Queen Creek, Arizona will soon offer curbside textile recycling.

The town, paired up with United Fibers, is conducting a four-month pilot program of textile recycling. Residents can recycle items such as clothes, towels, blankets, shoes, etc. by simply putting them in a special bag and placing them in their curbside recycling bins.

The textiles will be sorted and weighed by United Fibers and then turned into home insulation by Phoenix Fibers. Ramona Simpson, Queen Creek's trash and recycling administrator, comments on how great it is to see the end product made right there in Arizona.

The main goal is to get as many people to participate as possible. About 7,000 people have the opportunity to partake in the program and Queen Creek's trash and recycling department hopes to divert as many textiles from the trash as possible! For the full earth911 story, click here.

You can never be reminded too much of the importance of recycling. From electronics to garden to household materials Earth911's 'Recyclo-pedia' tells you how to properly recycle everything! Click here to view the recyclo-pedia.

These PACMAN containers are meant to eat up garbage and recyclables just like in the computer game. These round garbage receptacles are color coded- blue, yellow, black, or green- to indicate which items go in each. The Portuguese designers of these hope the fun, modern shape will make separating trash and recycling easier than ever! Visit inhabitat for more pictures.

People often wonder: Can you recycle a pizza box? Most are made of corrugated cardboard and some even have the recycling symbol stamped on. However, the cheese and grease from the pizza actually soil the cardboard. 

"Grease from pizza boxes causes oil to form at the top of the slurry, and paper fibers cannot separate from oils during the pulping process." Terry Gellenbeck, a solid waste administrative analyst, sums it up. “The oil causes great problems for the quality of the paper, especially the binding of the fibers. It puts in contaminants, so when they do squeeze the water out, it has spots and holes.” Essentially, grease, cheese, and other similar contaminents cause the whole batch to be ruined. 

Irresponsible contamination in recycling has been estimated to cost the industry $700 million a year! But, the easiest fix is simple! Cut of the top of the pizza box and recycle it, while putting the bottom into the trash. 

For the article in full and many more tips on recycling, visit earth911.com.