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No Recycling Services in Your City? Here’s What You Can Do!

This post was sponsored by Carton Council as part of an Ambassador Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.

When I started on the journey to going green, recycling was one of the last things I incorporated into my family’s routine. That might surprise you, but because I live in a city without curbside recycling services, it can be a bit more difficult to recycle.

But that doesn’t mean we don’t recycle at all and it should be the same for you also if you live in a community without curbside recycling. Today I’m sharing some ideas of how you can make a difference in your home, as well as make a bigger impact on the Earth too!

Request recycling services in your city.

While you may just feel like one person, you can make a big difference especially if you go straight to the source of funding for recycling services.

I encourage you to reach out to your local recycling coordinator to share that you’re interested in getting curbside recycling services for your town, as well as county commissioners or even attend a local political meeting to have your voice heard.

Thankfully so many communities already have these services so it’s easy to find information about the benefits to share with city leaders.

Mail your recyclables.

Just because you can’t set your recyclables on your curb, doesn’t mean you can’t recycle them. Did you realize you can MAIL them?!

The Carton Council shares that curbside carton recycling is available to more than 62% of U.S. households in over 13,370 communities, and access continues to grow every day.

While I’m not lucky enough to live in one of these communities, you might be – check to see if carton recycling is available in your area, by using the zip code locator at recyclecartons.com. And you can still recycle your cartons by mailing in your dry cartons to one of three locations across the U.S.:

  • Altogether Recycling, 645 W 53rd Place, Denver, CO 80216
  • Firstar Fiber, 10330 “I” Street; Suite 100, Omaha, NE 68127
  • Tidewater Fiber, 1958 Diamond Hill Road, Chesapeake, VA 23324

When I’m shopping, I always try to choose as many products in cartons as possible because of their lower carbon footprint. Cartons are used to package items on the shelf, like soups, broths, beans, coconut and other waters. Even wine, tomatoes, milk, creamer and juice packaging is made of carton.

They’re usually lightweight and compact and cartons use the least amount of materials possible, helping preserve our Earth’s precious resources. Plus, they are so easy to recycle – with out without curbside recycling services – and once recycled,  food and beverage cartons go on to become other paper products or chemical free, environmentally friendly building materials! Check out this video to see just how that happens!

Live as waste-free as possible.

One of the biggest things you can do to make a difference when you can’t recycle is to live as waste-free as possible. While at first it can seem like a daunting task, it’s actually easier than you think. Check out these 9 ways to go waste-free in your bathroom.

Compost

While we most often think of composting food, you can actually compost some surprising things like coffee filters, nail clippings, and even paper towels!

Composting products can not only cut down on the amount of trash your family accumulates each week, but can make a big impact in your local landfills as well.

Just because your community may not have curbside recycling services doesn’t mean you can’t make a difference. From mailing in your recyclables to living a more waste-free lifestyle, there are lots of things you can do to make a difference in your home, community, and world!