Welcome To Michiana Family Magazine - 20 Things You Didn't Know You Could Recycle Leigh Ann

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Leigh Ann and her husband and their three children live in Granger. Their family makes an effort to practice every green tip in each month's issue.

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1. Appliances: Goodwill accepts working appliances, www.goodwill.org, or you can contact the Steel Recycling Institute to recycle them. 800/YES-1-CAN, www.recycle-steel.org.

2. Batteries: Rechargeables and single-use: Battery Solutions, 734/467-9110, www.batteryrecycling.com.

3. Cardboard boxes: Contact local nonprofits and women's shelters to see if they can use them. Or, offer up used cardboard boxes at your local Freecycle.org listserv or on Craigslist.org for others who may need them for moving or storage. If your workplace collects at least 100 boxes or more each month, UsedCardboardBoxes.com accepts them for resale.

4. CDs/DVDs/Game Disks: Send scratched music or computer CDs, DVDs, and PlayStation or Nintendo video game disks to AuralTech for refinishing, and they'll work like new: 888/454-3223, www.auraltech.com.

5. Clothes: Wearable clothes can go to your local Goodwill outlet or shelter. Donate wearable women's business clothing to Dress for Success, which gives them to low-income women as they search for jobs, 212/532-1922, www.dressforsuccess.org. Offer unwearable clothes and towels to local animal boarding and shelter facilities, which often use them as pet bedding.

6. Compostable bio-plastics: You probably won't be able to compost these in your home compost bin or pile. Find a municipal composter to take them to at www.findacomposter.com. The closest to our subscriber area are located in Fort Wayne, IN.

7. Computers and electronics: Find the most responsible recyclers, local and national, at www.ban.org/pledge/Locations.html. Michiana's closest recycler is Retrofit Companies in Indianapolis. They can be reached at 866-97-RETRO or recycle@retrofitcompanies.com.

8. Exercise videos: Swap them with others at www.videofitness.com.

9. Eyeglasses and Hearing Aids: Your local Lion's Club collects these. Lenses are reground and given to people in need and the hearing aids are reconditioned by the manufacturers. The South Bend Lions Club has a donation box at the Elks Lodge located at 3535 East McKinley, South Bend. Contact Douglas Lane at 574-299-1222 or visit www.southbendlionsclub.org

10. Foam packing: Your local pack-and-ship store will likely accept foam peanuts for reuse. Or, call the Plastic Loose Fill Producers Council to find a drop-off site: 800-828-2214. For places to drop off foam blocks for recycling, contact the Alliance of Foam Packaging Recyclers, 410/451-8340, www.epspackaging.org/info.html

11. Ink/toner cartridges: Recycleplace.com pays $1/each.

12. Miscellaneous: Get your unwanted items into the hands of people who can use them. Offer them up on your local Freecycle.org or Craigslist.org listserv, or try giving them away at Throwplace.com or giving or selling them at iReuse.com. iReuse.com will also help you find a recycler, if possible, when your items have reached the end of their useful lifecycle.

13. Oil: Find Used Motor Oil Hotlines for each state: 202/682-8000, www.recycleoil.org.

14. Phones: Donate cell phones and PDA devices: Locally, the YWCA of St. Joseph County collects used cell phones and has them reprogrammed for use as an emergency only phone for domestic abuse victims. Call 574-233-9491, visit www.ywcasjc.org, or drop it off at 1102 S. Fellows St., South Bend. Recycle single-line phones: Reclamere, 814/386-2927, www.reclamere.com.

15. "Technotrash": Project KOPEG offers an e-waste recycling program that can help you raise funds for your organization. Use Project KOPEG to recycle iPods, MP3 players, cell phones and chargers, digital cameras, PDAs, palm pilots, and more. Also, easily recycle all of your CDs, jewel cases, DVDs, audio and video tapes, pagers, rechargeable and single-use batteries, PDAs, and ink/toner cartridges with GreenDisk's Technotrash program. For $30, GreenDisk will send you a cardboard box in which you can ship them up to 70 pounds of any of the above. Your fee covers the box as well as shipping and recycling fees. 800/305-GREENDISK, www.greendisk.com.

16. Tennis shoes: Nike's Reuse-a-Shoe program turns old shoes into playground and athletic flooring. www.nikereuseashoe.com. One World Running will send still-wearable shoes to athletes in need in Africa, Latin America, and Haiti. www.oneworldrunning.com.

17. Toothbrushes and razors: Buy a recycled plastic toothbrush or razor from Recycline, and the company will take it back to be recycled again into plastic lumber. Recycline products are made from used Stonyfield Farms' yogurt cups. 888/354-7296, www.recycline.com.

18. Tyvek envelopes: Quantities less than 25: Send to Shirley Cimburke, Tyvek Recycling Specialist, 5401 Jefferson Davis Hwy., Spot 197, Room 231, Richmond, VA 23234. Quantities larger than 25, call 866/33-TYVEK.

19. Wire hangers: Take them back to your dry cleaner.

20. Stuff you just can't recycle: When practical, send such items back to the manufacturer and tell them they need to manufacture products that close the waste loop responsibly.

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