Recycling at Home
- Obtain storage bins for recyclables. If they are not provided by the city, you can purchase at Recy-Cal Supply Company, including stackables which conserve space.
- Recycle glass, plastic, cardboard, newspaper, paper, magazines.
- Switch to compact flourescent bulbs. They consume less energy and last 10 times longer. Note: CFC contain 5% mercury, so recycle them properly at end of life! For disposal guidelines: visit http://www.earth911.org and plug in your zip code.
- Unplug chargers. Devices that are "on" even when they are off waste energy and account for 10 percent of your electric bill. Put chargers on a power strip; turn it off when you go to work.
- Recycle your old cell phone. You can donate it to a charity online. Fill out a form on the Collective Good website and they will send you an envelope to mail in your cell phone. You will also get a tax credit.
Likewise, most carriers have a recycling program listed on their website. Example: Sprint Project Connect. - Recycle printer cartridges. Look on the manfacturer's website. For HP: Recycle HP ink cartridges.
Riverbanks Zoo has an old cell phone and printer cartridges recycling bin located at the front gate. - Buy energy-efficient appliances. Look for Energy Star label.
- Purchase recycled paper products.
- Recycle old phone books. Locations
- Bring your own reusable bottle for water. It takes oil to produce plastic bottles!
- Make your next car a fuel efficient one.
- Recycle rechargeable batteries and cell phones. Nickel cadmium batteries, nickel-metal hydride and lithium ion batteries (e.g., rechargeable batteries for tools, toys, cellular phones, video cameras, digital cameras, hand-held vacuums and laptop computers) can be recycled at many retail stores including Radio Shack, Target, Ace Hardware, Best Buy, Sears, The Home Depot and Cellular One. There are more than 300 retail locations in South Carolina that accept these types of batteries. Call 1-800-8-BATTERY. Locations
- Recycle electrical equipment by checking on local services that dispose of old computers and monitors. Many computer manufacturers will take recycle old equipment: A Recycling Center, 1009 Fontaine Road (at Two Notch), (803)786-6690. Takes: Aluminum Cans, Aluminum, Brass, Copper, Computers, Steel and Insulated Wire. There is a $12.00 fee for each computer and monitor. Once a year, on Earth Day weekend (April ), there is a free donate old equipment at .
Electronic recycling. - Cancel catalogs and shop online.
- Be aware of water usage. Some ways to cut down
- Donate old clothes to charity.
- Use "synthetic lumber" for fences, decks, docks and guardrails. Synthetic lumber is created from plastic #2, found in milk jugs.
- Use food and yard waste for composting. Read about composting. .
Frequently Asked Questions about Recycling From the SCDHEC site
Curbside Pickup Details by Area
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