Recycling your dentures? Oh my!
Posted by: Your EcoKids Program Manager in Canada, Consumer Habits, Environmental Issues, Waste
We all know that cell phones, batteries, computers, paper, plastic and metal can be recycled right? What about the stuff we don’t think about? What about dentures? Running shoes? Your mattress? Your hair? Well, oddly enough, you can recycle them all.
• Dentures: Every year, there are roughly 3.6 million sets of dentures manufactured in the world, and each set contains about $25 worth of precious metals, including gold and silver. Who knew?
• Running Shoes: What about your old running shoes that have holes in them? Even if they are almost destroyed, they can be recycled into reusable building materials.
• Hair: Thinking about getting your hair cut? You can donate your hair and they will recycle it to create hairpieces for financially disadvantaged children suffering from medical hair loss. Brushing your dog? Some people also collect dog hair to make clothing, by knitting it!
• Mattress: Outgrowing your bed? Mattress recycling centers are springing up around the country, where they recycle about 90% of the mattress into fibre for clothing, wood chips, foam products, and scrap metal.
Make a list of things around your house and see if they are reusable or recyclable. You will be surprised at all the ways you can reuse things, and amazed at all the things that can be recycled!
Photo credit: Courtesy flickr user Leeana
