Research what items can be recycled before you throw them in the trash. Some office supply stores accept used printer cartridges for recycling, which is important since they take years to decompose in landfills. Quiche pans and other cookware can be recycled as scrap metal. You can recycle aluminum toothpaste tubes, but not plastic ones. Cut off the zipper enclosure to plastic bags and toss them in with other plastic recyclables.