The electronics retailer Best Buy has made it a mission to collection as much e-waste as possible for recycling -- so much so, Best Buy has recycled nearly 3 billion pounds of personal electronics and appliances. The program is free, and hard-to-recycle items like printers, webcams, modems, speakers, fans, vacuums, DVD players and more can be dropped off at any store (up to three items per household, per day). If you have larger items like a refrigerator or wall oven, you can even hire them to come and take it away (and recycle it) for a small fee.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

It’s not just bottled water that’s part of the single-use plastic problem; it’s cleaning products, too. It’s estimated nearly 2.5 billion plastic bottles that once held laundry detergent, dishwashing soap and surface cleaners end up in landfills ever year. Even though they're recyclable, the percentage that actually gets recycled is low. To help, switch to cardboard-packaged detergent, concentrated cleaning tabs you dilute in water yourself and dish soap that comes in bar form.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

Even though they look like paperboard, ice cream containers are not commonly recycled. They are composed of layers of plastic and paperboard, and it’s nearly impossible for recyclers to separate the materials for recycling, so it’s best to reuse them or put them in the trash. If you have a green thumb, you can reuse ice cream pints as seedling or seed starters. Just poke a hole in the bottom for drainage and fill with soil. Use the lid as a saucer to catch water runoff.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION