{"id":191,"date":"2015-05-15T13:17:28","date_gmt":"2015-05-15T17:17:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rossweb.bus.umich.edu\/ross-green-team\/basic_page\/bet-you-didnt-know\/"},"modified":"2022-06-20T15:12:30","modified_gmt":"2022-06-20T19:12:30","slug":"bet-you-didnt-know","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/rossweb.bus.umich.edu\/ross-green-team\/bet-you-didnt-know\/","title":{"rendered":"Bet You Didn’t Know…"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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I bet you didn’t know you could recycle….<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Athletic shoes<\/strong>
Got a pair (or a pile) of old sneakers that are too worn out to give to charity? Nike will recycle any brand of the athletic shoe through its Reuse-a-Shoe program. You can drop shoes off at any Niketown store or Nike Factory store; the company also has other drop-off spots, and if there\u2019s not one near you, you can mail shoes in. (Get details on the Nike Web site.) The company processes and recycles the footwear to make sports surfaces for basketball courts, tennis courts, running tracks, and playgrounds. Right now they\u2019re collecting shoes to make athletic surfaces for New Orleans, to help bring youth sports back to the city as it rebuilds. To date, about 20 million pairs of athletic shoes worldwide have been recycled through the Reuse-A-Shoe program. Dick\u2019s Sporting Goods also has a bin for this in their store.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTechno-trash\u201d<\/strong>
As you upgrade your technology, you find yourself saddled with outdated items: VHS tapes, game cartridges, digital cameras, MP3 players, cords, cables, and cassettes \u2014 not to mention bigger items like VCRs and computer monitors. Fortunately, there\u2019s a company that will take it all from you and reprocess it in an eco-friendly way: GreenDisk. Mail your \u201ctechno-trash\u201d to the company and they\u2019ll take care of the disposal. The cost starts at $6.95 for 20 pounds of equipment \u2014 a small price to pay to relieve your conscience (and your closet!).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mattresses<\/strong>
Ann Arbor Recycle Center now accepts mattresses to recycle. Also, remember that \u201crecycle\u201d has another R-word counterpart: \u201creuse.\u201d If your mattress is in usable condition, you can probably find it a good home through the Freecycle Network. It\u2019s an Internet community with chapters all over the country, in which people offer up items they no longer want and other people happily take them. The online bulletin board Craigslist also has a section where you can offer things for free to people in your area. In fact, you can get rid of just about any usable item (and some items you didn\u2019t even think were usable) via Freecycle and Craigslist, and you can find some great free stuff for yourself, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dry-cleaning hangers and plastic<\/strong>
Wondering how to get rid of all those wire hangers from the dry cleaner? Some dry cleaners will take them back and reuse them, and some tailors and alteration shops will take them as well \u2014 so just ask. And what about all that plastic that comes back from the dry cleaner? In some cities, you can recycle it right along with other plastic bags. And some dry cleaners will take the plastic back and make sure it\u2019s recycled. So yes, there are solutions, but here\u2019s a note of caution to all you dry-cleaning fans: The process uses a harmful chemical known as \u201cperc\u201d which is a suspected carcinogen and has been outlawed in some areas. What to do? Look for cleaners who offer \u201cwet cleaning,\u201d consider hand-washing some garments, or better yet, avoid buying clothes labeled \u201cdry clean only.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eyeglasses<\/strong>
Do you know that drawer of junk in your house that has 3 or 4 pairs of unused eyeglasses just sitting around? Well, those can go to better use. There are many people in developing countries that need eyeglasses in order to avoid unemployment. Incredibly, 4 million pairs go into landfills each year in North America alone. By dropping off your unneeded pairs at your local Lions Club or lens dealer, you can reduce waste and help out someone in need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Used motor oil<\/strong>
According to the EPA, \u201cIf all the oil from American do-it-yourself oil changers were recycled, it would be enough motor oil for more than 50 million cars a year.\u201d You can actually recycle the spent oil from your lawnmower, car, truck, or boat, and recycle it so it can be re-refined into new usable oil. While it takes 42 gallons of crude oil to create 2.5 gallons of lubricating oil, all it takes is 1 gallon of spent motor oil to do the same job. Don\u2019t let your used oil contaminate the groundwater, recycle it today!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brita water filters\u00a0<\/strong>
You may have heard of the company Preserve. They make a line of 100% recycled items, including toothbrushes. Well, they\u2019ve teamed up with Brita to recycle spent water filters. The filters are used in the creation of Preserve razors, toothbrushes, cups, and even cutting boards. Your local Whole Foods has collection bins, or check to Preserve for more locations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Crayons<\/strong>
Crayon stubs \u2014 who would have thought that they could be recycled? While in the grand scheme of things, crayon waste isn\u2019t a huge issue, there is no need to make waste when it can be reused. You can send those broken, stubby crayons, at your expense, to Crazy Crayons. It\u2019s a small price to save that bit of petroleum-based wax from ending up in the landfill. And next time, maybe consider buying more sustainable beeswax crayons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pens, pencils, and markers<\/strong>
Recycle old pens, pencils, and markers in an environmentally-responsible way. Recycle Write! The U-M Recycling Program has partnered with Procurement Services and TerraCycle to bring the Recycle Write! program to the university. TerraCycle recycles that material into various products. In addition to recycling old writing utensils into new recycled products, TerraCycle will also donate $0.02 to the C.S. Mott Children\u2019s Hospital for each item recycled through Recycle Write! program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pantyhose<\/strong>
If you wear pantyhose, you know how disposable they seem to be. But instead of tossing them after they\u2019ve served their purpose, why not recycle them? Believe it or not, the average pantyhose take 30-40 years to decompose, so they can add up in our landfills quickly. But, if you cover shipping charges (consider saving used pantyhose and packing tight a flat rate shipping box) No Nonsense will recycle them so they can be used for running tracks, playground equipment, and even park benches. Who knew old pantyhose were so multifunctional?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Compact fluorescent bulbs<\/strong>
Take those useless light bulbs to home stores – like IKEA, Lowe’s, Home Depot, and Ace Hardware – and they will recycle them for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Plastic Bags<\/strong>
Most grocery stores in Ann Arbor will have a bin to take your plastic bags. Look for them when you first walk in. Best Buy will also accept plastic bags. \u00a0Also, consider taking them and re-using them like a reusable tote.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cell Phones<\/strong>
Staples, Best Buy, or Cell Phones for Soldiers, will take your old phone donations. Cell Phones for Soldiers has several drop-off locations in Ann Arbor. http:\/\/www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com\/zipcodeLocator.php<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Clothes, Textiles<\/strong>
City Recyclers sort the collected textiles and good quality items are distributed through local thrift stores. Lower-grade textiles are shredded for recycling into new products. As a last option, materials that lack a local market are distributed through South America, Africa, Asia, and Eastern Europe. Drop off at Ann Arbor Drop Off Station, Kiwanis, Ann Arbor Thrift Store, or Goodwill. They accept:<\/p>\n\n\n\n