If it seems like your inkjet printer cartridges need to be replaced constantly, there are a few things you can do to extend their lives. First, check your printer settings to make sure you're not on the "best" setting. If quality doesn't matter for your printout, go for draft or "grayscale" mode; these settings use way less ink. Also, ignore your printer's "low ink" warning; only replace cartridges when you see a big difference in quality. And finally, use the preview function to look at what you're printing before you hit "print." This one thing can help you avoid printing something that's formatted incorrectly.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

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