I was browsing the internet and I was interested in what cannot be recycled. If you think about it, everything should be able to be recycled, ecosystems are designed so everything is broken down and reused by something else. Nature's "no waste" policy is what drives its evolution and success as a planet. But we have interfered. So what is doomed to be in our land fills forever and why can't we find a way to recycle them?

The real answer is that it depends on where you live. In the small town of wicomico county in maryland, you cannot recycle: plastic: bags, utensils, toys, drinking cups; foam, glass, ceramics, mirrors, lightbulbs, clay pots.

In Crowley, TX, everything above is the same plus: diapers, scrap metal, aluminum foil, notebooks, and large plastic buckets.

Basically its all different where ever you live. Its important to know what can and cannot be recycled so it makes everyone's lives easier. To find out what your city recycles and doesn't, go to the Waste Management website: www.wm.com

Hopefully one day everything will be seen as "recyclable" but this is it for today.

Figuring out what can and can not be recycled in your area can seem like a full time job. Here in San Francisco, our recycling program is one of the most inclusive programs in the country-but I was also shocked that things like soy milk cartons still can not be recycled. Greeniacs has a guide to help you locate what exactly can be recycled in your region: http://www.greeniacs.com/GreeniacsGuides/Recycling_101

Another cool resource from www.earth911.org, allows you type in what you want to recycle and your zip code-to find out if and where it can be recycled.

I agree-hopefully one day we can recycle all of the waste we produce.

During this holiday season it is also important to think about how you might be able to reuse wrapping paper, and if you can't find any way to reuse it, every recycling management company has their own policy/ability for recycling paper, and many cannot recycle wrapping paper due to the large amount of ink used in the paper. Thus, better to check out beforehand whether you can recycle wrapping paper in your area rather than contaminate the recycling process! But some ideas out there for reusing wrapping paper that can't be easily used for another gift in the future is using the pieces to make collages with kids, make gift tags, and also shedding the paper to use as filling in other gifts or packages during the rest of the year.

For the holiday season you're completely right that wrapping paper is so wasteful! If you are going to buy decorations, buy some that can be used every year so they can be kept and used over and over. A big part of the holidays is food so composting is a plus, or if you have a dog I'm sure he or she will be more than happy to help. If you are using ribbons and bows to make your presents a bit more cheerful, use those big sticky bows instead of thin ribbon. The bows can be saved and used for next year's presents. Sure the stick is gone but just use some double sticky tape and it works and looks just fine!