Another Option to Magazine Recycling

Our house is often overwhelmed with magazines. As a magazine editor, I often brought home multiple and would buy others. My husband also gets them through his job. Once we look through them, we add them to a box in our garage for taking to the recycling center (only a couple of places in our city take magazines).

I've recently discovered another option. Several of our local charities/thrift shops take old magazines. Many people buy them for ideas or school collages--things that don't matter how old the issue is.

If you do recycle them, remember you're supposed to remove any blown-in or bound-in cards (like subscription cards, perfume samples, etc.). Just take them out as you read through the magazine so you don't have to do it later.

Recyclables: Is Waste Management Really Managing My Waste Effectively?

My husband often thinks I overthink things. And oftentimes, he's right. But he also tends to underthink things. So I figure we even each other out. For instance, we recently switched our trash pickup because our previous company kept missing pickups. With that company, we had a recycling bin, in which they hauled off paper, glass, plastic and aluminum.

Recycling has always been important to me. In college, my roommate and I accumulated recyclables until they overflowed their allotted area, and then we hauled it all off to the appropriate bins on campus. So when I learned the new trash-collection company (Waste Management) did not have separate recycling bins, I got worried. I had my husband check (twice) about their recycling practices. He was told both times that Cobb County sorts the recyclables from the trash after it is collected. And of course, being an underthinker, he's satisfied with that. I, however, am skeptical. If that's true, that is a GREAT service. One less step for us (not to mention saving garage space by eliminating a bin). But I find it very hard to believe the county would bother--even assuming they're being paid by the company; not to mention, how thorough could they be?

So until I find out more about the practice, I'll keep feeling a tinge of guilt every time I put a glass bottle or old newspaper in the trash. Maybe this is a good assignment for the local TV station's investigative team...or maybe I'll just start hauling off my own recyclables again.

Recycled Bulletin Board

Christmas and a few freelance projects dominated my time in December. However, I'm getting back to blogging starting now! While I was Christmas shopping, I came across a cool recycled product at The Container Store. It's a recycled paper bulletin board from Umbra. The sheets of paper are bound so tightly that you can put pieces of paper or push pins between them. It gives a cool look to bulletin boards--and it's a great use of old paper and magazines.