I recycled while living in my last two apartments, but the recycling options offered at my current apartment complex are kind of crummy, so I got out of the habit. That started making me feel guilty a few months back — especially since I was writing articles about  topics like global food crises and what a moneyless world would look like — so I decided to make an effort to get better about it.

Turns out my recycling savvy was a bit rusty, so I was interested in researching how to have more of a positive impact while recycling  — plus America Recycles Day is right around the corner on November 15. First, you need to find out where you can recycle in your community — whether that’s at the curb, at a nearby recycling center, or at another location if you’ve got items that can’t go through standard channels, but also shouldn’t just be tossed in the trash, such as dead batteries, cell phones, paint cans and compact fluorescent light bulbs. Lots of Web sites let you search for recycling locations when it comes to e-waste.

It’s critical those sorts of products don’t get into the waste stream, so making sure they end up in the hands of a responsible recycler is an easy way to have a big impact on the environment. Just set up a separate recycling bin where you toss things like burnt out batteries, broken cameras, busted computers and old gaming consoles. When the bin fills up, head to your nearest recycler of e-waste.

When it comes to regular household waste like boxes and bottles and cans, recycling is typically a lot more convenient. Just find out what your community recycling program accepts and make sure you stick to that list. For example, plastic bottles (especially those #1s and #2s) are frequently accepted and that can include everything from milk jugs and jam jars to shampoo bottles and ketchup bottles. Just be sure to rinse them out and remove the caps. The caps usually aren’t recyclable unless you live by stores like Aveda or Whole Foods which both collect them, so you’ll probably have to toss them. You could, however, also consider mailing them to companies like this one, which recycles those hard-to-get-off-your-hands #5 plastics. If you want though, you can get creative and make a craft using them. Lots of items you might not expect can be worked in to an afternoon of arts and crafts.

Lastly, keep in mind recycling should happen in tandem with efforts to reduce how much you purchase and reuse items if possible. For example, you can save old newspapers if you’ve got a move coming up, and when it comes to plastic bags you can either forgo them at the grocery store or reuse them later in a myriad of ways.

Oh, and while you’re at it, don’t forget to follow How-to Stuff on Facebook and Twitter!