15 things you should never put in the trash

Jim Fischer/Flickr/Attribution

April 22nd marks Earth Day, an annual event during which people are encouraged to show their support for environmental protection.

But whether you're an outspoken green activist or just embarking on your environmentalist journey, there are plenty of effortless steps you can take to help — and simply knowing which things should never go in the trash is one of them.

Here are 15 recyclable things that you should never throw in the bin.

Cardboard

Cardboard materials — including the cardboard boxes you receive when you order something online, or moving boxes — are recyclable.

Rather than purchasing your own cardboard boxes from a hardware store, try asking your local grocery stores when their shipments come in, and inquire whether you can use their old boxes.

Plastic

Plastic as we know it is a fairly new material, and has only existed for around 60 to 70 years; however, of the estimated 8.3 billion tons of plastic ever created, most of it still exists in some form today, because it is nearly impossible to break down — which means you should never throw it away.

One way to counteract our plastic problem is to try to cut down on using plastic in our daily lives. If you eat out, try to patronize companies that push green initiatives, such as Just Salad, which urges its customers to bring a reusable green bowl in order to save money; according to the Environmental Protection Agency, that reusable bowl helps save over 75,000 pounds of plastic every year, which in turn helps save our marine life.

Make sure to not recycle your plastic bags, however. The plastic isn't biodegradable, which means they take hundreds of years to decompose, and they're the number one source of marine debris. Store drop-off recycling is an option, instead.

Paper

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, about 26% of waste in the US can be attributed to paper and paperboard; so things like newspaper, paper from around the office, and more should be recycled, not trashed.

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