment building has large bins for recycling, they should be lined with clear plastic bags. (The same size as the large black bags you would put your trash in). This should be provided by your landlord. All tenants should not use their own smaller plastic bags. Instead, they should dump the recycleables out into the larger bag that lines the bin. Something I find useful is to put my paper recycleables into a brown paper grocery bag. This way, I can just recycle the whole bag and its contents without having to dump it out. Plastics, unfortunately, need to be recycled without the plastic bag. Also, many grocery stores and pharmacies now have places where you can recycle your plastic bags, so rather than throwing them out you can take them with you next time you're there!

Thank you so much Riverside! I've been recycling all wrong. I'll make sure to stop using plastic bags. Using paper bags is a great idea...they're bigger anyway :)

Speaking of recycling, I recently discovered RecycleBank. It has an interesting program where when you recycle, based on the weight of your recyclables, you can get rewards. I don't think it is in NYC yet, but they are testing it on the Columbia University Morningside campus in dorms. Since our area does not have this program (yet), you can request the service from the City. Check out the website on how it works: http://www.recyclebank.com/how-it-works

Did not know abouth the milk carton...will pay closer attention to size of bottle. Thanks for the post!

I am a new member of the internet scene and came across this project by chance while searching for Earth Day ideas. Our school thought this was a wonderful way to promote community awareness and our local store, GIANT, was receptive to the idea. The children enjoyed the project and were extremely creative in their designs.What a great way for everyone to get involved! 

Thanks for posting this article!

You have made some great noting in your post. I think the world has now become a more e-mail centric community than postal mail therefore use of paper has surely come down. Also cartons can surely be re-cycled to save paper. Thanks for this wonderful post. I pledge to do my very best to save further environmental degradation. 

Your Ideas for Earth Day are brilliant, in fact we can all think something similar. But do we at all implement such ideas for long enough. We all get excited with such dates but sooner after we forget it as well.

awesome points here folks!

Recycling is managed better in western countries, if you've seen in some other countries plastic bags and snacks packets are left over on the roads which leads to clogging during rains.

Hi... very well said, thanks for sharing your knowledge and what you feel we can do to bring about a small change in the way we care for the environment.

It's also easy to recycle cans if you crush them first using an aluminium or steel can crusher

It's been 40 years ago since the first celebration of Earth Day happen and the goal still remains the same, to remind each and everyone about the environmental awareness and appreciation of mother earth. It was celebrated yearly by events, rallies and environmental measures such as planting trees and conserving energy. Let us also take our part for the betterment of the earth - not just on earth month, but everyday as we live.

Recycling aluminium cans and newspaper is all well and good but what about recycling energy? I want to build solar panels on my home as soon as I can afford them to help cut down on my electricity bills. Recycling and renewable energy is the future.

Using paper bags for recycling is a great idea...I'll make sure to stop using plastic bags. Whay do you know about recycling clothes? In my community there are places where you can leave your old clothes and a company recycles them.

These days waste management is one of the most discussed topic. Globally number of strategies are used for waste management. Among them recycling and reuse is probably the best one. Moreover, this system or practice preserves natural resources. Not only this it will control pollution as well. I really support recycling and the method of reuse.

Most of these facts were completely new to me, there should be some rules listed regarding this issue, I had no idea that bottle caps are supposed to go in the trash for example and I am sure this is the case for many others as well. It would be interesting to know if there are any other rules regarding it and since I need to get a dumpster Baltimore, it wouldn't hurt to ask them more information, they should know better.

So these rules only work for New York or they're just general rules we should all be aware of? You really got me confused now. I'd better call Junk Haulers Milwaukee and see if they have any specific rules for recycling, I'd like to do things right. People should be informed about this.

Almost anything can be recycled , there are programs for biological waste recycling. And more recycling means cheaper products and a cleaner Earth . Our local junk removal company has been campaigning about recycling for years and has managed to convince all of our community to recycle everything.

I'm glad to learn about the milk cartons (Do they need to be cleaned first?), and especially about not putting recycling in plastic bags. I think of myself as a responsible recycler, but . . . Oops. Very helpful post.

I grill outdoors a lot, and it's nice to know that I can recycle all of the foil paper I use when cooking. I never knew that foil paper and wire hangers could be recycled, and not the plastic one. And who knew you could report a landlord who isn't recycling? Good information to know

Another great post, I appreciate all the work you put into this site, helping out others with your fun and creative works.

All your website is very instructive. I like reading your information. I will come back visiting and commenting in your blog.

Amazing campaign pro recycling just read about it on the internet and it has seen great success. Maybe our local junk removal atlanta services should be inspired to star a recycling program of their own.