My county has been recycling for many years. Some areas have county trash service, but all private companies are required to have regular recycling pickups. Not optional, *required* (you can imagine the howls that greeted that regulation). Yard waste is picked up weekly (except for winter), shredded, and turned into free shredded-leaves or coarse chips. Otherwise, we are requested to put all paper -including magazines- newspapers and cardboard into paper bags (or bundled/tied with non-plastic twine) while cans, glassware, and a limited assortment of plastics (types 1 and 2) are picked up weekly. That limited assortment is a bit sad, but apparently there is no manufacturer within a reasonable distance to re-use the other types of plastic. There are centralized stations which take [and recycle] used oil, paints, dead batteries, and so on and on. There are non-government centers for recycling styrofoam and packing materials. I've attached the county's info link because it has some interesting pictures; it confirms that materials are sorted by hand; glass is sorted according to color; and a population of less than a million [it's an old link] produces more than a half-million tons of recycleable materials per year. Meanwhile, DH & I produce about a grocery sackful of recycleables a month. Here is a link that might be useful: Recycling

Hello ~ I bought ten acres in a rural are twenty five years ago, & have dealt with many of the issues on this forum. I'd like to add my comments re recyclables: If you find yourself with a lot of non-recyclable 'garbbage' it's often a sign you are eating things that are *not healthful.* These days, most *aware* non-vegetarians now realize the hazzards of corporate-produced meat ~ & the presence of heavy metals, like mercury, in seafood. So either raise some rabbits (easily done, even in the city!), or chickens for meat--or stop buying meat on styrofoam trays! Change your grocery shopping habits: take shopping bags along--filled with your own reusable plastic bags, etc. Buy in bulk when possible ~ cheaper &, if you buy organic, much healthier & more *delicious. Re-think products you buy & use in your homes: Years ago I learned that baking soda & vinegar were safe & inexpensive replacements for nearly all household cleaning products! Chemical cleaners are seldom needed & harmful to you & your environment. Baking soda will scrub a tub or sink, remove odors from the refrig, & makes an excellent substitute for toothpaste ~ & now we've learned that fluoride in toothpaste is carcinogenic, it's best avoided ~ & one more item stays out of a land fill. Nothing cleans & shines windows & glass better than vinegar & water; use wadded newspaper to shine the glass! It can't be beat. Once you begin shopping regularly at bulk/health food stores, you'll learn to take along your own jars & containers: for bulk honey, peanut butter, cooking oil, soy sauce, even shampoo & lotions, etc. Take stock of your recyclables--& one by one--try to replace items by 'bulk buy' or making at home. Years ago I noticed yogurt tubs comprised the bulk of my plastic recyclables. I've since made yogurt at home with organic milk ~ a process that takes only *minutes & requires nothing more than clean jars, a floating thermometer, & a small picnic cooler. Voila! Now, must head out to replant the strawberry bed! Just my 2 cents, LOL-- Cheers!

You can take waste paper and make handmade paper. Some types of waste paper you can use: Computer Paper (unprinted) Newspaper (If you want a grayish colored paper) Magazines Egg Cartons Old Cards (For heavier paper) Paper Bags Non-Waxed Boxes (Pre-soak in warm water) Office Paper Tissue Paper (For finer paper) Typing Paper Construction Paper Use the handmade paper for all kinds of things, including envelopes, bookcovers, cards, craft projects, as well as making hand-formed paper bowls/vases. --------------- Bubble wrap can be placed on windows for insulation during the winter. Great for apartment dwellers or renters to help cut heating costs. Cut bubble wrap to fit. Wet the windows with a spritz bottle of water, and apply the bubble wrap to the window panes while still wet. --------------- We have a series of rain barrels (over 1,000 gallon capacity) that we use to capture rain water and use it for the garden and landscape watering. ------------ Newspapers can be rolled into logs and burned like firewood. -------------- Make your own firestarters. Place sawdust or dryer lint in the cups of cardboard egg cartons. Melt wax (old candle stubs) and cover the sawdust or drier lint. Break the egg carton into individual cups. A safe way to melt wax (it's flamable when it gets too hot) is to place the wax in a Pyrex measuring cup and place the cup on an electric cup warmer or an electric candle warmer. It warms it enough to slowly melt, but it never gets so hot it will burn you. The wax pours easily with the spouted measuring cup. --------------- Cut both ends out of cans and place them around plants in the garden to keep cutworms away. ------------- Make a scoop out of plastic bottles (all different sizes). -------------- We keep sand (free from any beach) on hand to sprinkle on the drive way and sidewalks, instead of expensive Ice Melt (which can damage plants and concrete). When the ice has melted, I sweep the sand back up and toss it back into the plastic storage container it's kept in. -Grainlady

I have used the "tarts" to scent a batch of soy wax before succesfully making some great smelling candles. Otherwise, the votives work also, just removing the wick. Hope this helps! it is worth a try absolutely!