What should you do with all the packaging that comes with online orders? Both plastic bubble wrap and plastic air pillows can easily be recycled. Find a plastic shopping bag recycling bin (most supermarkets have them), and deposit them there. Bubble wrap and air pillows are made from the same kind of plastic as the shopping bags and will be recycled into new plastic products. Just do one thing before putting them in: Pop the bubbles so they don't take up all the room in the bin.

Little bottles of nail polish can dry out or go bad, but think twice before you toss the jars into the trash. Almost all nail polishes (with the exception of a few eco-friendly brands) have volatile chemicals in them, like toluene and dibutyl phthalate. These chemicals aren't just flammable -- they are considered household hazardous waste. Because of this, they should be disposed of with other household hazardous waste when you have special collection days in your community. In some cities, it's outright illegal to throw old nail polish in the trash.

New York City's metro card system has eliminated tokens altogether, and those plastic cards can sometimes have small balances left on them going unused. One organization, the Next Stop Project, collects these low-balance cards and combines them to form full-fare cards that are donated to New Yorkers in need. Whether you're a full-time NYC resident or are planning to visit for work or vacation, don't toss cards that have value left on them. Learn more at nextstopproject.org.