Did you know Earth Day is coming up? It’s in a few days on April 22nd! Ever since we got the house, I’ve been trying to be much more environmentally friendly. Not only for the earth but for our own health. From cleaning products to the food we eat to our laundry detergent…i am trying to go natural whenever possible! I have also started using reusable bags more and more and of course now that we have our own recycling bin, i try to sort out our trash to recycle whatever I can. Sometimes we have doubts about what can or cannot be recycled though. Here is what I’ve learned:

– recycle all cardboard and plastic but only if they are clean (ie. no food stains!). Depending on your recycling center they might also want the tape removed but staples are ok
– recycle all paper but not the ones that are shiny/glossy. we get SO many ads at our new house and I thought we would be able to recycle them but half of them are on that shiny paper. Boo on those retailers! This is also true for a lot of the packaging for foods and snacks like chip bags
– do not recycle lids/caps on drink bottles….this was such a surprise for me but they are not recyclable so it’s best to remove before recycling
– napkins, paper towels, and tissue are usually too contaminated to recycle so don’t bother tossing them in

I may make another post this week about my favorite natural products, cleaners, and tips for going green. I know it may seem like the “fad” right now but it really is the right thing to do and I think everyone should get excited about this upcoming Earth Day and thinking about how we can all contribute!