I know a handful of people who've gotten their hands on the new iPhone 5. And with millions more people buying the same product, it got me to thinking about recycling all the stuff in our home that's outdated or used up.
Most people know to turn in an old smartphone for credit with their service provider or sell it for cash at a number of stores or online spots, but what about the other things that are a little trickier?
Do your part and check out my top five solutions to your recycling problems:
FLUORESCENT LIGHT BULBS
CFLs - or compact fluorescent light bulbs - should never be thrown away because they contain a small amount of mercury. There are several big companies that have convenient drop off sites and will recycle them responsibly. Home Depot, London Drugs, Oak Bay Home Hardware and View Royal Canadian Tire are among the stores that will get the job done. The Hartland Landfill Recycling Centre also takes them.
PLASTIC BAGS
It will take plastic bags thousands of years - if ever - to break down in a landfill. Since most curb-side recycling collection services don't collect them, you can return most plastic bags for recycling at your local grocery stores. And get this; most grocery stores (and Walmart) will also accept most plastic sandwich bags, cereal bags, newspaper bags, and all types of plastic wraps. Check with your particular store for details.
BATTERIES
The heavy metals found in batteries can contaminate land and water. Instead, get those prized materials recycled responsibly. Only a handful of curbside recycling programs will accept batteries but there are many retailers and full service recycling centers that will.
Check online at myrecyclopedia.ca for a list of stores in Greater Victoria and the Gulf Islands that will take dead batteries off your hands.
TATTERED CLOTHING
Most of us have given away box after box of good clothing to our favourite charitable organizations for resale and reuse.
But what about old clothing or other things such as rags, bedding, or towels that are too worn out to be re-used?
A lot of thrift stores want them too. However, the textiles cannot be wet or contaminated with chemicals. These items are sorted and sold for recycling or many other uses such as sofa stuffing.
Phone your nearest thrift store to find out if they take textiles for shredding.
INK & TONER CARTRIDGES
Every year, hundreds of millions of ink and toner cartridges are used in this country. And, 70 per cent of those end up in our landfills!
The solvents and chemicals used in the inks are not something that should be put into landfills, whence they could leach into the soil and the water table.
Printer cartridges are easily refilled and recycled. If you turn them in at stores such London Drugs - anywhere you buy computer equipment - you can get a new cartridge in a reused casing for a discount price.
Note: This story has been corrected from an earlier version. Best Buy Victoria does not offer discounts for printer cartridge recyclables.
