On average, each one of us produces 4.4 pounds of solid waste each day. This is the food we eat and what we don’t finish, the can of soda we used to wash it down with, and not to mention all the bags (grocery) and tags (receipts) we accumulate throughout the day. This adds up to almost a ton of trash per person, per year. Yet instead of calculating how much waste we leave behind, let’s focus on how much we can un-waste by recycling.

Not many people know what can be recycled. Cardboard, aluminum cans and glass bottles, of course, but what about ink cartridges, paint, cell phones and old appliances? Yes, all these items can be recycled, cutting down our amount of waste in the long run. In fact, according to www.recyclingfacts.org, all of these items should be recycled:

• Acid batteries
• Aluminum cans
• Building materials
• Cardboard
• Chemicals
• Electronic equipment
• Glass (particularly bottles and jars)
• Lead
• Magazines
• Metal
• Newspaper
• Oil
• Paint
• Paper
• Plastic Bags
• Plastic bottles
• Steel cans
• Tires
• White goods (appliances)
• Wood
• Writing/copy Paper
• Yard waste