Hey Mr. Green,

Is there any way to recycle rubber bands?

—Carolyn in Alameda, California

A: Recycling is not an option for rubber bands, but you can find many creative ideas for reusing them—ranging from winding them around hangers to keep clothes from slipping off to sealing your bags of junk food to wrapping them around jar lids to get a good grip.  

You can also donate the rubber bands to schools for crafts projects, or give a bunch to your local post office or to any business that uses them. The great recycling source, earth911, which lists 100,000 recycling sites for more than 350 items, does show a mail-in service for office supplies, but you’d probably need a viper’s nest–like glob of bands to make a mail-in effort pay off environmentally.