Monthly Archives: November 2017

Recycling Facts Everyone Should Know

Everyone knows the basics of recycling: Anytime an item is recycled is reduces the amount of energy used to make a new thing from raw materials. That reduced energy helps promote less greenhouse gases and therefore better for the planet. But there is a lot more about recycling that you should know about.


Start with recycling rates. This is how much each country recycles as a percentage of the total amount of trash they collect. Who do you think is number one? That would be Switzerland at 52%. Australia is next at 49% followed by Germany (48%), the Netherlands (46%), and Norway (40%) round out the top five. What about the U.S.? We’re a bit farther down the list with a recycling rate of 31.5%.

In terms of saving energy, recycling saves twice as much energy as burning garbage in an incinerator.That’s a good thing because we certainly throw out a lot of stuff. Consider Styrofoam cups. In the United States alone, people throw away 25 billion Styrofoam coffee cups a year.

What about jobs? Recycling creates 6-10 times as many jobs as landfills and those incinerators plants. So how much garbage is made each year? The world generates 2.6 trillion pounds of garbage.Here in America, we toss out enough steel each year to build all the new cars that are actually made in America. And the United States throws away $11.4 billion worth of recyclable containers and packaging every year.That is a lot of money that is literally being tossed out in the trash.

Your own recycling efforts don’t have to be confined to your soda cans, plastic bottles and papers. You can expand your home recycling by picking the right junk hauler. Junk King Contra Costa is a professional junk hauling service that has been recycling rubbish since they began collecting it over twelve years ago. Junk King Contra Costa doesn’t do the actually recycling. They just make sure the junk gets to the right place. Everything is sorted at the depot and when they have full truckloads, off to the recycling center they go. If you want to step up your home recycling, then you’ll want to partner with Junk King Contra Costa.

How To Have A Great Holiday Without The Stress

With Thanksgiving in the “review mirror”, it’s time to focus on the rest of the holiday season and that’s when the stress can really start to kick in. Between work, kids’ recitals, shopping and all the parties it is easy to get overwhelmed fast. The holidays shouldn’t be a cause of anxiety. Consider these tips for reducing your stress during the holidays.



The holidays are when you can put your organizing skills to work. At some point, you have to embrace the idea that “something has to give.” This means you don’t have to go to every party at the expense of your being worn out. You don’t have to do all the shopping in a mall when an online shopping session can take care of the same gifts. It is also important to do as much up front as possible so that the closer you get to Christmas, the less you’ll have to do.

Pick Your Battles

You know that there is a good chance you might come in contact with some people who trigger stress. Whether it is a family member or coworker, you might have to hold your tongue. They might not agree with a lot of your opinions but what does it really matter? For the sake of the holidays and your stress level let it go. You can also opt not to engage. If they start talking about a topic you know is going to cause stress, then smile, excuse yourself and walk away.

Don’t Complicate Things

Martha Stewart no doubt has a of great holiday decorating and baking advice. You don’t have to be Martha Stewart. The difference between a cookie that takes 30 minutes to get ready vs. one that takes hours to decorate is negligible. They’re both tasty but one is going to free up more time. Your goal should be to avoid making things complicated. That is especially true if you’re throwing your own holiday party. Ask for guests to bring dips, appetizers or desserts. Everyone is in the baking spirit so that won’t be a problem! The less complications, the less stress.

Bring In Help

Getting your home ready for the holidays is easy when you’ve got all your decorations organized. It’s also easy when you’ve gotten the clutter removed. Here is where hiring Junk King Contra Costa can make a big difference. If you’ve got unwanted stuff cluttering up a guest room or messing up your garage, then turn it all over to the crew from Junk King Contra Costa. You’ll feel a lot better about inviting guests over for the holiday after Junk King Contra Costa has cleared away the junk.