2 Recycling Mistakes

I just got back from a tour of our Materials Recycling Facility (a.k.a. the MRF). Basically, this is the place where all of your stuff comes to get sorted further, baled, and shipped to purchasers. (see slide show below) Every time I give a tour there are two tidbits that people always say “I never knew that!” So here are the 2 biggest mistakes we see and how to fix them so you, too can be a recycling rock star.

Number 1: No Plastic Bags!

Not big ones, not small ones, not medium sized ones! These can break our machines and take a lot of time to sort out.

Just the facts ma’am:
• Plastic bags are usually made out of #2 (high-density polyethylene film - HDPE) or #4 (low density or linear-low density polyethylene film - LDPE/LLDPE) plastics. They can be remade into other plastic bags, liners, or even plastic furniture!
• US annual plastic bag consumption requires an estimated 12 Million barrels of oil (Wall Street Journal)
• In 2001, Ireland used 1.2 billion disposable plastic bags, or 316 per person. An extremely successful plastic bag tax, or PlasTax introduced in 2002 reduced consumption by 90%. (reusablebags.com)
• Windblown plastic bags are so prevalent in Africa that a cottage industry has sprung up in harvesting them and using them to weave hats and bags. According to BBC Online, one group harvests 30,000 per month. (reusablebags.com)
Instead: Reuse – Get a nice, sturdy canvas bag. The world goes through 500,000,000,000 to 1,000,000,000,000 bags a year! China even outlawed these flimsy one-use wastes of petroleum. Why make more waste than you need to?
Second Best: Many area stores will recycle them for you. Drop them off at Kohls, Pick N’ Save, or Wal-Mart. A local resource is also Protect the Planet (Phone: (262) 896-9094) and they are a non-profit that provides job training.
Want more information?
Visit www.reusablebags.com for facts and to purchase reusable bags.
Visit www.flipandtumble.com to purchase reusable bags that fold into themselves to be the size of a tennis ball!

Number 2: No Plastic Lids!

They are the wrong plastic (usually #5 or #7) and they pose a safety risk. If they are left on the bottle and a huge front end loader drives over the bottle they can fly off, almost beaming your trusty tour guide in the head (true story!)

Just the facts ma’am:
• Making bottles uses 1.5 Million barrels of oil annually, enough to fuel 100,000 cars a year (Resource Recycling June 2007)
• The next time you say “coca-cola” in the one second it took you to say it, 200 plastic bottles were dumped in landfills in the US – over 6 billion a year – all at the taxpayers expense
• If major soft drink and bottled water manufacturers switched to 25% recycled bottles, profits would differ by 1/10th of a cent per bottle.
Instead: Reuse – Get a nice, steel mug. The United States goes through 3,250,000 water bottles every HOUR! Why make more waste than you need to?
Second Best: Throw the lids in the trash.
Want more information?
Visit The Oprah Show's Website on a show she aired about being green.

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Recycle Raccoon

Local Legalities

O.K. so the point of this blog is to answer the whys and hows of recycling, encourage everyone to get involved, recycle more, help the earth, sing kum ba ya on a daily basis, etc. Most of this information is universal, but because of crazy recycling laws, some of it will not be universal. I will always give a heads-up when I am giving information that may be different in varying communities.

In the US the reason there are different recycling practices from one community to the next is because recycling came from the bottom up. For example, there are very few national directives about recycling. (Notable exceptions come through the EPA which mostly deals with waste considered hazardous) Individual states then had to make up their own laws. Some states set goals for the amount they want to recycle (i.e. IL) while other states ban recyclable items from entering landfills (i.e. WI). You can easily understand how these two different laws would create very different recycling programs.

To complicate things more, in Wisconsin the state gives 'recycling money' (if you will) to each 'responsible unit'. In layman's terms this is any size community that has enough of a population to collect waste. Any town, village, or city gets money from the state to help with their recycling program as long as they meet some basic requirements (including citizen education). So literally, if I move down the road recycling will be totally different. Add to that mix businesses, schools, and apartment complexes fall under TOTALLY different rules, and well, you see how complicating it gets. When this whole recycling law came to be in 1995 in Wisconsin, 25 of the 37 communities in Waukesha County came together to unite their recycling programs. So prep, collection, and education is almost identical in these communities. This is the program I know the best because I am a resident as well as an employee.

A little confusing and overwhelming, I know, but like I said I will always explain when giving local advice and if you are not in our program I would love to pass some resources your way on how to get connected in your own community.

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Recycle Raccoon

'Tis the Season

Today is the last day that the USPS will guarantee mail delivery by Christmas. This, of course, made me panic and reminded me that I have more than a few cards left to write. It's easy to see how November and December are the most wasteful times of the year. In Southeastern Wisconsin we generate an extra 5,000 tons of holiday trash each year. This includes gift wrap, gift boxes, cards, and ribbon. America alone throws enough ribbon away each year to tie a bow around the earth. The sheer amount of catalogues alone is ridiculous. I actually got a catalogue for old people's health stuff. Walkers, canes, bedpans. Really. I am 24. A little bit of prescreening would have went a long way with that company. A hundred years ago when catalogue shopping was new and necessary for people on the frontier, people kept their used catalogues in the bathroom for reading as well as toilet paper. Of course, this was prior to glossy paper, but at least back in the day there was a use for these ridiculous holiday junk mailings.

Now, anyone who knows me would tell you I will do just about anything to get the perfect gift. It has become a competition to see who can come up with the most perfect gift. Things usually are themed, the wrapping matches the gift, and even if I spent 30 minutes shopping online, it appears as if I was on a lifelong quest for the holy grail of gifts. However, this year for a plethora of reasons, my typical excess is not going to work. My sister recently got back from Africa and has sworn off all earthly possessions and my best friend (whom I am fairly certain created this holiday gift giving competition extravaganza) has moved into the worlds smallest apartment halfway across the country and has no need for anything larger than a thumbtack. Even more awkward, my new husbands family doesn't 'really do the gift thing'. I don't know how I am supposed to respond to that. So, being quite out of my element required me to think creatively. Here is what I came up with:

* Everything must be useful. No wasteful gadgets, gift wrap, or one more item of clothing. My dad has plenty of coffee mugs and my mom is full up when it comes to smelly lotions. I don't need to wrap stuff in paper just to have it tossed. My goal is 99% useful. (I figure the gift tag is a fair exception)
* Everything has to fit the person. No more useless gift emporium for me. There usually is a person or two on my list that even I can't think of something the person would like. My husband pulled a name in the office gift exchange. He just started a new job and is not even quite sure who the person is. I suggested lotion. I think I may still have 73 bottles I received last Christmas that he could use. Now, I appreciate these people thinking of me. But honestly it's the thought that counts. If I can't think of something that the person can use, I have decided to make a charitable contribution in their name or give them a gift card to a place I know they frequent.

So after considering these 2 criteria, here is what I came up with...
My Dad: A certified book addict I got him several used books (they look like new) and am wrapping them in a reusable tote from his favorite used bookstore.
My Mom: Always in need of a break, I got her a new robe to replace her threadbare one and some slippers that I am wrapping in a holiday fleece throw.
My Sister: Despite shunning worldly possessions, she has a weak spot for old jazz records so I found a site online that takes old vinyl records and turns them into bowls. I included a bag of microwave popcorn and a DVD of her favorite musical. Instant gift basket.
My Friend: A tote bag that rolls into itself so she can keep it in her purse for whenever she needs a bag. I slid in a gift card to her local grocery store and the whole thing is as small as a tennis ball so I wrapped it in a tiny gift bag that she can give someone else a gift in.
My Husband's Coworker: A day-by-day calendar for the office. We found one generic enough to be enjoyed by anyone and, personally, I like them because you always have a stack of ready to use scratch paper.
Grandparents: One set is really into the local art museum so I got them a membership there and my other set really loves PBS, so I made a donation in their name.
The Hubby: Lately he has been having car problems. Commercials on TV tell me I should buy him a new car with a bow as big as I am on the roof, but it is a little out of my price range so I got him a survival kit. In a rubber container I put a little blanket, a nice car jack, road flares, jumper cables, and an air freshener for the gift tag. My parents did something similar for me the year I got my license and it has been one of the best gifts I ever got.So that's it. How I managed to still give creative, themed gifts (including the wrapping) without making extra waste. If you have some other ideas, I would love to hear about them because I have a few birthdays coming up that have me stumped.

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Recycle Raccoon

Allow me to introduce myself...

So it seems as though every time I move there are different rules, processes, and hoops to jump through with what I can, should, and do recycle. (Which with going to college, getting my first place, and then getting married - well lets just say I have moved a lot recently) Until 6 months ago I just guessed what I was doing was right and figured if I was wrong that it didn't matter all that much. After all, who am I, Captain Planet? But then I got a job in the recycling field and learning about the impacts of my simple actions really changed my mind. I spent too many years of my life and way too much of my money getting a teaching degree so I could change the world and affect the future. Well, here was one more way for me to accomplish that larger goal. So slowly I have been learning how important it is to change my habits in little ways to make a big difference. I hope to share some things I have done as well as why I have done them while encouraging others to make little changes as well. Since I am new to this whole green thing I also appreciate your support and ideas because if we all make a few little and local actions, we can make a global difference.

Last year 25 communities in Waukesha County recycled around 24,000 tons of materials. But why? The easy answer is that recycling is the law in Wisconsin, but that is just part of the story. Something motivates us towards action. Each week I will cover a different aspect of recycling and environmentally friendly living. I hope to have lots of information coupled with ideas on how to make easy, little changes that will have a big impact and affect the world around us all.

Despite the picture, I am not a seven foot tall raccoon, but trust me the raccoon's picture is a lot cuter than any I could find of myself. And it is really hard to type with those claws. The Waukesha County Recycling team and I look forward to your questions and comments.

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Recycle Raccoon