1/2/13

When you layer organic matter like dead leaves, grass clippings and vegetable waste in a compost heap, it "warms up" as the items degrade into beneficial mulch. In the cold winter months, anything warm is a potential shelter for wild animals. If you are flipping the compost with a rake in the winter months, do it with caution: Frogs, toads and other small animals may be living inside. Better yet, wait until the spring to flip the compost -- the warmer weather means the animals will find shelter elsewhere.

1/1/13

Some of the most commonly recycled items are corrugated cardboard boxes, with around 77 percent of all boxes recovered and recycled into new products. When recycling cardboard boxes, there is no need to remove labels and tape from them -- those remnants are removed easily at the recycling facility and properly disposed of. Keep in mind that you should keep nonrecyclable boxes like pizza and shoeboxes out of the recycling bin. Those are often coated in waxy materials that make them nearly impossible to recycle.

12/31/12

Who knew your old ink cartridges could be recycled and help stray cats and dogs, too? Bobbi and the Strays is a New York-based no-kill shelter that helps rehabilitate and find homes for orphaned, stray or abused cats and dogs. Send the organization your used ink cartridges, and it can resell them to manufacturers and use the money for its nonprofit work. Send cartridges to Bobbi and the Strays, P.O. Box 170129, Ozone Park, NY 11417.