If you drink carbonated beverages, which is better for the environment: a plastic bottle or an aluminum can? The answer is simple: aluminum. According to the EPA, aluminum cans are among the most commonly recyclable materials today. In less than 60 days, a typical soda can goes from the supermarket to the recycling bin to the recycling facility and is back on the shelf as a new soda can. This recycling process can be done indefinitely because aluminum is durable, unlike plastic, which can only be recycled a few times before being discarded into a landfill.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

Can you recycle old printed photographs with your scrap paper recycling? Yes and no. It all depends on how the photo was printed. If it was done in an old-fashioned chemical processing fashion, then no. If it was printed using modern digital technology, yes. How do you find out? Simply tear it. If the photograph rips with a very clean tear, it can be recycled; if it's hard to tear and rips in layers and not so cleanly, you likely have a nonrecyclable photo that needs to be thrown into the trash, not the recycling bin.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

According to The Sierra Club, front-loading washing machines are far more energy- and water-efficient than top-loading models. In fact, front-loading machines use up to half the water and energy of older models, making them truly a greener alternative. But the environmental organization makes a point that if your current washing machine works, use it. Just use cool or cold water versus warm or hot whenever possible, and choose the shortest cycle to make the machine a leaner, greener model.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION