During these modern times, we are faced with the growing problem of waste and how to get rid of it or manage it. More and more items are being produced, adding to the rubbish which ends up cluttering our streets and filling our landfills.
Ideally, we would like to recycle or reuse the things we use in our homes as much as possible in order to reduce the waste we create and help out our environment in our own little way.
This is easy for some household items such as newspapers, plastic bottles, plastic containers and such, but what if you’re faced with an item which is difficult to recycle? What do you do then?
Are you aware that there are household items which may seem next to impossible to recycle? Read on and find out about the top 10 difficult to recycle household items and the best solutions to recycle or reuse them.
Items Which are Most Difficult to Recycle
You may not know it but some of the items you purchase and use in your household may not be easy to recycle.
Having these items in your home doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to immediately throw them out, there may be uses for them but before knowing that, let’s go through the list of resource’s top 10 difficult to recycle household items.
When trying to think of ways to recycle or reuse these items, the most important thing to do it think outside of the box and get creative! Here are a few ideas and tips to help you out.
1. CDs and DVDs
It’s quite difficult for re-processors to manage old, scratched up CDs and DVDs as they are made from aluminium and polycarbonate materials. If you have CDs and DVDs which don’t work at home, have you come up with a way to recycle them?
One of the most creative and innovative ways to recycle these is to break them up and use them to beautify your things (like frames, boxes, etc.) with a mosaic design.
2. Bubble Wrap
After unwrapping the bubble wrap which protects breakable items which you’ve purchased, what do you do with it then?
Reuse bubble wrap to pack your fragile or breakable materials before storing them. This is the best way to deal with bubble wrap rather than just throwing it away.
3. Citrus Fruit Netting
When buying citrus fruit, you’ll notice that it usually comes packaged in nets. These nets happen to be non-recyclable and harmful to the environment, especially when not disposed of properly.
You can reuse it as a bag for your vegetables rather than having them packed in plastic bags. Using a breathable bag helps vegetables last longer.
4. Clingfilm
Clingfilm is made with PVC, which means that when its structure is altered, it gives off fumes which are potentially dangerous to your health, making it impossible to recycle.
You can try reusing clingfilm to wrap items other than food, which won’t be dangerous as you won’t them.
5. Silica Gel
These packets are found in many of the products you buy. They come with medicine bottles, shoes, some food items, and many other products and often we just throw them out since there doesn’t seem to be any way to recycle them.
Silica gel packets are most beneficial for keeping electronics and perishables from gaining too much moisture so you can just place a packet or two where you’re storing them.
6. Pill Packets
Modern medicine packaging is convenient to make use of but have you considered how difficult it is to recycle? Made of plastic and aluminium, these medicine packets usually just end up in the trash can once they’ve been emptied out.
The most efficient way to recycle pill packets would probably be to wash them first then use them in different craft projects.
7. Broken Plates
Years ago, the Romans would make use of broken plates in the foundations of a building. Now, however, broken plates aren’t used so efficiently anymore so they just end up as part of the growing landfills all over the country.
Just like with the CDs, you can recycle broken plates by smashing them up and using them to create mosaic designs!
8. Dental Hygiene Products
Almost all dental hygiene products are made of plastic – from toothpaste tubes, floss containers, toothbrushes, and the like. So all these add to the piles of garbage once they have been used.
Find out about recycling programs which use these waste materials to make trash bins, cutting boards and other useful items from plastic.
9. Razor Blades
Disposable and refillable razors are becoming more and more popular for users in this fast-paced environment so razor blades are often just tossed in the trash. There are products on the market which are more environment-friendly. However, they are much more expensive so they are not that popular.
Consider buying high-quality razor blades that last a longer time. If not, you can save the blades you are done with and give them to appropriate recycling centres.
10. Cat Litter
Though there are biodegradable types of cat litter, you’d have to remove your pet’s poop from it first in order to avoid spreading disease, and that is a chore very few people would like to do so all of it just ends up being thrown out.
You can recycle cat litter by using it as compost but only in flower gardens, never to fertilize crops. Also, use gloves to handle it and don’t let your kids play around with it.
Conclusion – Time to Recycle!
Now that you have an idea of what you can do to recycle or reuse the top 10 difficult to recycle household items, you can be more aware of what you’re throwing out. The most important thing to remember is to get creative!