Smartphone Apps of the Month- April

This April marks the 45th anniversary of Earth Day, so we’re honoring the annual event, and our great planet, with our recommended apps of the month. This month’s apps help smartphone users find local recycling centers for all types of household items and make it easy to explore our beautiful world from the palm of your hand.

iRecycle: Available on Android and iPhone

Note: You may remember I recommended the iRecycle app last year. Since then, the app has added new features, and because I find it so helpful (especially for spring cleaning!), I’m recommending it again. Happy Earth Day!

Have you ever thrown something away because you weren’t sure if it was recyclable? I know I have. It’s typically easy to recycle soup cans, cardboard and plastic water bottles because many cities and counties around the country collect these items. But what do you do with batteries, paint cans, motor oil or items which are too big for the recycling bin? Are they recyclable? And if so, where can you take them? Thankfully, there’s the iRecycle app which can help answer these and other recycling-related questions.

iRecycle makes it easy to find local recycling centers for almost anything. Clean, simple and easy to use, the app provides access to more than a million ways to recycle over 350 materials—everything from aerosol cans to zinc-carbon batteries. Searching is quick and easy and can be done two different ways.

Browse the recycling directory’s 12 color-coded categories or use the search tool to find your item to be recycled. iRecycle uses GPS to direct you to the nearest facility that accepts the material you’re looking to unload based on your location. (Please note: this will use data from your cell phone plan, so we recommend turning GPS off once you’re finished searching.) The app also lists the facility’s contact information, hours of operation and any other materials they accept.

If you find a facility you want to share with a friend or relative, you can now text or email the facility’s information to them or simply post it on Facebook or Twitter right from the app. You can also find news and articles about recycling in the News & Lifestyle section.

Whether you need to do some serious spring cleaning or just want to help do your part for Earth Day, I recommend downloading the iRecycle app.

Google Earth: Available on Android and iPhone

Earth Day is a time to celebrate and help preserve our world by collecting garbage, planting trees, cleaning up coral reefs and much more. But if you’re not able to participate due to work, weather or other reasons, another great way to honor Mother Earth is to become more familiar with our planet. With the Google Earth app, you can tour the rolling green hills of Ireland, explore the polar ice caps or navigate the streets of Rome with a simple swipe of your finger.

Google Earth uses satellite imagery to fly you around the planet, helping users explore everywhere from your hometown to Honduras to Ho Chi Minh City. The intuitive, easy-to-use app lets you quickly search for cities, popular landmarks and businesses with simple strokes, similar to those used on Google Maps and other map apps. With stunning graphics and the ability to zoom to street level view or browse layers including roads, borders, photos and more, you’ll have fun being a virtual tourist.

One of my favorite features is Tour Guide, which helps you find new places to explore. Simply swipe the tab at the bottom of the screen to bring up a selection of photos linked to the area you’re viewing. Click on one of the images and you’ll be taken to the point of interest and offered Wikipedia information on the people, culture and history. Plus, you can view full-screen, user-submitted images of the area.

If you want to take a trip around the globe without leaving your house, I recommend downloading Google Earth and letting the app be your travel guide.