The company says all recyclables should be empty, clean and dry — meaning they are free of food and liquid. Never put recyclables in bags or containers. Items you can put in your recycling bin: Paper and cardboard Metal cans Plastic bottles and jugs Glass (preferably not broken) Items you should never put in your bin: […]

If you want to make sure the paper products that you place at the front curb have a better chance of becoming new products, don’t even think about tossing plastic grocery bags or greasy pizza boxes in to your recycling bins. Chicago area recycling companies are urging residents and business to be mindful of what […]

Jessica Marquez gives black-and-whites extra charisma in this idea from her book, Stitched Gifts ($19.95; Chronicle). Step 1: For each of your prints, select an embroidery hoop that’s slightly larger than the photo: a seven-inch-diameter hoop for a 3×5; a nine-inch-diameter hoop for a 4×6 (for similar hoops, from $2.09 for 7″ diam.; ). Step […]

We all love little projects that don’t take much time and take even less money to complete! Check out these 5 ideas to get you started on DIYing your home today! 1. There’s No Place Like Home Art Reward a great quote (we cribbed from The Wizard of Oz) with the gallery treatment, courtesy of […]

Meet Oscar, the trash can that can sort out your rubbish without you lifting a finger. Say goodbye to sorting through refuse forever. We’ve seen some amazing contraptions that can clean the oceans after we’ve thrown our rubbish away, but what if there was a way to make recycling easier, preventing plastics and other materials […]

Despite the destruction caused by a massive fire on Friday night at North Davidson Garbage and Recycling Center, Bradley Everhart, co-owner of, said they will carry on. “It will be business as usual on Monday,” Everhart said. “Recycling and trash will be picked up, it might be a little later than usual. We are going […]

Just when you thought the worker shortage couldn’t get any more vexing, be advised that we are running out of plumbers. According to the Copper Development Association (CDA), over one half of America’s trade professionals are near retirement age and only 3 percent of the surveyed 18 to 25 year olds would consider a career […]

By Alex Mardikian China’s restrictions on accepting trash for recycling has hit the U.S hard. Hawaii and California are two of the hardest-hit states. In 2016, the U.S earned around $6 billion in foreign exchange by shipping out trash to China for recycling. Of this amount, California shipped recyclable trash worth around $2.4 billion. This […]

Americans are using more water every year. In fact, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, the average family uses 320 gallons of water per day and that could swell up to 1,000 gallons in the summer. Fortunately, there is an effortless way to reduce our water footprint and water bills. Rain barrels collect water with […]

The task of refurbishing and restoring old and used furniture and other home accent items is sometimes harder than what you expect. Instead of being caught in a chaotic or dangerous situation, keep the following in mind while you prepare to start the refurbishing process.   Do Your Research Before you even break out the […]