Dear Recycle Lady,
In one of your columns you said that small 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 the bottles must be greater than 3 inches. There is, however, another factor to consider. The contents of these small bottles are more of a problem than the measurement of the bottles. Most of these small bottles originally contained prescription medicines, vitamins or over the counter meds of some kind, which makes them unrecyclable. Left over residues of any of these products could become a contaminant for the entire batch. Thus, the buyers of plastic recyclables will not accept them.
Dear Recycle Lady,
I am replacing my florescent tube lights with LED lights. How do I dispose of the florescent lights?
Energy Saver
Dear Energy Saver,
Thanks for converting to LED lights. They are long lasting and a great energy saver. Lowes in Lewisburg is currently accepting florescent tubes for recycling. They also accept LED light bulbs. Take your tubes in a box to the customer service area of Lowes and leave them in the area with other recyclables.
Dear Recycle Lady,
Recently, I had a neighbor dump all her grass clippings in my yard. Additionally, a summer storm brought down several tree branches. With fall coming I will have lots of leaves to rake. Are there any environmentally friendly ways of dealing with these downed branches, grass clippings and fallen leaves?
Fallen Leaves
Dear Fallen Leaves,
This time of year brings with it downed branches, sticks and lots of leaves. Any downed branches that you have in your yard should be put out for trash pickup. Do not put them in the road as they become a driving hazard. When raking leaves in your yard, please do not rake or blow them into the road, curb or ditch line. They will clog drains and injection wells. Bags of leaves of local residents may be dropped off at the city shop located on Feamster Road Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Be sure there is no other debris or trash mixed in as the leaves are used for compost material. Residential customers will need to sign in at the city shop prior to dumping leaves. An employee will dump the leaves in the compost pile for you. Come spring, the compost made will be available to local residents for pickup free of charge. This bulk leaf drop off service is not available to commercial lawn services. If you have any questions, call Becky White at 304-645-1833.
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.
