If it’s just one item, don’t get a bag at all, but throw it in your purse or carry it out to the car. With multiple items, make sure to keep reusable canvas or plastic bags in your car and bring them into the store with you.

If you must use plastic grocery bags, be sure to recycle them. Plastic garbage, including plastic bags, in the ocean kill up to a million sea creatures each year, including sea turtles, marine mammals, and large predator fish.

These cans are one of the most recyclable items; a single can can be recycled and back on the shelf in just 60 days. And it’s important to recycle – an aluminum can will stay intact in the environment for 500 years or more.

Luckily, most aluminum cans are recycled; an EPA estimate shows that aluminum cans represent less than 1% of the waste stream in the U.S.

Over 500,000 trees are cut down to produce Sunday newspapers each week; recycling all our newspapers each year would save about 250 million trees. We use 85 million tons of paper a year, or 680 pounds each. With all the paper we use, we throw away 1 billion trees’ worth of paper each year.

A ton of recycled paper can save 17 trees, 380 gallons of oil, 3 cubic yards of landfill space, 4,000 kilowatts of energy, and 7,000 gallons of water. The 17 trees saved can absorb 250 pounds of carbon dioxide each year.

Glass also stays in the environment for a long time – up to 4,000 years or more for a glass bottle. The energy saved from recycling 1 glass bottle can run a 100-watt light bulb for 4 hours.

And making a glass bottle from recycled glass generates 20% less air pollution and 50% less water pollution than using raw materials.

It’s important to recycle plastic, since it stays in the environment for so long, and we’re learning more about its environmental and health effects. Only 9% of all plastics produced have ever been recycled. Over 2.5 million plastic bottles are used every hour in this country; although they can be recycled, most are thrown away. Over 25 billion styrofoam coffee cups (which can’t be recycled) are thrown away every year.

Both plastic bottles and styrofoam cups can be replaced with reusable plastic or metal containers. Metal is better, since we’re learning more about plastic leaching into liquids and food, and bioaccumulating in our bodies.

Habitat for Humanity ReStore (Exmore; household and construction items)

Lighthouse Ministries Thrift Shop (Onley; clothing, shoes, coats, socks, and underwear in good condition)

Coalition Against Domestic Violence (household and personal items, clothing, shoes, coats, in good condition)

Special Olympics boxes at each convenience center in both counties, at the Moose Lodge in Belle Haven, and the Lighthouse Ministries Thrift Shop in Onley; clothes, shoes, belts, purses, stuffed animals, towels, bedding, blankets, curtains, and ties, regardless of condition (used for rags and upholstery stuffing)

SPCA

Little Free Library boxes

Eastern Shore Public Library

Local bookstores

Put & Take locations (in good weather, in boxes)

Local nursing homes and rehabilitation centers

YMCA in Onley (children’s books only)

Search for “book donations” online

BatteriesPlus recycles LEDs, compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs), fluorescent tubes, circular fluorescent bulbs, U bend fluorescent bulbs, plastic coated and shatter shield bulbs, spot/flood lamps, UV and germicidal lamps, incandescent bulbs, halogen bulbs, cold cathode bulbs, and metal halide bulbs.

Lowe’s and Home Depot recycle CFLs.

BatteriesPlus recycles lead acid batteries, nickel cadmium batteries, nickel metal hydride batteries, lithium ion and lithium polymer batteries, and household batteries.

Home Depot, Lowe’s, and Staples recycle rechargeable batteries.

Staples recycles single-use alkaline and nonrechargeable lithium batteries.

Food Bank of Southeastern Virginia

Staples (recycle up to 20 cartridges a month; $2.00 coupon for each cartridge if you spend at least $50.00 on ink or toner within 180 days prior to recycling)

Best Buy

These are better dropped off at any local Fire Department, where they can be recycled, or reconditioned and refilled for resale.

H&H Pharmacy

CVS Pharmacy

Eastern Shore Printers accepts Styrofoam peanuts, bubble wrap, and other packing materials.

Subaru accepts for TerraCycle program,plus disposable cups, lids, and straws, and coffee and creamer capsules.

Hortco

Lowe’s

Home Depot