In the past, people thought you could put used hypodermic needles inside plastic bottles, screw on the cap and toss it into the trash or recycling bin. But since trash bags and recycling bins aren't completely secure, neither are the used hypodermic needles. As trash and recycling haulers are manned by humans, these used needles pose a serious health risk to them. Dispose of needles in secure containers designed to collect them.

When buying old-fashioned incandescent lightbulbs, we often looked at the wattage to determine the brightness of the bulb. But with modern LED bulbs, it's important to look at the lumen rating and not the wattage to figure out the brightness. The wattage on an LED bulb reveals only how much power the LED bulb actually uses. The lumen rating measures the brightness; the higher the lumen rating, the brighter the bulb.

Your old real evergreen Christmas tree can be reused to help your backyard garden thrive and grow. Instead of relegating it for curbside trash pickup, grab some shears and give it a pruning. Cut branches into smaller pieces, and use the evergreen boughs as mulch to protect bushes and flower beds. Pine breaks down quickly into beneficial mulch, so come springtime, it'll go away as your plants emerge from their winter slumber.