How to be a "Smart Recycler"

Boro-Wide Recycling Corp.

Maspeth, NY 718-416-1656

www.BoroWideRecycling.com

 

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Recycling trends show that an increasing number of Americans are continuing to practice good recycling habits, allowing companies to take used materials and transform them into new products. Although we're making more of a conscious effort to take part in eco-friendly practices, there are always ways that we can improve how we decide what items belong in the recycling bin. Check out some of these recycling dos and don'ts that you should keep in mind as you head to the recycling bin:

• Cleaner items gain more value once they're turned into recycled materials. Before you throw old food or drink containers into the recycling bin, take a few minutes to wash them out.
• Any cardboard or paper products should not have grease or smudges left on them when they are tossed in the recycling bin. If you need to throw out a product made from this material, such as a pizza box, throw out the portion that contains left over grease and only recycle the clean parts.
• You can recycle your plastic shopping bags, but not through traditional curbside recycling programs. Plastic bags can jam the machines at recycling facilities, so take any grocery bags to participating stores that have a recycling program of their own.
• Plastic products are labeled with an identification code that lets you know what type of plastic they are made from. Do some research on your local recycling company to find out which plastics are accepted and which are not.

How will you recycle smarter? Visit us on our facebook page and let us know!

At Boro Wide Recycling, we work to keep our planet safe by providing comprehensive recycling services to commercial and residential customers. Join us in our efforts! Contact us to learn how we can help you in your recycling efforts, and don't forget to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date with the latest news in recycling efforts and eco-friendly tips. 

From Jeans to Summer Shorts: Recycling Denim

Boro-Wide Recycling Corp.

Maspeth, NY 718-416-1656

www.BoroWideRecycling.com

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Ever have a pair of jeans that you can't bear to part with even when the seams start to split and the color starts to fade? What about the pair that got sent to the back of your closet when you grew taller and they seemed shorter? When it comes to cleaning out old jeans, many times we tend to place them in the trash pile without thinking twice about what we could do with them in terms of recycling. The great thing about jeans, however, is that even if they can no longer serve their original purpose, they can easily be turned into a brand new pair of shorts for the summer! The following is a set of instructions for how you can turn your old jeans into new denim shorts:

Materials:

• Jeans
• Scissors
• Safety pins or a sharpie
• Ruler

Steps: 

1. Put on your old pair of jeans and determine a length that you feel would be appropriate for your shorts.
2. Once the length is determined, use a safety pin to hold your place or mark up your jeans with a sharpie. Make sure to consider whether or not you want to be able to cuff your new shorts, since you would need to leave extra room when determining length.
3. Next, lay your jeans flat and cut off each leg one at a time. To help you keep a straight line, take a ruler and a sharpie and trace the path in which you will cut before beginning. Tip: Cut the legs on a slight angle so they allow for a little flare.
4. If desired, fray the edges a bit; this can be done simply by putting your jeans in the wash!

That's it! Pretty simple, right?  For more tips on how to turn jeans into shorts, click here.

At Boro Wide Recycling, we work to keep our planet safe by providing comprehensive recycling services to commercial and residential customers. Join us in our efforts! Contact us to learn how we can help you in your recycling efforts, and don't forget to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date with the latest news in recycling efforts and eco-friendly tips. 

Creative Ways to Recycle Magazines

Boro-Wide Recycling Corp.

Maspeth, NY 718-416-1656

www.BoroWideRecycling.com

 

Getting a new magazine, whether by mail or in store, can be exciting - they carry the latest news and trends on the subject of your choice! But what happens once you've read it cover to cover? Do you let it sit there until the next one arrives or do you get rid of it? A lot of people often find themselves in the habit of collecting magazines, letting them pile up until they have months worth of information right at their fingertips. The following is a list of a few creative ways that you can recycle old magazines and reduce the amount that end up on your coffee table every month:

1. Make a Collage: Magazines are great for collages. Start by coming up with a theme and then search for pictures that reflect the topic you've chosen.

   

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2. Make a Donation: What's one place you always see magazines? Doctors offices! Doctors offices and the like love receiving donations of magazines as they give their patients something to do while they wait!
3. Vision Board: We all have goals and dreams that we'd like to come true, and the first step in making that happen is by believing in them! Use old magazines to find pictures of things that remind you of your dreams, and compile them together into a collage on a piece of poster board. Don't forget to place your board somewhere where you'll see it often!
4. Wrapping Paper: Stuck at the last minute for a gift bag? Use old magazines to wrap your presents instead - but make sure you don't use any images that might give away the gift!

For more ideas on how to recycle magazines, click here.

At Boro Wide Recycling, we work to keep our planet safe by providing comprehensive recycling services to commercial and residential customers. Join us in our efforts! Contact us to learn how we can help you in your recycling efforts, and don't forget to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date with the latest news in recycling efforts and eco-friendly tips. 

American Eagle Teams Up With I:CO To Promote Recycling

Boro-Wide Recycling Corp.

Maspeth, NY 718-416-1656

www.BoroWideRecycling.com

 

The latest in recycling explains that American Eagle, a popular clothing brand, has officially joined forces with recycling company I:CO to continue the push to go green. As a result of expanding their partnership, American Eagle is now home to I:CO's clothing and shoes recycling program, encouraging shoppers to be environmentally conscious and take green steps towards bettering our planet. In fact, this program is set to be up and running in all of American Eagle's stores across the United States and Canada - wow!
 

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foto76 / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

As of just last week, customers are now able to drop off any used or unwanted clothing items (in good standing, of course) to a store near them. The good news? Any clothing or textiles dropped off do not have to be reflective of the American Eagle brand; they are currently accepting any and all brands in their specially labeled I:CO boxes. And that's not all! To say thank you to participants for their donations, customers will receive acode that makes them eligible for $5.00 off a pair of brand new AEO jeans.

According to Sustainable Brands, this program is I:CO's widest North American partnership. Since American Eagle already has a long standing dedication to protecting the environment, both partners agree that working together is a great way to build awareness and promote recycling to those around them.

To learn more, click here!

At Boro Wide Recycling, we work to keep our planet safe by providing comprehensive recycling services to commercial and residential customers. Join us in our efforts! Contact us to learn how we can help you in your recycling efforts, and don't forget to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date with the latest news in recycling efforts and eco-friendly tips. 

Recycle What? Unusual Things You Can Recycle

Boro-Wide Recycling Corp.

Maspeth, NY 718-416-1656

www.BoroWideRecycling.com

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

When you think of recyclable items, you probably think of the usual plastics, cans, bottles and paper. Since these are the materials that people most associate with recycling, it's not surprising that the majority of items that end up in the recycling bin are made up of them. But have you ever thought about all those other odd items that seem to be labeled as "definitely trash?" Well, it turns out that often, a lot of the items we assume to be trash can actually be recycled. The following is a list of unusual items that can and should be recycled:

• Gym Shoes: We've all worn a pair of shoes until they fell off our feet - but what did you do with them after that? Major corporations like Nike will actually grind your old shoes into a rubber like material that can be used to create tracks and athletic sneakers.
• Crayons: When a crayon is worn out it's garbage, right? Wrong! You can easily recycle crayons by turning them into a project of their own. Consider melting old crayons onto a canvas and create your very own abstract piece of art.
• Keys: If you've got keys from an old house or car, don't let them build up in your junk drawer; recycle them! Since keys are made of metal they should be recycled anyway, so either send them to your local recycling center or look for a local charity that might be accepting old keys.
• Wine Corks: After you finish your next bottle of wine, keep the cork and make sure to send it in for recycling. In fact, organizations like recork.org will actually collect your corks and turn them into new shoe soles.

For more unusual items that can be recycled, click here.

At Boro Wide Recycling, we work to keep our planet safe by providing comprehensive recycling services to commercial and residential customers. Join us in our efforts! Contact us to learn how we can help you in your recycling efforts, and don't forget to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date with the latest news in recycling efforts and eco-friendly tips. 

How Recycling Works

Boro-Wide Recycling Corp.

Maspeth, NY 718-416-1656

www.BoroWideRecycling.com

 

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digitalart / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

By definition, recycling is a process that takes waste materials and reconfigures them into new products. As a result of this process, we are able to prevent the waste of usable materials, reduce the amount of energy used to create new products, and ultimately reduce air and water pollution by reducing the amount of materials that must enter landfills.

While many of us know the importance of recycling and why it is beneficial for our environment, take a moment to ask yourself if you know how recycling really works. What are the steps to recycling? How do recycling plants work to manufacture new products out of old ones? Thanks to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), we can tell you! The following is a brief explanation of the steps to recycling:

1. Collect: In order to be able to recycle, a plant first must receive the materials! There are a variety of ways that collection happens, with the most popular being curbside collection programs. Other forms of collection include drop-off centers and deposit programs.

2. Sort: After all materials are compiled, facilities work to sort them and group similar products together, such as plastics, cans and glass. Once they are sorted, they are then cleaned and processed into materials that are suitable for the manufacturing process.

3. Manufacture: The next step in recycling includes creating new products out of pre-existing materials. This means that items you use at work, at school, or around the house may be created from products that once served a different purpose. Common items that are created from recycled materials are newspapers, steel cans, and soft drink containers.

4. Purchase: The final step in recycling is completed with help from the consumer. By purchasing new products that are made from recycled materials, you complete one cycle and essentially begin another. The next time you go shopping, choose items that can easily be recycled or are made from recycled products!

At Boro Wide Recycling, we work to keep our planet safe by providing comprehensive recycling services to commercial and residential customers. Join us in our efforts! Contact us to learn how we can help you in your recycling efforts, and don't forget to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date with the latest news in recycling efforts and eco-friendly tips.  

Coca-Cola Takes Recycling Initiative

Boro-Wide Recycling Corp.

Maspeth, NY 718-416-1656

www.BoroWideRecycling.com

When it comes to the 3 R's, the push for reusing plastic bottles is pretty popular. In fact, it's so popular that even brand names like Coca-Cola are beginning to hop on board and incorporate recycling plastic bottles into their campaigns. According to AdWeek, Coca-Cola's latest campaign takes their product to a new level by inventing 16 bottle caps that can turn empty bottles into newly functioning objects. Thanks to the new "2nd Lives" kit from the brand, your coke bottle can be easily transformed after you take your last sip.

With help from Ogilvy and Mather China, the campaign features 16 different, innovative caps that can be screwed on to any coke bottle once they're empty. What was once a cool, refreshing drink can become a water gun, whistle, paint brush, bubble maker and more within seconds! To begin the push for recycling, coke plans to give away 40,000 of these caps to consumers.

As stated in the AdWeek article, the initial purpose of this creative campaign is to encourage consumers in Vietnam to recycle. By providing consumers with these new caps, the campaign hopes to bring others on board with their recycling efforts by giving them a way to reuse plastic bottles that would otherwise end up in the trash. And the good news is, it's easy! Since the cap is provided, all consumers have to do is twist it on and then experience the joy of a new product.

At Boro Wide Recycling, we work to keep our planet safe by providing comprehensive recycling services to commercial and residential customers. Join us in our efforts! Contact us to learn how we can help you in your recycling efforts, and don't forget to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date with the latest news in recycling efforts and eco-friendly tips.   

Ways to Conserve Energy This Summer

Boro-Wide Recycling Corp.

Maspeth, NY 718-416-1656

www.BoroWideRecycling.com

Image courtesy of SOMMAI / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

With the official start of summer only a few weeks away, you might be starting to prepare your home for those hot, humid days that leave you searching for a gust of cool air - and you know what that means! It's almost that time where the windows will start to close and the air conditioner will kick in. Of course it's important to stay cool during the summer season, but have you ever considered how much energy you use just to keep your home cool? As you get ready to beat the heat, consider these tips from the National Wildlife Federation to help you conserve energy in your home:

1. Use fans throughout your home to keep cool air flowing. This alone can make it seem like it is 5 degrees cooler than it actually is.
2. Shade any windows that tend to receive a lot of sunlight. By keeping your shades down or using room darkening shades you'll block out any heat from the sun.
3. On super hot days, avoid opening windows and doors on a regular basis. By doing so, you allow cool air to escape and hot air to enter, causing your cooling unit to work harder. 
4. Check that your attic is properly ventilated to allow excess heat to escape through the ceiling or roof.
5. Plant trees or other plant life around your air conditioning unit to reduce sun exposure. A unit in the shade will use less electricity than one that operates in direct sunlight.

By following these simple tips and altering your routines just a bit, you can help preserve our planet by reducing the amount of energy produced in your home each and every day. Join us in our efforts and conserve energy today!

At Boro Wide Recycling, we work to keep our planet safe by providing comprehensive recycling services to commercial and residential customers. Join us in our efforts! Contact us to learn how we can help you in your recycling efforts, and don't forget to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date with the latest news in recycling efforts and eco-friendly tips.