Companies That Recycle - And Ways You Can Join Their Efforts! Guest Post.

Recycling has the power to preserve the Earth for many generations to come, but everyone must be involved in order for our efforts to be successful. Brilliant Earth and Nike are two companies that are already making a difference through their recycling programs. There are many ways you too can join in and help keep our Earth more beautiful and clean.

Brilliant Earth a conflict-free diamond company known for their unique engagement rings, they specialize in re-refining recycled gold, silver, and platinum back into pure elements, which are then remixed into alloys and cast into unique pieces. This decreases demand for gold mining, which is one of the most destructive types of mining. It takes 20 tons of ore to produce enough gold to produce one ring. Gold mining also can release cyanide and mercury into local water sources, making the water unsafe to drink.

Nike recycles old shoes and turns the old rubber scraps into playground turf. Children can enjoy running on this turf for many years to come!  It is nice to be able to give your old sneakers a second life! Nike is also finding ways to trim waste from production and switch to more sustainable materials and also offers a stylish line of organic clothing.

Ladies, when was the last time you cleaned out your makeup bag? Unfortunately, cosmetics do not last forever. You should take out anything you have had for more than 2 years or anything that is empty and take it to be recycled. Origins retail stores recycle empty cosmetics tubes, bottles, and jars from any brand. In return, they will give you a free sample of their high-performance skincare products.

Many mattress retailers will accept your used mattress for recycling when you purchase a new mattress. Mattress recycling centers can recycle about 90% of the mattress and turn it into fiber for clothing, wood chips, foam products, and scrap metal.  Given that approximately 20 million mattresses are replaced every year in the United States alone, recycling mattresses is enough to make anyone sleep better!

Over 75% of waste is recyclable, but only about 30% of it is recycled. That means that 70% of recyclable materials are sitting in a landfill somewhere instead of being used again. Let's work together with these companies to increase the percentage of recyclable materials that actually are recycled!

This fantastic post was submitted from Sophia over at My "Soph" Called Life. Head over there to read more great articles educating us all on the importance of living an eco friendly lifestyle. Sophia is based in the US but there are companies all over the world who participate in different recycling schemes.