Recycling in the household doesn't only mean cans, bottles, and paper. These items below can be repurposed and spared from the landfill with just a little extra effort.
CDs and DVDs
With the boom of streaming services and digital formats, there are likely millions of CDs and DVDs collecting dust in households across the country. These discs will take centuries to decompose in a landfill, so recycle them instead through the CD Recycling Center of America.
Trophies
Do you really need that decades-old trophy commemorating your second-place finish in little league? If not, companies like Lamb Awards and TC reTrophy will recycle it for you.
Crayons
If there are children in your house, there may be a box of broken and stubby crayons laying around. Crazy Crayon's recycling program creates new crayons from old, unwanted ones.
Batteries
Used batteries in a landfill can potentially release toxic chemicals into the environment. Call 2 Recycle will make sure that they are recycled properly (and they will recycle old cell phones, too!)
Wine Corks
After unwinding with a bottle of your favorite wine, be sure to recycle the cork with ReCORK, North America's largest natural cork recycling program.
Clothes and Shoes
Americans throw out 85 percent of their textiles, but almost everything in our closets can be recycled or repurposed in some way. Make sure your clothing and shoes don't end up in the landfill by dropping them in a yellow Planet Aid bin.
Visit our Spring Cleaning Guide homepage for other interesting spring cleaning tips and info.