A recent survey showed that over 70 per cent of consumers recycle in the home. The survey showed that the number one place to recycle in the home was in the kitchen. Survey respondents said that they would increase recycling at home if they had better or more convenient recycling bins for different rooms in their home.

If you’re looking to start a home recycling program here are a couple of tips to get you started:

Design a home recycling plan that suits your lifestyle. Be sure to involve everyone early in the process, include their feedback in your plan.

Start to think about recycling when you buy products for your home. Check the labels and packaging to see if materials can be recycled.

Reduce or don’t buy products that come in containers or have packaging that can’t be recycled.

Decide what products to recycle. Aluminum cans, plastic bottles and paper are a good place to start.

You may also want to recycle some other items like:

• junk mail or flyers,
• cardboard boxes,
• old newspapers, magazine and books,
• packaging (that is not soiled by food),
• old clothes,
• old cell phones,
• old computers and laptops,
• old tires,
• old batteries,
• any other items that are specific to your community.

Find out where these unwanted items can be dropped off for recycling.

Be sure to find out if there is any prep work to do before items can be recycled. For example cans and bottles should be cleaned before recycling; paper should be free from any food or liquids.

Think about where to recycle in your home. Seems the kitchen is generally the first place that comes to mind. Think about other rooms in your house where products are used and materials can be recycled. Consider the bathroom, family room, laundry room and home office.

Find recycling bins that fit into your recycling plan. You may need different bin combinations and sizes for different rooms. For example a home office may only need paper and waste, a family room may need plastics, paper and waste. Think about the bin combinations based on the function of the room.

Check in with your family to get their feedback and makes changes to your plan as needed.