When you start clearing out your house, you’ll find boxes of junk that you stored away and forgot about. Stacks of newspapers, glass bottles, old lightbulbs, outdated electronics, plastic bags, old books — all of this waste creates piles of trash that take up space in your residence. Your first instinct might be to throw it all in a dumpster. You might be able to recycle the glass bottles, but who needs a cereal box or empty printer cartridge?
In fact, you could donate or recycle hundreds of unwanted items. Recycling companies can turn glass, paper, cardboard, and other raw materials into new products. Other items, like printer cartridges, can be refilled and resold. Here’s a look at the items you might not know that you can recycle.
Cardboard
Recycling companies can recycle your old cardboard, saving energy and reducing the amount of waste in the landfills. You probably know that you can recycle large pieces of cardboard like moving boxes. However, you’ll also find cardboard in shoe boxes, cereal boxes, and other forms of packaging. Recycling companies will also take sheets of corrugated cardboard that you have lying around. If you want to do some recycling at home, save old boxes for holiday gifts and moving days.
Paper
Americans throw out tons of paper every year despite being one of the most recyclable materials. Printer paper is recyclable, but so are newspapers, envelopes, documents, letters, junk mail, and other products that you have in your house. This includes that stack of dusty newspapers that you found in the closet. Similarly, you could recycle books or donate them to a local library or resale store. Even old books could find a home on somebody’s bookshelf.
Batteries
Car batteries, rechargeable batteries, and any other electronic trash are recyclable. Some companies will also recycle single-use batteries and convert the minerals into other products. Check the electronics you’re throwing away to see if they have any old batteries that you could recycle. You might also find packages of AA batteries lurking in drawers and cabinets that can be put to good use.
Aluminum
Those old soda cans aren’t useless — companies can recycle them to make new aluminum products. You can recycle soda cans, scrap metal, unused pie pans, aluminum foil, car parts, and other materials with large quantities of aluminum. Some companies don’t accept all types of aluminum, but beverage cans are usually a safe bet. If you work in a shop that deals with a lot of aluminum, you might be able to turn in your scraps, shavings, and clippings.
Glass
Most companies accept kitchen glass, like bottles, jars, and food storage containers. Other recyclable forms of glass include candle jars, window panes, drinking glasses, and makeup containers. You can’t recycle every type of glass, but you could get rid of major pieces without contributing to the local landfill. Recycling companies melt down the glass, then reshape it into new products. You could also recycle the glass yourself by reusing the jars and containers.
When you’re done with spring cleaning, call the junk removal experts at 1-888-PIK-IT-UP for full-service waste removal. We’re an eco-friendly company that recycles or donates as much of your waste as possible. If you’re not sure if an item is recyclable, we’ll contact local companies to get your answer quickly and efficiently. Our junk removal services also include:
- Hauling away appliances
- Taking down equipment
- Removing old decks
- Cleaning up yard debris
- And much more!
We’ll pack the truck to clean up your residence as quickly as possible, and with our expert hauling services, you won’t have to lift a finger. Try booking online to get your free quote, or call us to learn more about the top junk removal company.
