I am guilty of drinking out of plastic water bottles all the time. I drink several a day. What do I do when I'm done with them? Most of the time I throw the empty plastic water bottle away.
Recently my school and church has been collecting water bottle caps. These caps can also be gatorade bottle caps, milk carton caps, bottled soda caps, and more. At first, I thought this was useless. What could these water bottle caps possibly be used for? But one day, a lady had explained the cause-- these plastic water bottle caps were to be sent off to an organization called Caps of Love. This organization sells these plastic caps to companies that use recycled post-consumer plastic. The money raised by this organization is then used to buy wheelchairs for the disabled.
I never knew that something this small could go a long way. Not throwing out these plastic water bottle caps can reduce our carbon footprint. The great thing about this particular organization is that it also  helps those who are disabled. Not only are we helping the environment, but we are also helping people.
Caps of Love: http://www.capsoflove.com/

Organizations like these are amazing ways to get people involved. Just telling people to recycle like they have heard hundreds of times won't get their attention. By having another cause connected to it like helping the handicapped, they can really inspire people to get involved. I would really be interested to hear about more examples of incorporating helping the planet with helping other people.

I agree with you. However, I feel more attention should be brought to this matter. Not all people understand the consequence of not recycling and reusing. I, for one, never knew beforehand bottlecaps were hazardous. Thus, we should definitely bring more awareness to these pressing matters and their consequences.