7 Surprising Things You Can Recycle That You Probably Don't Know About

So you want to start recycling? But what exact things can you recycle?

Today, I’m sharing with you 7 surprising things you can recycle. But first, let’s start with what are commonly recycled.

When it comes to recycling things, you have to keep these three guidelines in mind:

Recycle all bottles, cans, and paper.
Make sure the items are clean.
Do no mix plastic bags with recyclables.

So those are the major rules. Now, let’s get on to the things you can recycle that you probably don’t know.

Crayons

Don’t we all hate it when the crayons break or they get too small? Before you put them in the trash can, I’m here to tell you that you can easily recycle these.

How?

Collect all those unused pieces of crayons and donate them to the National Crayon Recycle Program in Colorado or to The Crayon Initiative in California.

So what happens to the crayons once you donate them?

Your unwanted crayons are melted and turned into new crayons! Yaay! These are then sent to hospitals, orphanages, art programs, low-income daycares and so much more. Start making a difference today and don’t let those crayons end up in the landfills.

Cell Phones

Got an old or outdated phone lying around? Don’t know what to do with it? Recycle!

You can send your outdated and old phones to:

Cellular Recycler – Cellular Recycler will refurbish and resell your cell phone. A portion from the resale is used to fund programs that help survivors of domestic violence live free from any abuse.
Cell Phones for Soldiers – Cell Phones for Soldiers is a nonprofit organization helping veterans and active-duty military members around the world get emergency funding and cost-free communication services.

Batteries

Unlike before, you can now start recycling batteries. National retailers such as The Home Depot, Best Buy, Staples, and Lowes, as well as Call2Recycle accepts reusable batteries for recycling.

Carpets

Don’t throw away that old carpet. Instead, recycle it. Contact a carpet reclamation facility near you for recycling. They develop market-based solutions for the reuse and recycling of post-consumer carpets.

You can also check your carpet’s manufacturing company and see if they have any recycling programs.

Corks

Did you know that you can recycle corks into insulation, flooring tiles, sports equipment, and automotive parts? Other than that, Whole Foods markets have boxes inside the stores where you can put your cork collections for recycling.

The organizations SOLE and ReCORK have also teamed up to recycle corks into shoe soles.

Bras

Before you throw away those bras, donate them to Bra Recyclers for their Bossom Buddies Program. They accept bras of all shapes and sizes then recycles them to be given to women in developing nations or local shelters.

Eyeglasses and sunglasses

You can get your eyeglasses and sunglasses recycled and help people who have eyesight difficulties. You can donate your old glasses to NewEyes.org, a non-profit organization that helps children and adults who can’t afford to buy their own glasses.

These are just a few of the things you can recycle that you probably don’t know about. But with just a little research, you’ll find that there are a lot of things you can recycle. So what items are you having a hard time recycling?