Dear Recycle Lady,
My kids do lots of projects with colorful construction paper. Can it be recycled?
Artsy Reader
Dear Artsy Reader,
Unfortunately, your construction paper can’t be recycled locally, and very few locations have the special equipment necessary to do so. Construction paper, also known as sugar paper, is used primarily for children’s drawings and craft projects. It is a heavy paper made from wood pulp and was originally used to make bags for sugar, thus the name sugar paper. In the late 17th century, these sugar bags were used as packaging for macaroons made by English confectionery bakers. In the 19th century, with the advent of industrialized paper manufacturing, construction paper was advertised as a canvas to be used for holding several children’s drawings. The brilliant primary colors used in producing this construction paper came from Germany. With the onset of World War 1, Germany stopped exporting the dyes so synthetic dyes were then used which had a wider range of colors but tended to fade over time.
Dear Recycle Lady,
Last week you wrote about compostable dog waste bags. However, what is the value of a compostable bag when dog waste can’t be composted?
Dog Lover
Dear Dog Lover,
You are correct when you say dog waste can’t be composted. Dog waste can contain parasites and harmful bacteria such as E. coli and Salmonella which require much higher temperatures to kill than is reached in home composting. Thus, composting dog wastes is not recommended. According to Environmental Protection Agency, just two or three days of waste from 100 dogs can contribute enough bacteria, nitrogen and phosphorous to close 20 miles of bay-watershed to swimming and shell fishing. Currently, the only solution is sending the bagged waste to the landfill, but problems exist even there because dog waste produces methane. Researchers are now studying options for better, more environmentally friendly ways for processing the 10.3 million tons of dog waste produced each year.
Dear Recycle Lady,
Why can’t bags of recyclables be left at the Recycling Center in Ronceverte? We just moved here and where we lived before took recyclables all in one bag.
Why Sort Recyclables
Dear Why Sort Recyclables,
You must have lived in a very large city that had the expensive equipment necessary for sorting mixed recyclables, equipment the Recycling Center doesn’t have. Not only do we not have that equipment, we are short staffed, so our employees don’t have time to sort bags of recyclables. Five large trash bags of recyclables were left at the Recycling Center last week, and those bags of valuable recyclables are now in the landfill. As much as we wantedto sort the recyclables in all those bags, therejust was not time to do so.
Good News: On Jan. 1, 2025, the state of Minnesota will implement a sweeping ban on products that contain PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as “forever chemicals.” (fto.com)
Have questions about recycling, or interesting information about recycling? Send questions or requests Recyclelady7@gmail.com. Dear Recycle Lady is sponsored jointly by the Greenbrier Recycling Center and Greenworks Recycling.
