Product Preview: Mode All-In-One Recycling Centers

In 2007, Americans recycled or composted more than 33 percent of the 254 million tons of household trash they generated, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (PDF). And, says the EPA, almost 64 percent of that household trash consists of paper, metals, plastics, and glass, which are ideal candidates for recycling.

The new All-in-One Recycling Centers from Mode Products could help you wrangle all that waste, and at 30-inch-high x 17-inch-deep x 15-inch-wide, they're designed to fit in a kitchen or mudroom. (A premium model is shown; the deluxe version is 2 inches shorter.)

The units can reduce your trash volume by as much as 66 percent, depending on the structure and thickness of the containers, claims Larry Kahn, president of Verde Home Products, which makes the recycling centers.

A hinged cover hides a foot-operated compacting unit that, says the manufacturer, can crush up to 12-ounce aluminum cans and 8-ounce to 2-liter plastic bottles. The compacted containers then fall into an 8-gallon bin, which you can line with low-density-polyethylene bags that are themselves recyclable. You deposit glass and steel containers directly into the bin through another hinged cover, which has a built-in charcoal filter that's supposed to control odors. A front-mounted 5-gallon bin serves as a repository for newspapers, cardboard, and junk mail, and a built-in battery-powered clock that you can program to alert you on recycling days in your neighborhood.

The premium model, $250 to $300, can even track the weight of the materials you've recycled to the nearest half pound. The deluxe version, $200, lacks the compaction unit. A 20-pack of bags costs $8.—Gian Trotta | e-mail | Twitter

Essential information: Learn about "precycling," which can help you cut your waste stream. And read about How Can I RecycleThis?, which offers neat uses for all kinds of items that would otherwise likely end up in the trash.