Even though it is not one of my favorite things to do, it’s become sort of a hobby to reach into the garbage and pull out something that should have been placed in the recycle bin. I find myself saying to no one in particular, “Didn’t you know this liquid soap bottle is made out of low-density polyethylene #4? Hello! Even curbside recycling takes that!”

While most people are aware that items like used batteries and old cell phones can be recycled, there are a host of other every day things where the thought that it’s recyclable may not even occur. It may take a little extra effort (or spending a little on postage), but things like used toothpaste tubes, and even old cassette and VHS tapes- can definitely be recycled.

I really have to hand it to Tom’s of Maine. They not only research their packaging to improve recyclability, but you can even send them your old toothpaste tubes. In order to recycle their toothpaste tubes, first you remove the plastic cap and the plastic threaded covering on the neck of the tube. Then simply sort them in with your aluminum cans for recycling. According to their website, Tom's of Maine, “any toothpaste left in the tube and the food-grade plastic liner does not affect the tube's recyclability. When the aluminum is processed, any residual toothpaste as well as the food-grade liner melts away without contaminating the recycled product.” They happily recycle them for you if you send them to: Tom’s of Maine, Consumer Dialogue Team, 302 Lafayette Center, Kennebunk, ME 04043. Their floss, shave cream, deodorant and other product containers are also mostly made out of fully recyclable #4 and #5 plastics or paper.

Continuing with dental hygiene, many of you may already know the company Preserve, providers of recyclable toothbrushes. They also sell razors, tableware and cookware. Their Gimme 5 program now lets you send them your #5 plastics (yogurt cups, etc) and they will recycle them into their products. This program is in addition to their already long-standing service of being able to send them your used toothbrushes and razor handles to be recycled into plastic lumber for park benches or decks, for example. On their website, you can print out a postage-paid label to return their products to be transformed.

Plus, now that your old movie favorites have long since been converted to DVDs, if you want to get rid of that clutter, you can send your old VHS tapes and cassettes to Green Disk. They accept all forms of electronic media and their cases: diskettes, zip disks, CDs, CD-Rs, CD-RWs, DVDs et al, video tape, audio tape, game cartridges- you name it!

Sonic Fabric also recycles old cassette tapes into…fabric. They’re not currently accepting donations, but their neckties and other accessories are really cool! With a little bit of tinkering explained on their website, you can actually listen to the sounds the recycled audio tape makes as you run a tape head over your Sonic Fabric™ shoulder bag or tie. Remember, at the point when an item is ready to be placed into one bin or another, there’s one golden question that everyone should be asking-- “Are you sure this can’t be recycled?”