Dear Recycle Lady,
Years ago, soft drinks came in returnable glass bottles. When did soft drink companies like Coca Cola and Pepsi begin using plastic bottles?
Old Timer
Dear Old Timer,
Believe it or not, the first bottled soda water was sold in 1835, but plastic bottles for soft drinks were not used much until 1973. In 1978, Coca Cola introduced polyethylene PET bottles which were lighter and more durable bottles, thus reducing cost. In 1990, Coca-Cola began blending recycled plastic into its bottles. According to www.weforum.org, Americans use, and throw away, 35 billion plastic bottles every year; bottles that will take some 450 years to disintegrate. In 2020, only 27.2% of these plastic bottles were recycled. Hopefully, we will do better than this in 2025. The good news today is that, according to recyclenation.com “the movement toward sustainable living has become a priority, plastic is the enemy rather than the hero it once was developed to be.”
Dear Recycle Lady,
Thanks for the information on using banana peels as fertilizer. How long must the banana peels soak in water before it can be used as a fertilizer?
Need Directions
Dear Need Directions,
To make banana peel water, sometimes called banana peel tea, rinse the peels first to remove any additives or chemicals. Using a glass jar with a lid, fill the jar with banana peels but leave enough space to also fill the jar with water. Add additional peels and water until your jar is full. The peels can be cut in smaller pieces or left as they are. Cover the peels by filling the jar with room temperature tap water and place the lid on tight. Let the mixture in the jar sit for 5 – 7 days to give it time to pull the nutrients out of the peels. Now it’s ready to use. One option is to remove the peels and pour the nutrient rich water on your plants. However, the peels can be tossed into the soil around the base of the plant where they will continue to feed the soil. This process can be repeated every few weeks for each area being fertilized until the end of the season. Making banana peel water is well worth the time it takes to prepare it as it will contain potassium and calcium, both of which help plants grow and fight off diseases.
Dear Recycle Lady,
Does Greenbrier Recycling Center recycle old cell phones?
Trading Up
Dear Trading Up,
Yes, an opportunity for recycling and reusing old cell phones is now available at the Recycle Center. All cell phones brought to the Recycle Center will be donated to Big Sky Recycling that refurnishes old cell phones and donates them to active-duty soldiers, veterans and their families. By collecting the cell phones at the Recycling Center there will be enough of them to request a free prepaid shipping label from Big Sky that provides this service for five or more cell phones. Take them to the door for aluminum cans and put the phones in the yellow basket by the aluminum can door. According to www.Earth911.com, for every million cell phones recycled, 3,500 lbs. of copper and 75 lbs. of gold can be recovered and reused. Plus, when electronics are recycled not only are valuable resources recycled, but toxic materials are disposed of properly and e-wastes are reduced.
Good News: Recycling plastics and disposing of them properly reduces the risk of marine animals ingesting or becoming entangled in plastic debris. This helps protect ocean wildlife and maintain healthy marine ecosystems, ensuring vibrant and thriving oceans for future generations. (Fto.com)
Have questions about recycling, or interesting information about recycling? Send questions or requests to recyclelady7@gmail.com. Dear Recycle Lady is sponsored jointly by the Greenbrier Recycling Center and Greenworks Recycling.
