With it being Earth Day and all, I figured I would share my three favorite ways to reduce, reuse and recycle. 

You can give and get items for completely free.

FreeCycle.org is by far the best way to get rid of the things you don't need and get the things that you do. It's primary goal is to keep things out of the landfill and give them free of charge to those who need them.

This very nice British gentleman decided to make a video on exactly what I'm talking about. He helps describes the process quite perfectly.

Each community across the United States has their own FreeCycle group. I've been taking a look around at what is offered and wanted in Rockford and there are so many things that could be useful to others such as diapers, sofas, bedding and more.

The first time I used the service I was brought so much joy. A young family came to pick up a large basketball hoop that was taking up space in my driveway. The two young boys hugged me with huge smile and made happy knowing that my junk was their new treasure.

Did you also know you can recycle crayons? The Next Crayon Collection is June 1 - 15.

Millions of crayons are worn out every year because kids love to color. What happens to all the unused crayons? Should they wind up buried in the local landfill? Keep Northern Illinois Beautiful doesn't think so. Their website states:

At the close of each school year (June 1 – 15) we accept the crayons collected in various schools and classrooms. Volunteers will strip the paper from each crayon and then they are sorted by color. Other volunteers will then melt down the stubs and recast them in interesting shapes; cars, dinosaurs, flowers, etc. These recast crayons, now fully useable again, are then distributed to lower grade children by the thousands when we do programs in their classrooms. These old used up crayons re-enforce the message that children, too, can be environmentally helpful.

 

Recycle and find new uses for Plastic Bags.

We all have TONS of plastic shopping bags from our trips to the grocery store. In Rockford, all Schnuck’s Grocery Stores have a bin near the front entrance where you can drop off the bags you aren't using.

If you feel like reusing the bags, there are plenty of ways to do so. You can use them to line a small garbage can, store wet paint brushes for the next days use, protect water and gas lines in the winter time, and so much more.

Have a great way to recycle? Let me know in the comments below. Make sure to make everyday Earth Day and recycle!

 

 

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