Recycling is a matter for all of us to participate. I read with great interest the article that I happened to find on LeighSteinber.org. It talked about how recycling is something that even our ancestors participated in as a means to ensure that they could survive with a lot less waste.

We’re now beginning to understand the impact that recycling has on the world in which we live. Fortunately many people here in the US get it. They have recycle bins by the curbside and think twice before they throw certain things into the garbage can, rather than the recycle bin.

I recently participated in a project to recycle cell phones. I cant remember the organization that sponsored this project, but essentially you put used cell phones into a pre-paid mailer and those cell phones get shipped out to the our men and women overseas. This gives them the ability to call home to their loved ones.

I felt this project was an incredibly worth while one. I’m glad that some one came up with a project like this. Not only was it good for our planet, but also made me feel good … that somehow I was participating in something far bigger than myself.

Some of the other ideas in the article included other items which can be recycled. For example, how many times have you seen broken glass (colored glass) on the ground? Its everywhere. Used glass can be turned into things like tabletops and landscaping decoration. I remember seeing an everyday crafts person do just that on one of the DIY channels.

One of the biggest if not biggest categories of recycling is cars. There are so many parts in used cards that can be recycled that the industry itself is a $25 Billion business. There are also so many organizations that will take your used cars, working or not, and use it to benefit some charity that could use them. Imagine how much something like this does for saving our planet?

Every 30 – 60 days, we are bombarded with new technology. For example, upgrade from analog to digital, from HD 720p to 1080p and now 3D HD. i think that our hyper-linked society is really one of the causes of our wastefulness and need to find better recycling progrms. Do we really need to upgrade to the next big thing or is all this stuff just over hyped?

Our society is clearly over-saturated with “stuff”. I almost feel that this saturation and breaking point parallels the decline of our country. There’s no way that we can consume all of the latest technologies, such as new computers, monitors, TV, etc. Even ink cartridges have the potential to be a big waste problem, if not recycled properly. How many ink cartridges do you use in a 12 month period? TONS, I’ll bet.

Ink cartridges, in fact, are a great example of an item which should and could be easily recycled. You have plenty of options to return it … back to the manufacturer, take it to a local retailer or even re-ink them through a dealer, either locally or through mail order. Youd be saving money and the planet!

There are many more ideas for recycling on this blog. The bottom line is that recycling shouldn’t necessarily be an option, but in a way, a civic duty. The best thing about recycling, though, is that it’s not only good for your pocket book, but good for your soul. Try it and you’ll see what I mean.