Dear Recycle Lady

Dear Recycle Lady,
Can the plastic bags that newspapers come in to keep them dry be recycled? Can they be recycled even if they are wet?
Newspaper Carrier
Dear Newspaper Carrier,
As long as they are clean and dry, the plastic bags that your newspapers sometimes come in can be recycled at Kroger, Walmart and Lowe’s. Plastic newspaper bags, or for that matter Saran Wrap, plastic wraps, or films that are wet or dirty should not be recycled. When in doubt, throw it out. This avoids contamination of other bags, wraps and films.
Hello Recycle Lady,
Did you know there is a mail-in recycling program for old nylon stockings? Recycled Crafts accepts nylon tights and pantyhose in any condition. For more information, contact them at recycledcrafts@live.com.
Hosiery Recycler
Dear Hosiery Recycler,
Thanks for the information about recycling old nylon stockings and panty hose. Since the link you provided is an email address, I found another website on the subject, swedishstockings.com/pages/recycling-club that recycles pantyhose and stockings. They grind up old nylons and pantyhose into a filler material for industrial fiberglass tanks. The commercial industry uses these tanks to separate grease from water when cleaning up places like gas stations or restaurants. According to brightlifedirect.com, nylon was first produced in the 1920s by DuPont and nylon is the primary fiber in most hosiery products. DuPont combined extracts from coal and petroleum chemicals to make nylon, which is non-biodegradable, and takes 30 or 40 years to decompose. The website lists twenty-some great ideas for reusing pantyhose.
Dear Recycle Lady,
White Sulphur Springs is a railway station for Amtrak passenger trains. I know they have made several changes in the cars that make up the train. What happens to old train cars once they are taken out of service?
Train Trips are Fun
Dear Train Trips are Fun,
According to Chicago Transit Authority, most old train cars are sold for scrap metal after they have been used for 25 years or so. Some cars go to museums, movie sets, or the military for training purposes. However, the public transit agency in Atlanta, Georgia, has another idea. The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) plans to drop old subway cars into the Atlantic Ocean to create new artificial reef habitats for fish and other marine life. Crabs, shrimp, worms, and plants are all attracted to the sunken cars. Before dropping the cars into the ocean, they are cleaned of oil, grease, and any other chemicals. All excess parts are removed. New York has also dropped subway cars into the ocean off the coasts of Delaware and New Jersey to create habitats for underwater marine life. According to curbed.com, approximately 2,500 subway cars had been dropped into the ocean by 2010. The “Redbird Reef” off the coast of South Carolina is a thriving underwater ecosystem with fish, coral, and other sea creatures that is comprised of 200 subway cars. Using old subway cars to create new habitats for marine life is a great example of adaptive reuse by showing how old, broken-up items can have a new life in an entirely new form.

Good News:

More than 100 countries now have a full or partial ban on single-use plastic bags! (fto.com)
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.