Dear Recycle Lady,
In one of your columns, you said that small plastic bottles less than 3 inches were not acceptable at the Recycling Center. Does the three inches apply to the diameter of the base of the bottles or to the height of the bottles?
Need Clarification
Dear Need Clarification,
Actually, both the diameter and height of a plastic bottle must be greater than 3 inches. Bottles smaller than this can fall in the machinery bringing everything to a halt. There is also another factor to consider when recycling plastic bottles – their content, which is more of a problem than the measurement. Most small bottles originally contained prescription medicines, vitamins, or over the counter medicines of some kind. Left over residues of any of these products could become a contaminant for an entire batch. Thus, the buyers of plastic recyclables will not accept these smaller plastic bottles or larger plastic bottles that have contained prescription medicines, over the counter medicines or vitamins.
Dear Recycle Lady,
Are perfume bottles recyclable? Can old perfume be poured down the sink?
Smelling Good
Dear Smelling Good,
Perfume bottles are made of both glass and plastic, but only the plastic bottles can be recycled locally. As with all plastic bottles, be sure perfume bottles are clean and dry before placing them in the recycling bin. One word of caution when disposing of leftover perfumes: According to wikihow.com/Dispose-of-Perfume, perfumes are made with strong ingredients and chemicals and should not be poured down the drain as they are made with potentially hazardous materials. At this time, no regulations exist for the disposal of perfumes, however, pouring them down the drain is not a good idea. Not only are the chemicals not good for the water supply, but the scent may also linger quite a long time! Treat old or unwanted perfume as you would left-over paint. Put the perfume in a container, mix it with kitty litter or coffee grounds to change the liquid into a solid, and put it in the trash. Although not recyclable, many perfume bottles are made of glass and can be repurposed. See Fragrance.com for 15 ways to upcycle perfume bottles.
Dear Recycle Lady,
I have a large round cardboard core that is very hard and came out of a roll of Gorilla Package Tape. There are smaller versions of this core in rolls of scotch tape. Can cardboard cores be recycled with cardboard?
Packer
Dear Packer,
Cardboard cores and tubes are used as a core by packaging, tape, and storage industries. The cores are made of layers of paper held together by glue. They can be recycled with cardboard, although they are more difficult to recycle than flat cardboard. Essex Tube Windings Ltd., an Eco-friendly corporation, makes these cores out of 100% recycled fiberboard.
Good News: The Scouts/Montwell project of Lewisburg Boy Scout Troop 70, led by Eagle Scout candidate Cole Morgan of Renick, has now collected 950 pounds of plastic film! It looks like they will meet their goal of 1,000 pounds of plastic film by next week – less than two months’ collection time!
Have questions about recycling, or interesting information about recycling. Send questions or requests to grecycle450@gmail.com. Dear Recycle Lady is sponsored jointly by the Greenbrier Recycling Center and Greenworks Recycling.