That fur you brushed from your pet can be used for valuable purposes, officials say. That fur you brushed from your pet can be used for valuable purposes, officials say. Photo: Hendrik Schmidt, AFP/Getty Images Photo: Hendrik Schmidt, AFP/Getty Images Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close Image 1 of 3 That fur you brushed from your pet can be used for valuable purposes, officials say. That fur you brushed from your pet can be used for valuable purposes, officials say. Photo: Hendrik Schmidt, AFP/Getty Images Contact lenses, pet fur and other surprising recyclables 1  /  3 Back to Gallery Recycling used to be so simple: aluminum cans, glass bottles, newspapers and paper bags. The sheer amount of disposable items has turned a garbage problem into a garbage crisis, says Tom Szaky, founder and chief executive of TerraCycle.