You might wonder what's the big deal about putting a chipped Pyrex glass dish in the recycling bin. Isn't all glass the same, after all? Unfortunately not. Heat-treated glass from brands like Pyrex and CorningWare melt at much higher temperatures than traditional glass recyclables. And if the sorters at the recycling facility don't catch it and pull it out, heat-treated glass can do a lot of damage. According to the website Recyclebank, "It takes only 5 grams of heat-treated glass to contaminate an entire 1-ton batch of recycled container glass." Be sure to throw your old heat-treated glass in the trash.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

When shopping for a snow shovel, go for one with an aluminum or steel blade. Metal shovels can withstand heavier loads of snow than plastic and will keep a clean edge through hard use; plastic ones can chip and shatter, quickly making them unusable. Durable metal shovels last season after season, and perhaps best of all, when they do finally need to be replaced, aluminum and steel blades are recyclable.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

If you use your fireplace and/or an outdoor fire pit, listen up: Save your ashes! One cord of wood can produce about 50 pounds of ashes, and these ashes have a number of beneficial uses around your property. If you grow tomatoes, sprinkle ashes and rake them into the soil; tomatoes thrive on the natural calcium in wood ashes. You can also spread the ashes as a border around the garden; they act as a natural barrier to damaging slugs and other pests. And finally, save the ashes in a metal garbage container and use them as a natural de-icer for your driveway.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION