Think you know everything there is to recycle? Think again! While we’re all familiar with recycling cans and cardboard, there are a few more items that you can recycle, helping to keep even more waste out of our landfills. Here are three things you probably didn’t know you could recycle.
Dental Hygiene Products
Yes, your toothbrushes, empty toothpaste tubes, and used dental floss containers can be recycled! These are items that most people toss into the trash without a second thought, but they can actually be processed and repurposed. Companies like TerraCycle offer recycling programs specifically for dental products. They break down the materials to create new products, such as plastic lumber and picnic tables.
Cooking Oil
Used cooking oil can cause serious problems if disposed of incorrectly, such as clogging drains and polluting waterways. Fortunately, it can be recycled into biodiesel, a renewable energy source. Many cities offer cooking oil recycling programs, especially around the holidays when fried foods are more common.
Old Mattresses
While not as straightforward to recycle due to their bulky nature and composition, old mattresses can and should be recycled. Specialized recycling programs dismantle them to salvage materials like metal, foam, and fibers, which are then turned into new products.