TAMPA, Fla.-- Recycling cardboard, paper, plastic, and glass is a common practice, but what about big ticket items like mattresses, water heaters, and appliances?
These items could easily end up in a landfill, but with a little thought, you can dispose of them in a more eco-friendly way.
If the item is in good condition, you may be able to donate it. Goodwill, and Habitat for Humanity will take gently used furniture and appliances. They sell the items and use the money to help with their mission.
Metal items, like water heaters, bed frames, even lawn tools (just drain the gas and oil) can be taken to a scrap yard. The metal will eventually be melted down and reused. Some scrap yards will even pay you for your metal.
If your items don’t fit into these categories, some counties have waste-to-energy facilities. These facilities create energy by burning your trash. This process also reduces the volume of trash heading into landfills. Most facilities have pollution control equipment for clean emissions.
“Just be mindful, there are ways to get rid of things, don’t throw them on the side of the road. It might be easier, but someone’s still gonna have to pick it up,” said Steve Devaux, president of JDog Junk Removal and Hauling in Tampa.
JDog is Junk removal company owned by military veterans and their families. Devaux says only about 10 percent of the junk they collect ends up in buried in a landfill. The rest is either recycled, donated, scrapped or sent to a waste-to-energy facility.
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