Recycling: Pill Bottles

Recycling has always been a recurring cause throughout our lives. Since elementary school, I remember teachers emphasizing the importance of recycling. However, besides recycling paper, and general plastics, it’s not often that we learn about the specifics of what else can be recycled, that we don’t even know about. In this blog, I will be detailing some of these overlooked ways we can recycle, and help improve the environment for the better. 

A common household item that is often overlooked is pill bottles. From the bright orange tubes you get from a pharmacy to an ibuprofen bottle, these are all recyclable. You might be thinking that of course these are recyclable because it’s just a plastic bottle, but oftentimes when it comes to trashing the bottles,  people overlook being able to recycle them and instead throw them into the trash. According to a study by Mayo Clinic, almost 70% of Americans take at least one prescription drug, which makes a lot of pill bottles.


So how can YOU make a difference? The next time you or someone you know has a pill bottle, remind them that it’s recyclable. A company called Earth911 also takes donations of these used pill bottles, and they take care of recycling them. Their page can be found here. All in all, pill bottles are an often overlooked recyclable household item, and although it’s such a small thing, if everyone was aware of its recyclability, it’s one small step closer to reducing waste. 


Works Cited

Earth911 We’re serious about helping our readers. Send Your Pill Bottles to Do Some Good. 10 

Sept. 2020, earth911.com/inspire/diy/reuse-pill-bottles/. 

Nearly 7 in 10 Americans Are on Prescription Drugs. 19 June 2013, 

www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/06/130619132352.htm. 

Comments

  1. MichaelOctober 12, 2020 at 7:30 AM

    Huh, never knew pill bottles were recyclable. Granted, they are plastic, but I don't remember any teachers talking about how you can recycle pill bottles.

    ReplyDelete
  2. reedcbroadOctober 15, 2020 at 7:22 AM

    I never though about pill bottles. It's such an easy task that I will definitely take part in going forward.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Recycling: Curbside

While recycling often refers to curbside recycling, there are many things that can be recycled, but not via trash cans. Many of these materials should be brought to places that specialize in them, so it can be recycled properly.  Oftentimes, people will try and recycle plastic bags and plastic wrappings through curbside recycling, but these should actually be brought into local retail stores to be recycled. Although many people are unlikely to bring their plastic bags into stores to recycle, it is still good to know to avoid accidentally recycling things that shouldn’t be. In addition, materials such as batteries, diapers or clothes hangers also should not be recycled via curbside recycling. Although these are recyclable materials, they should be recycled in alternative places that specialize in recycling them. Overall, there are many things that we may mistake to be recyclable, but we should keep in mind that not everything recyclable is recyclable curbside, and should be brought ...
Read more

A New One Small Thing (OST)

After reading some of my classmates’ blogs, I decided to try some of the one small things (OST) for myself.  The OST came from a mental wellness blog, linked here , that talked about some ways to improve someone's mental wellbeing. With the stress of the PSAT and other schoolwork over this past week, I decided to try one of the OST’s, which was cleaning my room and organizing my workspace. It turns out that cleaning my room did actually help me feel less stressed, and was a good experience. It gave me a sense of nonstressful productiveness because I was cleaning my room, but not being pressured by anything. I enjoyed doing this OST and recommend it to others both as a destresser and to just clear your mind.
Read more