With everything digital these days, it’s rare to see a mercury thermometer and it’s even more rare to break one. But it does happen and mercury is one of those scary metals you don’t want to mess with. The good…
Phthalates (pronounced thah-lates) are a family of chemicals found in thousands of consumer products from shampoo to sex toys. Phthalates can act as a plasticizer to help soften durable plastics and make them more flexible. They are also used in…
When we think of BPA, the first things that usually comes to mind are reusable water bottles. But BPA is found in far more consumer products than just water bottles and it is nearly impossible to avoid altogether. Luckily, we…
A soothing pink or blue? Or maybe a neutral yellow or a mix of light pastels? Honestly, it’s going to look and feel amazing whatever color you choose. But before deciding a color, you might first consider the type of…
If you’re getting ready to refinish old furniture or repaint old window frames, you’ll probably need to remove the previous paint first. If the existing paint was oil or latex — or it was an oil-based stain — then you’ll…
Recycling soda cans is surprisingly fast and efficient. On recycling day, a truck comes by to pick up your neighborhood’s household waste and delivers it to the local recycling facility. Your soda, beer, and soup cans are quickly melted down…
Razor blades are made from recyclable metals, and technically, the metal they are made from is recyclable… However, you cannot recycle used razor blades. In fact, in some places, it’s actually illegal! The thing is, you can’t just toss them…
How many times have you stood over the recycle bin, wondering whether it was ok to toss in that chip bag, chocolate wrapper or dirty tin foil? You’re a good person for putting that much thought into it, my environmental…
It would be great if plastics just had a simple code for “yes, recycle this” or “no, trash it”. Unfortunately, it’s not that simple. Here’s why: It is easier to recycle certain types of plastic and not easy to recycle…
While plastic can only be recycled once or twice before it degrades, tin and aluminum cans can be recycled an infinite number of times without any loss of quality. And if that’s not impressive enough, these metals are processed so…