10 Things You Never Knew Were Recyclable

by 06/22/11 61 Comments

2. Blue Jeans

Photo: Flickr/lifecreations

Donating jeans to Goodwill is always a great option. But if they’re too raggedy, they can be recycled into cool products. Companies like Green Jeans Insulation and Bonded Logic manufacture insulation products from recycled denim and cotton fibers. Green Jeans Insulation recycles jeans into natural fiber insulation used for interior and exterior walls and ceiling applications.

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Amanda Wills

Amanda Wills

Managing Editor


  1. Linda Burgwin

    posted on June 22nd, 2011 at 11:19 am

    More things to recycle.

  2. Cindy M Bushway

    posted on June 22nd, 2011 at 11:43 am

    wow

  3. Marylynn Bujalski

    posted on June 22nd, 2011 at 11:52 am

    Have a compost center? Read this!

  4. Joe White

    posted on June 22nd, 2011 at 11:53 am

    who'd a thunk it?

  5. Mayre Press

    posted on June 22nd, 2011 at 12:05 pm

    Here's some great news...more things that can be kept out of landfills.

  6. Ginny Stanton

    posted on June 23rd, 2011 at 10:42 pm

    Thank you Mayre! Keep Evanston Beautiful's website is still one of my sources of recycling ideas. Keep me up-to-date.

  7. Doreen Liotta Noble

    posted on June 22nd, 2011 at 1:35 pm

    as if there would be any wine left over to pour into the compost bin! I love the list though!

  8. Ann Jardim Bradshaw

    posted on June 23rd, 2011 at 9:43 pm

    well when you buy the cheapest basics wine for cooking....there is often some left over!

  9. Phyllis Mogensen Kochert

    posted on June 22nd, 2011 at 2:20 pm

    I make quilts & blankets from old jeans. I cut every useable piece into squares/rectangles--even use the pockets. These blankets tell stories about the wearers!

  10. Echo Stuhlberg

    posted on June 22nd, 2011 at 9:40 pm

    Ive made all my boys jeans quilts like that & Ive had to patch them also because they like them so well. It is a fun project.

  11. Bill Mogensen

    posted on June 23rd, 2011 at 4:46 am

    I sold all my old jeans on eBay.

  12. Johanna Rowe

    posted on July 2nd, 2011 at 11:50 am

    What a wonderful idea!!

  13. Elizabeth Harris

    posted on June 22nd, 2011 at 2:50 pm

    I would not add color treated hair to my compost pile. Luckily- I'm a 'natural' dog.

  14. Joyce Ann

    posted on June 23rd, 2011 at 1:03 pm

    I never thought about the dye factor... ...Hmmmm

  15. klwhiteley@hotmail.com

    posted on June 30th, 2011 at 5:44 pm

    Hair dye is pretty obvious but lots of toxins that we ingest are stored in our hair. I would definitely NOT throw hair on the compost pile, unless it was headed to a toxic waste dump ;-) http://www.bodybalance.com/mineral/info-toxins.htm

  16. Kasie Mc

    posted on July 7th, 2011 at 8:21 am

    While I can see where this concern comes from, you are at risk when you eat a plant grown anywhere other than in extremely virgin soil. Meaning if you live in a suburban to rural area where each of the houses on your block have a bout an acre of land and there are water systems, sewage systems, underground electrical systems which is 95%+ of us you are far more likely to get sick from long exposure to ingesting those plants because there are 100s of factors that are depleting the minerals in your soil and adding toxins to it. With that said, even in the most rural of places It is "dangerous" for instance planting anywhere near wild foxgloves which increases your plants intake of a harmful toxin by 70 - 80%. plants nowadays no matter where they are grown have a depletion of minerals. That is part of the reason 1 in 3 people get cancer. The point being you are most likely ingesting a higher concentration of harmful toxins from your "organic vegetable garden" due to other factors. Inactive toxins stored in the small amount of hair that you add to your compost then add to your soil should be the least of your worries

  17. Kasie Mc

    posted on July 7th, 2011 at 8:24 am

    That comment was referring to undyed hair, but honestly even adding dyed hair to your compost is less dangerous than planting a vegetable garden within 500 feet of land that has metal piping and electrical wiring in it.

  18. Elizabeth Harris

    posted on June 22nd, 2011 at 2:54 pm

    What is leftover wine? However, I have read you can make your own wine vinegar from the so-called leftovers. Around here corks go in the compost bin, they don't really break down- but they do add organic matter, air and water spaces into the clay soil.

  19. Judy Lewenthal Daniel

    posted on June 22nd, 2011 at 2:59 pm

    Leftover wine? Never heard of it.

  20. Annie Lux

    posted on June 22nd, 2011 at 3:23 pm

    Leftover wine? Madness! Although I try to let some red wine go off a bit to make French onion soup with. (have to do it on purpose usually since we don't have leftovers!)

  21. Karen Zuercher

    posted on June 23rd, 2011 at 4:34 am

    Only fools leave leftover wine. And boring people.

  22. Johanna Rowe

    posted on July 2nd, 2011 at 11:52 am

    I've only ever had one little bit of left-over wine and I did use it to make vinegar!! However I warn you it's unlikely to reach that far in your home as it makes a lovely dry sherry on the way first of all!!!!!

  23. Sheron Hassell

    posted on July 5th, 2011 at 5:52 pm

    lmao .... I note all the above who don't believe in leftover wine just happen to be women ... is this coincidence or is it why women always seem to do the clearing up after parties.

  24. Beth Ann Broadhurst

    posted on July 16th, 2011 at 10:17 pm

    Maybe they mean the stuff that starts to turn a wee bit bitter... Seems a shame to let it get to that point though!

  25. Elizabeth Harris

    posted on July 24th, 2011 at 5:34 am

    Quit yer whining, hee, hee yes it's a coincidence. the cork can be put in the bottle , bottle refrigerated, drink the next night ( if red wine take out of refrigerator and let return to room temp.)

  26. Jennifer Egnor

    posted on June 22nd, 2011 at 10:08 pm

    Wow, great article. Everyone needs to know about this!

  27. Andre Levine

    posted on June 22nd, 2011 at 10:21 pm

    I know tons of females who donate hair and recycle continously. Recyling is best for the future of this planet as we need not to pollute it with meaningless trash or toxic products. Now, that I am a vegetarian, I watch what I eat and how my enviornment is around me. Great article.

  28. Jennifer Egnor

    posted on June 22nd, 2011 at 10:25 pm

    We recycle about 98% of everything we buy. It takes work and dedication, but I enjoy doing it and feel good about doing my part. I try to get everyone else to start doing it. Try to tell them not to burn plastic, either...the ozone, hello!!! I had no idea you were a vegetarian now. How long?

  29. Andre Levine

    posted on June 22nd, 2011 at 10:28 pm

    2 years....no joke...about to be a full fledged vegan soon. At least by summer.

  30. Jennifer Egnor

    posted on June 22nd, 2011 at 10:29 pm

    I have thought about it many times over the past few years. I really don't like meat that much. The only meat I actually enjoy...is seafood.

  31. Andre Levine

    posted on June 22nd, 2011 at 10:31 pm

    Ah....seafood? The only seafood I ever eat was scallops and I regret it to this day. It took a bad burger from a fast food place for me to call it quits. I have better heatlh and can do cardio like a madman now. The incredible shrink Andre. Who would have known. GOD!

  32. Marnie Newell

    posted on June 23rd, 2011 at 2:09 am

    Lint from many of our clothes isn't compostable because our clothes are made of plastic (nylon, lycra, etc), right?

  33. Syed Ashfaque Ali Shah

    posted on June 23rd, 2011 at 2:31 am

    good post.

  34. Syed Ashfaque Ali Shah

    posted on June 23rd, 2011 at 2:31 am

    keep it up.

  35. Greening Tomorrow

    posted on June 23rd, 2011 at 1:03 pm

    Interesting, how many people donating their hair would it takes to make booms? At this rate we will see lots of bald headed people walking around us. But it is an idea to be considered. Visit our page. "Greening Tomorrow"

  36. Diane Sloan

    posted on June 23rd, 2011 at 2:21 pm

    I live in Kansas City, home of Hallmark and Hallmark Cards, etc. I believe they own Crayola. Perhaps they should be approached about funding this recycling in case they don't already.

  37. Diane Sloan

    posted on June 23rd, 2011 at 2:30 pm

    I have literally hundreds of found golf balls. Can you even imagine the fuel that it would take to transport them to the recycle locations if I "mailed " them, maybe not my best choice for recycling. I thought of taking a sand wedge to the beach, hitting then out into the water and then snorkeling out to retrieve them. Better for my golf game and my health. Only in clear water like the Carribean!

  38. Doug Frisch

    posted on June 23rd, 2011 at 3:40 pm

    send me the pro v's!

  39. Todd Klimson

    posted on June 23rd, 2011 at 4:14 pm

    I have a company here in Ocala that recycles Used horse shavings. Made $1million bucks last year.

  40. Susan Baker Farmer

    posted on June 24th, 2011 at 5:11 pm

    why isn't this whole story on one page? I don't have the time to wait on 10 pages to load!

  41. Earth911

    posted on June 24th, 2011 at 9:41 pm

    Hey Susan! Thanks for your comment! We are testing new ways to display stories, so it's nice to hear some real reader feedback!

  42. Nancy Schimmel

    posted on July 16th, 2011 at 2:08 am

    I don't mind the reloading, but I had to scroll down each time to reach the number again. Can't we just have an arrow on the side?

  43. Mark Bush

    posted on June 29th, 2011 at 4:16 am

    My Chihuahua could clean up the gulf of mexico single handedly I think, from looking at my shirt after she give me a hug. lol

  44. Chris Sully

    posted on June 30th, 2011 at 4:04 pm

    What a great article. I truly had no clue that any of those things were recyclable. Thanks for the info. FYI - If you are thinking about recycling any electronic items, I have some tips - http://bit.ly/b52mz5.

  45. Courtney Anderson-Love

    posted on July 1st, 2011 at 7:26 pm

    The comment under the cotton swab picture mentions "lint from the dryer" as being compostable. I would like to point out to those that worm bin (not sure if a compost pile would be as picky) should not use lint that may or does contain synthetic fabric - it's not good for the worms. A Yelm, WA, worm farmer warned us against using dryer lint in our worm bin, he also warned against the purple egg cartons, the dye kills the worms.

  46. Selia Busey

    posted on July 1st, 2011 at 7:53 pm

    Good to know! We have compost and vermiculture bins and I sometimes toss lint in the compost. I will have to make sure that goes in the compost only and not the worm bin.

  47. Selia Busey

    posted on July 1st, 2011 at 7:57 pm

    Knew about the compostables, but the recycleables had some new ones.

  48. Johanna Rowe

    posted on July 2nd, 2011 at 11:49 am

    This is brilliant! I think everything is recyclable, reusable and could be renewable if we put our minds to it!

  49. Beth Ann Broadhurst

    posted on July 16th, 2011 at 10:21 pm

    I have help kids make "new crayons" from their old bits... Place the broken bits and pieces in lined muffin tins and bake at 250 about 15 minutes (til they melt together)... Makes cool, multi-color crayons and they love them!

  50. V.k. Lindsey

    posted on July 18th, 2011 at 2:39 pm

    Fabulous! I love sites like this! Way to go Amanda!

  51. Chris Fleeman

    posted on July 18th, 2011 at 6:09 pm

    Most, if not all, Home Depot and Lowe's stores offer free rechargeable battery and CFL recycling. There are bins near the main entrance to the store where you can drop off your old rechargeable batteries and CFLs.

  52. Marian Woertz Brawer

    posted on July 21st, 2011 at 2:40 am

    How do I properly dispose of old computer diskettes and video tapes (my daughter's video tapes from a performing arts camp from about 20 years ago).

  53. Earth911

    posted on July 21st, 2011 at 3:56 pm

    Hey Marian! Did you try the green search box above? Type in Video Tapes or Floppy Disks and where you live to see if there's recycling in your area.

  54. Marian Woertz Brawer

    posted on August 8th, 2011 at 3:02 am

    Thanks; I found many local resources that I didn't know about ! Now I have to fish some floppy disks out of my garbage !

  55. Rhonda O'Connor

    posted on August 17th, 2011 at 2:24 pm

    For several of these items, you suggest the compost bin. Earth911, as a leader in sustainability, might want to consider encouraging people to research local programs and guidelines. Our Central Iowa community has weekly curbside compost collection that is taken to a commercial compost facility. This facility follows DNR regulations and is permitted to only accept yard and garden waste. However people read these types of articles and assume the rules for a backyard compost bin applies to a municipal collection program. When I speak about Metro Waste Authority's recycling programs for Central Iowan, people always say, "But I read this was compostable." Recycling is confusing because of the varying rules and regulations across the country. This message can't be said enough.

  56. Kelly Sue Stanton Rocchi

    posted on August 17th, 2011 at 5:47 pm

    Any coaches/teachers looking for a place to get rid of some old trophy's? This is great!

  57. Erin Camlin Dry

    posted on August 17th, 2011 at 9:45 pm

    shoot! roger just threw some out! wish i had known. . n

  58. Ann Beard Shahid

    posted on August 25th, 2011 at 3:37 pm

    I saved all my son's athletic, band, etc. tee shirts and made a memory quilt.I had so many that I made it two-sided. I cut all squares the same size, sometimes including pockets. If you don't have enough logos, cut squares from the back and use them. I used the leftover parts to make strips for edging the quilt. Ialso included his band letters and pins.

  59. Joy Kingsley

    posted on August 25th, 2011 at 3:58 pm

    I love it! I was thinking about making a quilt like that with some of Aleece's things. I have gathered most of it together but haven't gotten any futher than than that. Thank's for the inspiration! I may get there yet.

  60. Kathy Hovermale

    posted on December 26th, 2011 at 4:47 pm

    Since I'm a GREEN Realtor, I plan on passing this information on to family, friends and clients. Thanks!

  61. Susan Brunsdon Blank

    posted on December 26th, 2011 at 7:59 pm

    What will you recycle this year?

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