Dear Recycle Lady

Dear Readers,

Let’s celebrate Earth Day this Friday, Apr. 22. Come and join us at the Recycling Center’s Open House, 450 Monroe Avenue, Ronceverte. Enjoy a tour of the facility from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Employees will be there to answer questions and show you around. Free hot dogs with all the trimmings will served from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and the Recycle Lady will be there to answer questions about recycling. Kudos to the readers who sent some great suggestions for Earth Day Projects. There isn’t enough room for all of them in this column so there will be more in weeks to come.

Dear Recycle Lady,

Here is my suggestion for an Earth Day project. I cut banana peels into small pieces and put them around rose bushes. The peels turn brown, disintegrate and fertilize the plants.

Do It Yourselfer

Dear Do It Yourselfer,

Great idea! Planting very small pieces of banana peels directly into the soil, as you suggest, will not only fertilize the soil, but it will help keep the bugs away. Since banana peels are approximately 42% potassium, which is one of the essential nutrients for healthy plant growth, banana peels are an excellent fertilizer for plants. According to several websites, there are a couple other ways to make banana fertilizer. One option is to cut the banana peels in small pieces, put them in a jar and cover with water. After they have soaked in the water for a week or so, pour the water around the base of your plants. Add leftover banana peels to your compost. Another option is to dry out the cut-up pieces of banana peels by putting them in the sun or in an oven at a low temperature with door ajar, then bury them around your plants. Happy gardening to all!

Dear Recycle Lady,

Last week you talked about adding eggshells to flower beds. They can also be used to start seedings in early spring. I put eggshells halves in an empty egg carton, fill each one with a seed starting mix, and add a couple seeds. When plants are ready, put eggshells and all directly into the garden. Before planting the seedlings in the soil, I crack the shells just a bit so the roots can grow out of the shell. Otherwise, they may be root-bound.

Gardner

Dear Gardner,

Thanks for a great way to not only use eggshells to start your garden, but to fertilize your plants at the same time. Plus, you are also eliminating waste that takes up space in the landfill. Small actions lead to large results.

Dear Recycle Lady,

My Earth Day contribution is to request no eating utensils, straws, or napkins when ordering take-out from a local eatery. Since I am taking the food home to eat, these items are not necessary and often go in the trash.

Saving the Environment

Dear Saving the Environment,

Good for you and thanks for an excellent suggestion. Take-out eating utensils are most often made of plastic, thus made from fossil fuels that leave a large carbon footprint. Straws are among the top 10 items found during beach clean-ups, according to Ocean Conservancy. Plus, marine life often mistakes straws for food, so they end up harming, or killing, seabirds, marine animals and fish. Requesting no paper napkins helps to eliminate waste. If you use cloth napkins at home, you are doing even more to save the environment.

Good News: Coors Light is ditching plastic rings on their 6-packs for the first time in over 50 years! By the end of 2025, all their beer brands will be wrapped in cardboard that can be recycled. This will save an estimated 1.7 million pounds of plastic waste each year. (FTO.com)

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.