Dear Recycle Lady,
I am cleaning out my home office and I have several manuals that are out of date. Can these manuals be recycled?
Techie
Dear Techie,
All paper manuals can be recycled with magazines, regardless of size. However, if any of your manuals have a metal or plastic binding, be sure to remove this binding before recycling the manual.
Dear Recycle Lady,
Last Christmas I was given a wonderful gift of chocolate candy. The delicious morsels came in a very attractive metal box, which I saved, but now must discard. The magnet test showed that the box is made of steel, not aluminum. Can this box be recycled with steel cans?
Candy Lover Who Recycles
Dear Candy Lover Who Recycles,
Yes, it can be recycled with steel cans. Thanks for using the magnet test to determine that your candy box is steel. That tells you that it can be recycled with steel cans. All that is left to be sure than the box is empty and clean. Lucky you to receive such a great gift; one that is consumable and has recyclable packaging. Good for the environment also.
Dear Recycle Lady,
Are aerosol cans that contained paint recyclable?
Painter
Dear Painter,
Yes, aerosol cans that contained paint can be recycled. According to the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), it doesn’t matter if the original content was food, sunscreen or a hazardous material like paints or pesticides. They are all recyclable with steel cans. RCRA goes on to say that empty aerosol cans are not considered Household Hazard Waste (HHW), which is why content doesn’t matter. Just be sure the can is empty. The easiest way to make sure it’s empty is to shake the can and listen for liquid inside, or spray until nothing comes out. DO NOT puncture a hole in the can to remove any remaining product, as the can will explode and hurt you. You should not attempt to remove the spray nozzle on top of the can.
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. Looking for the answer to a previous recycling question? Both the Recycling Center: (http://greenbrier-swa.com) and Greenworks (https://greenworksrecyclingwv.com/dear-recycle-lady) have websites with questions and answers from all previous columns.
