THE RECYCLING JOURNEY – PART 1

What happens to those items we carefully put into our recycling bins or take to recycling centers?  We know they no longer go to the landfill, but what do they become?  Below is the journey of four items that many of us recycle.  In some cases, these new items return to stores and store shelves within 30 days. The source for the information below is Keep America Beautiful, Recycling Campaign http://iwanttoberecycled.org/learn.

JOURNEY OF A CEREAL BOX - I BECAME A GAME BOARD!

            Cereal box cardboard is sorted from other paper products into specific grades and types of fibers. At the paper mill, the fiber is fed into a hydrapulper where it is mixed with water and turned into a slurry that will be used in the papermaking process. The wet slurry is spread onto a cloth or wire web where it is formed into multilayered paperboard, similar to a three-layer cake.

Traveling like a ribbon around drying drums, the paperboard is dried and then wound into rolls — 100 inches wide and 5 feet in diameter — weighing about 2 tons, ready to be shipped for converting into an end product like a game board.

JOURNEY OF A STEEL CAN – I BECAME A BICYCLE!

            As material moves along a conveyor belt, the steel cans are removed by a very powerful magnet. They are then baled and shipped to a steel mill or foundry, where they are usually mixed with other metal like automobile parts. The steel is melted in a furnace at nearly 3000 degrees. It is then cast into slabs and rolled into flat stock (rectangular bars) or steel sheets. It is then cut into sections, rolled and welded into tubes, and used for products like bicycle frames.

JOURNEY OF A STYROFOAM CUP – I BECAME THE INSULATION IN YOUR ATTIC!

            Styrofoam cups, meat trays, egg cartons etc. are collected in Austin at the Reuse and Recycling Drop Off Center.  The center has a machine that first shreds and then melts the Styrofoam to condense it so it is suitable for shipping. The condensed foam is then sent to various manufacturing facilities to be made into baseboards, crown molding, and attic insulation.

JOURNEY OF A PLASTIC BAG – I BECAME A PARK BENCH!

            Retail plastic bags, bread bags, flexible plastic packaging from paper towels and toilet paper, etc. are collected at the plastics collection bins at grocery stores and many other retail outlets. They are processed by turning the plastic into pellets which are used to make more plastic bags, durable outdoor decks and fences, deck furniture, and building products.

Please feel free to post any questions or comments to this blog that relate to recycling.  I will research your questions and post the answers.

No Landfill For Old Styrofoam

Neighborhood Recycling Collection Project – SUCCESS!!

One of the biggest recycling challenges is dealing with items that are not collected curbside.  It is very easy to throw something into that giant blue cart and roll it out to the curb, but what about those items that have to go elsewhere?

I have tried to address this challenge by organizing a neighborhood collection effort for some of these items (batteries, Styrofoam and light bulbs) and by personally transporting them to the City of Austin Recycling, Reuse Drop-Off facility in far south Austin.

My first effort, this past spring, was somewhat successful. Four neighbors contributed items.  One brought 3 years of batteries and the others brought batteries and Styrofoam. It was a good start.

Early this summer, I notified my neighborhood that I was planning to go to the collection center in the first part of August.  I encouraged everyone to begin saving the above items.  I sent out reminders, put collection boxes on my front porch, and hoped for the best.

As you can see from the picture above, our neighborhood kept a lot of Styrofoam out of the landfill.  My car was loaded with several boxes of batteries, light bulbs, and lots and lots of Styrofoam.  A young neighbor came over to help me load up.  Eight to ten neighbors participated this time.

It is difficult to convince people to wash out Styrofoam meat trays and save them.  There is a big “ick” factor. However, it is my dream that some day so many neighbors will participate that I will run out of room in my car to take everything!

Recycling Block Leaders for the City of Austin

The City of Austin is calling for individuals to volunteer to become Recycling Block Leaders.  Block Leaders are active, “green-minded” individuals who will help spread the word about recycling in their neighborhoods. After attending an orientation session to learn how to engage their neighbors in recycling in Austin, they will receive educational materials to share with their neighbors.

I have been a Recycling Block Leader for many years now.  For the last several years, the program has been inactive. I am very happy to report that the City now has on board a wonderful gal who is activating the program and making a huge effort to recruit and train new Block Leaders and reengage the ones from the past. Here is a link to apply to be a Recycling Block Leader – http://eepurl.com/qma8n.

Questions and Answers

Please feel free to post any questions or comments to this blog that relate to recycling.  I will research your questions and post the answers.

The Lone Tennis Shoe

We know how to recycle plastic, paper, and other well-advertised items, but what to do with THE LONE TENNIS SHOE?

You’re cleaning out the closet and you find torn t-shirts, gimme caps (the souvenirs from all the relatives’ travels), and a LONE TENNIS SHOE.

ATRS (American Textile Recycling Service http://atrscorp.com/) will recycle old torn shirts, t-shirts no one would ever wear, and THE LONE TENNIS SHOE, as well as wearable clothing. They resell, reuse, or repurpose everything donated. Some of these items are sent to foreign countries. Textiles are recycled into all sorts of reusable materials.   ATRS is partnered with the Children’s Miracle Network.  ATRS donates money to Dell Children’s Hospital in Austin, based on the weight of the items in each bin. There are 55 collection boxes in Austin alone. One of those bins is pictured in this blog.

That LONE TENNIS SHOE (plus any other unwanted tennis shoes) can also be taken to the Nike Factory Store in Round Rock, Texas. They have a program called “Old Soles Never Die”. Old tennis shoes are turned into playground and running surfaces. If you live outside of Austin, check with your local Nike store.

WINE CORKS

There are other items that require more research to recycle or reuse.  One of these is wine corks. Many wine stores or local vineyards collect these to be recycled into cork flooring, flip-flops, and even purses. In Austin, you can take your corks to Spec’s Wines and Water 2 Wine.

PLASTIC SIX-PACK RINGS

I very rarely purchase products with the plastic six-pack ring.  When I did recently, I asked my contact with the City of Austin’s Resource Recovery Department if I could put these rings into my curbside collection bin.  I was told NO - the rings get tangled in the machinery and damage it. I then asked my plastic recycling guru, who said they can’t go into the plastics recycling bins at the grocery store, either.  These rings will live forever in the landfill!  In addition, birds and other wildlife get caught in these rings and eventually die. I think the only solution is to never ever buy products secured with these rings.

YOUR QUESTIONS

I have had some wonderful questions from readers.  If you have any questions about recycling, please post them and I will do my best to find the answers.

 

Recycling Projects Update

When I first started writing this blog, I mentioned some of the projects I had been working on. I thought it was time for an update.

• Styrofoam recycling signs at my local grocery store

Since the City of Austin now accepts Styrofoam for recycling, I began a campaign with my local HEB grocery store to post signs in the meat and egg sections that Styrofoam was now accepted at our Recycling and Reuse Drop-Off Center.  I chose the meat and egg sections because that is where there is a lot of Styrofoam packaging.

A request to promote my idea was sent by a City of Austin staff member to the HEB main office.  I began following up.  I would call the HEB staff person in charge and, week after week, was asked to call back.  Finally, after 3 to 4 months and 20 or more phone calls, the request was denied.  BUMMER! Above is a photo of the sign I had in mind for HEB to post.  I will not give up!

I feel public education is the key to successful recycling.  If people don’t know how to recycle, reuse or repurpose something, it goes into the garbage can and then into the landfill.

• Neighborhood collection project 

My neighborhood project to collect items that needed to go down to the Recycling and Reuse Drop-off Center in far south Austin was moderately successful.  I asked my neighbors to save their Styrofoam, batteries and light bulbs (items easy to collect and transport) and I would take them all to the recycling center.  Four neighbors brought their stuff to me.  One of them brought 3 years of batteries.  I ended up with a carload.  I will do this again later in the summer.

• Composting alert!

I learned something very alarming about composting that I want to pass along.  Animals (particularly dogs) who eat compost can have a severe allergic reaction.  This is not uncommon. The problem is a fungus that can be in decomposing objects, including compost.  Be sure your beloved pet does not have easy access to your compost.

The problems with recycling

The two main problems with recycling are not knowing how to recycle an item properly and not having a convenient way to collect recyclables at home.  Here is a wonderful web site from the City of Austin called “what do I do with.” Type in the item and you get information on how to recycle it.  Please refer to my May 6 post for “convenience ideas.”

• Future projects

My efforts will continue in public education.  One project is to help the City of Austin Resource Recovery Department keep the “what do I do with” web site as current and complete as possible.  Another project is to enlist the aid of the City’s Zero Waste Commission to get Austin’s grocery stores to post signs about Styrofoam.

Question from a reader:

Why can't we put pizza boxes into our curbside bin?

Pizza boxes are made from corrugated cardboard.  When the cardboard becomes soiled with grease, cheese or any other food, the cardboard cannot be recycled because the paper fibers in the cardboard cannot be separated from the oils during the pulping process. This makes the cardboard unrecyclable.

Some people take the clean cardboard top off and put it into the recycling bin.  That cardboard may look grease-free, but in fact it has absorbed some of the grease from a steamy hot pizza.

SPECIAL NOTE:  No matter how clean you think your pizza box is, when it goes onto the conveyor belt at the recycling plant, it gets thrown away!

I have had some wonderful questions posted on my blog.  Please feel free to post any recycling questions.  I will answer them!

Recycling Challenges

In our hearts, most of us want to help maintain the health of our planet by recycling.  We know it’s the right thing to do, but our lives are busy and it’s not always easy. Below are some ideas to help make recycling more doable.

Recycling in Austin is actually pretty easy since we can put most of our recyclables into our blue curbside bin.  The first challenge is how to collect these items conveniently. The second challenge is what to do with items that cannot be collected at the curb.

SOME SUGGESTIONS TO MAKE THINGS EASIER

For curbside pick-up:

• Put a small container in or near your kitchen to collect items that can be picked up curbside.  I have a small wastebasket under my kitchen sink just for these items.

• In the office or room where you have junk mail, magazines, newspapers, etc., keep a basket or small box to collect these items.

• The 2-inch ball of aluminum foil is an interesting challenge.  The City of Austin asks us to compress our clean foil into a 2-inch or larger ball. I pitch my small pieces of foil (from the tops of sour cream, cream cheese and yogurt containers) next to my kitchen recycling wastebasket and put it into a ball when I have enough.

• Washing jars can be a challenge.  The City of Austin recommends a light rinse, but has anyone ever “lightly rinsed” a peanut butter jar? Here’s what I do – I add some detergent and very hot water to the jar, shake well, and that’s it.  Better yet, get a 4-year-old to lick the jar! 

For Plastic bags that go to collection bins at the grocery store:

• For plastic bags, bubble wrap, clean ziplock bags etc., I put a grocery bag in my broom closet. When it’s full, I take it to the grocery store and unload it. 

For items that need to go to the Recycling and Reuse Drop-Off Center:

• I keep a small box in the garage where I put all my batteries, light bulbs, Styrofoam, and other small things to take to this center. Batteries can also go to the libraries and bulbs can also go to Home Depot, but at least they’re together for a recycling trip somewhere.

I welcome any suggestions from my followers as to what you do to make recycling more convenient.