Ever buy something online and have it arrive surrounded by those plastic “pillows” to protect it during shipping? To dispose of them, there are two things you can do: You can reuse them when you need to ship something, or you can simply pop the pillows to remove the air and recycle them. The recycling bins at the grocery store that take plastic shopping bags will take deflated plastic air pillows, too. They are made from the same type of resin, and they'll get recycled into new plastic products.

An encyclopedia set has become obsolete for many of us as the internet has become the go-to source for research and information. But what can you do with your old set of books? Most libraries and local book drives do not want them; in fact, they often post notices saying they are the one rejected donation item. Instead, you can do two things. One, you can rip the cover off the books and recycle the interior pages with office paper. Two, you can donate them to the charity Books for Africa (booksforafrica.org), which is actively looking for reference books dated 2005 or later. The group donates them to schools and libraries in need in Africa.

If you love magazines but don’t like the paper that’s used to print them, there’s a digital app that’s prefect for you: Texture. The app was created by major magazine publishers as a virtual newsstand. You can read hundreds of current issues, along with back issues, all through the convenience of your phone or tablet. And a bonus: You can even read issues of my magazine, “Naturally, Danny Seo”!