Recycle

In just a few decades, sales of consumer electronics have skyrocketed. As consumers upgrade to the latest and greatest devices, old computer towers and bulky monitors are discarded in favor of slimmer, sleeker models. Even the simple act of swapping out an empty ink cartridge contributes to the mounting problem of non-biodegradable waste. What does this do to our environment? What can you do about ink cartridges? Find out where you can recycle ink cartridges in Philadelphia for our Where Can I Wednesday column, after the jump!

Between Netflix, Apple TV, Hulu & Amazon Prime, who actually watches their DVDs anymore? Or more importantly, how many have you actually watched since you purchased them? Unfortunately most DVDs hold little value, so it's not worth selling them. If you're spring cleaning, here's where you can donate your DVDs to a few organizations where they'll be loved by someone else.

Need to empty your closet of clothes that haven't seen the outside world in a while? There's a few places to drop off used clothing in Philadelphia, as we address in this week's Where Can I Wednesday column.

Glasses are great for seeing better and looking like a hipster. But what can you do with old frames? If you've broken a pair of eyeglasses or sunglasses, try repairing them before moving on to a new pair. Definitely need to move on to new frames? The good news is you can donate them to the greater good and help people in need. We tackle how to recycle old eyeglasses & sunglasses in this week's Where Can I Wednesday.

Let's face it - Weather like this arctic blast is almost unbearable - but also reminds us of how lucky we are to have warm homes & warm coats. But do you have old, unused coats in your closets? Click through to find out where you can donate old winter coats in Philadelphia.

We've all made the purchase: whether it's shoes, purses or food. There are always those dreaded little silica packets that warn, Do Not Eat. Those silica packets aren't deadly, regardless of all those warnings. Instead, Silica gel is a desiccant, a substance that absorbs moisture that protects products through shipping and making it from the manufacturer to your home. Here's 10 ideas to reuse Silica Packets:

Whether you're getting a weekly share of your veggies from a CSA, farmer's market or grocery store, it's easy to end up with a stack of those veggie cartons. So what can you do with all those extra cardboard & plastic boxes and cartons? It's a perfect question for... Where Can I Wednesday?

Heading to your local bank or any sort of street fair tends to have one giveaway: Free Pens! And who doesn't need writing supplies - even in this digital age? Yet a few 'free' pens can stack up to a pile of half-full, glutenous answer to the mighty pen-or-sword  debate. Which brings us to our Where Can I (Wednesday) question: Where can you recycle used pens?

Our Twitter (and offline) Friend & Health Coach Ali Shapiro has a recycling conundrum to address with one of her bathroom essentials: @greenphillyblog Any ideas on how to recycle burnt out electric toothbrushes. It says recycle appropriately but don't know where! — Ali Marie Shapiro (@AliMShapiro) May 6, 2013 Good question Ali! You can't toss those electric toothbrushes in your single-stream recycling bin. We reached out to the Philadelphia recycling powers, who addressed the problem: (Find out how/where to recycle old toothbrushes, after the jump!)