Most of us have a fairly narrow view of what it means to recycle: we gather materials (aluminum, paper, glass, plastic) in blue bins and either leave them on the curb for a pick-up service, or take them to a drop-off point. British site How Do I Recycle This? takes a much broader view of the concept — essentially merging reuse and recycling — and provides a forum where users can submit there own ideas for getting more use out of items that most of us would throw away without a second thought.

If you don't live in Great Britan, don't let the UK URL, or location of publishers Louisa Parrry and John Leach, put you off: there's very little in this blog's many posts that applies only to Brits or Europeans. Furthermore, don't expect the tried and true reuse projects that many of us did when we were kids (i.e., making bird feeders out of milk cartons) — the range of materials and recycling/reuse ideas at How Do I Recycle This? is quite eclectic. Some of the more unusual items:

• Foam pizza/garlic bread bases
• Tablet/pill blister packs
• Shed pet hair
• Dead electric razors
• Old potatoes

Parry and Leach post new items on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and users are welcome to submit suggestions (whether they've successfully reused or recycled them item themselves or not).

The most impressive aspect of the site is its focus on harnessing the ideas of its users: Parry and Leach do offer their own suggestions when they have them, but every post is geared towards gathering ideas from readers. This is Green Web 2.0 in a pretty pure form: anyone can contribute their "authority" on the subject. While some items require an explanation of regulations for safe disposal (i.e. CFLs), the majority of the "trash" listed on the site encourages a free and creative exploration reuse possibilities.

"How Do I Recycle This?" has been online since April, 2006, and appears to have recently grown in its offerings — as recently as April, most posts appeared at the end of the month. I have no doubt, though, that the site's readership will keep it in "junk" that can find a better place than the trash can or landfill. The publishers have also launched a companion site, Compost This, that's a bit more directive, but still very useful.

Speaking at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas yesterday, Dell founder and chairman Michael Dell issued a challenge to the personal computer industry: make free recycling of used computers a standard part of doing business. According to the New York Post, Dell said,

"Today, I challenge every PC maker to join us in providing free recycling for every customer in every country you do business, all the time - no exceptions. … It's the right thing to do for our customers. It's the right thing to do for our earth."

Additionally, Dell announced that the company would also would begin a program called "Plant a Tree for Me," in which customers could elect to have a small portion of their purchase price ($2 for notebooks, $6 for desktops) donated to The Conservation Fund and CarbonFund.org to fund tree-planting efforts. Dell would cover the administrative costs of the program.

This is a smart move by Dell. E-waste recycling isn't mandatory nationwide in the US, but it's likely coming: already some states and local governments have implemented requirements for disposing of used electronics. Carbon regulation is also on the way. Dell not only prepares itself for these requirements, but gets green credibility for making this voluntary move — Greenpeace, for instance, has praised the company's efforts thus far. More and more, these kinds of moves are going to put companies on top not just in terms of eco-consciousness, but also in terms of profitability.

New York Post: Dell: PC Industry Need to Go Green

New York Times: Dell Founder Wants to Offset Energy Consumption

Dell Earth