Did you know the No. 1 most recycled item in America is the car battery? According to Waste Management, a car battery is 60 percent lead, which is entirely recyclable. The lead is recycled and used to make new car batteries. The other 40 percent is plastic and sulfuric acid, both of which can be reclaimed and made into new products. The reason a car battery is the most recycled item is that all automotive centers are proactive in recycling them when they are replaced. But if you decide to replace your own car battery, be sure to take your dead battery to any automotive center to be recycled. It's free and as simple as dropping it off.

Have you heard that you should leave dryer lint outdoors for birds to pick up and use to feather their nest? The reality is that dryer lint contains chemical detergents from your clothes, which can irritate birds and cause harm. If you want to help birds, you can leave piles of dried grass (untreated with chemical fertilizers or pesticides), hair clumps (human, horse and dog fur, also untreated), and the good old basics -- twigs, moss and pine needles. Just leave them close to wherever you think birds may find them, and they'll weave them into their nests.

If taking care of a grassy lawn means lots of water, fertilizers and mowing, consider converting to a greener and softer alternative: moss. Not only will you have a green lawn year-round, it's self-maintaining and needs little to zero help to thrive. A moss lawn works best where you already have trouble growing grass, in shady and damp areas. Use clumps of sheet moss (available online) and "plant" it in sections where you want it to grow. Over time, it will spread by releasing spores; it will also encourage native mosses to cultivate on their own. And even if you have grass, moss doesn't prevent grass from growing; it spreads only where grass doesn't grow, which can help give you a fuller, greener lawn.