By the way, the #1 best way to save the environment is by not consuming so much in the first place, right? The less you buy and throw away, the better. The “3 R’s” begin with REDUCE, after all!

Also, make sure you check with your local municipal solid waste office to verify what you can and can’t recycle in your community. Some communities let you recycle everything – including the kitchen sink! Others offer more limited options. Recycle as much as you can, and pay attention to what you can’t so you can buy less of it and figure out creative ways to reuse it.

NOTE: Sponsors like BetterCleans.com enable us to bring you the expert content you need to lead the greener life you want. Our editorial opinions remain our own. Thanks!

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This Earth Day, April 22, the focus is on facts: scientific facts we all need to know to help us be smarter about how we live and how we protect the world we live in and on. We’ve teamed up with Thompson Creek Window Company to bring you 10 important facts about recycling you need to know.

Recycling makes a big difference when it comes to saving energy and reducing the amount of trash we throw away. Knowing some real recycling facts can come in handy the next time you feel a little lazy and think, “What difference does it make, anyway?”

10 Recycling Facts That Will Make You Feel Good You Recycle

1)Recycling 1 aluminum beverage can saves enough energy to run a 14 watt CFL bulb for 20 hours (or a 60 watt incandescent, if you’re still using those things).

2)Don’t care about light bulbs? How about your computer? Recycling 1 can saves enough energy to power your computer for 3 hours. Think of it! That’s enough time to binge 2 or 3 episodes of your favorite series on Netflix.

3)Not into Netflix? No matter. Recycling that 1 can will still power 2 hours of your favorite sporting event. It can almost  get you through an entire football game or tennis match. It’ll definitely see you through to the 7th inning stretch of your favorite baseball team.

4)There is no limit to the number of times an aluminum can can be recycled. The phrase “over and over and over again” pretty much describes aluminum can recycling.

5)In addition to aluminum cans, here are some other aluminum items that can be recycled: aluminum siding and gutters; storm window frames; lawn furniture; foil; and packaging.

6)Every ton of glass that’s recycled results in saving more than one ton of the raw materials used to make glass in the first place, including sand, limestone, soda ash and feldspar.

7)Glass can be reused almost endlessly. Think about the Mason jar your spaghetti sauce came in. Once you empty it and clean it out, you can refill it with food leftovers, jam and other foods you preserve, craft supplies, pennies and other loose change, nails and other household tools, knitting needles, dried pasta and other foods in your pantry, etc. etc. etc.

8)Glass can be recycled into jewelry, like pendants, bracelets, and rings.

9)Glass can also be recycled into housewares, like drinking glasses, candle holders, chimes, pottery, lamps, and garden accessories, like statues, tiles, and pavers.

10)Glass is recycled into fiberglass insulation and new glass containers, too.

Though recycling programs vary from community to community, you can probably recycle glass and aluminum almost everywhere that has set up curbside pick-up or neighborhood recycling centers.

As Thompson Creek says, “Every item you toss in the recycling bin is one less item that ends up in a landfill.” It’s also one more bunch of resources you save for planet Earth, and that much more energy that doesn’t have to come from polluting fossil fuels like coal and oil.

Want more facts? Check out the entire Thompson Creek Earth Day Infographic here.

Note: Sponsors like Thompson Creek Window Company enable us to bring you the expert information you need to lead the greener life you want. We only collaborate with companies that meet our own criteria for environmental responsibility. As ever, our editorial opinions remain our own.

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Recycling should be a no-brainer by now. But it can still be confusing. That’s why I partnered with JunkKing.com to highlight the nine most common recycling mistakes you probably make every week.

I’m not trying to make you feel bad – especially since I’ve made some of these mistakes myself.

But hopefully, this handy infographic will help you realize you could be recycling a lot more than you actually are.

JunkKing.com says – and I agree – that “One of the greatest ways to reduce our carbon footprints on an individual or household basis, and one of the easiest, is to recycle.”

We Americans create 254 million tons of waste every year, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. That amounts to around 4 pounds of waste per person PER DAY!!

If all the recyclable materials in that waste stream were properly disposed of, we’d keep about $7 billion worth of resources out of landfills.

Learning how to avoid mistakes can ensure that more waste is properly recycled for a better and cleaner planet.

Don’t Miss:

Top 10 Things You Can Recycle At Home

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Get rid of clutter and reduce waste by recycling more than paper, plastic, bottles and cans! Here are 13 things you didn’t know you can recycle, with thanks to our sponsors at waste recycling company GD Environmental.

NOTE: Most of the companies listed below either operate collection centers or offer mailing labels you can download from their websites. In some cases, they’ll pay the postage. If they prefer a quantity of items, ask your friends, family and neighbors to contribute their items and box them up together. 

1) Your bra. You may already drop off your old bras to the local thrift store, but why not donate them to a company that will actually get them to women and girls in dire straits? That’s what the Bra Recyclers do. They send cleaned and repaired lingerie to women who suffer from domestic violence, human trafficking and natural disasters. Get more information on their website here.

2) Your pantyhose. NoNonsense recycles pantyhose, tights, and nylon knee-high stockings. Why? “The same Nylon/Spandex blends that make legs look so firm and smooth are also the same materials that, when placed in a landfill, will take 30-40 years to decompose,” they say. Pantyhose is made predominantly from Nylon, which is the first invented synthetic fiber ever created that is a non-biodegradable material. NoNonsense says that it’s important to “eplore alternative solutions, beyond simply throwing our old stockings in the trash.”  NoNonsense accepts all brands, not just theirs. You can download their mailing label here.

3) Your MAC make-up containers. You can receive a free lipstick for every 6 empty make-up containers you return to a MAC store. The “Back to MAC” program forwards the returned packaging to waste management centres across the globe for recycling and reuse through energy recovery.

4) Your running shoes. Established in the early 1990s, Nike’s “Reuse-a-Shoe” program collects old, worn-out athletic shoes for recycling and transforms them into Nike Grind, a material used to create athletic and playground surfaces and more. Since launching the program, more than 28 million pairs of shoes have been collected and recycled. RecycledRunners.com operates an online recycling and donation directory to help people find local and international shoe recycling programs, as well.

5) Your Crocs. If you’ve fallen out of love with your Crocs, give them a second chance, and take them to your local Croc shop. As part of their “Soles 4 Souls” campaign, they’ll spruce them up and ship them to underprivileged countries for those who don’t have the luxury of owning a pair of shoes.

6) Your Kindle. Go to the website of Amazon’s certified recycler for instructions: Amazon Take Back Program. Once there, enter your name and mailing address, which will be used to generate a prepaid UPS shipping label you can print at home or work. Follow the packaging guidelines and drop your Amazon device off at the nearest UPS pickup site. Easy peasy!

Need some facts on the importance of recycling? Don’t miss “Why Recycling is Worth It.”

7) Yoga mats. Most yoga mats are made from PVC, or polyvinyl chloride, which means they contain chemicals like phthalates, lead and cadmium that make them difficult to recycle. Because of the nature of PVC, it will not biodegrade, either. And if you burn it, it will release dioxin, another highly toxic compound. Still, if your yoga mat is worn out, there are all kinds of good ways to still put it to use. Donate it to a homeless shelter or emergency shelter to provide extra padding for people in need. Donate it to an animal shelter, where it can help pad a crate. Cut out small squares to put under the feet of furniture to prevent slipping. Cut in half and use in your own garden as a knee pad. Or, make a seat-sized water-proof pad that you can take to your kids’ soccer games. You get the idea!

8) Throwaway food containers. TerraCycle collects hard-to-recycle packaging waste, like Nespresso coffee capsules, Solo red plastic cups, toothbrushes, and more. There are some collection programs in Whole Foods and similar stores, but you can also download a shipping label and mail your goods directly to Terracycle.

Want to increase plastic bottle recycling? Put a deposit on it! Here’s how.

9) CDs and DVDs. They seem as hard as metal, but they’re actually a plastic that can’t be recycled in most community recycling programs. That’s why the CD Recycling Center collects them, shreds them, captures the useful elements they contain, and turns them back into products like automotive industry parts, office equipment, alarm boxes and panels, street lights and electrical cable insulation.

10) Trophies. Is your house full of plastic bowling trophies from your kids’ various athletic pursuits? Mine is! Or, it was, until I realized I could send them to a recycling center like Lambawards. They either create matching sets of trophies or break them down into parts. They also accept old plaques, sculptures, and medals.

11) Your Patagonia clothes and gear. If you own a Patagonia product that’s well beyond repair, you can return it to the company so they can recycle it into something new, or repurpose what can’t be recycled. Drop it off at your nearest Patagonia retail store or mail it in, getting a mailing label here.

12) Your mattress. About 90% of a mattress can be recycled, including the wood frame, cotton covering, metal springs and foam padding. Organizations like the Salvation Army and Purple Heart may pick them up if you put them on your curb. If you’re getting a new mattress, see if the company you’re buying from will recycle your old mattress when they deliver the new one.

13) Greeting cards. Recycle these yourself at home. Most cards are only written on the right side of the card, below the printed message. You can cut the card in half and use the back half of the printed side for a gift tag, post card, thank you card, or shredded packing material.

You can also simplify your recycling process completely by putting your goods on freecycle.org. Let someone who needs what you have come and get it!

About GD Environmental

Smaller SMEs like Wales’ Leading Waste Management Company, GD Environmental, play a vital role in helping larger companies achieve their green missions by operating an environmentally friendly waste management company which recycles 96% of waste and diverts 100% of waste from landfill to recycling. If you’re based in Wales, and looking to improve the sustainable performance of your business call GD Environmental today on 01633 277755 or visit www.gd-environmental.co.uk

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* Food and soda cans – I recycle glass, metal and plastic containers in my community’s curbside recycling program. But I also use a Soda Stream water spritzer so I almost never buy bottled drinks anymore. I spritz water myself, then add various flavorings and sweeteners depending on what I want to drink. I’m saving a lot of money doing this, too.

* Beer and wine bottles – I generally buy glass rather than cans or plastic bottles. If I’m having a party, I buy larger bottles of wine, which use less material per serving than regular-sized bottles.

* Plastic milk jugs – I can buy milk in glass bottles at my local food coop (though they cost about $2 a gallon more than milk in plastic jugs).

* Plastic laundry jugs (when I use liquid detergent) – I generally prefer to use powdered detergent in cardboard boxes, which are better to recycle than plastic jugs. I also use concentrated detergent, so I use less per load of laundry, and extend the life of the package.

* Clothes – I recycle old socks and t-shirts into cleaning rags. I donate most of my used clothes to the local thrift shop or the neighborhood church.

 * Electronics – I recycle old monitors, computers, fax machines, chargers, phones, and pretty much anything else with a cord on it, taking most of it to Best Buy or Staples, which accept almost any reasonably-sized electronics at no charge. I even recycled my TV!

* Lightbulbs – I can now recycle my light bulbs at my city’s community waste facility. Some stores, like Ikea and Home Depot, also accept them.

* Paper (newspapers, junk mail, magazines) – All of my paper goods can be recycled curbside, but the trick is to reduce the amount of paper coming into my house in the first place. I read most newspapers and magazines online, and have used Catalog Choice to reduce the number of unwanted magazines and catalogs I receive.

* Plastic bags – I use reusable cloth bags instead of plastic bags, but if I have excess bags, I recycle them at my grocery store.

* Toys – I have given my kids’ used toys to neighborhood kids or donated them to the local thrift store.

* Furniture – I have sold unwanted furniture through my neighborhood list-serv, or simply given it away to others who can use it. EBay.com, CraigsList.com and FreeCycle.org are also great ways to unload sofas, chairs, lamps, and dining sets you no longer want or need.

 * Appliances – The easiest appliance to recycle in my neighborhood is actually my refrigerator. Here’s how I not only recycled my old refrigerator, but received $200 when I did it.

* Food – The ultimate way to recycle food is to compost it. I have a barrel composter in my backyard that helps me turn fruit and vegetable scraps, egg shells, and other non-meat or dairy waste into a rich fertilizer I can put on my garden.

REDUCE UNWANTED CATALOGS IN THE FIRST PLACE

This year, America Recycles Day has teamed up with Catalog Choice to help consumers reduce the number of unwanted catalogs they receive in the mail. It’s free and quick to sign up, and much easier than calling individual companies to try to get your name off their list.

What do you recycle? Please let us know!

RELATED POSTS

Top Ten No-Brainer Things You Should Recycle

Can You Recycle Your Car?

The post Today is America Recycles Day. What Are You Recycling? appeared first on Big Green Purse.

1) Wrapping paper and ribbon (keep a paper bag or box handy when you’re unwrapping presents to make the job easy and efficient) – Shred paper to use as packing material, put aside for your kids’ art projects, or recycle with the weekly newspapers and junk mail.

2) Cardboard and paper boxes – Line smaller boxes with soft towels to create a new bed for a cat or small dog; flatten any boxes you don’t need for easier recycling.

3) Cell phones – Take to Best Buy, Staples, or Office Depot, or send to Collective Good, which will refurbish them, re-sell them, and share the profits with the charity of your choice.

4) Computers, laptops, notebooks, monitors, keyboards – Any of the office supply stores should accept them at no cost to you.

5) Cameras – (same)

6) Fax machines (same)

7) Clothing – Most shelters will take t-shirts, pants, long-sleeved shirts, jackets, underwear and socks. Donate fancier clothes to the local theater company or school drama department to use as costumes.

8) Christmas lights – These links will show you where you can recycle old lights and find new, energy-efficient LEDs.

9) Beverage cans, bottles and jugs – Glass, aluminum, and plastic beer, soda, juice and bottled water containers can all be recycled.

10) Plastic food containers – Many community recycling programs now accept plastic food trays and cartons, along with containers from yogurt, sour cream, dips, and spreads.

11) Toys – Clean, working toys your kids have outgrown can be passed along to the children of neighbors, family, friends, day care centers, and shelters that help house children.

12) Christmas tree – if your community doesn’t pick up used trees, recycle this yourself: cut the boughs off to create mulch, and use the needles to make potpourri.

13) Televisions and Major appliances – If you got a new appliance, ask your installer to recycle the one he removes. Or check these links to get specific guidance on recycling your tv.

14) Christmas cards – Cut off the part containing the signature (usually the back page), and use the front, decorated page as a Christmas gift tag for next year.

15) Food – Combine leftovers into stews and soups, or freeze in lunch-size portions to take to work or send to school with the kids; simmer meat and turkey bones until they make a rich broth that can be used for gravies and stock; freeze cookies, breads, and dessert bars to use over the next three months.

Click here for suggestions on recycling tinsel, ornaments, and other Christmas decorations.

Holiday Traditions That Mean the Most to Me: Family, Friends, Food!

Free, Mostly Green, Holiday Gifts to Keep Your Christmas Green

NEED LAST MINUTE GIFTS? VISIT OUR AMAZON STORE!

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A new ECycling Leadership Initiative will make it easier for you to find more than 5,000 recycling locations around the country so you can keep your e-waste out of the trash.

Consumer electronics industry leaders have launched this first-ever industry-wide electronics recycling initiative with an ambitious goal: To recycle one billion pounds of electronics annually by 2016, which would be a more than threefold increase over 2010. One billion pounds of electronics, if not properly recycled, would completely fill the equivalent of a 71,000-seat NFL stadium. (The picture to the left shows a mountain of electronic keyboards in need of recycling.)

E-waste is the fastest growing element of the waste stream, so recycling electronics rather than throw them away must be done. Electronic equipment contains many heavy metals that are better captured than left to get loose in landfills or trash heaps, where they can contaminate groundwater and soil. Plus, given how much energy, water and other resources it takes to make a computer or a phone, it’s much more environmentally friendly to recapture and reuse those materials than tp throw them away.

“The billion pound challenge is about both the quality and quantity of electronics recycling,” said Walter Alcorn, CEA’s vice president of environmental affairs and industry sustainability, in a company press release. “But we won’t stop at a billion pounds. The eCycling Leadership initiative is an ongoing, permanent initiative that will … prohibit the use of recyclers and downstream processors who dump end-of-life electronics in developing nations.”

To that end, CEA supports certifying third-party recyclers to verify that the electronics are, in fact, being recycled rather than trashed when they’re out of sight.  In the future, look for new mobile apps to help make recycling computers and other electronics as easy as buying new ones. The eCycling Leadership Initiative will also bolster the number of collection sites by working with state and local governments and charities to make more e-cycling sites available.

NO NEED TO WAIT! GET STARTED RECYCLING ELECTRONICS NOW

Best Buy – I regularly recycle my electronics at Best Buy. Here’s their policy: “We’ll take just about anything electronic, including TVs, DVD players, computer monitors, cell phones and more. You can bring in up to two items a day, per household, and most things are absolutely free. However, there is a $10 charge for TVs 32″ and under, CRTs, monitors and laptops — but we’ll give you a $10 Best Buy gift card to offset that cost.” Along with an in-store drop off program and kiosks, Best Buy also offers a TV haul-away service when a new product is delivered, and a Tech Trade-In program compensating consumers with gift cards for valuable products. In early 2011, Best Buy stores nationwide collected nearly 400 pounds each minute for recycling.

Goodwill – Businesses and consumers can donate computers to Goodwill for recycling. Check with your local Goodwill office before dropping equipment off.

EBay.com, CraigsList.com, and FreeCycle.org – These sites also enable you to sell, trade or donate your computer rather than toss it in the trash.

Earth911.com enables you to find more local computer recycling locations. Just go to their website, plug in your zip code, and you’ll find electronics recyclers nearest your home or office.

WHAT ARE COMPANIES ALREADY DOING?

Apple
All e-waste collected by Apple programs worldwide is processed in the region where it was collected. The company says nothing is shipped overseas for recycling or disposal. Apple has instituted recycling programs in cities and college campuses in 95 percent of the countries where its products are sold, diverting more than 130.2 million pounds of equipment from landfills since 1994. Apple also takes back Apple computers, iPods, iPads and iPhones at no charge.

Dell
A partnership between Dell and Goodwill Industries International lets consumers drop off any used computers for no-cost recycling, whether they’re Dell brand or not. Donated equipment meeting Reconnect’s criteria are resold, and devices needing repair are either refurbished or broken down into parts to be recycled by Dell partners. The program supports Goodwill’s job training programs, employment placement services and other community-based programs for people who have disabilities, lack education or job experience, or face other challenges to finding employment.

HP
HP currently operates recycling services in 56 countries or territories worldwide. In the United States they launched a buyback program in January 2009 that includes free recycling if an HP- or Compaq-branded system has no value for consumers. HP recycled more than 200 million pounds of hardware globally in 2009, resulting in an estimated 210,000 tons of avoided carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) emissions. Since 1987, HP has recovered over 2 billion pounds of electronic product (for recovery and recycling) and HP print cartridges (for recycling).

LG
LG’s recycling program lets consumers drop off unwanted electronics at a Waste Management designated eCycling Center, or other alternative methods may be available. LG has recycled more than 7 million pounds since 2009, of which 3.3 million pounds were through LG’s voluntary program.

Nintendo of America
Because video game systems and games retain their value for many years beyond their retail lifecycle, Nintendo of America offers a number of customer support options to maximize their continued use, while also offering a free courtesy Take-Back Program to minimize the waste disposal of its products. The Take-Back Program provides for recycling of Nintendo hardware, software, accessories, and rechargeable batteries.

Panasonic, Sharp and Toshiba (Electronic Manufacturers Recycling Management Company, LLC)
Among other things, the Electronic Manufacturers Recycling Management Company, LLC (MRM) operates a voluntary nationwide collection and recycling service for brands produced by Panasonic, Sharp, Toshiba, Mitsubishi and Vizio. Since October 2007 MRM has established 840 collection sites across the U.S. and recycled more than 78 million pounds of electronics.

Samsung
Launched in the fall of 2008, Samsung Recycling Direct[SM] offers drop off locations in all 50 states.  Samsung holds its recyclers accountable for environmentally responsible recycling, including no landfill, incineration, or export to developing countries of hazardous electronic wastes as commonly defined. Last year, in 2010, Samsung recycled over 50 million pounds of e-waste across the U.S., most of which was done voluntarily.

Sony
The Sony Take Back Recycling Program was the first national recycling initiative to involve both a major electronics manufacturer and a national waste management company. Since its inception in 2007, Sony has established a goal of collecting a pound of electronics for every pound it produces. To date Sony has collected and recycled more than 43 million pounds of electronics.

The eCycling Leadership Initiative is a collaboration among consumer electronics manufacturers, retailers, collectors, recyclers, non-governmental organizations and governments at all levels, and is coordinated by the Consumer Electronics Association.

You can find more information on the eCycling Leadership Initiative here.

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Where’s the eco in all of  this?

In the past, we’ve talked about the value of recycling your clothes. And we’re big proponents of getting books and DVDs from the library or swapping with friends.

But what should you do about yoga mats?

Good question. Traditional mats are primarily made from polyvinyl chlorides, or PVC. PVC is widely considered to be the most toxic plastic produced because dioxins and other carcinogens are released into the atmosphere during its manufacture. Furthermore, the plasticizers added to make the PVC, and your mat, soft and sticky, include lead, cadmium, and phthalates, which have been found to disrupt the endocrine system and contribute to other health problems. The toxins embedded within the PVC make it non-biodegradable. When incinerated or buried in landfills, the dioxin and other carcinogens, could pollute the air.

How can you become part of the solution?  Recycle your mat.Here’s how.

Recycle Your Mat. This company takes back your old yoga mats and recycles, upcycles, and/or donates them! But before you send them your mat, be sure to follow their recommended cleaning methods.

Jade Yoga. The new Jade 3R Program hopes to reduce the number of mats going to landfills by maximizing their local reuse. The company donates returned yoga mats to those otherwise unable to afford a mat of their own. Jade’s website provides a list of studio drop off locations from California to Florida.

Transform the old into something new, different and useful. Cut the pad into  kneepads for gardening this summer. Line your kitchen shelves or dresser drawers. Make your cat and dog bowls stay put by cutting the mat into the size required and placing the piece underneath. To find out more, Gaiam Life has created an entire list of “50 Ways to Reuse Your Yoga or Fitness Mat,” here. Leah Piken Kolidas, author of Creative Every Day blog, transformed old yoga mats into stamps and stencils; pictured right.

Invest in a more eco-friendly yoga mat. Several manufacturers are making safer mats. Check out:

Lululemon Athletica

Jade Yoga

prAna Yoga Mats

Gaiam Yoga Mats

The post Twist into ‘Nature’s Pose’ by Recycling Your Yoga Mat appeared first on Big Green Purse.

Manufacturing a car creates pollution you probably never thought about. Extracting and transporting the raw materials that go into components like seats and the steering wheel generates twenty-nine tons of solid waste and 1,207 million cubic yards of air emissions. In fact, while the majority of pollution is generated by driving, a third is incurred in car manufacture. Disposing of tires, lead-acid batteries, air conditioners, upholstery, and other materials adds to the trash pile, reports Katie Alvord in Divorce Your Car: Ending the Love Affair with the Automobile. (Photo credit)

Manufacturers are taking notice by increasing the amount of recycled materials they weave into new-car production:

* Ford Motor Company integrated recycled material into the cloth seating of the 2008 Escape. If it expanded the program, InterfaceFABRIC, the materials supplier, estimates that Ford could save at least sixty thousand gallons of water, 1.8 million pounds of carbon dioxide equivalents, and the equivalent of more than 7 million kilowatt hours of electricity annually.

* Mazda and Toyota recycled used bumpers to make components for new ones.

* Cadillac’s SRX uses 50 percent recycled tire rubber for its radiator side baffles, a process that in 2004 kept two thousand scrap tires out of landfills.

* Both Honda and Toyota recycle the battery packs in their hybrids to capture everything from the precious metals to the plastics and the wiring. Edmunds.com reports that Toyota even puts a phone number (for recycling information) on each battery and pays dealers two hundred dollars for each battery pack.

* Ten percent of the plastic in a new Mini Cooper consists of recycled material.

According to Ward’s Motor Vehicle Facts and Figures, at least 84 percent of an average car’s material content gets recycled; automotive recycling ranks as the sixteenth-largest industry in the United States. Recycling those vehicles provides enough steel to make nearly thirteen million cars, while also providing jobs for 46,000 people.

You can keep the cycle going:

Make sure to recycle your own motor oil. If you change the oil yourself, take it and the oil filter to a recycling center. If you have it changed, double-check that the service center recycles all used oil.

Have your tires changed at a shop that recycles them. Recycled rubber may become asphalt, playground material, athletic track, furniture, or apparel (like purses and jewelry).

Donate your car to a local non-profit. In my suburban Washington, D.C. community, organizations like  Good Will and the local public radio affiliate will pick up your car for free and repair it or recycle the parts, giving you a tax benefit when you do. Habitat for Humanity does the same.

Close the loop. Remember that the best way to ensure that recycling works is to buy goods made from recycled materials. The soles of my Simple Shoes are made from recycled rubber tires. You can also find a variety of tools and garden gear made from recycled rubber, plastic and steel.

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