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10 Easy Recycling Tips from Tom’s and Our Facebook Friends
Posted on Nov 05, 2010
When it comes to recycling, there are plenty of ways to contribute, and every contribution counts! So at Tom’s we’re always exploring new ways to increase the nearly 300,000 pounds of aluminum tubes, cardboard, folding cartons, mixed paper and shrink wrap that we recycle per year.
We’re also big on recycling at home and love learning and sharing new ways to contribute more. So in recognition of National Recycling Week this month, we asked our Facebook friends and members of the Tom’s team for their recycling tips and posted our favorites below.
- Callie saves all plastic containers, marked 1 through 7, for donations at her recycling center.
- Mary, a Tom’s Quality Control Team leader, cuts up old T-shirts and uses them as rags to help curb her paper towel consumption.
- Anna saves all her personal and confidential papers for a biannual recycling drive at her credit union.
- Windy takes home materials that aren’t recycled at her workplace and recycles them at home.
- Tiffany picks up trash and recyclable materials during her daily walk to the mailbox.
- Heather, a Tom’s Health and Specialty field representative, takes her family’s plastic # 5 – dairy, yogurt and cheese containers – to the neighborhood Whole Foods store since her city doesn’t take them yet.
- Lynda always tries to repair possessions before replacing them and donates unwanted items to Habitat for Humanity, Goodwill and hospice organizations.
- Patsy suggests recycling plastic grocery bags or reusing them in small garbage cans.
- Jim, a Health and Specialty store sales manager at Tom’s, purchased dishes from a thrift store to use for backyard entertaining, school pot luck dinners and concerts in the park Instead of using paper plates and cups.
- Heidi recycles bottles and jars — even broken ones. She wraps and labels the shards “broken glass” and sets them at the top of the glass recycling pile so no pieces fall out.
Reusing resources is a great way to help create a positive change in ourselves, our communities, and the living planet. We hope you found some new ways to increase your recycling contributions. Feel free to leave a comment. We would love to hear your suggestions too!
16 Comments
Mary said...
We recycle everything --- we are lucky because our city has a separate pickup for paper and plastic and drop off locations for glass.
on Dec 20, 2010 (02:04 PM)
Pat Curry said...
I sell on eBay and like to use items like egg cartons and cores from paper towels and toilet paper for cushioning in my packages. I wrap them in colored tissue paper that is too wrinkled to use for gift wrap any longer so it doesn't look like garbage. I am a member of eBay's Green Team!
on Nov 30, 2010 (09:04 AM)
Jim said...
Your deodorant has made my armpits peel and become irritated with a burning sensation, natural and gentle my @$$. How do I get a refund?
on Nov 25, 2010 (02:37 PM)
brenda said...
I use the mesh bags used to hold garlic, onions, or oranges/lemons/limes as a plate or pot scraper in the dish pan. They work very nicely.
on Nov 24, 2010 (10:43 PM)
Sue Liff said...
Thanks so for posting all the good ideas--so we can waste LESS
on Nov 24, 2010 (07:14 PM)
Terri said...
We save all of our lids and small candy containers and take them to a great local store Generation Green where they have a bin for a local Art Coop.
on Nov 24, 2010 (09:14 AM)
Laura Smith said...
Remember all those old magazines(modest ones) and even your shoe boxes could be donated to your local elementary or middle school. Kids do a lot of projects these days and many do not have supplies at home, parental support, or money to purchase things just to cut them up. Contact someone in the front office and see if you can drop them off for teachers to scavenge. Your dentist, doctor, chiropractor and elder care homes and elder day centers may also be interested. To avoid spending gas on this project plan your drop routes to build naturally into other errands you do.
on Nov 24, 2010 (07:14 AM)
Vanessa said...
I re-use. I make my own laundry soap, dish soap and fabric softener and refile the old store bought containers. I also make my own home brewed beer and use the same bottles repeatedly. This is also popular with friends that donate bottles to the cause - relieving local landfills and recycling facilities. A hobby with benefits!
on Nov 24, 2010 (06:37 AM)
Amber de Tremaudan said...
Any glass or plastic containers that formerly held liquid, I wash and reuse to hold liquids when packing my lunch for work or for freezing and saving vegetable and meat broths. You can also freeze ordinary water in them to create your own home-made "ice-pack" for in your lunch to keep things cool.
on Nov 24, 2010 (03:56 AM)
Carol said...
I save small scraps of soap, let them dry and when I have enough I chop them up in blender of food processor, adding a little water until I have a nice fluffy cream. I add a few drops of oil of lavender or rose. I put the cream of soap in a plastic container and put near my tub.
on Nov 23, 2010 (09:14 PM)
Lynn said...
I save small boxes that dry food came in, plastic frosting tubs, good reusable cardboard (when a box can be broken down and the side without printing used) and my son who is a teacher takes them to his school's art teacher who uses them in classes to make mobiles, etc. I save glass jars and use them to hold holiday treats for my grandchildren. I fill the jars and add a fabric circle to the top, tie with ribbon, and the children love them.
on Nov 23, 2010 (07:22 PM)
Emily said...
I take boxes and packing material we receive at home and at work to a local antiques dealer who ships stuff all over the place and greatly appreciates the free materials. It's mostly recyclable stuff but reuse is even better than recycling because it requires no processing.
on Nov 23, 2010 (05:01 PM)
Debbie said...
Our church obtained a large dumpster-sized bin for paper recycling. It was so well received that they quickly requested 2 additional bins! Our church also supports a local food pantry. Church members learned that the food pantry's bag sponsor ceased providing bags... forcing the pantry to spend needed funds purchasing bags. The church began collecting paper and plastic shopping bags in which the food pantry's clients can transport their food items.
on Nov 23, 2010 (04:20 PM)
Sue said...
Most of the ideas are just common sense. Thought #9 had the best idea. Way better than paper plates and plastic cups/cutlery. Except for the Preserve products--those are great. I like using products made from bamboo--dishes, cloths, and towels. I shop for kitchen stuff at a local store and they have several of the items I've mentioned.
on Nov 20, 2010 (03:39 AM)
Deb Doubek said...
I teach soap making classes in Wisconsin and to incubate their soap, I have each member of class cut up an old t-shirt to wrap their soap with before taking it home.
on Nov 16, 2010 (05:01 AM)
EBlaze said...
Bravo! It seems that your company is probably way ahead of the "typical" company with regards to sustainable practices. Only 25% of disposable plastic get recycled - which means an obscene amount makes its way to our oceans and landfills. Our company, Back2Tap, tries to educate consumers on the wastefulness of disposable plastic. We commend your actions.
on Feb 08, 2011 (05:24 PM)