The concept of modern recycling has been around for nearly four decades. For many people, recycling conjures up the green plastic bins and bottle drives; but recycling came into existence via a source of creativity and a principal of prosperity. That is why years later there is a growing number of ways to recycle just about anything. This guide is an overview of the basic groundwork as well as some of the advanced concepts that have emerged more recently.

The spirit of recycling is the cyclical movement of resources through their system – mitigating waste and the need to extract more materials. Recycling is reciprocal. Supporting the cause means supporting recycled products. The more demand there is for recycled products, the more available and affordable they’ll become. This has happened over recent years, but the cycle should be kept moving to help make a real impact.

Reduce Reuse Recycle. Reducing how much we consume is just as important as recycling all that we use. And ‘reuse’ can be understood by knowing that we can find a constructive use for any ‘waste’ material. Only then should you look to recycle – which is strange because for the majority of us, recycle seems like the most important step, when really it is the final alternative.

Recycle your water. If you're a homeowner, consider altering your plumbing so that rainwater or wastewater from your shower and tub is used to flush your toilet. If you have a garden, water it with ‘grey’ bathwater or dishwashing water (as long as you use a biodegradable soap).

Electronics recycling is becoming more common in many urban areas, battery recycling can be found everywhere (rechargeable batteries are ecologically sounder, but even they wear out after a while), and there are a number of non-profit organizations that will take computer parts and turn them into working computers for others – the same goes for Mobile Phones, and other gismos alike.

Kitchen and Garden waste. Most things that have come from your kitchen or out of your back garden can be recycled, and can also be divided into two principal categories: technical or biological nutrients. Biological nutrients are those that can return to the soil safely, ready for decomposing – composting is one of the simplest and most effective methods for reusing biological nutrients. And if you are ever at all confused about ‘what can and what can not’ be composted, just think ‘is this bio-logical?’

By conducting a waste audit you’ll be able to get a better understanding of how much is going in and out – Set a span of time like a week or a month, and separate your waste categories. Weigh the different kinds of material flows that go out the door (landfill waste, organic compost, aluminium, recyclable plastic, reusable material, etc.). And then draw-up a ‘material recovery’ program that looks to minimize the amount going to the landfill. This is a great exercise to do with kids but can be very convincing to your more corporate type, too, especially since most companies pay to have their trash hauled away and can get money for recycled paper, containers, toner cartridges, corrugated cardboard, and the like.

Look to Art. A great way to involve more of the community with recycling programs is to find a ‘project’ that requires the materials that cannot be easily disposed of. One way this can be done is by reusing these resources via schools and art classes that are in need of supplies that will invigorate their creativity – like rubbish. After all, one man’s trash is another man’s art.

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