2/22/13

If you drink carbonated beverages, which are better, plastic bottles or aluminum cans? The answer is simple: aluminum cans. According to the EPA, aluminum cans are one of the most commonly recyclable materials today. In less than 60 days, a typical soda can goes from the supermarket to the recycling bin to the recycling facility and back to the shelf as a new can. This recycling process can be done indefinitely because aluminum is durable, unlike plastic, which can be recycled only a few times before being sent to the landfill.

2/21/13

When cooking at home, be sure to match the size of the burner to the size of the pot you're cooking with. According to Recyclebank, a 6-inch pot on an 8-inch burner actually wastes 40 percent of the burner's heat. Simply moving the smaller pot to a smaller burner can help save energy and get the job done. And when reheating food, skip the oven and opt for smaller users of energy, like a countertop toaster oven or microwave. They have less space to heat up and can work just as well in a jiffy.

2/20/13

The most commonly recycled plastics are those marked with No. 1 and No. 2 on the bottom, like milk and detergent jugs and soda bottles. But denser plastics -- often used in yogurt containers, deodorant cases and water filters -- are made from harder-to-recycle No. 5 plastic. One company, Preserve, is trying to make it easier to recycle No. 5 plastics with free recycling bins all over the country. The items are collected and recycled into new products, like kitchenware, razors and toothbrush handles. Find bins near you and learn more at mygimme5.com/Recycling.