Recycle

Philadelphians often get confused with food containers. Did you know the majority of food-container plastics can be recycled? Yogurt containers, plastic containers & juice bottles can ALL go in your single-stream recycle bin.  Just make sure to rinse & remove the food remnants (I use leftover dishwater or stick in happily with a pan trying to soak..) Keep on recycling!

Starting now, I decided to implement a new column on Green Philly Blog called "Where the Hell Do I Recycle That Wednesdays?!? (in Philly.)" (I considered How the F*@! but realized we should keep this somewhat family-friendly.) Lately, I've been going through a cleaning frenzy in my apartment trying to get rid of crap. But as I was going through my ultimate cleanse, I realized a lot of items aren't as easy to find a new home for - especially when avoiding the garbage. Avoid the landfill with our new column. Need to figure out how to recycle something? (Find out how our new column will work, where to submit your recycling questions AND where to recycle battery chargers after the jump!)

Mark your calendars! Whole Food Markets is proud to offer Philadelphia residents the opportunity to recycle “anything with a plug” on February 18, 2012 from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at their South Street (929 South Street) and Callowhill Stores (2001 Pennsylvania Avenue). All types of electronics will be accepted. Click through to find out what!

Now that you've hauled out the holly and looted the gifts from Santa, it's time to figure out how you're handling those dead Christmas Trees - in an environmentally friendly fashion, of course. The Streets Department has announced the 2012 Christmas Tree Recycling Program is running Tuesday, January 3 (aka today) - Saturday, January 14th. There is NO curbside collection, so here's the Sanitation Convenience Centers where to take your trees:

Good news for your recycling needs: The Philadelphia Streets Department & Mayor Michael Nutter announced you can now put carton containers (for milk, juice, soup, soy milk, broth, wine, etc) along with your single-stream recycling! Philadelphia Carton Recycling Rules The new “carton”...

After last year's successful drive, Philly is kicking off their 2011 Bagged Leaf Drive this Monday, November 7th through Friday, December 16th. Collected leaves are used for composting, for beautiful benefits like fertilizing gardens & nourishing trees... and wayyy better alternative to face-planting in a wet leaf pile. (Not like I've done this…) Here's how to get your leaves collected:

It's Philly Beer Week Ya'll! Although I enjoy a good local brew, I'm also a huge fan of wine. Wine bottles are recyclable and you can find local and/or organic wines easily. But what should you do with those damn un-recyclable wine corks? Good news - there's a few options for you! Choose one of the following to do with your wine corks:

When Spring Cleaning I often have trouble deciding what should be donated, recycled or trashed. This easy flow chart will ease the process. Enjoy! Posted by Julie

How should I recycle old batteries? -Chris, Green Philly Blog Reader Good question, Chris! Did you know that over 3 BILLION single-use, dry cell batteries are disposed of in landfills? Most importantly, I'd first recommend switching your batteries to rechargeable ones over the single-use. I have approximately 8 reusables and a charger, so I always have backups for my toothbrush/etc when previous ones need recharging. To answer your question, here's where to drop off & recycle your batteries in Philadelphia area: