Get free magazines, beauty products, gift cards & more with Recyclebank.

The freebies are a bit slow today, so instead I'm going to talk about a freebie site that I belong to, but haven't really mentioned here before. It's called Recyclebank, and it's a free, points-based rewards site with an environmental twist. You can earn points by taking quizzes, watching videos, playing games, and taking pledges to reduce your impact on the environment.

The average activity earns 5-25 points and takes a couple of minutes; today, I earned 30 points by taking a short quiz and watching a slideshow about water conservation. To give you an idea of what that buys, 115 points gets you a magazine subscription to Everyday Food, Harper's Bazaar, Popular Mechanics, or Whole Living (among others); 180 points gets you a subscription to Martha Stewart Weddings; and 230 points gives you a subscription to Martha Stewart Living. I've also gotten free full-size Aveeno beauty products, coupons for free smoothies and oatmeal at McDonalds, and more.

Recyclebank was originally created to reward people for recycling, so your community had to have signed up for you to be eligible, which is why I didn't post about this site in the past. But it now seems like it's pretty much open to anyone, and there are many online point-earning opportunities even if you're not enrolled in the recycling program (which I'm not). Full disclosure: if you use my referral link to sign up, I get a teensy wee point bonus, but mainly I'm mentioning it because it's one of the few freebie sites out there that was designed around a cause. So you can get freebies and feel good about doing it!

Origins: Swap your facial cleanser for theirs FREE, April 22.

Just a reminder about this Earth Day freebie coming up from Origins. On April 22, bring in your full-size facial product (full or empty) and trade it in free for a 5-oz Origins face wash! You do have to fill out the form and bring it in with you. Find a store near you.

Seattle, we have plenty of options, including the Origins counter inside the downtown Macy's, the Macy's at Northgate, the Macy's at Southcenter, and the Bellevue Square store. Supplies are limited, but remember, you can always bring your empty cosmetic packaging to Origins for recycling, and they'll usually give you free samples in return.

Happy Earth Day, hippies!

Origins: Free 5-oz samples when you bring in your empty old cosmetic packaging.

I always wonder what to do with those spent lip balm tubes, deodorant dispensers, and all the other personal-hygiene packaging that goes in the trash. If it doesn't have a recycling code on it, you're not supposed to put it in your recycling, lest it taint the entire batch... but throwing it out just feels bad. Well, Origins is here to help with their year-round packaging recycling program.

"As part of Origins' ongoing initiative to protect the environment, the skin care company will take your empty cosmetic packaging –everything from bottles, tubes, jars, deodorant sticks and compacts regardless of the brand- to be recycled, when possible, or responsibly converted to energy. As a thank you for supporting the Return to Origins Recycling Program, the company will gift you with free Origins samples."


I have a feeling it'll really make their day if you start hoarding your shampoo bottles and Chapstick tubes now, so as to present them with a bulging, smelly sackful of plastic by the time Earth Day rolls around. Try it and see!

Upcycle those Halloween candy wrappers, donate to charity.

What to do with all the trick-or-treat flotsam and jetsam drifting around your house after each candy binge? Why not save those wrappers and donate them to a good cause? TerraCycle wants your candy wrappers and will give $0.02 per wrapper to the cause of your choice. Just sign up and you'll receive pre-paid postage labels; fill a box with wrappers and send it off when it's full.

You can also do the same with Aveeno cosmetic bottles, baggies, Caprisun drink pouches, and more.  TerraCycle uses those items to make recycled bags, office supplies, and gifts, which you can purchase at their online store. Who couldn't use a Clif bar messenger bag?

Facebook: Free Night of Hope breast-cancer-awareness party kit.

In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness month, when all sorts of unlikely products don the pink ribbon of savvy marketing, Sutter Home wants to give you a free Night of Hope kit. Just "like" them on Facebook and they'll send you a party-ready kit, filled with all sorts of goodies: Sutter Home for Hope pink Chico Bag, pink ribbon bracelets, pink corkscrew, wine tasting skirts, recipes, and more for this spectacular night in.


Have a party with your ladies AND stick it to breast cancer at the same time!  And, you know, everyone can use another reusable tote bag...

Free reusable tote from A Little Bit of Philly.

Everyone can use another reusable tote bag, can't they?  I mean, you ARE using these for your groceries and other shopping, rather than strangling the earth with hundreds of plastic bags... right?

Of course you are.  But you can always use another one!

Information: Recycle those used-up gift cards!

In our modern lives, we acquire lots and lots of plastic cards: not just gift cards (which the issuing stores don't want back and will only pitch into the trash), but bus passes, membership cards, shopper loyalty cards, and so on. Just this week, I saw a coworker give another coworker a $5 Starbucks card as a thank-you for a work project - a nice gesture, but pretty wasteful from an environmental standpoint, since very few people bother to save and reload spent cards.

Good news - those cards can be recycled! Not by putting them in your recycle bin, because they're PVC and not coded for regular recycling - but you can send your dead cards to Earthworks, where they melt them down into plastic slurry and remake sheets of plastic that can be turned into new cards with minimal waste. What Earthworks really wants is to partner with companies that can send them bulk quantities of used cards, but they'll also accept donations from individuals.

So the next time you use up a gift card or renew your AAA membership, don't just toss the old card - keep them until you have a stash, join up with friends, and send off a batch to Earthworks. Now that's the gift that keeps on giving.

****

You can mail plastic cards to:

Earthworks c/o Halprin Ind.
25840 Miles Rd.
Bedford, Oh 44146

• Please just send plastic cards - no rubber bands, paper clips, or paper.
• Please put a label or hand-write the name of your organization on the package so we can track it.
  
  

Trade 5 plastic bags for a free reusable tote at Target.

Target wants you to recycle, and to use reusable shopping bags instead of an endless stream of disposable plastic ones. Send five of your plastic bags to this address and get a coupon for $1 off a reusable bag at Target.

Terracycle121
New York Avenue
Trenton, NJ08638

Target has plenty of reusable bags to choose from, and the basic model is 99 cents, so you're essentially trading in 5 plastic bags for a nice, new, sturdy, reusable one that will last for years. Plus, Target - and many other stores - give you $0.05 off your purchase every time you use a reusable bag. Every little bit helps!

Starbucks: Free coffee April 15 when you bring your reusable cup.

Help save the earth and get a free coffee! Bring your reusable go-cup to Starbucks on April 15, and they'll fill it with piping-hot, planet-loving brew for free. Starbucks goes through 3 billion paper cups and 1 billion plastic cups a year - not including all those bottled and canned drinks they sell.

I bet that would be 0.5 billion if they didn't always double-up on the paper cups to provide insulation and a heat buffer between your delicate hand and the scalding-hot coffee. Maybe I'll put that in the suggestion box while I'm enjoying my free coffee on Thursday.

Target: Free reusable bag on April 18 w/purchase.

Target has been mighty busy in the freebiesphere this week. First there was that Suave sample the other day, and now they've announced they're giving out 1.5 million reusable shopping bags on April 18 to kick off Earth Week. The bags are pretty cute - bright green with a fun eco-design - and they look pretty spacious and sturdy. I use Target's regular reusable 99-cent shopping bags, have had mine for several years, and regularly get compliments from checkers at other stores on the cute design.

Of course, green may not be all that green, says the New York Times. But never mind about that - we're doing it for the planet!

Info: The 2010 Gift Wrapping Challenge.

According to this interesting WiseBread article, 50% of the paper consumed in the U.S. is used on wrapping and decorating consumer items. This figure seems a little high to me (I would think junk mail would be closer to that 50%), but okay, I get the point - we use a lot of fancy paper to wrap gifts, and if it's lucky it makes it into the recycle bin, but hardly ever gets reused.

Anyway, the article has some good tips that stemmed from a challenge she issued to a friend: wrap all presents throughout 2009 without using any new wrapping paper, plastic wrap, or gift bags. While some of the tips are pretty obvious (buying gift bags from the thrift store instead of new), some are fairly ingenious ("wrap" gifts in purses and stockings from the thrift store - if the recipient doesn't like them, they can pass it on to "wrap" another gift or donate it back). I gave reusable shopping totes as gifts this Xmas, and while I didn't use them as wrapping (I was mailing the gifts), those also make chic gift wrap that's a gift in itself.

If you're feeling ambitious, you can try the challenge in 2010!

Free lunch-size tote at Whole Foods.

Whole Foods shoppers and plastic-bag haters, rejoice! Print this coupon (scroll down) and take it to your local Whole Foods to get a free lunch-size tote bag. It's valid through April 26, 2009, or until supplies run out. (Of course, the bag is normally only 79 cents, so even if you miss out on the offer, you can probably still afford one.)

If you read the fine print, evidently this was "exclusively" for Oprah viewers, but some kind soul has opened it up to the rest of us. CHARGE!!!

Earth Day Freetacular!

Happy Earth Day, everyone! Check out these planet-saving freebies and deals for today:

• Free roll of recycled aluminum foil wrap from Reynolds Wrap (rebate)
• Free medium beverage at Peet's Coffee when you buy a reusable product
• 15% off eligible store items, 20% off Walgreen's brand items, and a free reusable shopping tote with purchase with printed coupon
• Free Aveeno Envirosax cotton bag and sample of Aveeno Nourish 'poo (this offer is only for the first 1,000 and may already have expired)
• Earth Day sale at Amazon (I love these Tree-Free journals made with sugarcane paper!)

More to come, enjoy your green day!

10 excuses for buying a cupcake.

As a kid, I remember being embarrassed by my thrifty, Depression-era grandma's frugal ways - specifically, her habit of washing out and reusing the plastic tubs that margarine, sour cream, yogurt, etc. come in. She doesn't give a crap about the planet, mind you, she just doesn't see why you should bother buying Tupperware when you have a perfectly good free container right in front of you.

I thought of her recently when I got a (free!) cupcake at Cupcake Royale in West Seattle. When you get one to go, it comes in an upside-down plastic tub, so the cupcake is sitting on the lid and the bowl protects the frosted top. BUT it's a sturdy, clear plastic with a cute Cupcake Royale sticker on the bottom, and it occurred to me that I could easily reuse it in many ways:

1. Go-cup for chips or cookies (it holds a bit more than a cup, and the hard sides protect delicate chips and crackers from breaking, unlike a baggie)

2. Tiny planter - pierce some drainage holes in the bottom and use the lid as a spill tray

3. Stackable, see-thru bathroom cabinet storage for cotton balls, Q-tips, etc.

4. Lives-at-your-desk bowl for sharing coworkers' snacks (no more awkwardly fashioning a fragile bowl/plate out of a Kleenex!)

5. Reuse it for presenting your own cupcakes to friends

6. Button/bead box for crafters

7. Desk storage for misc. tiny office supplies (rubber bands, binder clips, food-shaped novelty erasers)

8. Cut a slit in the top and make a swear jar! Or add a face and make it a piggy bank.

9. Water/paint/glaze mixing jar for on-the-go artists (the snap top keeps it neat when you throw your supplies back in your bag)

10. Glue felt and ribbon to it and make it look like a tiny cake

Okay, these are mostly variations on the one idea - "holds stuff" - but still. If companies are going to give you reusable, attractive plastic tubs, you might as well make the most of it. And you won't even have to explain to your coworkers why you appear to be eating a tub of I Can't Believe It's Not Butter for lunch.