Dear Recycle lady

Dear Recycle Lady,

This year I am trying to wrap all my gifts in recyclable wrapping paper, as I want to be more aware of the environment and waste. Does this wrapping paper go in the newspaper or magazine bin?

Wrapper

Dear Wrapper,

Thanks for being aware of waste and the environment. If more people were like you, there would be a healthier environmentand less waste. Unfortunately, the local Recycling Center is unable to recycle recyclable wrapping paper, so please don’t put it in either bin. With care, your wrapping paper can be rolled or folder and reused next year. If your recyclable wrapping paper is biodegradable, or a hemp-blend, it can be added to your compost pile or bin. Have you tried using alternatives to wrapping paper such as a decorative tin boxes, reusable shopping bags, cloth drawstring bags, tablecloths, kitchen towels, gift bags, or a decorative basket? Newspaper is recyclable and can be used to wrap gifts, especially the comics.

Dear Recycle Lady,

What is “extended producer responsibility?”

More New Vocabulary

Dear More New Vocabulary,

According to Wikipedia, Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) is a strategy to add all environmental costs associated with a product throughout the product’s life cycle to the market price of the product. It was first introduced in 1990 by Thomas Lindhqvist in Sweden. The primary aim of EPR is to decrease the total environmental impact of a product by making the manufacturer responsible for the entire life of the product, including materials used, packaging, final disposal, recycling, and take-back. Take-back being a component of circular business models that put materials back into use as opposed to going to the landfill.

Dear Recycle Lady,

When my newspapers were delivered just before Black Friday, there seemed to be more advertisements bundled together inside the paper than there was newspaper. The ads were a mixture of slicks and colored newsprint. However, there were some of the advertisements that I didn’t know whether they were slicks or newsprint. How can I tell the difference, so I know whether to put the ads in with newspapers or as slicks in with magazines?

Confused Reader

Dear Confused Reader,

I understand your confusion. Some newspaper ads appear to be slicks but are actually good quality color print on newsprint. The ads that are slicks are generally printed on heavier paper than the ones than the ones that are printed on newsprint. Try wetting a small corner of an ad that you know is newsprint and the corner of an ad that you know is a slick. When you complete this test, the corner of the ad that is a slick will still look like a slick. The corner of the ad that looks like a slick, but is newsprint, will tear and feel like a newspaper, not a slick.If you are not sure which kind of paper the ad is on, put the ad in the magazine/slick bin, not the newspaper bin.

Interesting information: Believe it or not, the great Greek philosopher Aristotle (384-322 BCE) is referred to as the “father of marine biology. He spent a considerable part of his life studying the distribution and habits of marine species and was the first to record observations of marine life more than 2,500 years ago!

Looking for Information on recycling Christmas trees: Does anyone know where Christmas trees will be recycled or added to a body of water? If so, please email so me I can pass on the information.

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.