by Tina Kegley

Created on: March 17, 2009

My household started recycling when my oldest son was a wolf in Cub Scouts. He was working on one of his requirements for his wolf badge and one aspect of that requirement included recycling for a month. That was the beginning of our involvement with recycling and we have continued to recycle for the last nine years.

With so many landfills overflowing one of the best things you can do to help ease their burdens is to recycle. It does not take much effort and it is a great way to help our environment and to preserve our natural resources. When new items are made from recycles materials it can help save the forests for future generations to enjoy.

In Memphis, TN, there are many options available for recycling. If you are a homeowner, you may want to go the easy route and just have your recyclables picked up when your trash is collected. To do this just call the waste management department and request a recycling bin. It could not be easier and all of your recycling can be put into one bin without having to use up your valuable time in sorting all of your recyclables into different categories. The waste management department will also pick up and recycle your yard waste into mulch to use on city projects.

If you have a little more time on your hands, you can separate your recyclables and take them to different privately owned recycling centers. The benefit of this is that there are many centers that will actually pay you for some of your recycled items. Many of the centers will pay for aluminum, steel, and copper. Why just throw away your old cans and appliances when you can take them to a privately owned recycling center and get paid for them? In this day and age, when the economy is doing so poorly, it not only benefits the environment but it also benefits your wallet as well when you recycle. The City of Memphis receives $25 for every ton that it recycles. This is good for the city as it helps offset the costs for the recycling program. However, there is no reason why you can't also receive some financial compensation for recycling your belongings.

We started to recycle because of my son's involvement with Cub Scouts and continued to recycle because it was the right thing to do. Now that the economy has gotten so bad we also have begun to recycle our larger appliances to help offset the costs when we have to replace them with new ones. Whether you choose to recycle for monetary reason or moral reasons you can be sure that recycling in Memphis is as easy as dragging your garbage to the curb.

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