Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: Tips for a Greener You

Welcome back to our weekly feature called Patch Picks, highlighting editor and reader picks of great local businesses, destinations, services, organizations, ways to spend a day off, and more. 

This week, we share ways you and your family can go green with your garbage. 

Recycle Paper: It's not only is it better for the environment, its also better for the economy. It costs about $70 a ton to put garbage in a landfill, whereas paper generates $60 a ton in revenue—a difference of $130 per ton. And when you consider that the average person generates 1,000 pounds of garbage per year (or half a ton!), that's a huge savings. American paper is a valuable commodity on the overseas markets because our paper is made from wood. The Chinese love to buy our paper because the fibers are better quality than their native rice paper's fibers.

Shred Smart:  When it comes to recycling personal documents, in this age of identity theft, it is important to shred the documents. If you don’t have a shredder, bring your personal documents to a mobile paper shredding events. The next county-wide event is scheduled for June 25 at Bergen County Campgaw Mountain Reservation, 200 Campgaw Road, in Mahwah.

Medicine Disposal: Don't throw away (or flush) prescription medications. The drugs can find their way back into the ecosystem where they taint our water. Instead, bring your prescription drugs at Operation Take Back on April 30. This annual program lets you to rid your homes of unused, unwanted, or expired medications, by turning them in to law enforcement officials, who will ensure the drugs are disposed of in a safe manner.

Wait, Don't Throw That Out: It’s illegal to throw away household hazardous waste, like paint, antifreeze, weed and bug killers and household cleaners for a reason: Their toxins will leach into the ecosystem. Dispose of them the safe way at the Bergen County Utilities Authority’s Household Hazardous Waste Collection on May 14 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Bergen County Law & Public Safety Institute, 200 Campgaw Road, Mahwah. For the complete list of accepted hazardous waste, visit the BCUA website. 

Busted Electronics: Most consumers are unaware that computer and electronic equipment contains toxic materials and heavy metals. These materials, if thrown in the trash, will end up in a landfill or incinerated, potentially creating an unsafe environment. The next BCUA Computer and Electronics Recycling event will be held June 25 at Bergen County Campgaw Mountain Reservation, 200 Campgaw Road, in Mahwah, between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m.

That Old Tire Lasts for Ever: On average, Americans dispose of one tire per person per year and a tire's durability and resiliency makes it a problematic source of waste. It's also one of the most re-used waste materials: Old tires become new basketball courts and shoe products. Recycle your old tires at the BCUA's next tire collection on June 25 at Bergen County Campgaw Mountain Reservation, 200 Campgaw Road, in Mahwah, between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m.