The proper way to put plastic away

It's one of the easiest ways to participate in the great "save the world" campaign: recycling.

But that purple bin standing next to your collection of Star Wars memorabilia in the garage isn't a magical contraption that turns all plastic into soy plants. There are rules. And when those rules are broken, those so-called recyclable materials get tossed in the landfill. Here are a few tips on how to properly dispose of your recyclables.

The first thing to know is, just because a container has the "recycle" symbol on it (you know, those three arrows) doesn't mean it's actually recyclable. That symbol simply means that the container was made with recycled materials. Your service provider has a list of acceptable items. Give it a glance before you throw away that bottle of KY.

Second, remove the caps on bottles before you toss them in the bin. And if, heaven forbid, the cap is inside the bottle, try to get it out. Processing plants will consider that bottle contaminated, and it will not be processed.

And finally, scrape that nasty cheese off your pizza boxes. If the cheese cannot be removed, then cut the cheese-less lid of the box off and only recycle that part. If the box is saturated with grease, then you can compost it.

The world isn't going to naturally pass our refuse like a kidney stone. Mother Nature needs help. It's pretty much the least you can do.