Today is America Recycles Day, a day dedicated to educating and motivating everyone in this country to recycle, according to the group’s official website.  There are recycling events happening in cities across the country today.  Find one near you simply by entering your zip code on the America Recycles Day website.

I hope recycling is not a single-day event! Here are some other ideas to get educated, get involved and keep recycling throughout the year.

Research Your Municipal Recycling

Just like checking the smoke detector batteries on the day the clocks change for daylight savings time, America Recycles Day is a great day to reacquaint yourself with your municipal recycling regulations.  Most people can recycle glass, aluminum, paper, and certain plastics through curbside recycling, but the list of what is and is not accepted varies from town to town. What if you’ve been throwing #5 plastic in your recycling bin but it’s not accepted?  What if your town, like my town, only accepts #1 and #2 plastic bottles of certain shapes?  The neck must be smaller than the widest part of the  bottle, so no tubs or odd-shaped containers are accepted.  Who knew?  I wouldn’t have unless I took the time to do a little research.   Your town should have a list of accepted materials on its municipal website.

Recycle the Traditionally Non-Recyclable with TerraCycle

You recycled those “recyclables,” but what about the rest of your household waste?  TerraCycle is a recycling and upcycling company that specializes in traditionally non-recyclable and hard-to-recycle materials.  You can send in hair care, skin care and cosmetic packaging, soap refill pouches, tortilla and tostada packaging, cereal bags and 40 other kinds of waste through the Brigade programs for free, thanks to sponsors like Garnier, Method, Mission Foods and Malt-O-Meal.  For every piece of waste sent in to TerraCycle, the collector is awarded points, which can be put toward specific charity gifts or converted to cash and sent to any charity.

FINALLY Figure Out What to Do With It

If you’re like me, there’s something in your home that you’re not quite sure how to dispose of safely.  For me, it’s old CFL light bulbs.  Because they contain mercury, I know I can’t just throw them away, so I’ve been keeping them in a basket in my hall closet until I figure out what to do with them.  Trouble is, I never do!  Maybe you have empty paint cans or varnish bottles or batteries or cell phones in closets and drawers in your home.  This America Recycles Day, why not take the time to figure out once and for all how to get rid of the stuff!  Earth911 has a recycling center database that is super helpful and easy to use.

Happy America Recycles Day!