I visited coffee roasting company Larry’s Beans, in Raleigh, North Carolina two months ago and was surprised at their recycling initiatives.

The staff already recycled, but what surprised me was their urge to know how efficient they actually are in recycling.

To find out they dumped all their trash onto the pavement and went over it. They found out that very little of their trash could be recycled.

Then, I heard of businesses and even households doing the same, to see what can be recycled and what can be thrown out.

Keep in mind, some of those households my live in homes, versus apartments, making it easier to recycle items in the garage or else where, unlike those who live in apartment buildings.

So to help us all out, below is a list of common household items in the trash that CAN be recycled. We’ve also listed a few items and how/where to recycle them:

• Plastic water bottles (recycle them).
• Aluminum cans (recycle them).
• Paper/envelopes (recycle it, or reuse them as notepads).
• Newspapers (either recycle it or save it for future use like putting some cut pieces into shoes to kill odor).
• Magazines (either recycle it or save some and stack them up, tied them up, making a coffee table).
• Plastic bags (either recycle them or reuse them).
• Clothes/shoes (recycle clothes tips; give them to homeless shelters or homeless people – they really appreciate that).
• Cellphones/electronics (recycle them, sell them, or keep them to show them to your grandchildren).

I hope it helps. Just remember it is in an effort to preserve the planet, save money (even get some money if possible by recycling certain items) and to do the right thing.