Lots
of questions on books, containers
August
8, 2003
After spending a great
vacation lounging on a beach in the Northwest (and trying not to
let the little bits of plastic washing up on the shore spoil my
fun), I was happy to come home to an email in-box jammed with recycling
and environmental questions from recycling minds who want to know.
The very first email I opened had no fewer than 27 concise and nicely
numbered questions. Time to get back to work! So, starting from
the tip of the iceberg:
Do we have any recycle option for books?
- Caryl S.
Yes. But first let me say that we don't want
to recycle a book unnecessarily. Even though you may have hated
that sappy romance novel and feel it deserves a good shredding,
it may really touch someone else's heart to read how Anastasia
the lonely towel girl meets Frederico the elusive tennis pro.
So please explore all reuse options such as used book stores and
senior centers before recycling. In the event you have your grandpa's
surgical text books from the 1920's, or a computer manual for
your Commodor 64, we're happy to recycle them at the Eco-Cycle/City
of Boulder Center for Hard-to-Recycle Materials (a.k.a. CHaRM)
in Boulder, located at 5030 Old Pearl (you can view a map on our
website at www.ecocycle.org
or call 303-444-6634 for directions).
Some of our waxy paper cartons for things like
milk or orange juice have plastic spouts. Is it necessary to cut
those out?
-Cathy
No. These paper cartons will be "pulped
up" in the recycling process and the pulp will be forced
through screens where spouts and any other contaminants are removed.
No need to risk stabbing yourself while trying to cut the spout
out.
Is there some place to take scrap metal items
such as pieces of a metal fence or beat-up cast iron cooking pans?
-Dan R.
Yes. Scrap metal of all types, from copper kettles
to aluminum siding, is accepted at both the Longmont and Boulder
drop-off centers. Visit our website at www.ecocycle.org
for hours and directions, or call 303-444-6634.
How important is it to rinse containers well?
We try to use as little water as possible so we barely rinse things
before we recycle. Is that okay?
-Cathy
You're right. You don't want to waste one resource
while trying to conserve another. I once had an earnest recycler
proudly explain how she ran all her recyclable containers through
the dishwasher. While I loved her commitment, she was definitely
achieving an unnecessary level of hygiene. How clean is "clean"?
Containers should be generally empty of food. A ring of catsup
around the neck of a glass bottle is not a problem. The purpose
of "clean containers" is to meet market as well as sanitation
requirements. Leaving food in a container can expose workers to
bacteria and mold, and creates horrible smells at our facility.
(Milk drinkers, take notice.) One of the biggest food problems
we face is aluminum cans with pop left inside. When the partially-filled
cans are crushed in the baler, pop spills out on the floor of
the processing building, creating a sticky, smelly, yellow jacket-attracting
mess. So yes, we like the food removed, but rather than putting
everything through the rinse cycle, I recommend putting a quick
spurt of water inside and then giving it a good shake to loosen
the food.
So many good questions, so little column space.
Thanks so much for all your questions; keep pitchin' them to me
and I'll keep batting back answers.
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