Every time I prepare a meal, I am struck by a choking anxiety as to whether or not I can recycle the frozen veggie bag or the aluminum foil hugging my potato.
For that matter, what do I do with batteries, ink cartridges or antiquated electronics? I currently have an apartment full of VCRs and old phone chords.
What should I do with all this junk?!
When in doubt; I always reference my handy-dandy Streamline Update, but I’m still not always clear as to what can and can’t be recycled in the city of Auburn.
Sadly, most people when faced with the same fear will simply throw the items away and hope no one notices.
Or worse, abandon the items at a thrift store, recycling nothing but a headache.
And let’s face it, recycling can be a pain in the neck. After all who wants to wash an extra dish just to throw it away?
But before you leave the Salvation Army with your unwanted trash, take a moment to consider whether or not the item can or should be recycled.
And by the way, just because an item isn’t a part of the city’s recycling pick-up program, doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be recycled.
For example, did you know that you can buy a battery recycling kit, a computer recycling kit or even a VCR recycling kit for under $20 each?
The price tag seems a bit steep, but it truly is an investment in the environment.
And if you don’t have $20 lying around, contact the manufacturer. Some companies, like Dell, will recycle compatible printer cartridges at no additional charge.
And a friend recently told me that I should be recycling plastic bags. Basically anything plastic with a number 1-7 should be recycled.
And aluminum foil — absolutely recyclable. Cardboard cereal boxes, they are recyclable too.
Actually there are tons of items that are part of our city’s recycling program. However, if you are really at a loss as to what can be recycled, remember that the Streamline Recycling Schedule has the number for a help-line printed on the bottom.
Take a moment to call and ask whether something is recyclable and if not where the item should be taken or how it should be disposed.
The information is out there just waiting for to be found. Search the Web, call the helpline. It’s just a question of access to information and imitative.
Make the effort to keep our planet green.
Estabrook's column appears
Mondays and she can be reached at estabrookcarole@yahoo.com
What should I do with all this junk?!
When in doubt; I always reference my handy-dandy Streamline Update, but I’m still not always clear as to what can and can’t be recycled in the city of Auburn.
Sadly, most people when faced with the same fear will simply throw the items away and hope no one notices.
Or worse, abandon the items at a thrift store, recycling nothing but a headache.
And let’s face it, recycling can be a pain in the neck. After all who wants to wash an extra dish just to throw it away?
But before you leave the Salvation Army with your unwanted trash, take a moment to consider whether or not the item can or should be recycled.
And by the way, just because an item isn’t a part of the city’s recycling pick-up program, doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be recycled.
For example, did you know that you can buy a battery recycling kit, a computer recycling kit or even a VCR recycling kit for under $20 each?
The price tag seems a bit steep, but it truly is an investment in the environment.
And if you don’t have $20 lying around, contact the manufacturer. Some companies, like Dell, will recycle compatible printer cartridges at no additional charge.
And a friend recently told me that I should be recycling plastic bags. Basically anything plastic with a number 1-7 should be recycled.
And aluminum foil — absolutely recyclable. Cardboard cereal boxes, they are recyclable too.
Actually there are tons of items that are part of our city’s recycling program. However, if you are really at a loss as to what can be recycled, remember that the Streamline Recycling Schedule has the number for a help-line printed on the bottom.
Take a moment to call and ask whether something is recyclable and if not where the item should be taken or how it should be disposed.
The information is out there just waiting for to be found. Search the Web, call the helpline. It’s just a question of access to information and imitative.
Make the effort to keep our planet green.
Estabrook's column appears
Mondays and she can be reached at estabrookcarole@yahoo.com
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Post your comment - click hereThere are 18 comment(s)
showpeople wrote on Aug 23, 2009 1:46 PM:
Now I am lazy. So I am the worst offender...this is not so much a comment on what I feel I will do to help the environment. But although my recycling efforts are lame. I do keep and use products for a much longer time than the average. Sometimes we need to take a moment, step back and remember what our Grandparents taught us. "
IraGold wrote on Aug 22, 2009 10:20 PM:
--------------------
Ira Gold "
blueyankee443 wrote on Aug 22, 2009 11:25 AM:
ll problem,but the USA does not recycle
everything the way they should.
Temporarily here in China,you would see the things recycled the U.S.just throws away.Here they recycle every
small scrap of paper,every scrap of
anything,with no value except for recycling.The man will pay you,just on
the street.You sell your styrofoam packaging,and misc,to fill a truck. "
Farmer's Gal wrote on Aug 22, 2009 6:18 AM:
Even writing for the newspaper, where editors are going to cut you off if you go on too long, you should be able to stick to the main point instead of meandering around a subject pointlessly (like I do in some of my posts ;-)
Absolutely right -- so tell us, WHY is recycling worth the extra effort? "
drivebytrucker wrote on Aug 21, 2009 8:00 AM:
WHY is recycling worth the extra effort? "
excnyer wrote on Aug 19, 2009 4:18 PM:
Farmer's Gal wrote on Aug 19, 2009 1:45 PM:
Macha wrote on Aug 19, 2009 9:36 AM:
You're not saving much of anything. Very little of the recycling we do actually helps. "
Farmer's Gal wrote on Aug 18, 2009 3:47 PM:
auburn~sucks wrote on Aug 18, 2009 2:27 PM:
Andy b wrote on Aug 18, 2009 10:09 AM:
mamimbe wrote on Aug 18, 2009 7:23 AM:
Things that make you go hmmmmmmm. "
Farmer's Gal wrote on Aug 18, 2009 5:00 AM:
Andy b wrote on Aug 17, 2009 4:31 PM:
Farmer's Gal wrote on Aug 17, 2009 9:42 AM:
Farmer's Gal wrote on Aug 17, 2009 9:42 AM:
http://www.orionmagazine.org/index.php/articles/article/4801/
Even if every single person in the United States recycled every single thing that came into our homes AND our government offices and non-industrial businesses did the same -- 100% reduction of waste production -- it would only reduce overall waste production in the United States by a piddling 3%.
That is not to say we shouldn't do the right thing and reduce as much as we can, just because it is right and responsible. It just means it isn't going to even come close to putting even a small dent in the waste juggernaut -- individual effort won't really "keep our planet green," not without serious and far-reaching change in how agriculture and industry produce waste (97% of it in the U.S.) "
Andy b wrote on Aug 17, 2009 9:38 AM:
drivebytrucker wrote on Aug 17, 2009 8:16 AM:
Look - you wouldn't have to recycle so much stuff if you didn't buy so much stuff. Buy fresh vegetables, don't wrap the potato in foil, stop filling your home with cheap electrical toys. "