When it comes to recycling, most people immediately head for the kitchen, but there is actually another room in the house that is often overlooked as a prime location for recyclables: The bathroom.
Go to your bathroom and take a look around. Look in the shower, in the cabinets and on the shelves. You’ll notice that your bathroom is full of recyclables that tend to get tossed in the trash. Many people have this idea that recycling is only for kitchen items but this isn’t the case. Recyclables can be found all around your home.
The reason only 41% of Americans say they always recycle bathroom products is because the majority of people don’t keep recycling bins in their bathroom and they just get tossed in the trash. The best way to remind yourself to recycle your toiletries is by setting up a recycling station in the bathroom.
Building a washroom recycling station is easier than you’d think! Follow these four simple steps to help you get started.
Step 1- What’s in your bathroom?
The first step to setting up a bathroom recycling station is identifying the types of recyclables that are found in the bathroom. Whether it’s for your shampoo bottle or your deodorant container, these products should end up in the recycling bin! The majority of bathroom recyclables are either plastics or paper products. Instead of reading a magazine or scrolling through your phone, take a good look at all the products you own and see what items you have that should go into the recycling bin.
Step 2 – Time to get bins!
Now that you know what types of recyclables you have, you will need to get recycling bins for them to go in. Now, a typical recycling bin can get the job done, but they can be a bit of an eyesore and take up a lot of space. The average bathroom is already tight on storage space so you definitely don’t want to waste any of it for bulky recycling bins. Luckily, there are recycling bins that are specially created for tight spaces like bathrooms. An example of a bin that is meant for small spaces is the Multi Recycler bin.
These bins easily stack on top of one another and their small size makes it easy to store them under the sink or tuck them away next to the toilet. They also come in a variety of colors meaning you can have a different colored bin assigned to a different recycling stream making it easy for the entire family to participate in proper recycling. When your bins do get full, the Multi Recyclers have a handle on top of them making it convenient to transport your recyclables to your full sized container.
Step 3- Create a list
A lot of times people don’t know how to recycle certain items resulting in them making the choice of just tossing it in the trash. This can be prevented by making lists to remind and educate people on what can and can’t be recycled. Place these lists on or near your recycling bins to keep everything organized and disposed of properly.
Here is a list of some of the most common recyclable products that are found in the bathroom.
Plastics |
Paper |
|
|
Feel free to add any other items you can think of and bonus points if you laminate your lists like a recycling pro!.
Step 4- Just do it!
The next step is to put your plan into action. Place your bins in your bathroom, tape your labels on them and voila, you have an entirely functional recycling station set up and ready for recyclables.
Once your recyclables are empty, give them a quick rinse and toss them into their proper bin! It doesn’t get much easier than that.
The next time you use the loo, you can recycle too!
Sources:
http://www.motherearthnews.com/green-homes/how-to-set-up-a-bathroom-recycling-station-zbcz1603.aspx
http://www.indianalivinggreen.com/where-should-i-recycle-plastic-pump-devices-2/
http://www.earth911.com/home/house/problems-solutions-bathroom-recycling/
