5 things we didn’t know we could recycle

Every country’s approach to recycling varies, and their respective policies in many ways reflect what you might consider to be the national character. For example, Switzerland has one of the highest recycling rates in the world and have just instigated a complete ban on landfill. In Japan there is a home appliance law that places the onus on recycling large appliances with the consumer and manufacturer—when you are completely done with watching your T.V, you can literally watch it being broken down and recycled. And in some parts of Germany they recycle dead animals: they are rendered down for their fat, which is used by the cosmetic industry. However, there are other, slightly less strange, things you can recycle which you might not be fully aware.

Bras:

If these are not overly worn and no longer of any use, they can be deposited at a local drop-off where they are collected by organisations and distributed to disadvantaged teenage girls and women. If you are thinking of making a donation, please ensure all bras are washed first.

Crayons:

You’d be surprised at just how many tons of crayons are manufactured each day. You may also be surprised at how easily crayons can be melted down and recycled. If there isn’t a designated recycling facility available locally, it’s actually fairly easy (and fun) to buy a mould and melt the stubs down into a new shape.

Cosmetics:

How much half-used or barely used make up is sat around on the dresser? There are organisations where you can freepost makeup you no longer have a use for, and any proceeds from sales can go to a charity of your nomination.

Compact fluorescent light bulbs:

This is quite an obvious one, as most people have the common sense never to put fluorescent light tubes and bulbs into the general waste bin. These particular items are potentially dangerous and polluting, so they need to be properly dealt with and the useful metals/gasses safely recovered for other applications.

Athletic shoes:

Nike are current operating a reuse-a-shoe scheme at most of their retail outlets in the world: any old athletic shoe of any brand and in any condition will be accepted by Nike, who will then process the footwear into their constituent parts and the material used to manufacture new products that go into playground surfaces, for example.