Dear Reader,
Great thinking on how to “reuse.” I spoke with the WV Daily News and they thought it was a great idea. Besides office use, the newspaper carriers can use them to prepare newspapers for delivery. Accumulate bands of all sizes in a baggie, then take them to the Daily News office on Foster Street or put them in their after-hours mail slot.
Dear Sounds Good,
I haven’t used the wool balls yet, but after I read your question I went to Walmart and purchased some. These balls are made of 100% sheep’s wool with no chemicals added. They are clearly sustainable and environmentally friendly. The balls work by bouncing around in your dryer and separating the clothes. This bouncing increases the hot air flow which shortens drying time and saves on energy. My research says they soften clothes naturally and reduce winkles, lint and pet hair. All this, plus they save you money as they can be used several hundred times and dryer sheets are not needed. Sounds like a win-win to me. Readers, if you have used these balls, please let us know if they are as good as they sound. recyclelady@greenbrier-swa.com
Dear Recycler,
Good question. Yes, the drip pans are recyclable. Be sure they are clean and free of grease and oils. You will need to take them to the Recycling Center during operation hours as they go in a box with metal containers. In fact, anything that a magnet sticks to and is not a can is put in this box.
Dear Most Curious,
Yes, there are several excellent websites that give information about recycling. Earth911.com is one of my favorite sites. It has a great search feature that will answer most any question that you have. The websites RecycleNation.com and PaperRecycles.org are two other good sites. There are two local websites, Greenworks Recycling and Greenbrier County Solid Waste Authority that have recycling information as well as past Dear Recycle Lady columns. Hopefully, you will find these sites interesting and full of useful information.
Dear Wondering,
Currently, the Recycling Center does not have the facilities to recycle gable-top (my new word for the day!) milk cartons. At first glance, these products seem like they should go in the cardboard recycling bin. But, these boxes aren’t your normal cardboard boxes! Think about what would happen if you poured orange juice in a cereal box. To keep any liquid from soaking through the cardboard, the boxes are lined with low density polyethylene (LDPE, or #4 plastic). This lining would need to be removed to make the boxes recyclable. Larger cities do have facilities for recycling them and, according to the Carton Council, “more than 60% of households across the country have access to carton recycling.” The Council is working to promote and increase carton recycling nationwide. Readers who want to help them achieve this goal can sign the Council’s petition at https://www.recyclecartons.com/petition.
Dear Recycler,
There are many look-alike aluminum liners. The best way to determine if the liner is aluminum is to crumble the liner in your hand. If it remains crumbled, the liner is aluminum and it recycles with aluminum foil. If it unfolds, it is not aluminum, and should go in the trash.
Dear Reader,
Thanks for the question. The Recycling Center accepts large rechargeable batteries, such as those for cordless tools, but does not pay for them. They do accept, and pay for, car batteries and lawn mower batteries regardless of whether they will charge or not. I am sorry to say, they do not accept alkaline batteries of any kind, which according to information from battery manufacturers, are now safe to put in the landfill.
Dear Recycler,
The Recycling Center accepts used ink jet printer cartridges for recycling, but does not pay for them. There are, however, several businesses, for example Staples, that will give you credit on purchases when you bring in the used cartridges.
Dear Love to Cook,
Thanks for the question. If the outside of your can is steel, it recycles with steel cans. The white coating probably is not plastic, but regardless of what it is, the can recycles with steel cans.
Dear Confused,
Recycling is picked up in Rolling Hills Estates every other week, same as in Lewisburg. Pickups take place on the same day as your normally scheduled trash pickup. In Rolling Hills, that is Thursday. This week, the week of July 15, is pickup week for everyone in the city of Lewisburg. The next pickup week will be two weeks from now, the week of July 29, and every two weeks thereafter. A couple years ago, the pickup schedule varied, which may be the cause of confusion.
