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PrintRecycling More Than Glass and Plastic
Photographs by Allison Shea Malone
We all know that recycling reduces garbage and decreases the need to mine and harvest our limited natural resources. But there’s more to recycling than just separating your bottles and cans into their proper bins. Recycling can be a fun activity that helps to build community, whether you are seeking a cheaper version of some big-ticket item or unloading your own cast-offs.
Exchange it Got a prom dress, a treadmill, or baby furniture, once perfect for the occasion but now taking up valuable space? Check out freecycle.org, a free, grassroots electronic bulletin board that helps you exchange stuff with others in your own town.
Let's swap Awash in books, movies, video games, or DVDs? List your stuff on swaptree.com, mail items to others in the Swaptree circle, and choose new items to receive in trade.
Party time Host a swap party with five or six friends. The rules are simple: Everyone brings clean and gently used items, and at the end, everyone takes leftovers to the nearest charity. Results: an afternoon of fun and friendship, a few “new to you” things, and a cleaner home for your host!
Curtail mail Sometimes prevention is the best course of action. Have you ever bought something you didn’t need from a catalog sitting around your house? CatalogChoice.org helps you stop unwanted catalogs painlessly, while sparing the natural resources it took to make them. To stop both catalogs and junk mail—an average of 41 pounds per year clogs your mailbox—sign up with 41pounds.org.
Flea market finds While consignment stores and eBay are low-impact ways to buy and sell, you can’t beat Bay Area flea markets for the local entertainment factor. The biggest are at San Jose (every Wed.-Sun., sjfm.com), Alameda (first Sun. of every month, antiquesbybay.com), and Berkeley (every Sat.-Sun., berkeleyfleamarket.com).
