Tips For A Green Halloween

Boro-Wide Recycling Corp.

Maspeth, NY 718-416-1656

www.BoroWideRecycling.com

Today marks the start of the last week of October, and that only means one thing - Halloween is almost here! As you prepare your home and your family for the fun filled evening of trick or treating and holiday celebrations that will take place this Friday, we suggest finding ways to celebrate in good old "green" fashion. See below for a few of our favorite ways that you can go green this Halloween!

• Instead of buying a pre-packaged costume, make your own out of old or unused clothing.
• Use pillowcases, buckets or canvas bags to collect candy instead of plastic bags that are likely to be thrown away after the night is over.
• Choose a central location for your family to go trick or treating and commit to walking to each destination rather than drive around your neighborhood.
• If you're hosting a Halloween party, stock up on reusable or bio-degradable dishes and silverware instead of disposable plastic pieces.

Once the night is over, don't forget to keep as much as you can for next year! By storing away decorations, trick or treat bags and even costumes, you can help reduce the amount of holiday waste that ends up in the trash for the next curbside pickup.

For a more detailed list of ways that you and your family can go green this Halloween, 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.

Why Recycle?

Boro-Wide Recycling Corp.

Maspeth, NY 718-416-1656

www.BoroWideRecycling.com

  

While you've probably heard that recycling is good for the environment and that it helps preserve our planet, do you really know why it's good for the environment? How it helps preserve our planet? At Boro Wide Recycling, we believe that in addition to practicing good recycling habits, you should understand why you are encouraged to do so and how your actions are truly making a difference. That's why we've collected three of our favorite reasons why you should recycle! Please see below:

1. Landfills: Each time you recycle, you reduce the amount of waste that ends up in one of our landfills. By keeping the waste out, the need for more landfills is eliminated, which in turn helps to keep our city and communities clean!
2. Energy: By recycling, the demand for new products to be made is significantly reduced. That means not nearly as much energy is being used to manufacture items! Every time you recycle you help conserve energy, which is extremely important to do since it is a natural resource that we rely on every day!
3. Pollution: Reducing the amount of pollution in our air is one of the greatest benefits of recycling – not only does pollution harm the air and our environment, but it can also harm our health since the air we breathe is tainted! Recycling is one of the best ways to reduce the amount of pollutants we are subjected to every time we step outside.

For more great reasons why you should recycle, 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 To Keep Warm Without Using Your Heat

Boro-Wide Recycling Corp.

Maspeth, NY 718-416-1656

www.BoroWideRecycling.com

 

Now that things have finally cooled off, many homeowners are beginning to turn on their heating system and are starting to crank up their thermostat to take the chill out of the air in their home. However, although it's starting to get cold and your heat might seem like the best solution, there are plenty of other ways to keep warm without it for the next couple of weeks. Thanks to the Huffington Post, we've collected 3 of the best ways to keep warm this year before relying on your heat:

1. Switch out the cool, cotton sheets you used this summer for toasty warm flannel ones! Changing the sheets on your bed and adding extra blankets can make for a much warmer sleep and keep you comfortable all throughout the night.
2. Adjust your ceiling fans so that they rotate clockwise throughout the colder months. When your fan spins clockwise at a low speed, it can actually push hot air down to keep you warm.
3. Rearrange your furniture so that you're not lounging by the windows in your home. Even when your windows are shut and fully sealed, you can still feel a pinch of cold air when sitting too close.

In addition to reducing your heating costs, waiting to turn on your heat is another great way to conserve energy in your home! Since your heating system is an appliance that consumes quite a bit of energy, keeping it off for as long as comfortably possible reduces the amount of energy that your home will need to use.

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.

Recycled Halloween Decorations and Crafts

Boro-Wide Recycling Corp.

Maspeth, NY 718-416-1656

www.BoroWideRecycling.com

With Halloween just about two weeks away, it's likely that you're looking for ways to get into the holiday spirit at home. While decorating your home with lights and motion sensored objects can be both exciting and inviting for the little ones on Halloween night, we recommend taking a different approach and haunting your home with DIY decorations made out of old or unused items around your house. See below for a few spooky craft ideas for some inspiration:

Glass Pumpkins:
Start by collecting an old glass jar, some orange tissue paper and a black sharpie or felt. Once you're ready, completely cover the jar in tissue paper pieces, then using your black sharpie or felt, design your very own jack-o-lantern face on either side.

Egg Carton Bat:
To create a bat out of an old egg carton, cut away three of the egg compartments from the bottom half of the carton - the two outer shells will serve as the wings, while the middle will be used for the face. Next, paint the piece you have cut out black and attach two eyes to the front. If you'd like to hang the bat around your home, poke a hole through the top and add a string!

Halloween Wreath:
Using old plastic bags (preferably orange) and a hanger, you can create a Halloween wreath for your front door! Start by adjusting the coat hanger into a circle, then cut your plastic bags into several square pieces. To complete the wreath, tie each piece around the hanger until it is no longer visible.

For more detailed instructions and photos of each of these projects completed, please 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.  

Basic Home Recycling Tips

Boro-Wide Recycling Corp.

Maspeth, NY 718-416-1656

www.BoroWideRecycling.com

Do you recycle in your home? When most of us think of recycling at home, we're quick to believe that throwing all of our recyclables into a recycling bin and putting it on the curb for curb side pickup is enough. However, it's important for homeowners to realize that collecting all recyclable materials in one bin isn't as effective, which is why it's important to filter and separate products before putting them out for recycling.

The following are a few tips that you can follow as you prepare for the next recycling pickup:

1. Newspapers should be completely separated from all other items since they go directly to "newsprint recycling."
2. Magazines, phone books, computer paper and envelopes can be collected in one bin.
3. Food cans should be rinsed out once they are empty and the labels should be removed.
4. Caps should be removed from plastic bottles before tossing them in the recycling bin.
5. Staples do not have to be removed from paper before recycling, but rubber bands and plastic wrapping must be.

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.  

Three Green Tips for Fall

Boro-Wide Recycling Corp.

Maspeth, NY 718-416-1656

www.BoroWideRecycling.com

Just because the seasons change doesn't mean your efforts have to! As you begin to get your home ready for the cold temperatures that lie ahead, there are plenty of great ways that you can continue to go green and conserve energy in your home, even when you think you must rely on heavy use appliances like your heating system to maintain your comfort. Looking to learn how? See below for three ways that you can go green this fall season:

1. Lower the heat: Although your first instinct would be to turn up the heat on cold days and nights, consider other ways that you can keep warm such as bundling up in sweaters or putting extra blankets on the bed!
2. Inspect windows and doors: Before turning on your heating system for the season, check your windows and doors to make sure there are no cracks or leaks in your weather stripping. Leaks around windows and doors are a top contributing factor when it comes to wasting energy...and money!
3. Bake accordingly: If you'll be baking your favorite pumpkin pie this month, make an effort to do so on a cold day. Rather than crank up your thermostat, your oven can serve as an alternative source of heat! 

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 Sweater To Scarf, Repurposing Old Sweaters!

Boro-Wide Recycling Corp.

Maspeth, NY 718-416-1656

www.BoroWideRecycling.com

 

As you rearrange your closet and bring your fall clothes to the front, you've probably come across a few of last year's favorites that either don't fit or aren't up to your style standards for this year's fall fashion. But instead of tossing out those old sweaters you used to love, why not turn them into another fall accessory that you can use to keep warm as the temperatures begin to drop? The following is a simple DIY project that you can do to turn your old sweaters into a brand new, one of a kind scarf.

Materials Needed:

• Sweater(s)
• Card stock or cardboard
• Hot glue gun
• Fabric scissors
• Painter's tape

Directions:

1. Attach your piece of card stock or cardboard to your sweater using painter's tape, then cut around the piece to divide your sweater(s) into even square sections.
2. Lay out all of your square pieces in a pattern of your choice, then using your hot glue gun, attach each piece together so that you have one long piece of fabric.
3. To create an infinity scarf, line up the two ends and glue them together the same way you did with the rest of your sections.
4. Lay flat to dry and enjoy!

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. 

A Guide To Recycling Codes: Plastics 4-7

Boro-Wide Recycling Corp.

Maspeth, NY 718-416-1656

www.BoroWideRecycling.com

 

In our last blog, we introduced you to the first three recycling codes and provided some insight on the products they symbolize and whether or not they can be recycled. Today, we'd like to focus on the final four! See below:

Number 4 Plastics:

• LDPE (low density polyethylene)
• Found in bread, frozen food, tote bags, furniture, carpet and squeezable bottles
• Although some communities and recycling facilities accept them, these plastics are not usually recycled through curbside programs

Number 5 Plastics:

• PP (polypropylene)
• Found in syrup bottles, ketchup bottles, caps, medicine bottles and straws
• These plastics can be recycled through curbside programs 

Number 6 Plastics:

• PS (polystyrene)
• Found in meat trays, egg cartons, carry out containers and aspirin bottles
• These plastics can be recycled through curbside programs

Number 7 Plastics:

• "Miscellaneous"
• Found in sunglasses, DVDs, iPod cases, and three to five gallon water bottles
• These plastics are usually not recycled through community programs, but recently, some curbside programs have started to accept them

The next time you use a plastic product, we encourage you to take a close look at the recycling code it contains to discover whether or not it belongs in your bin for the next curbside pickup!

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.