Recycling at IKEA

I have seen recycling at work at IKEA stores and I was only able to take pictures of their recycling programs about a couple of weeks ago. IKEA has been promoting recycling and reducing waste throughout their stores.

One of the things they eliminated is the use of plastic bags. If a customer wanted a plastic bag, they will be charged 5 cents for it. This was started last March 15 and the proceeds on the first year of this program are donated to American Forests (a non-profit conservation organization). The customer is also given an option to buy a reusable bag for 59 cents as an alternative to the plastic bags.

Below are the recycling bins for plastic and paper that you will see throughout the store.
IKEA also has a recycling bin for Aluminum Cans, Glass Bottles and Plastic Bottles.
They also have a recycling center where you can drop off Bulbs (Compact Flourescent, Incandescent and Halogen) and Batteries (L.I.O., Alkaline and N.I.M.H).
For more information regarding IKEA's program, please visit their website.

(Disclaimer: I am not an employee of IKEA and I do not own any of their shares. The details above are for informational purposes only.)

Cellphone Recycling - T-Mobile

We recently upgraded our cellphone through our service provider (T-Mobile). Included with the package are envelopes (shown below) for cellphone recycling or eCycling (electronic recycling).

According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, "Recycling cell phones reduces greenhouse gas emissions, keeps valuable material out of landfills and incinerators, and conserves natural resources. Recycling just a million cell phones reduces greenhouse gas emissions equal to taking 1,368 cars off the road for a year."

Here's an informative video about cellphone recycling.

If you have no other use for your old cellphone, you can either drop it off at eCycling stations or mail it in at no cost to you. For more details about the drop off center locations or where to mail them, please visit the US EPA website.

Reusable bag in the Philippines

This is a 'bayong' which was mostly used in the early days in the Philippines when plastic bags were not commonly used yet.

The 'bayong' is a handwoven bag made from palm, pandan or sea grass leaves. The leaves are then dried and cut into strips before it gets woven into a bag.



The 'bayong' is very durable and will last a long time. I even remember that my lola (grandmother) used to carry a bayong. As you can see on the illustration, it was mainly used for buying items from the market like meat, fruits and vegetables.

Reusable Bags

If you don't like using Plastic Bags, a reusable bag is an alternative for you. These bags are made from recycled materials and can be re-used many times. Below are just some of the reusable bags available in the market and a bag costs around $1 each.

Plastic Bag Recycling

Plastic bags can be recycled and brought back to the store where you got them. Most of the plastic bags that we have at home come from the grocery stores. If you examine the labels on the plastic bags, it is most likely that it has a note that says "Please return to a participating store for recycling." Below are plastic bags from Walmart and K-Mart that shows this note at the bottom of each bag.

Should you decide to recycle your plastic bags, look for bins that look like this. To find a drop-off location near your area, visit Earth911.com or PlasticBagRecycling.org