Dear Recycle Lady,
I am trying to recycle an empty can of cleanser. The can is made of cardboard and has a metal top and bottom, both of which I cut off with a sharp knife. I was able to remove the cardboard remaining on the metal bottom, but not the cardboard on the metal top. Now what?
Housecleaner
Dear Housecleaner,
Good job preparing an item for recycling. The cardboard can is recyclable with cardboard. Be sure to wipe out the inside of the can with a dry cloth to remove any remnants of the cleanser. Before recycling the metal bottom and top determine whether they are steel or aluminum and place them both in the appropriate bin. The small amount of cardboard on the metal top doesn’t affect recycling.
Dear Recycle Lady,
Is bubble wrap recyclable? If not, how does one get rid of it?
Popper
Dear Popper,
Yes, bubble wrap is recyclable with plastic film and can be recycled at Kroger, Lowes, and Wal-Mart. However, before you recycle your bubble wrap consider the many uses for it. You may want to store some for future use. Each year enough bubble wrap is used for all kinds of packaging to wrap around the Earth’s equator 20 times – a distance of five million miles! Disposing of this much bubble wrap is a problem, especially since it takes up to 1,000 years for it to decompose in a landfill. Fortunately, there are several alternatives to putting bubble wrap in the trash. It can be saved to use for future packages, for protecting stored items, or for art and DIY projects. It can also be used for insulation. Place it in your grocery bag to help keep cold foods cold, use it to protect plants from frost damage or to insulate outdoor plants during the winter. Businesses or organizations that ship packages, like Post Net located north of town, will appreciate having it. To donate bubble wrap to Post Net, open the outside door and place your bubble wrap against the wall to the right of the door. The worst choice, of course, is to put it in the trash.
Dear Recycle Lady,
What are nurdles? They must have something to do with plastics.
Confused
Dear Confused,
Nurdles are the very tiny plastic pellets that are the building blocks for manufacturing plastic products. They are a microplastic, as they are smaller than 5mm (0.2 inches) so takes over 600 nurdles to make one small plastic bottle. Not only are nurdles in everything plastic, they are everywhere – inside marine life, wildlife, birds, soil, vegetables, rain, snow, and human bodies. Millions of them wash up on coastal beaches, riverbanks, and lakes every year and will remain in the environment for centuries. They cause environmental damage and disrupt many ecosystems as they are harmful to birds and fish which mistake them for eggs and eat them. Nurdles can be poisonous when eaten by fish and they can then enter the human food chain when the fish are caught and put on the market.
Interesting Information: My sister-in-law and her son found evidence of the longevity of plastic when they found two perfect plastic eggs while working in a garden area that hadn’t been used for at least 20 years. Has anyone else found an object that withstood the test of time?
Have questions about recycling, or interesting information about recycling? Send questions or requests Recyclelady7@gmail.com. Dear Recycle Lady is sponsored jointly by the Greenbrier Recycling Center and Greenworks Recycling.
