So, what did I learn from my visit to the recycling center? In this day of ensuring that we have profits and keeping costs low, we need to remember that we have the responsibility to be sustainable consumers and to encourage our local governments to increase the focus on recycling even though it may not be the cheapest option. We can help by ensuring we only recycle what can be recycled in our communities, since the recycling can be sorted by hand and any “contamination” by ineligible materials can cause a load of recycling to be rejected, and by making responsible choices when we buy products. These choices can be choosing easily recyclable material or by supporting companies that are using recycled material in their products. Even though something can be recycled, does not mean it can be recycled in your area or have a market that it can be sold to. Our best bet as consumers to focus on Reduce, Reuse, and Refuse, but when the time comes to get rid of the material, make sure we recycle smartly.