Seeing reusable shopping bags at the grocery store or farmers market has become the norm. But as more of us reuse and reuse the bags, it's important to make sure the bags that carry food home stay clean and healthy. Washing reusable bags helps prevent things like yeast and bacteria from growing inside and cross-contaminating your food. Ripstop nylon bags are the ideal choice; they can be washed in hot water, and if they get a tear, the hole will literally heal itself and stop ripping. Choose different-colored nylon bags to separate seafood, meat and produce.

Air filters are needed components for almost all heating and cooling systems to capture dirt, dust, bacteria and other debris to keep the indoor air quality of your home healthy. But traditional disposable filters -- which are made from a polyester fiber -- are not recyclable and need to be replaced often. If throwing away filters concerns you, consider investing in reusable filters. While the reusable ones cost 10 times more upfront, they can last several years, which will help you recoup the investment. Reusable air filters are washable and just need to be thoroughly dry before being put back into your heating/cooling system.

We're becoming more and more of a cordless world when it comes to our electronic devices, smartphones, e-readers and tablets. Most of these products use something called a lithium-ion battery (or li-ion), which is rechargeable. But over time, a rechargeable battery needs to be replaced and should never be thrown in the trash. The nonprofit Call2Recycle has thousands of collection boxes that will accept them for free; you can find them in stores like Lowe's, Home Depot and Best Buy. Just place batteries from phones, cordless power tools, digital cameras, two-way radios, laptops and e-readers inside, and they'll be recycled for free.