5 Signs You Might be a Recycling Hoarder

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4. You Feel Bad About Your Collection of Recyclables

Okay, so maybe you’re not ignoring, forgetting, or making excuses about your collection. Maybe you actually feel bad about your predicament. This is completely understandable, since you are trying to do something to reduce waste, but just haven’t been able to successfully recycle yet.

Nate Lipka is a good example of this problem as well. It makes him unhappy that he hasn’t done anything with his expanded polystyrene yet, and he’ll be sad if there ends up being no place nearby that accepts it, he said, since he’s put so much time and effort into saving it.

Mary Mazzoni also said she feels bad she hasn’t dealt with her bags yet, since they’re not doing anyone any good hidden away in a cabinet.

If you find yourself lamenting the existence of your pile of recyclables or what to do with it, you are not alone – ‘green guilt’ is real.

Photo: Earth911

Even if a drop-off location isn’t readily available, you still have options. Mail-back alternatives for recycling are abundant. Some people fear that mail-back means money, but this isn’t necessarily the case. Check out Earth911′s list of mail-back recycling programs, which will tell you if the program includes prepaid shipping labels.

Many programs provide prepaid shipping labels, especially programs for electronics, and some, such as Gazelle, will even pay you for your electronics in addition to providing free shipping (as long as the item is worth more than $1).

Old Phones: Learn How to Recycle Them

If you have unusual collections of recyclables – think candy wrappers or Solo cups – also take a look at TerraCycle where you can sign up to collect a certain material, get a prepaid mailing label to send the materials in and then earn points for your efforts. You can then put these points toward getting cool products or use them to donate money to charity. Whoever said there is no incentive to recycle?

Check Out: Ways to Make Money By Going Green