Dear Recycle Lady

Dear Recycle Lady,
Must the plastic windows in envelopes be removed before recycling them in office paper?
Recycler
Dear Recycler,
The plastic windows of envelopes recycled at the local Recycle Center do not need to be removed. They will be filtered out during the pulping process. However, not all recycling centers can recycle envelopes with windows, so if your envelopes are going to be recycled at another facility, check with them before leaving the windows in place. This is also true for tissue boxes that have a plastic insert. They can be recycled locally without removing the plastic. One word of caution: don’t put large envelopes with large plastic windows in materials to be shredded as they may cause the equipment to jam. When bringing materials to the Recycle Center to be shredded, be sure all envelopes have been opened and checked for non-paper items such as slicks, credit cards, or coins.

Dear Recycle Lady,
I have several aerosol cans that are partially full. Can they be recycled as is, or should I empty them first?
Spray Can User

Dear Spray Can User,
It is best to empty all aerosol cans before recycling. There are two ways to accomplish this. First, hold down the spray nozzle until nothing comes out or second, shake the can until you can’t hear any liquid remaining in the can. Never puncture a hole in the can to determine if there is any product left inside as the can will explode and could injure you. Aerosol cans are made of either steel or aluminum, both of which are high-value metals. The Recycling Center accepts all of these cans and recycles them with steel cans, regardless of whether they are steel or aluminum.

Dear Recycle Lady,
What is organic plastic? I thought all plastics were made with petroleum products.
Don’t Believe It

Dear Don’t Believe It,
According to www.bbc.com/news/magazine, organic plastics are plastics that are designed to decompose. Dr. Jeremy Tomkinson, who advises the UK government on bio-fuels and bio-materials says that “the main thrust at the moment is Polyethylene.” Several compostable products are under experimentation. One possibility is Polylactic acid (PLA), which is derived from cornstarch, the same stuff that corn flakes are largely made of. Plastic bags and fibers for clothing can be made of PLA. The plant material Cellulose, when turned into celluloid, can be made into food wrapper cellophane or fiber rayon. Recently, Coca Cola and Pepsi have been in competition to see who can first use a 100% bio-plastic PET bottle. Pepsi won! The bio-plastic bottles were made from sugar cane, which can be converted into ethylene, polythene, and PET.
Good News: The Early BKK café in Bangkok, Thailand is not your ordinary coffee shop. It’s made entirely of recycled and repurposed materials designed to promote zero waste and sustainability to the community. (fto.com)
A belated Happy Global Recycling Day. It is celebrated every year on March 18 to encourage everyone to look at new ways to recycle and to help change the thinking and actions of businesses, governments, communities, and individuals.
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.