Technologies

Earth Day Challenge: Test Your Recycling IQ

How good is your recycling knowledge? Participate in Earth Day and make our world greener by identifying which items are actually recyclable.

Thanks to today’s Google Doodle, I was reminded that it is Earth Day. The day was commemorated in 1970 to bring awareness to the damage being done to our environment. To further this message, notable companies like Apple and Microsoft have implemented plans to reduce their carbon footprint and use more renewable energy.

If you’re looking to get involved and do your part today, look no further than your home, school, office and the many other places you visit daily to help out our environment. The possibilities are endless, but one of the most common options is to recycle.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, recycling can help conserve natural resources and energy, generating over $37 billion in wages. So in honor of Earth Day, let’s have a bit of fun and put your recycling knowledge to the test.

Read more: Go Green and Save Green With Top Earth Day Deals on Eco-Friendly Products

Note: Recyclable items may vary by location, so check with your local recycling center or government agency if you have questions.

To recycle or not to recycle? Let’s put your knowledge to the test

Pizza boxes?

Yes, according to the EPA, even grease-laden boxes can be recycled. However, food scraps like uneaten crusts must be removed, and boxes must be flattened.

Hardcover books?

No, hardcover books can’t be recycled. The covers are usually made of different materials, including plastic and leather, which aren’t recyclable. The glue that binds the books together can be hard to separate from the pages as well. Instead of recycling a hardcover book, try donating it to a school, library or nonprofit organization. Donating books can help people increase their vocabulary and improve their communication skills. Plus, it’s a good way of making more room on your bookshelves.

Paperback books?

Yes, you can recycle paperback books, even if they’re beyond repair. Like hardcover books, you might want to consider donating the books if you want to get rid of them.

Batteries?

Yes. According to the EPA, lead-acid batteries are among the most recycled items, including car batteries. However, batteries require special handling, so they must be recycled at separate locations and can’t be recycled in your home recycling bin. This tool can help you find a location to recycle your batteries.

Receipts?

No, you can’t recycle receipts. Most receipts are coated with Bisphenol A, a plastic compound more commonly known as BPA. This compound makes the receipts unrecyclable, and it could be bad for your health, according to the Mayo Clinic. The best way to dispose of receipts is in the trash, but you might want to shred the receipt before throwing it away for financial security.

Stickers?

Stickers can be fun, but unfortunately you can’t recycle them. The glue that holds stickers in place can gunk up recycling machinery, and some stickers, like vinyl stickers, can be harmful to the environment.

Carpet?

Yes, carpet can be recycled. Nearly all kinds of carpet can be broken down and used to make new products, and the complex fibers of carpet make it nearly impossible to break down in landfills. However, the infrastructure required to recycle carpet isn’t widely available, and you can’t put carpet in your home recycle bin. The nonprofit Carpet America Recovery Effort is one group working to put the necessary infrastructure in place to recycle carpet everywhere. For now, use this tool to find a location that will recycle your carpet.

Motor oil?

Yes. Many garages and auto shops recycle your old oil when you take your car in for an oil change. If you perform your own oil change, these same shops will usually accept oil for recycling. Like batteries, motor oil should not be put in a household recycling bin. The used material from one oil change is enough to contaminate one million gallons of fresh water according to the EPA. Use this tool to find a location that will recycle your used motor oil.

Compostable plastics?

No, even though they’re made from renewable materials, like corn, cellulose and soy protein, compostable plastics can’t be recycled. «Compostable plastics aren’t meant to be recycled and can contaminate and disrupt the recycling stream if mixed with non-compostable plastics,» according to the EPA.

Wrapping paper?

Trick question — yes and no. Shiny and laminated wrapping paper can’t be recycled, but there are recyclable wrapping papers available. The EPA says a recyclable wrapping paper alternative is newspaper. Plus, using newspaper as wrapping paper gives the gift recipient something to read while they wait to open their gift.

Bonus round: Aluminum cans?

Yes, empty aluminum cans can be recycled, but the cans can’t be crushed. The EPA says that crushed cans are harder to detect when being sorted within recycling facilities. All those TV shows and movies that show people crushing cans to take to the recycling center lied to us.

Read more: You’re Recycling Wrong. Stop Crushing Aluminum Cans

For more, here’s how to recycle old tech and gadgets for free, why you don’t want to hoard your old tech and how plastics recycling misses the point.

Technologies

Motorola Razr 60 Promo Pictures Leak Ahead of Announcement

We got our first purported look at Motorola’s new foldable phone just two days before its announcement, but there was no leak for the Razr 60 Ultra.

Motorola is expected to reveal its next-generation foldable phones on Thursday, April 24 — but promotional images for the base model have seemingly leaked right before the official announcement. New images of the Motorola Razr 60 were posted on X (formerly Twitter) by prolific leaker, evleaks, on Monday night.

The leaked photos — which you can see on X — are high-quality marketing imagery, suggesting that these will be representative of the Razr 60’s final design.

While many details about the Razr 60 have not yet been revealed, we know the phone has a 7-inch internal display, a 4-inch cover display and a respectable 16GB of RAM. No promo images were leaked for the Razr 60 Ultra, but the display on the premium model will be larger to justify a more expensive price.

A representative for Motorola did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Technologies

These Colorful Soundcore P30i ANC Wireless Earbuds Cost Just $30 Right Now

This deal proves you can get top-tier wireless earbud features at an entry-level price point.

When it comes time to shop for new wireless earbuds, the options can be mind-boggling. New models are arriving daily, and the prices can often be prohibitive, to say the least. But that’s starting to change. These days, you can get some great features at a price that’s hard to believe. Right now, that price is even less than usual — the Soundcore P30i wireless earbuds are now just $30 rather than the usual $50.

This is quite the wireless earbuds deal, but it’s unlikely to remain available long. Amazon says it’s a «limited-time deal,» meaning it could end at any time and without warning, so you do need to consider ordering your new ANC earbuds before it’s too late.

Hey, did you know? CNET Deals texts are free, easy and save you money.

Soundcore’s P30i wireless earbuds are available in no fewer than five different colors, so you can choose the one that best fits your style. We’re big fans of the lovely blue finish, but it’s your money and your choice.

Color aside, you’ll always get the same 45-hour playtime per charge and up to 42 decibels of advanced active noise cancellation. The technology blocks unwanted noise so you can better hear your content — perfect for busy offices and noisy commutes.

Your new earbuds are IP54-rated, so they can be used at the gym and in the rain without issue, and the two-in-one charging case can even be used as a handy phone stand as well.

Why this deal matters

We’re big fans of wireless earbuds because they can make it easier to listen to music, podcasts and audiobooks when you might otherwise not be able to. They’re great for hands-free calls as well, and at this price, we think now is the time you should consider ditching those old wired earbuds that came with your phone 10 years ago.

Technologies

Google’s New Nudity Warnings in Messages Will Warn You of Incoming Explicit Images

Google said the process happens entirely on device, and that it does not have access to any image contents.

Google is beginning to roll out sensitive content warnings designed to give Google Messages users more control over viewing and sharing images that may contain nudity. The safety feature, which was announced last year, will automatically blur images suspected of containing nudity before they’re viewed.

You’ll see a «speed bump» notification, where you have to stop and choose an option before opening a message, including learning why explicit images can be harmful, getting the chance to block the number immediately, getting the option to click Back or choosing the ability to view the image. It will also remind you of the potential risks of sharing explicit content and help prevent accidental sends.

Google said this process happens entirely on your phone to maintain privacy and ensure end-to-end encrypted messages remain accessible only to the sender and recipient. The company also clarified that it does not have access to image contents, will not know whether nudity actually has been detected and does not send identifiable data to its servers.

In a post on its website, the company acknowledged that the feature «isn’t perfect,» noting: «It may occasionally detect images that don’t contain nudity or not detect images that contain nudity.»

The feature is opt-in for adults via Android settings and enabled by default (opt-out) for users under 18. It will roll out to Android 9 and above, including Android Go devices, with Google Messages.