Aluminum cans are a better choice than plastic bottles

If you drink carbonated beverages, which is better for the environment: a plastic bottle or an aluminum can? The answer is simple: aluminum. According to the EPA, aluminum cans are among the most commonly recyclable materials today. In less than 60 days, a typical soda can goes from the supermarket to the recycling bin to the recycling facility and is back on the shelf as a new soda can. This recycling process can be done indefinitely because aluminum is durable, unlike plastic, which can only be recycled a few times before being discarded into a landfill.

INKJET PRINTERS

If it seems like your inkjet printer cartridges need to be replaced constantly, there are a few things you can do to extend their lives. First, check your printer settings to make sure you’re not on the “best” setting. If quality doesn’t matter for your printout, go for draft or “grayscale” mode; these settings use way less ink. Also, ignore your printer’s “low ink” warning; only replace cartridges when you see a big difference in quality. And finally, use the preview function to look at what you’re printing before you hit “print.” This one thing can help you avoid printing something that’s formatted incorrectly.

WHEN TO UNPLUG

Leaving your home for several weeks or even months means you should take steps to reduce waste while you’re away. This is a good time to unplug energy hogs like refrigerators and freezers; just be sure they are empty and leave the doors open so they dry out completely. Turn off the main water supply; it may not save you money, but it’ll give you peace of mind that there won’t be a plumbing break. Turn off the electric water heater at the main breaker switch; there’s no point in keeping water hot for weeks at a time if it’s not being used. And switch off modems, cable boxes and small kitchen appliances by unplugging them.

EXPERIENTIAL GIFTS

When it comes to giving gifts, whether it’s for a birthday or a housewarming, finding just the right thing can be a very daunting process. And with up to 1 in every 3 gifts being returned or, worse, thrown away by the recipient, gift giving can be a waste-generating process as well. Rather than giving a physical gift, consider giving an experience instead. A dinner for two, tickets to a movie, a massage or a personal training session are all things people can do and enjoy instead of having to figure out what to do with another object.

LEFTOVER BEER

Ever wonder what to do with flat, warm, leftover beer? Give your garden a good drink! The natural yeast in beer can help with plant growth. Simply pour leftover beer into a watering can and add regular water. Pour the mixture near the base of plants, and when you’re done, cultivate the soil a little bit. You can also fill a small empty tuna fish tin with leftover beer to keep slugs away from your garden; they’ll crawl in for a drink but drown when they’re unable to get out.

WATER BOTTLE

It’s great that you use your reusable water or hot beverage bottle every day, but you still should do one thing: Wash it properly every day as well. Germs and bacteria love moist environments, so when a bottle stays wet and doesn’t get washed, illness-causing spores can germinate and sprout. It’s not enough to swirl hot water around a bottle to get it clean; you need warm water and soap to properly disinfect both the inside and the parts that touch your mouth. The best method is to toss it in the dishwasher to make sure it’s clean and properly disinfected.

CLOGS IN THE MACHINE

You might have a small piece of clean aluminum foil and wonder: Can I recycle this, since aluminum foil is recyclable? There’s a simple rule of thumb: If it’s smaller than a credit card in size, the answer is no. This also includes bottle caps, paperclips and “recyclable” coffee pods (even if they have a recycling mark on them). These small items can often jam recycling equipment and cause entire sorting machines to shut down. It’s such a huge problem that recycling centers often will shut down more than a dozen times a day to clear jams caused by small items. Instead, toss these small pieces into the trash.