How to Recycle Bras and Other Tips on Going Green

Go beyond cans, bottles and cardboard to get creative with recycling.

Nonprofits and some do-it-yourself hints can help keep items out of landfills while helping others. Here are six items that you may not have considered recycling, and tips on how to make it happen in Los Altos and Los Altos Hills.

Bras

Bras aren't exactly biodegradable, but gently used lingerie is a welcome donation for The Bra Recyclers. So long as the clasps and straps work, just wash the bra, fill out a form and send it off.

Slivers of Soap

Some hotels save partially-used bars of soap to re-purpose it and donate it to the needy. Or keep your own soap slivers and put them into the foot of an old pantyhose to create a DIY a soap-on-a-rope.

Cartons 

Oh, those Tetra Paks, or aceptic cartons. Yes, they are recyclable, as are the regular milk or fresh juice cartons. But not everywhere. Mission Trail, serving Los Altos, takes both the regular milk cartons and the aceptic cartons, the ones that often hold soups, soy milk and or kids' juice boxes. Greenwaste Recovery, serving Los Altos Hills, however, takes the classic 64 oz. milk and juice containers, only. Recology, serving unincorporated Los Altos and Los Altos Hills, takes the both regular cartons and aceptic cartons as well! 

Running Shoes

Runners can log a lot of miles enjoying the pathways of Los Altos Hills and all around our Los Altos neighborhoods. Shoes wear out after about 500 miles, but don't toss them in the trash. Several programs recycle used running shoes.

Some ship lesser-used kicks to Third World countries, while companies including Nike will deconstruct the shoe and recycle the materials.

On Your Mark, 378 Main Street (650) 209-5526, is one of them. "A lot of them go to people who need shoes. They may not be functional for running or kids have outgrown them. We do give them a new life," said owner Adam Kemist. The bin is out the back door, but you can drop shoes off with any of the staff, Kemist said. Other outlets: Little Gym of Mountain View, 1910-F West El Camino Real in Mountain View, The Little Gym of Stevens Creek, 5128 Stevens Creek Blvd. in San Jose, or bring your old running shoes to the Nike Store at the Stanford Shopping Center to recycle them. Learn about the process at www.nikereuseashoe.com.

Hair

Let your hair grow out, then get chop it off and make a donation to Locks of Love. The nonprofit provides hairpieces to children younger than 21 who suffer from a long-term illness that affects their hair growth.

CDs

For those who still have CDs, re-purpose them outdoors. Their mirror-like properties are a great deterrent for birds, so hang them around a garden or fruit trees to deter pilfering. Old CDs also fill out holes in Christmas trees, so save a stack for the holiday season.

Mattresses

An old mattress will sleep in a landfill for about 50 years. Luckily, San Leandro-based DR3 Recycling parts out old mattresses and recycles the cotton, wood, steel and foam. DR3's yard is in Oakland, but there are other spots in the Bay Area where mattresses left behind will be recycled, including the Palo Alto Landfill, 2380 Embarcadero Rd., 650-329-2655 and the Sunnyvale SMaRT Station, 301 Carl Road, 408-752-8530. Goodwill also recycles mattresses: Goodwill Industries, John Waszily 408-869-9225

Here are more recycling tips from the Palo Alto Recycling Center.

—Additional reporting by Los Altos Patch Editor L.A. Chung