Recycling? Who is she?

Kate Middleton. Duchess of Cambridge. Philanthropist. Hair icon. Outfit repeater.

Kate Middleton is THE recycling queen. The future queen does not shy away from reworking an outfit, and for that, we bow down! Now, most of us don't have Jenny Packham gowns and Alexander McQueen blazers to recycle, but we can all be a little more like the Duchess when we start to recycle at our peasant level.

Let's get started with the basics:

Plastics

Not the ones led by Regina George. We're talking about every body wash bottle, fork from Chipotle, straw, water bottle, etc. Plastic is in almost everything we use day-to-day, and a vast majority of it ends up in landfills and the ocean when we don't take the time to sort and send it to a recycling center.

The first thing to do when recycling plastics is to look for the recycling symbol.

The most common type of plastic that you encounter is plastic #1, Polyethylene terephthalate, but we can call her PET. This is what water bottles, vitamin bottles, and some food containers are made out of. Once you've located the recycling symbol, rinse the item so it's free of food, soaps, or anything sticky. This isn't required for all recycling centers, however. You can find a recycling center and its protocols in your area using this Recycling Center Search.

Here is a list of items you may not realize are recyclable:

- Shampoo/Conditioner/Face wash Bottles (Check for the symbol. Malleable plastics aren't recyclable, but their caps might be! If you're a conditioner addict like I am, consider switching to a recyclable bottle to reduce your waste!)

- To-go food containers (Wash 'em before you toss them in.)

- Solo cups (Think of all those frat party leftovers!)

- Plastic to-go cups (We're talking every cup you've used for your Starbucks venti iced caramel macchiato)

- Salad dressing bottles (Scrubadubdub those creamy babies before recycling)

- Fruit containers (The plastic clam shells that fruit come in - just remove the lining before recycling)

Metals

The main metal that's recyclable is aluminum. We're talkin' soda/beer cans, any canned good, and various types of foils. Aluminum beverage cans have a recycling rate of 57%, the highest rate of any container type.* Recycling aluminum cans save 95% of the energy necessary to make an aluminum can from scratch - we love it!* Recycle those cans after your parties, people! Regarding foils, it depends on what your local center will take. Most curbside recycling operations won't accept tin foil, but most recycling centers will take it!

Paper

Americans recycle paper at a rate of 67%; however, paper still makes up about 33% of our landfill inputs.* Newspaper, printer paper, and most cardboard is recyclable. There are only a couple rules: Boxes need to be broken down before they're put into the recycling bin, and paper shouldn't be wet or greasy.

Here is a list of items you may not realize are recyclable:

- Toilet paper and paper towel rolls

- Empty tissue boxes

- Paper grocery bags

- Pizza boxes (unless they are too greasy)

Glass

Recycling glass is pretty straight-forward. Essentially, if it has the symbol on it, or if alcohol came in it, it is recyclable! Just make sure your local recycling center takes glass.

So, be more like Kate. You, too, can be a recycling queen!

Comment if you have any questions! :)

#recycling #greeninitiatives #Environment