November 8-15 is Maine Recycles Week. While recycling may seem like the basics of conservation, it is a great opportunity for a refresher on the do’s and don’ts of what we can recycle in our curbside bins and what we should compost or trash.
Before we begin, and because I seem to be such a big fan of quizzes lately, we must answer that daunting question: How “trashy” are you? Maine Recycles asks this very question and I am proud to say Goodwill scored in the top ranks.
In 2007, Goodwill recycled:
128,000 pounds of paper & cardboard
290,000 pounds of metal
196,000 pounds of glass & ceramic
9,676,525 pounds of textiles.
295,000 pounds of this was made into Good Wipes.
Ok, that is it for shameless self-promotion, I promise! Back to curbside recycling. As far as I know, the majority of towns and cities in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont have curbside recycling for cans & bottles and paper. The difficulty lies in the fact that every town accepts different materials for recycling. Not very convenient when trying to write about recycling in three different states! Don’t worry, I did some digging.
Maine offers a great directory of towns and their recycling guidelines. It is updated every two years (this is from 2006), so keep an eye out for an updated guide. If you live in Vermont, this directory will get you off to a great start. I had trouble locating a listing for New Hampshire, but I spoke to someone at the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services. Generally, you can recycle the following in New Hampshire:
All paper and cardboard
Plastics #1-7
Aluminum and tin cans
Every town is different, however, so be sure to check with your local city or town hall–most towns have a handy list you tack right on your refrigerator.
And don’t forget about composting! Did you know that 24% of our trash can be composted? Imagine how much space food scraps and yard waste is taking up in our landfills. Even if you live in the city or do not have a garden, it is easy to compost. All you really need is 2′x2′ space and there are plenty of local gardeners, farmers, and community gardens that would be happy for free compost. Many towns offer discounts on compost bins and you can also try craigslist or freecycle for a great deal on a bin. Feel ambitious? Check out this site that offers easy-to-follow instructions on how to build your own compost bin.
If you have recycling or reuse tips you would like to share with other readers, by all means, pass them along!
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[...] is an easy initiative we can call take, whether you live in the city or a rural town (check out an earlier post we had on composting). The City of Portland sells inexpensive bins and I plan on picking one up [...]