Dear Recycle Lady,
Last week you wrote about recycling greeting cards. What about cards that talk or play music? Can they be recycled? Must the speaker and batteries be removed?
Greetings Abound
Dear Greetings Abound,
Greeting cards that talk or play music can be recycled only if the entire battery-operated device that plays the music or voice is removed. Most such cards have a tiny button battery that is also found in other household devices, so you may be able to reuse it. The Recycling Center accepts these electronic devices as part of their e-waste recycling program. If you do not want to throw the device away go to Recycle Nation and check out the blog Creative Family Moments. It offers a great tutorial on how to reuse the device in a musical card.
Dear Recycle Lady,
What is precycling? How can precycling happen before recycling?
Curious Recycler
Dear Curious Recycler,
Precycling is a way to help the environment and reduce waste that fills up landfills. Choosing products packaged in recyclable packaging, products that are in recyclable containers, products that require less packaging, such as concentrated detergents, or products themselves that can be recycled are all ways that everyone can precycle.
Dear Recycle Lady,
My printer uses long cartridges that must be changed when one runs out of ink. Can these cartridges be recycled?
Printer
Dear Printer,
Recycling printer cartridges is not only possible, it is important, as ink and toner cartridges are made of materials that can be harmful to the health of humans and to the environment. When bringing ink cartridges to the Recycling Center, go to the Aluminum Cans door and push the button. Someone will come help you. Several retailers recycle toner cartridges andothers will pay you for them. Staples, Office Depot, Walmart, and Best Buy all participate in a free drop-off program. HP has a recycling team that can be reached through the HP recycling page or 1-800-340-2445 Monday through Friday to request free boxes or envelopes for returning the cartridges to HP.
Interesting news: To bring awareness to the damage caused by single-use plastics, Canadian artist Benjamin Von Wong created a spectacular 3-story high art installation,The Giant Plastic Tap,that is made from over 10,000 pieces of single-use plastic trash. The tap is turned on from May 10 to June 9 andspews plastic all over the entrance to the building.For more information and pictures of the three-story tall tap outside Ripley’s Aquarium in Toronto go to https://dailyhive.com/toronto/giant-plastic-tap-ripleys-aquarium.
Dear Readers,
Please spread the word that the Recycling Center does not have the equipment, or the manpower, to sort mixed recyclables thrown into a single bag or box. Lately, several large plastic bags of mixed recyclables have been left either in front of one of the bins or thrown into one of the bins, without being sorted. Unfortunately, staff is not available to sort these bags and boxes of mixed recyclables, so they go directly into the trash and on to the landfill.
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.
