America Recycles Day is November 15th! It’s a day to celebrate all things recycling and pledge to recycle more in the upcoming year. This year, we’re challenging BETTER LIFE customers to up their recycling game. Maybe you’re a recycling pro, but even professionals have room for improvement. Here’s are some things you can add to your recycling pile.
Used Crayons: The red crayon broke and now you have to buy a whole new pack. Before you know it, there’s an entire bin of crayons in your house. You don’t need 50 blue crayons! Mail your used crayons to the National Crayon Recycle Program in Colorado or The Crayon Initiative in California. The National Crayon Recycle Program creates crazy crayons and the Crayon Initiative melts crayons down to create new crayons that are donated to children’s hospitals.
VHS Tapes: How many of those do you have laying around? Earth911.com is a great resource for finding locations near you where you can safely recycle them!
Running Shoes: Nike has an amazing Reuse-A-Shoe program. Take any brand of sneaker into your local Nike store and they will recycle them to recreate apparel, footwear, and even new track surfaces.
Tennis Balls: Recycle Balls uses recycled tennis balls to create new tennis courts.
Corks: If you’re a wine drinker, listen up! There are many organizations that recycle wine corks with local drop-off locations. Recork uses old wine corks to create soles for shoes and other products.
Bicycles: Sometimes a growth spurt hits and suddenly your son needs a bigger bike. Bikes of the World takes old bikes and bike parts to provide low-income people in developing countries better transportation for work, education, and healthcare. Check their website for a participating bike shop near you.
Christmas Trees: Search online for local drop off locations in your area. Be sure you have removed all decorations and ornaments and check for size requirements before you go.
Cosmetics: Don’t overlook these! There are several programs for recycling old cosmetic containers, including programs by MAC and Garnier. The Appalachian Wildlife Refuge has a unique purpose for recycled mascara wands as well. They use old mascara wands to clean the fur of wild animals.
Not sure if something can be recycled? Check online. There are tons of organizations recycling used products for good causes. And remember, all BETTER LIFE bottles are recyclable too!