This is great news for people who like to filter their own water at home (thus saving waste from bottling and delivery) but who don’t like the idea of throwing old filters in the landfill. Now recycling those filters is as easy as looking for the big Brita box at your local London Drugs. The filters are then shipped to Preserve®, the leading maker of 100 percent recycled household consumer goods.
Recycled filters get a new life as 100 percent recycled products such as toothbrushes, cups and cutting boards.
The filter ingredients — activated carbon for creating great-tasting water and ion exchange resin that reduces mercury, copper, cadmium and zinc that might be found in tap water — will be regenerated for alternative use or converted into energy. Preserve has calculated that the benefits of keeping Brita® filters out of landfills and making them into Preserve products outweigh the impact of shipping them for recycling through this program. All Preserve plastic products are also recyclable, giving Brita® filter materials a third life.
If you aren’t near a London Drugs, you can still participate in the program. Simply mail your filters to Preserve:
- Dry the filter by shaking off excess water and setting it in a dry place for at least three days.
- Wrap the filter in a plastic grocery bag, then pack it in a box. (Boxes and bags will be recycled.) If possible, send multiple filters at a time.
- Mail filters via ground shipping to: Preserve Gimme 5, 823 NYS Rte 13, Cortland, NY 13045
Any way you filter it, it’s a great Green Deal!
Thank you for sharing this information.