How To Go Green In Your Backyard

Boro-Wide Recycling Corp.

Maspeth, NY 718-416-1656

www.BoroWideRecycling.com

Now that we have covered how to go green in your kitchen, bathroom, bedroom and basement, we are up to the last post in our green your home series - the backyard! Although it isn't necessarily inside of your home it is still a part of it, and therefore, it can be equally contributed to as a part of your go green efforts! And although you might be thinking "I have plants in my yard, it's already green," the truth is that there's still a long way to go!

To make your yard as eco-friendly as the rest of the rooms in your home, consider the following:

1. Create your very own composting site to handle all of your food scraps. Not only will this benefit your yard's immediate environment, but it will also help reduce the waste in landfills and even save you some money as you won't need to purchase store bought products to enrich your soil. 
2. Pay attention to how often you water and make sure that you're not leaving your sprinkler on for longer than needed. To use this resource wisely, make an effort to water in the morning - this can help you avoid evaporation, which is more likely to happen later in the day.
3. If you'll be using a fire pit this summer, seek out eco-friendly versions that do not emit pollution into our air - Forbes recommends natural gas or bioethanol ones!
4. Avoid using chemicals like pesticides and weed killers on your lawn. If you need products to help you maintain your yard use a natural approach like compost - that brings us back to tip number 1!
5. When growing your garden, use plants that are native to your environment. Why? If you're trying to nurture plants that aren't familiar with the growing conditions they are being placed in, you will likely have to use more water to keep them thriving.

That just about wraps up our green your home series! Between the past few posts, you now have a list of 25 tips that you can use to make your home one of the greenest on the block! We'd love to hear how these tips work for you, so be sure to visit us on Facebook and Twitter to share your experiences with us.

Boro Wide Recycling is a full service recycling and waste management provider. For more information on how we can help you with your recycling efforts, check us out at www.borowide.com or contact us at (718) 416-1656. 

How To Go Green In Your Basement

Boro-Wide Recycling Corp.

Maspeth, NY 718-416-1656

www.BoroWideRecycling.com

We're back once again with the latest installment of our green your home series! Recently we've covered the kitchen, the bathroom and the bedroom - can you guess what's next? If you said the basement, you're spot on! See below for five ways that you can make your basement as environmentally friendly as any other room in the home:

1. If your washer and dryer is located on the bottom floor, start greening your basement by only doing laundry when you have a full load of clothes to be washed (similar to how you would with your dishwasher). And when it does come time to turn these appliances on, be sure that you're using the correct water and load size settings.
2. Also in regards to your washer and dryer, upgrade your basement appliances to new products that have the Energy Star label! Products of this kind are much more energy efficient and can help you reduce the amount of water you use during each cycle!
3. Fix any leaks that could be causing water to seep into your basement. When water sits it can encourage mold to grow, and we all know that has a negative impact on the environment and our health! Furthermore, leaks in general are a waste of water, so you'll want to take care of those as soon as possible!
4. Keep a dehumidifier running to regulate the humidity in your home. If there is less humidity it will begin to feel cooler (especially as we are approaching the summer months), which can help limit how hard your A/C has to work - what an easy way to save some energy!
5. Basements are prone to collecting hazardous materials, such as paints and cleaners, that no longer serve a purpose. If your basement has several of these products collecting dust, research your local community's waste policies to find out where you can bring them for disposal!

Although you may not use your basement too often, it's still important to maintain it and apply eco-friendly practices to it at all times. Which of the above will you do first?

Boro Wide Recycling is a full service recycling and waste management provider. For more information on how we can help you with your recycling efforts, check us out at www.borowide.com or contact us at (718) 416-1656.

How To Go Green In Your Bathroom

Boro-Wide Recycling Corp.

Maspeth, NY 718-416-1656

www.BoroWideRecycling.com

If you are unaware of our current series, we're taking this month as an opportunity to share different ways that you can go green in all of the rooms throughout your home. Last week, we focused on the kitchen; today, we're going to focus on the bathroom! 

With a little help from HGTV, we've put together the following list of tips to guide you towards having the greenest bathroom on the block:

1. Swap out your current linens for new organic ones. Although your traditional cotton towels and bath products are fully capable of serving the purpose you need them to, organic products can do the same and benefit the environment in the process. 
2. Be conscious about how much water you are using in the shower and how often you are turning the sink on and off - that means turn the water off when brushing your teeth! Additionally, you may also even consider adjusting some of your bathroom's fixtures by installing new products such as a low-flow shower head.
3. Only use natural cleaners or other green cleaning products when washing down the tub or cleaning the toilet. Instead of choosing a product based on brand name, take a moment to read the labels and see which cleaners do not have harsh chemicals listed in their ingredients.
4. Speaking of all natural products, choose these as well when it comes to the gels and soaps you use in the shower. In addition to being environmentally friendly, you may even notice that these products work better on your skin!
5. Last but certainly not least, always used recycled products when remodeling. Even if it's something as simple as installing a new towel rack or updating your medicine cabinet, recycled products or products that are made from recyclable materials should always be your first choice!

Which of these tips will you start to implement on your own? Once you're done greening your kitchen, we hope you'll start to use some of these strategies in your bathroom - you'll be one step closer to having a completely eco-friendly home! Check back soon for the next installment of our green your home series.

Boro Wide Recycling is a full service recycling and waste management provider. For more information on how we can help you with your recycling efforts, check us out at www.borowide.com or contact us at (718) 416-1656.