One of the easiest and most effective ways for each of us to do our part is to recycle. Recycling conserves natural resources, reduces waste sent to the landfill and cuts down on the amount of pollution in our air, land and water. It seems so easy and it is! Up to 75% of the waste we generate in our homes is recyclable but right now less than 35% of it is actually being recycled so we can do a better job. If you recycle already, good for you! We’ve got some tips to show you how you can do an even better job. If you don’t recycle at home, now is the time to get started!

Lets start with making easy. Most of us keep our recycling bins outside which isn’t always convenient. Put smaller containers throughout your home to serve as recycling bins. Reuse a box or another trash can for recycling items. That way everything from the paperboard boxes to shampoo bottles makes it to the bigger bin! These things may seem too little to bother with but they really add up! Check all plastic containers for the little number on the bottom and know which ones are accepted where you live. Check our Earth 911 recycling link in our Local Green Guide to find out which ones you can recycle where you live.

Recycling aluminum and glass is an obvious one. But did you know that they can be made into other cans and bottles over and over again! Besides saving natural resources it requires much less energy to make these containers out of recycled material than virgin material.

Try to think outside of the box for paper recycling. It’s the number one thing filling up our landfills. All those magazines you have around the house can go right in the recycling bin. So can junk mail, telephone books and — here’s a big one — all packaging and cardboard boxes can be recycled as long as they don’t have any food residue on them.

So Do Your Part everyday and recycle. It’s the easiest way for each one of us to preserve our planets natural resources and keep tons of pollution out of our air, land and water every day.