Legos are some of the world's most popular toys. But they can be difficult to recycle, since they are made with a mixture of hard-to-recycle plastics, including Nos. 7 and 9, which basically means -other" in the recycling community. One organization that is working to spread the joy and creative spark of Legos is BrickRecycler. It takes any mix of Legos, sorts them and distributes them to children in need all over the world. All you have to do is mail in your old Legos. Learn more at brickrecycler.com.

Glass canning jars are a great way to store pantry staples and bulk bin ingredients at home: They don't absorb odor, they are transparent (so you can see what's inside) and if you need to toss them out, they are completely recyclable. But the metal lids that come with canning jars can get rusty, dirty or completely lost. Here's a simple upcycling solution: The plastic jar lids that are used for items like peanut butter, mayonnaise and other condiments fit perfectly on those glass canning jars. Just clean them well, then use them to keep your herbs, dried beans or whatever else you want to store airtight and fresh.

LED lightbulbs are some of the most efficient, long-lasting bulbs around, since they use a fraction of the energy of conventional bulbs and can last up to 20 years. But they can also be expensive. So choose the five light fixtures you use the most at home, and replace those bulbs with LEDs. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, this one switch will reduce electricity usage in those fixtures by 75 percent, and it gives you the potential to recoup about $70 a year in electricity savings.