A New School Year is a Great Time to Recycle!

School is starting, and has already started for some. That means back-to-school shopping for clothes, school supplies and more. In fact, the National Retail Federation projects Americans will spend over $80 billion on back-to-school items. And a lot of that will be done online.

Don’t forget about recycling and donating to charity as you do away with the old stuff and replace it with new items. Here are some tips: Clothes should never be put in your curbside recycling cart. That includes belts and anything you can wrap around your arm. These items tangle up and shut down recycling equipment.

Ordering online means cardboard boxes and plastic bags in the mail. Cardboard should be broken down, flattened out, and put in your curbside recycling cart. Plastic shipping bags and plastic protectors inside the shipping box, including Styrofoam, should go in the trash. It’s a new school year and recycling the right stuff can make many old things new again. Plus, you can re-use what’s useful, and re-purpose what still has a purpose. For more information on how to do recycling right, go to MyDoRight.com.