Dear Recycle Lady

Dear Recycle Lady,

In your Mar. 21, 2020 column, you mentioned paper being made from a number of different sources. You left out a few. Lemongrass, bamboo, and coconut are three that I know of. The website www.ehow.com/how_5887274_make-paper-out-coconut, has an interesting article entitled “How to Make Paper Out of Coconut Fiber.” How to make paper out of lemongrass is on the website, bluecatpaper.com/lemongrass-paper, and  www.bamboogrove.com/bamboo-paper.html tells about making paper out of bamboo.

Paper Maker

Dear Paper Maker,

Thanks so much for adding coconut fiber, lemongrass and bamboo to the list of materials used to make paper in place of wood from trees. The websites are excellent.

Dear Recycle Lady,

I think you previously mentioned in your column that aerosol cans could be recycled with steel cans, but I wasn’t sure if I remembered correctly. Is my memory correct?

Steel or Aluminum

Dear Steel or Aluminum,

Yes, aerosol cans can be recycled.  However, the first thing you must do is check to see if your can is made of steel or aluminum by using a magnet.  If the magnet sticks to the can, it recycles with steel cans. If the magnet does not stick to the can, it recycles with aluminum cans. Second, remove the plastic cap and push the aerosol button until the content of the can is no longer under pressure. Now your can is ready to be recycled. Thanks for your question.

Dear Readers,

This year Earth Hour 2020 will occur on Saturday, Mar. 28, from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. local time. Earth911 says that during Earth Hour people all over the world turn off their lights for one hour on this day to send a universal message about the dire state of the planet and our need to conserve resources. Awareimpact.com indicates Earth Hour is now one of the world’s largest grassroots movements towards a greener planet, engaging millions of people in more than 180 countries and territories. Earth hour is something that the majority of us can do. For those of us who can’t turn off all their lights, even turning off one or two lights contributes to the effort. Earth Hour provides us with a relatively easy way to encourage recycling, to conserve energy and to take better care of our environment.

FYI, for those of you who have pickups by Greenworks, following municipal guidance concerning the Covid-19 situation, they have suspended pickups until a later date.

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.