By now, pretty much everyone has seen or used a recycling bin at least a few times in their lives. While most people know they are there to help the environment, there are still a bunch of people that are unaware just how to go about recycling properly.

The way recycling is collected varies from town to town, but most areas have implemented a policy where each home is issued a city-standard bin in which to place recyclable goods and leave curbside once per week. There are also buy-back centers located in most communities that will give you money back for recycling goods. In addition, drop-off centers exist at supermarkets or other community buildings that allow for the proper disposal of larger items.

So now that you know how where to find a bin, what can you actually recycle? The answer - a ton of stuff. Recyclable goods include magazines, cardboard, food card packaging, paper, non-food card packaging, envelopes, junk mail, aerosol cans, soda and beer cans, plastic bottles and plastic containers under 25 milliliters in size.

There are also certain goods that are unable to be recycled. These items include food, small pieces of paper that measure less than one centimeter, plastic film, hard plastics, metals, batteries, glass, textiles, composite cartons and bags of household waste. None of these things can be reused by recycling centers and should be disposed of in other ways. Certain items like batteries should not be thrown away with the regular trash as they can be harmful to the environment if they end up in a landfill.

Recycling is a great way to do your part in helping keep the planet clean and free from unnecessary harm. After all, we only have one Earth - let's protect it!