In Portland we’re pretty famous for our green living. It’s likely you have a recycling bin at home. You may even wonder how you can recycle more. After all, that garbage bin gets full so fast and it would be great to recycle more of your waste, especially to save money. I know I get dinked seven bucks for every extra bag of trash I have to set on the curb. The more stuff I can cram into my blue bin, the better.

Turns out you can recycle more, and we have the scoop on how. The first and best way to discover what is or isn’t recyclable is to call the Metro Recycling Hotline at 503 234-3000. It’s fast, free and they can answer the what’s and how’s to any recycling question you can imagine. Go ahead and stick the number on your fridge, you’ll need it.

We’ve compiled a recycling list ourselves; giving you tips on how to recycle stuff you probably didn’t even know you could:

Aerosol cans: These can usually be recycled with other cans, as long as you pull off the plastic cap and empty the canister completely.

Antiperspirant and deodorant sticks: Many brands have a dial on the bottom that is made of a plastic polymer different from that used for the container, so your center might not be able to recycle the whole thing (look on the bottom to find out). Tom’s of Maine makes a deodorant stick composed solely of plastic No. 5.

Backpacks: The American Birding Association accepts donated backpacks, which its scientists use while tracking Neotropical birds (americanbirding.org).

Batteries: Recycling batteries keeps hazardous metals out of landfills. Many stores, like RadioShack and Office Depot, accept reusable ones. Car batteries contain lead and can’t go in landfills, because toxic metals can leach into groundwater, but almost any retailer selling them will also collect and recycle them.

Books: In many areas, paperbacks can be tossed in with other paper. Better yet, give your books to friends.

Carpeting (nylon fiber): Go to carpetrecovery.org and click on “What can I do with my old carpet?” to find a carpet-reclamation facility near you, or check with your carpet’s manufacturer. Some carpet makers, like Milliken (millikencarpet.com), Shaw (shawfloors.com), and Flor (flor.com), have recycling programs.

Cell phones: According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, fewer than 20 percent of cell phones are recycled each year, and most people don’t know where to recycle them. The Wireless Foundation refurbishes old phones to give to domestic-violence survivor calltoprotect.org. For information on other cell-phone charities, log on to recyclewirelessphones.com. In some states, like California and New York, retailers must accept and recycle old cell phones at no charge.

Compact fluorescent light bulbs: CFLs contain mercury and shouldn’t be thrown in the trash. IKEA and the Home Depot operate CFL recycling programs; you can also check with your local hardware store or recycling center to see if it offers recycling services.

Computers: You can return used computers to their manufacturers for recycling (check mygreenelectronics.com for a list of vendors) or donate them to a charitable organization (log on to sharetechnology.org or cristina.org). Free Geek (freegeek.org) is a terrific charity in Portland that refurbishes old computers and gives them to people who couldn’t afford one.

Crayons: Send them to the National Crayon Recycle Program (crazycrayons.com) which melts down crayons and reforms them into new ones.