With Thanksgiving a day away, many homeowners across the nation are looking forward to a long weekend filled with good food, football and seeing loved ones. But the holidays are also the time of year where homes can suffer the most damage, from spilled juice or food, tracked mud or dirt or something else. And after many years of such things, your flooring is bound to show what it’s been through.

If you’re like many Americans, the first step you took towards greener living might have been recycling, separating your bottles and pop cans from the rest of your garbage. In fact, these days, it’s altogether common for weekly trash pickups to be separated into regular and recyclables, which include paper, plastic and glass. But did you know that’s not all that’s recyclable?

In fact, there’s one very large item you might be surprised to learn can be turned into reusable materials: carpeting.

According to the site CarpetRecovery.org, there are a number of solutions for fully utilizing your old carpet. And this small step makes a big difference.

Here are the facts: for every 1,000 square feet of diverted carpeting, recycling saves 440 gallons of oil; 10,000,000 BTUs; and 4,500 pounds that would have gone to a landfill.

That’s right: what to you is damaged, stained, maybe wet carpeting is the equivalent of more than two tons of waste. So consider saving it to be recycled!

If you’re interested in ripping out your old carpeting anytime soon, here are some resources worth checking out!

• Carpet America Recovery Effort
• Daily Danny
• Green Home Guide