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| Ahh, to have such a great, green planet... |
These days, one can recycle almost anything. You can recycle plastic, metal, batteries, light bulbs... paper, appliances, even car batteries and old food!
That there ^^^ is a link to a wonderful website that will find the nearest recycling location based on your zip code! Fancy!
Let's talk about plastic. As a growing industry world-wide, plastic producers are thriving. There's plastic cartons, jugs, containers, boxes, wrap, and SO much more. There are 7 different kinds of plastic when it comes to recycling though, so let's take a minute to talk about which ones are harder to recycle than others, and why.
First off: generally, you can't tell one type of plastic from another by touch or smell, so the industry developed those little recycle symbols with the numbers in them, so that you can tell one kind from another. The wrong kind of plastic in a recycling batch can mess up an entire melt! What a waste!
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| These are the plastic symbols I'm talking about. |
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| And now you know! |
Lets delve a little further into it about a few of these. Just because the "recycle" sign (above) is on your containers does not mean that the packaging is recyclable! HUH?!? well, that sign, obviously the recycling symbol ONLY denotes what kind of plastic it's made of, not its recyclability! weird, right? Well, rules are rules, so let's learn some: Generally, only types 1 and 2 are accepted in the bins that the city or trash company will pick up from your curb. Always check with your garbage company, or whoever picks up your recycling. Before you drop off your recycling, check with the faculty at the drop off location. Better yet, call them. Save yourself the trip, and sort right at home!
The kind of plastic that goes into #5 plastic isn't really recyclable. Those yogurt containers and plastic strawberry baskets are really a waste. Preserve Products offers pickup at select Whole Foods Locations. Simply stack your containers until you have enough to justify the trip. Fantastic.
Most caps (think on top of a milk jug) are a different kind of plastic than the container (jug) is. If they have a symbol, great, if not it is easiest to throw them out. Alternatively you can call the milk company and find out what the cap is made of. Finally, reusing the caps as kitty toys is a great option, as those cats love both the ring on the milk jug and the cap more than the expensive toys from the pet stores!
Try using canvas bags for all your shopping, there are stylish ones, there are cheap ones, and once you have a collection, you won't have to buy any more for a long time. Sure you're saving the store money by not using their plastic bags, but you're also saving the environment. If you are in a bind and you really have to use the bags, look for stores that recycle them to make new bags! One that I know of off-hand is Walmart. I'm not a huge Walmart fan, but when I really really really need something for super cheap, it's my guilty pleasure to save money there. More about reusing plastic bags in the next post.
GLASS and METAL RECYCLING
Glass bottles should not be recycled with windows, mirrors, or any other type of glass. The easiest way to recycle most glass bottles is to go to a national grocery chain and deposit them there. If you live in certain states (and the bottle was bought in the same state) you can get money back for them! Clear glass is valuable, colored glass really isn't, but recycling is better than chucking it out your back door or into a landfill.
Aluminum (pop) cans can and should be recycled in grocery stores. You get the money back, and it's convenient. There are steel (tin) cans that are shaped like pop cans (think, Slimfast cans) that should NEVER be recycled with aluminum cans. They're different, and it will ruin the batch. You don't have to remove labels on soup cans. Wash only enough to remove food from inside them, as the recycling process gets the metal so hot, all contaminants are destroyed.
If you buy soy milk, as many people who recycle do, you'll find it incredibly hard to recycle. The packaging (that box that seems to be made of paper) is actually made of layers of plastic, metal, and paper. As you can imagine, that's pretty hard to recycle. Here's a number to call to find out more about where you can recycle these things. 800-888-6488 P.S. Juice Boxes also fall under this category.
PAPER RECYCLING
Wow. So many types of paper! Who knew? (I did/do!) So here are our different categories, and what each one means to us recyclers:
White Office Paper is the poodle of the dog show: fancy and prized. Colored paper, contaminated paper, and low grade paper is not acceptable in this group. The paper wrapping this stuff comes in, funnily enough, is not high enough grade to be recycled in this group. It belongs in the Mixed Paper group.
Corrugated Cardboard is accepted in some recycling plants, but always check first. If not, you can drop it off at many supermarkets, and at places like Sam's Club. Remove all tape, but don't bother with removing the staples.
Newspapers can sometimes be recycled on the side of the road, sometimes only at recycling plants or drop off places. Remove all rubber bands, plastic inserts (if any), and product samples. Tie them up with some twine (not plastic twine) or put them in large brown paper grocery bags. And you're set!
Some phone books are made with a special glue that breaks down in water, while other phone books use a glue that interferes with recycling. Printed in your phone book should be information on the source and type of paper used, the nature of the binding, and where locally phone books can be recycled. Note that many phone companies continue to use virgin rain forest to produce directories. In many communities phone books are only accepted during the time new directories are distributed.
Finally: Mixed Paper is the catch-all for paper recycling. It's gotta be clean, dry, and free of food, plastic, and wax, but staples are ok. Plastic window envelopes are ok.
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| These guys are A-OK for mixed paper recycling! |
REFRIGERATORS AND AIR CONDITIONERS
Most older refrigeration equipment contains freon, a chemical know as a Chlorinated Fluorocarbon or "CFC" for short. Each molecule of a CFC can destroy over 100,000 molecules of the earth's protective ozone coating, leading to increased risk of sunburn, cataracts and skin cancer for the entire population of the planet (human AND animal).
If you are throwing away an old refrigerator, heat pump or air conditioner please be sure the CFC's are drained out and recycled first. Use only a hauler who will perform this important service -- call and ask before you let them take your old equipment away. Before having your car's air conditioner serviced, ask what the shop does with the freon. Never allow a leaking refrigeration system to be recharged.
A number of international treaties, federal and state laws govern the use of CFC's. Handlers of refrigeration equipment can get information on laws and recycling equipment from the American Refrigeration Institute.
Most older refrigeration equipment contains freon, a chemical know as a Chlorinated Fluorocarbon or "CFC" for short. Each molecule of a CFC can destroy over 100,000 molecules of the earth's protective ozone coating, leading to increased risk of sunburn, cataracts and skin cancer for the entire population of the planet (human AND animal).
If you are throwing away an old refrigerator, heat pump or air conditioner please be sure the CFC's are drained out and recycled first. Use only a hauler who will perform this important service -- call and ask before you let them take your old equipment away. Before having your car's air conditioner serviced, ask what the shop does with the freon. Never allow a leaking refrigeration system to be recharged.
A number of international treaties, federal and state laws govern the use of CFC's. Handlers of refrigeration equipment can get information on laws and recycling equipment from the American Refrigeration Institute.
SINGLE USE BATTERIES:
Use the ones you have as you need them, and never buy them again. Although they are collected, they are usually just thrown into more expensive landfills, rather than being recycled. After you are done with that, please, please, please invest in NiMH batteries. A good comparison and shopping site is www.greenbatteries.com.
RECHARGEABLE BATTERIES (not car batteries)
Rechargeable batteries are commonly used in portable telephones, computers, power tools, shavers, electric toothbrushes, radios, video tape recorders and other consumer products. There are a variety of different battery types, some of which contain quite toxic materials.
The Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation (RBRC) is an industry funded group promoting battery recycling. Manufacturers pay a fee to use the logo shown to the right, and to support the costs of the eventual collection of the batteries they sell. Look for (and even insist on seeing) the RBRC logo on rechargeable batteries you buy.
For a nearby drop-off location:
Worn-out batteries are often easily replaced. While many batteries are custom shapes (just you so have to buy a special battery) the chemistry inside is identical. A clever repairperson can replace just about any rechargeable battery.
MOTOR OIL, TIRES, and CAR BATTERIES:
all recyclable, all nasty for the environment if just thrown out. You've heard it before and you'll hear it again... NEVER just dump out your motor oil. It will go straight to the rivers and groundwater, completely unfiltered, and it will kill animals, and provides the possibility of getting you and your neighbors very very ill if drunk even in minuscule quantities. BAD idea. Many auto stores take oil, including Grand Auto, R&S Strauss, Pep-Boys and Wal-Mart. Some states have laws requiring any business that sells oil to take used oil back from consumers. Many quick-lube shops take oil (the industry association encourages it) Call them first to find out! Anti-freeze tastes sweet to animals and children (even to adults), and WILL kill. horribly. Keep it out of reach of young ones and curious cats and dogs, then get rid of it safely. Never mix anything with motor oil. It makes the oil un-recyclable.
Usually you'll have to pay a fee from 1-5 dollars to get rid of your tires properly, but it's worth it. Tires have that air that's caught in the middle, making them usually rise to the top of landfills. Water collects on the inside, breeding mosquitoes, and spreading disease. Finally, your old car battery may be worth money, and even if not, any car parts shop will take it off your hands.
SOME INFO ON COMPUTER PRINTER RELATED ITEMS
Most printer cartridges are easily recycled, refilled or re-built. But printer vendors sell the printer cheap, and make their real money selling supplies. They don't want you be environmental.
The "right" environmental solution is to sell new cartridges with a postage paid mailer for returning the old one. Some forward-thinking companies, such as Hewlett-Packard, have been known to do this, especially for laser printers. Sometimes you can find free envelopes for donating cartridges to a refiller, but don't bother with refill kits. They may save money, but they are messy, and you use as much plastic as a new cartridge. You can turn these cartridges in to any Office Supply or stores like it (just call to find out!).
To make a difference, buy recycled paper for your printer (because of the fine grain, it can look better than regular sliced trees). Grab piles of "blank on one side" paper from work, and use the other side. And always buy recycled. See The Yahoo! Recycled Printer Supplies Listing.
Encourage your company to buy a printer with duplexing (two sided printing), and to hire a company to take away waste paper regularly. WARNING: You may have a recycle bin at your company. Stay a little late one night and ask the cleaning people where it goes. You may be in for a shock.
FINALLY... (wowowowow long post) COMPOSTING
Food and yard scraps placed in a special bin are converted into valuable garden soil in a matter of weeks. Compost bins are available at garden stores & nurseries. Composting can easily reduce by half the volume of material a household sends to a landfill. If you don't care about accelerating the processing, just keep adding material at the top. Just try to keep a balance of dry "brown" materials and fresh "green" material. For more technical information, try visiting the On-line Composting Center.
Lots of things you'd otherwise throw away can be composted, including wine bottle corks, cooking oils, certain types of foam packing peanuts, used paper towels, dryer lint, etc. If it is natural, you can probably compost it without trouble!
The Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation (RBRC) is an industry funded group promoting battery recycling. Manufacturers pay a fee to use the logo shown to the right, and to support the costs of the eventual collection of the batteries they sell. Look for (and even insist on seeing) the RBRC logo on rechargeable batteries you buy.
For a nearby drop-off location:
- Call 1-800-8BATTERY.
- Visit the RBRC drop of location finder.
- Try your local Radio Shack store.
Worn-out batteries are often easily replaced. While many batteries are custom shapes (just you so have to buy a special battery) the chemistry inside is identical. A clever repairperson can replace just about any rechargeable battery.
MOTOR OIL, TIRES, and CAR BATTERIES:
all recyclable, all nasty for the environment if just thrown out. You've heard it before and you'll hear it again... NEVER just dump out your motor oil. It will go straight to the rivers and groundwater, completely unfiltered, and it will kill animals, and provides the possibility of getting you and your neighbors very very ill if drunk even in minuscule quantities. BAD idea. Many auto stores take oil, including Grand Auto, R&S Strauss, Pep-Boys and Wal-Mart. Some states have laws requiring any business that sells oil to take used oil back from consumers. Many quick-lube shops take oil (the industry association encourages it) Call them first to find out! Anti-freeze tastes sweet to animals and children (even to adults), and WILL kill. horribly. Keep it out of reach of young ones and curious cats and dogs, then get rid of it safely. Never mix anything with motor oil. It makes the oil un-recyclable.
Usually you'll have to pay a fee from 1-5 dollars to get rid of your tires properly, but it's worth it. Tires have that air that's caught in the middle, making them usually rise to the top of landfills. Water collects on the inside, breeding mosquitoes, and spreading disease. Finally, your old car battery may be worth money, and even if not, any car parts shop will take it off your hands.
SOME INFO ON COMPUTER PRINTER RELATED ITEMS
Most printer cartridges are easily recycled, refilled or re-built. But printer vendors sell the printer cheap, and make their real money selling supplies. They don't want you be environmental.
The "right" environmental solution is to sell new cartridges with a postage paid mailer for returning the old one. Some forward-thinking companies, such as Hewlett-Packard, have been known to do this, especially for laser printers. Sometimes you can find free envelopes for donating cartridges to a refiller, but don't bother with refill kits. They may save money, but they are messy, and you use as much plastic as a new cartridge. You can turn these cartridges in to any Office Supply or stores like it (just call to find out!).
To make a difference, buy recycled paper for your printer (because of the fine grain, it can look better than regular sliced trees). Grab piles of "blank on one side" paper from work, and use the other side. And always buy recycled. See The Yahoo! Recycled Printer Supplies Listing.
Encourage your company to buy a printer with duplexing (two sided printing), and to hire a company to take away waste paper regularly. WARNING: You may have a recycle bin at your company. Stay a little late one night and ask the cleaning people where it goes. You may be in for a shock.
FINALLY... (wowowowow long post) COMPOSTING
Food and yard scraps placed in a special bin are converted into valuable garden soil in a matter of weeks. Compost bins are available at garden stores & nurseries. Composting can easily reduce by half the volume of material a household sends to a landfill. If you don't care about accelerating the processing, just keep adding material at the top. Just try to keep a balance of dry "brown" materials and fresh "green" material. For more technical information, try visiting the On-line Composting Center.
Lots of things you'd otherwise throw away can be composted, including wine bottle corks, cooking oils, certain types of foam packing peanuts, used paper towels, dryer lint, etc. If it is natural, you can probably compost it without trouble!
And that's more than you'll ever need to know about recycling!
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| Beautiful |
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