America Recycles Day Tips

With America Recycles Day (Nov. 15) around the corner, here are PaintCare's tips on Five Ways to Recycle in San Diego!

PAINT RECYCLING MADE EASY
PaintCare is a nonprofit organization that operates the paint recycling program in California and ten other jurisdictions. Visit one of the more than 825 drop-off sites across the state (mainly at hardware and paint retail stores and household hazardous waste facilities) to finally unload all that unwanted paint you've been holding onto. For more information, visit www.paintcare.org.

SURFERS RERIP IT
Not surprisingly, the surfboard recycling movement started here in San Diego with Rerip's efforts to recycle surf, snow, and skate gear. The organization fixes and donates reusable board to groms and nonprofits and turns old sticks into art, furniture, and home décor. Don't surf but still want to help? Encinitas-based Suga Mats is one of several companies that makes new yoga mats out of recycled wetsuits. For more information, visit www.rerip.org.

ZERO WASTE SHOPPING
What could be better than shopping and helping the planet? Refilling containers keeps single-use plastics out of landfills, water, and energy-intensive recycling systems. Earthwell is a bulk retail store offering toxin-free household cleaners, personal care products, premium soaps, dental care, and more. Just bring your empty bottles to the Kensington boutique and fill up with eco-friendly products priced by the pound. For more information, visit www.earthwellrefill.com.

SPRING BACK
Nearly 20 million mattresses end up in U.S. landfills each year. ByeByeMattress is a national nonprofit making it easy to recycle your old mattress and box springs. Up to 75 percent of the materials can be recycled and the agency has collected more than 5 million mattresses so far, which reduces the waste in landfills and provides jobs for recyclers. For more information, visit www.byebyemattress.com.

WASTE NOT WANT NOT
Got a weird item you don't think you can recycle? Think again. WasteFreeSD.org provides recycling tips for almost any item you can think of. Bulbcycle will take care of old batteries, smoke detectors, mercury thermometers, or Exit Signs. ReStore would love your aquarium or old clawfoot bathtub—they'll even pick it up. For more information, visit www.wastefreesd.org.

This list was developed for America Recycles Day on behalf of PaintCare, a national paint stewardship nonprofit that sets up drop-off locations for unused paint, arranges for recycling and proper disposal, and conducts public education. The other organizations were identified via online research so we can't vouch for organizations or the accuracy of the online information.