America Recycles Day Tips

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

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.

BETTER BEHIND-THE-SCENES
Protect the environment the next time you create a hit film or video project! EcoSet is an environmental production resource for the creative industries. They implement Zero Waste practices on productions and events by recirculating materials back into the community. EcoSet's Materials Oasis reuse center in Los Angeles offers a place where nonprofits, artists, theaters, schools, and individuals can receive valuable materials for no cost. For more information, visit www.ecoset.la.

NEW LIFE FOR YOUR BOOKS
Re-Book It is a free community service provided by The Last Bookstore, the largest remaining used and new bookstore in California. The goal is ensuring books find new homes and don't end up in landfills. ReBook It provides low-cost books to the public and raises funds for local libraries, charities, hospitals, and schools. And, they sell donated books to preserve one of the last remaining independent bookstores in Los Angeles. Donation information can be found at www.rebookit.org.

TINKERING, MAKING, AND CREATIVE REUSE
ReDiscover develops children's creativity through hands-on making with sustainable materials. You can donate many types of clean, safe materials such as art, crafts, lumber, tools, pipe, rope, hooks, wood screws, boxes, and more. You donate the materials and the kids thrive, what a perfect way to rediscover your youth by helping the kids! For more information, visit www.rediscovercenter.org.

ONE BY ONE
Did you know you can help reduce microplastics by donating your contact lenses? Contact lenses contribute to the trillions of microplastics in our water that can harm fish and enter the food supply. Standard recycling doesn't work because contact lenses are too small, so they often get filtered out and end up in landfills. Just drop off your used lenses at any participating ONE by ONE Recycling Program location and they will recycle them. What better way to see clean oceans become a reality? For more information, visit www.bauschrecycles.com.

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.