November 2026 

Landfills pollute the environment, generate potent greenhouse gases, consume massive amounts of land, pose health risks to nearby communities, and negatively affect property values. Keep items out of landfills. Recycling is a good option.

Buy green. In this market-driven economy, what you buy and what you don’t buy have an impact. Avoid excess packaging and single-use plastics. Choose local goods to cut down on the emissions from transport. Purchase products with recycled content so that more companies will create merchandise that incorporates recycled materials. Your dollars speak loudly.

Watch what you recycle. We want to do our part, but 25% of what is going into recycling facilities is wrong and contaminates the output. 1) Make sure the items are dry and not soiled with food. 2) Know your local guidelines for recycling. They are different in different places. 3) Take a tour of your local recycling center. 4) Watch for news about recycling from your local government and spread the word. 

Even “little” choices make a difference for creation. Choose aluminum cans over plastic bottles. Plastic can be successfully recycled just once or twice, and only 3–6% of plastic that makes it to the recycling bin is truly recycled. On the other hand, aluminum can be recycled over and over again—as long as you put the can into the recycle bin.

Recycle your paper and cardboard. The effects of recycling a ton of paper and cardboard are impressive: saving 17 trees, 380 gallons of oil, 3 cubic yards of landfill space, and 7,000 gallons of water. What you do adds up.

Your recycling—if it’s in a plastic bag—won’t be recycled. The bag will be pulled off the line and trashed because there is no time to open and empty it, and plastic bags cannot be allowed to go through because they tangle up the equipment and cause shutdowns. Learn and follow the rules for your local recycling facility. Give thanks for those who work there.

Go “thrifting” (another name for recycling). When you purchase gently used clothing and other items at thrift stores, you are keeping fabrics out of landfills. Also, shop your own closet for what you can recycle by donating for someone else to use.

Only 15% of all discarded electronic devices is recycled. Lead, mercury, cadmium, nickel, beryllium, and zinc from e-waste can leech into soil or into the water supply, harming plant and human life. Browse for “electronics recycling” or “e-waste disposal” to find options nearby. Or as a church, when you find a company, arrange an e-waste recycle drop-off event and promote it to congregation and community.

Place blame where it belongs. Like cigarette companies, the plastic industry has ignored—even covered up—the damage done by their products and production. They also promote recycling, telling us disposal is our responsibility. We can’t recycle our way out of the continuing harm caused by complex systems. Individual recycling helps, but it’s not enough. Contact your local, state, and federal lawmakers to support efforts to ban single-use plastics and/or return the responsibility to the manufacturers. 

Send your worn sneakers for recycling. Or do a sneaker drive and collect many to send in exchange for a payment and for knowing that Sneakers4Good will use them in their global micro-enterprise network as inventory for small business owners in developing countries. An example of a second chance! Practice grace.