Dear Recycle Lady,
I have spent the morning tying up stacks of newspapers, white paper and magazines to take to the Recycling Center. Is it really worth all this time and effort?
Wondering
Dear Wondering,
Absolutely, it is worth the effort. According to the Department of Facilities of MIT, recycling one ton of paper saves 17 trees,7,000 gallons of water, 390 gallons of oil, 4,200 kWh (enough to heat a home for half a year), and3 cubic yards of land fill space. It also prevents 60 pounds of air pollutants and reduces greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to driving a car for 26,000 miles. Before you think that this is an impossible amount of recycled paper, consider that the Greenbrier Recycling Center shipped out 21.1 tons of paper in February. Just think what local people who recycled paper saved in trees, water, oil, landfill space, and energy! That’s 359 trees, 147,700 gallons of water, 8,229 gallons of oil, 88,620 kWh, and 63 cubic yards of landfill space saved, and 266 pounds of air pollutants prevented. Hurrah for everyone who recycles!!!
Dear Recycle Lady,
Some, if not all, black plastic food containers have a recycle number on them. However, when I Googled “recycle black plastic,” it said that the machines which read the numbers cannot read the black ones.
Curious Recycler
Dear Curious Recycler,
Black plastics of all kinds are not recyclable, regardless of the number. This is mainly due to the black color and the fact that black plastics are a contaminate when mixed with other plastics. The black color is created by adding a carbon black pigment to the plastic that makes it invisible to the optical sorting machines. Carbon black also has carcinogenic properties so black plastics contain unknown amounts of toxic chemicals, including heavy metals and flame retardants, that can leach into food and be hazardous to your health. Studies are currently being conducted to see if microwaving black containers also causes carbon black to leach into food and thus, it is not recommended. To make matters worse, black plastic does not biodegrade and will remain in a landfill for hundreds of years, thus contributing to greenhouse gas emissions.
Dear Recycle Lady,
What types of paper can be put in the compost pile? Must it be clean or can food soiled paper be added to the pile?
Love My Compost
Dear Love My Compost,
The best option for clean, dry paper is to recycle it. (See question one.) However, paper that is wet, that has been contaminated by food, or used as a paper towel can’t be recycled, but it breaks down perfectly in a compost pile. White tissue paper can also be composted. It is mainly cellulose and it breaks down quickly due to its short fibers, especially if you shred it or tear it into small pieces.Tissue paper that has additives such as color dyes, patterns, fragrances, or a plastic or wax coating cannot be composted. Kleenex issues or wipes can’t be composted either due to additives. Paper is considered a brown additive to your compost pile. Be sure to add a mixture of green materials such as kitchen scraps, coffee grounds, and fresh grass clippings and some brown material such as dry leaves, shredded cardboard and brown paper to the pile. For optimum decomposition, a ratio of nitrogen-rich green materials to carbon rich brown items is 1/3 green and 2/3 brown is best.
Sad News: Since 1976, West Virginia’s Monarch population has declined by 90%, according to the WV Division of Natural Resources. This decline is attributed to loss of milkweed plants and heavy use of pesticides. The DNR suggests growing native milkweed, leaving parts of a field un-mowed, and refraining from cutting milkweed and other flowers along roadsides.
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.
