Dear Recycle Lady, Recently I saw a question about disposable diapers. I was disappointed you didn't suggest using cloth diapers. Was this because of the natural resource of water used to clean the cloth diapers or an oversight? My daughter used cloth diapers for the whole time her baby was in diapers. I highly recommend them. They are costly at first but well worth it. Trying to Discourage Any More Diapers in the Landfill. Dear Trying to Discourage Any More Diapers in the Landfill, You are absolutely correct. Using cloth diapers saves landfill space, and also helps keep plastic out of the environment. Not mentioning cloth diapers was oversight on my part as I just answered the question asked, which was “Do disposable diapers contain plastic?” and didn’t elaborate. Thanks for calling it to my attention. Dear Recycle Lady, I recently purchased a handbag that looks and feels like leather. However, the attached tag read: PETA - APPROVED VEGAN. What exactly does this label tell us? Puzzled and Curious Dear Puzzled and Curious, Congratulations on being stylish and animal-friendly, but perhaps not environmentally friendly. Since your product is approved by both PETA, an animal rights organization, and vegans, who do not eat or use animal products, your handbag is definitely not leather. It is made from vegan leather, or what used to be called faux leather. According to www.peta.org/.../what-is-vegan-leather, vegan leather is often made from polyurethane (PU), a polymer commonly used in the plastics and composites industry or it is made from sustainable materials such as pineapple leaves, cork, apple peels, and other fruit wastes and recycled plastic.”The most commonly used material is polyvinyl chloride (PCV) which is a plastic based material. Items may not be made of leather, but many vegan leather bags, shoes and accessories look as smart and luxurious as real leather. Dear Recycle Lady, What is the water cycle and what does the ocean have to do with it? Oceanographer Dear Oceanographer, The water cycle is what sustains all life on earth. It is water’s journey from the land to the sky and back again. This journey consists of evaporation that moves water into the air, condensation that vaporizes it and moves it upward and precipitation that moves water from the air to land. All water is essentially recycled water! According to www.reference.com/science/water-cycle-important, the water cycle keeps the Earth’s water clean, distributes the water across the planet’s surface, maintains aquatic ecosystems and aids in the process of plant growth. The ocean plays a key role in the water cycle. According to Freetheocean.com, not only does the ocean hold 97% of the total water on the planet, but it also holds 78% of global precipitation that occurs over the ocean! The ocean is also the source of 86% of global evaporation. 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.
