Dear Recycle Lady,
I took my old Christmas tree lights that didn’t work to the Greenbrier Recycling Center and they paid me for them.
Recycler
Dear Recycler,
You are absolutely correct. I checked with the Recycling Center and they are paying 5 cents a pound for old Christmas tree lights. It doesn’t matter whether the lights work or not. It’s the copper in them that is valuable.
Dear Recycle Lady,
Why should we recycle paper? Paper that goes in the trash and then into the landfill decomposes fairly quickly and doesn’t leave any toxic waste.
Wondering
Dear Wondering,
Good Question. There are several reasons for recycling paper. One of the biggest reasons is that it saves water and trees. To produce a dollar’s worth of paper takes about six gallons of water. Recycling a pound of paper, which usually weighs less than an average Sunday newspaper, saves about 3.5 gallons of water. According to Conservatree, it takes approximately 24 trees and 35 to 40 gallons of water to produce a pound of paper. Saving 17 trees would absorb 250 pounds of carbon dioxide and produce over 10,000 pounds of oxygen. Use less paper, recycle paper, love a tree and help the environment.
Dear Recycle Lady,
I am in the process of organizing my files, so I have lots of used manila folders and sticky notes. Can they be recycled?
Organizer
Dear Organizer,
Yes, both of these items can be recycled. The manila folders can go in with cardboard, and sticky notes go in office paper.
Have questions about recycling, or interesting information about recycling? Send questions or requests to recyclelady@greenbrier-swa.com. Dear Recycle Lady is sponsored jointly by the Greenbrier Recycling Center and Greenworks Recycling.