Make up:  Make up can expire and is none too pretty for the earth when you throw it in the trash (chemicals you know) some manufacturers are making progress on the chemical front.   Check with your makeup manufacturer and see how you can help by disposing of the product in a safe and earth friendly way.

Mattresses and Box Springs:  Mattresses are made of recyclable materials, such as wire, paper, and cloth.  Not all cities accept them for recycling.  (Go to www.earth911.org to find out if yours does)

Metal Flatware:  If you are retiring your old forks, knives and spoons, you can usually recycle them with other scrap metal.

Milk Cartons with Plastic Spouts and Caps:  Take off and throw away the cap, don’t worry about the spout-it will be filtered out in the process of recycling.  As for the carton, check hour local recycling rules to see whether you should toss with plastics and metals or with paper.

Mirrors:  These are not recyclable through most municipal recyclers, because chemicals on the glass cannot be mixed with glass bottles and jars.  You can donate them to second hand stores, of course.  If the mirror is broken (is it still 7 years bad luck?) put it in a paper bag for the safety of your trash collectors.

 

We will need to wait for the next article on recycling from A-Z—we are at the end for now.