Recycle in the Bathroom

Do you have a recycling bin in your bathroom? Johnson & Johnson Family of Consumer Companies thinks you should. According to their CARE TO RECYCLE^® program, while 70 percent of Americans say they consistently recycle, only 20 percent report recycling in the bathroom. That can lead to more than 500 million shampoo bottles alone ending up in landfills each year, when they could be recycled to make items such as carpeting, car upholstery, boat sails, or fiberfill for winter coats.

Here are some tips to help you keep your shampoo bottles out of the trash.

• #1 (PET) and #2 (HDPE) plastic bottles are recyclable in most communities. These include bottles that hold many kinds of liquid soap, shampoo and conditioner, lotion, mouthwash, body wash, and baby powder. Just look for the "chasing arrow" triangle with a number inside it, usually on the bottom of the bottle.
• Most paperboard items found in a bathroom can be recycled, including toilet paper tubes and boxes for soap, tissues, bandages, or over-the-counter medicines.
• Items of mixed materials or certain types of plastic are NOT commonly recyclable. These include dental floss containers, toothbrushes, toothpaste tubes, and any pumps that come in plastic bottles (just remove the pump and then recycle the bottle).
• I always keep separate Recycle Bins in my Home for each item, like: Plastic, Aluminum, Glass, Mixed Metal, Paper and etc. labeled and asking my family members and guests put recyclable items inside those bins only, not to throw it to Garbage Bin and everyone can apply this rule at home. It help kids also understand from early age how to protect Mother Nature and be knowledgeable about recycling.

Use the Recycle Search tool at Earth911.com to find the recycling center nearest you that accepts #1 and #2 plastics or check local supermarkets who have bins for each type of recyclable items, like Target, Publix and etc.