Help the Environment by Recycling

If you wish to help the environment by recycling - whether in Knoxville, Tennessee, or Bangor, Maine - the key to your success is to remember that there are many other things that you can recycle than just consumer packaging made of aluminum, plastic, or steel and various types of paper products.

Moreover, most of the other recyclables are more hazardous to the environment when they are not recycled than the above-mentioned “big four” of consumer recycling. This article lists some of these less-commonly-known recyclables and how you can help the environment by recycling them.

You can find Knoxville recycling drop-off centers for all these materials and more at Tennessee.Earth911.org

Help the environment by recycling tires.

Waste tire stockpiles in Tennessee and illegally-dumped waste tires create breeding grounds for disease-carrying rodents and mosquitoes. These stockpiles also become fire hazards, and when lit, emit noxious black smoke into the air and deposit an oily residue that contaminates our ground and surface water.

There are multiple uses for waste tires, including the creation of fuel, extending the life of our roads and making them safer for drivers, and the creation of multiple products through manufacturing.

Business Tip Retreaded tires are safe, and less-expensive alternatives to putting all-new tires on your corporate vehicles. Businesses that use large numbers of tires can reap considerable savings by utilizing resurfaced tires.

Help the environment by recycling motor oil.

200 million gallons of used engine oil are improperly disposed of in the U.S. every year. The dumped oil seeps into water tables and ground water, contaminating drinking our precious drinking water, sickening and killing wild-life, and making fish and other game unfit for consumption.

Moreover, lubricating oil does not wear out; it just gets dirty. So recycling oil also saves a precious resource, allowing you to personally help to lower our dependence on foreign oil. According to the EPA, it takes 42 gallons of crude oil, but only 1 gallon of used oil, to produce 2.5 quarts of new, high-quality lubricating oil.

Business Tip The EPA states that some fleet maintenance facilities that use large volumes of oil can arrange to reuse the same oil that they send to be re-refined—a true closed recycling loop.

Help the environment by recycling antifreeze.

Of the 10 million plus gallons of antifreeze used in the U.S. each year, only 12% gets recycled. Recycled antifreeze costs significantly less to produce, conserves natural gas resources, and is available at many local auto mechanic businesses.

Recycling antifreeze keeps the heavy metals and toxic chemicals in antifreeze out of our food and ground water, and protects our beloved pets, which are the most common victims of improperly-stored, dumped or spilled antifreeze.

Business Tip
Mechanics, car dealers, and companies with large fleets of trucks, heavy equipment and other vehicles can significantly save on antifreeze costs and regulatory burdens by recycling their own antifreeze. The equipment necessary to do so is relatively inexpensive, and can more than pay for itself in savings.

Click here for an example of antifreeze recycling equipment.

Help the environment by recycling batteries.

Americans purchase nearly 3 billion dry cell batteries a year to power flashlights, cell phones, toys, and other portable devices, and nearly 99 million wet-cell batteries, which are used to power cars and other vehicles.

Batteries contain heavy metals, acids, and many recyclable materials – including lead, plastics, silver, and several other valuable materials.

To make it easy on yourself to recycle your household dry cell batteries, keep them together in a small container until you’re going by a recycling center.

Click here to locate your local recycling center for these materials.

Do you know other ways to help the environment by recycling? Please share your recycling information with us!