Recycling

If you didn’t already know, eWaste (electronics waste) is one of the fastest growing forms of toxic waste in the world. Considering our current age of technology, ie. computers, cell phones, ipods, etc., eWaste makes up a significant portion of waste on Earth. However, what’s so surprising to most people is that eWaste is toxic. How can this be? Electronics are just a casement of plastics and metals and when you take a closer look at the different elements that go into making up the many electronic components and processes, eWaste is a lot more than just metal and plastic.

Some of the toxic substances of eWaste include heavy metals like Mercury, Cadmium and Lead, as well as, potential carcinogenic substances like polychlorinated biphenyls. In fact, nearly 70% of all heavy metals found in landfills come from electronic waste. On average, computers and monitors are 20% Lead by weight and contain a total amount of Lead ranging anywhere from 4 to 8 pounds – all of which is now steadily collecting as a toxic pollutant to the environment.

And while the entire world still has a long way to go in developing more effective eWaste recycling programs, every day brings new focus and attention to this environmental challenge. When cell phones were first introduced, I doubt anybody would have predicted that there would be over two billion in use around the world, but here we are. With that spectacular growth comes the very real problem of what to do with the old ones.

Almost 99 percent of an electronic product can be recycled. That means only a small amount is actually waste ending in a landfill. It’s time we become responsible and accountable for our actions, especially when it comes to eWaste recycling. However you choose to recycle your electronics, the bottom line is, you should.

Check out websites like E-Cycling Central, Earth 911, the National Recycling Coalition and Waste Care. Whatever you do, don’t just toss eWaste in the trash, it ends up either being burned and the toxic gasses are released into the atmosphere, or it ends up sitting in a landfill where the toxins slowly leach into our groundwater. Do the right thing and find an eWaste recycler!

I realize that not everyone wants to recycle and that at least here in New York, it is required and landlords can get fines for having recyclables in the trash. So there are those of us who feel pushed to recycle by the government, and those of us who feel compelled by our own internal need to make a positive impact on the world to recycle. Then there are those who are simply afraid of getting a fine and who, rather than learn the rules, throw every possible piece of plastic into a clear bag and chuck it onto the sidewalk (including landlords I know of who go through their tenants’ trash and put non-recyclables into the tenants’ recycling bags!) In the end though, no matter how one feels about recycling, the truth is that most of us are required to do it, so why spend energy doing it incorrectly when it’s not that hard to do it correctly? Following are a list of common mistakes I see all the time in my neighborhood and the simple ways we can remedy them.

1. Wrong kind of bag or bin.
Frankly, our trash and recycling guys have a rough job for obvious reasons. So it’s no wonder that when items are in the wrong kind of bag the guys either leave it on the sidewalk or throw it in the trash truck. Best way to get your recyclables on a trash truck? Put them in a white semi-clear trash bag. Sounds like a no-brainer, but I actually see this a lot on the street; white semi-opaque bags with all kinds of cans and bottles pressed up into the plastic, left behind with all the bags of trash when there’s clearly recyclables inside. (Interestingly, we have started using compostable trash bags at our apartment, which are light green, and we are finding that they don’t get picked up with the trash. The color must be confusing the trash guys.)

Long story short: Use clear bags for paper, light blue or clear bags for plastic, metal, and glass. Don’t use trash bags for anything but trash.

This is what a clear plastic bag looks like. Happy.

2. Incorrect items in the bag or bin.
This is my gigantic pet peeve. In Brooklyn, everything is literally out on the sidewalk in plain view on recycling day, and 9 bags out of 10 clearly have many items in them that New York City does not recycle (take-out containers of all stripes and yogurt containers being the most prominent). I have heard a rumor that if a bag contains inappropriate items, the city will just throw the whole bag away because they don’t have the person-power to sort through the mess. (Clarification of that rumor is reserved for a later post.) It really doesn’t take much effort or research to find out what belongs in your recycling bin or bag. Do it New York!  And you too, everyone else!

3. Using your neighbor’s bag or bin as a guideline as to what should be in yours.
Don’t assume that your neighbor knows what they are doing. If you are unsure, do your own research. Go to the above links, print out any relevant information and keep it near your household recycling containers or taped to your refrigerator. It’s easy to forget what goes where and what is accepted and what isn’t. Keep the info handy and you won’t have to think about it.

4. Dirty bottles, cans, and containers.
Every location is probably a little different in this regard. In New York, metal cans and plastic food bottles (that have a neck smaller than the rest of the bottle) need to be rinsed but not spotless. That means a little bit of cat food stuck to the inner lip of the can = OK. That half-full can of Spaghettios and the moldy bottle of juice with OJ goo at the bottom = NOT OK.

If you have pick up for other plastics like 1, 2, 4, and 5 (or if you have places to drop them off) the number usually indicates the needed level of cleanliness. Your item needs to be either spotless (this mostly applies to number 5, i.e. yogurt containers, etc) or at least passably clean, meaning that you rinsed it and got all the food chunks off. A little bit of food here and there on the numbers 1, 2, and 4 won’t keep them from being recycled, but take the time to at least clean enough that you can clearly see the number on the item! (never mind that sometimes you need a magnifying glass as well…)

How do you clean a yogurt container so it’s spotless? Use a knife (carefully) to remove all of the foil from the top and use a degreaser such as Citrasolve to remove any remaining yogurt. If you have pets, cat and dog hairs will affix themselves to your clean yogurt cups as if magnetized. Once you clean your number 5’s, tie them up tightly in a plastic bag and you won’t have to clean them again.

5. Unbundled magazines and unbundled cardboard.
There is a reason the city (and lots of towns across the country as well) ask that cardboard and newspaper be bundled and tied with twine. It facilitates pick-up and future sorting. A lot of bags and items get thrown into one big truck (at least here in Brooklyn); no one wants to dig through all that to put your scattered pile of Rolling Stone and Details magazines all in the right place. Also, if you don’t bundle, magazines and especially newspapers will end up in the street and in the neighbor’s yard. Add a little rain and wind to the mix and you have a pretty big mess. Also, most in most places you can put all your magazines and different kinds of paper in a clear recycling bag and be done with it. And yes, New York does take envelopes with the plastic windows in them. You don’t need to spend any time ripping them out.

6. Recycling bags that have been ripped open for returnables or other attractive items.
Depending on where you live and who’s going through your garbage and for what reason, it’s not uncommon to find your recycling bag ripped open, the contents spilled onto the sidewalk, and the returnables gone. Easy solution: Put the returnables in a separate clear bag or open box for those who need them to take. Makes everyone’s lives a little bit easier.

How not to recycle.

7. Bins that have been filled with trash or improper items.
I personally don’t know much about bins because we don’t use them in Brooklyn. However, I do see lots of trash thrown into recycling cans since passers-by can’t be bothered to throw their trash into either a public can or at least the correct kind of can. Three ideas come to mind to remedy this.

• If you use a can, bag your recyclables instead of putting them directly in the can.
• Cover your bin or can. People are far less likely to throw their trash onto the lid of a covered bin.
• Put your bins or cans out right before the recycling people are scheduled to come, and bring them back in once they’ve been emptied. (This is a little hard to do in New York since the pick up is usually at some ridiculous hour, like 3:00 a.m.)

8. Plastics that end up in the trash.
So let’s say you are following all the recycling rules for your city or town and you realize that all those food containers you used to put out are not actually recyclable. Check to see if they have numbers on them. If not, they probably do belong in the trash if they can’t be reused in some way. But numbers 1,2, 4, and 5, for example, can be recycled depending on where you live.

We have a coop in Park Slope that takes plastics with those numbers (as long as they are not bottle shaped; the city takes those) and the coop has an agreement with companies that take the plastics and reuse them. For example, one company takes number 5’s and makes plastic lumber and park benches out of them. Do a little research and you might find a similar program in your town.

I’m happy to announce Preserve’s Gimme 5 Program for taking back any plastics with the 5 stamped on them (as long as they are clean!) This may be as easy as taking your 5 plastics to a participating Whole Foods. Go here for info and regs,  and here for an article about it by our friends at Planet Green.

9. Buying items that will need to be thrown away, when there is a recyclable alternative.
The easiest one I know? Toothbrushes! If you get your toothbrushes from Preserve, you can mail them back (for free!) to the company when you are done and the handle is repurposed. And even better; the toothbrushes are originally made from yogurt containers. (Send me your favorite recycled/recyclable household items list. I’d love to hear it!)

10. Not paying attention.
This is pretty much the crux of recycling properly: we have to pay attention. It may take a little more effort and wakefulness to do the research, to bundle the items, to make sure we have the right numbers, etc., but why should we bother to recycle if we are not going to do it properly? Why should we bother to clean a plastic that is not recyclable and then put it in a clear bag when it could actually hinder the process? It is definitely worth it to stay on top of the recycling rules and alternatives where we live. More and more companies are finding ways to recycle used materials, so let’s do our part and pay attention!

I’ve known for a while about low and zero VOC paint, but recycled paint?! It exists! There is a company in Minnesota called Amazon Environmental that turns unused paint into refurbished paint that looks and covers as good as new. Here’s how it works:

1. Most states have Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) facilities that take leftover paint and other toxic stuff that should not be just chucked in the trash.
2. In some states (California and Minnesota especially) Amazon Environmental (and other paint companies) take the paint from the HHWs for recycling.
3. Amazon Environmental sorts and inspects the used paint, and then dumps all the reusable paint of the same color into a big mixer.
4. The mixed paint is tested for PH, sheen, viscosity, and coverage and there are some additives put in to make sure the paint will function like new on your walls.
5. Get this! Whatever paint Amazon Environmental can’t use to make more paint, they use to make a cement additive called “Processed Latex Pigment” (PLP). It is a great substitute for resources that would be mined such as clay and limestone.

The colors available (12 at the moment) represent a decent cross-section of what you might want to have on your walls; no crazy colors, but nothing ugly, either. The paints are interior/exterior and have a maximum VOC content of 250g/L. It seems that if use of low and zero VOC content paint becomes more popular, that maximum VOC number will hopefully go down.

Besides getting Amazon Environmental recycled paints through some wholesalers in Minnesota, you can also buy it from Dunn Edwards, but for now only if you are in Texas, Arizona, California, Nevada, or New Mexico. For New York, Passonno Paints offer paint with 50/60% post consumer content. That means they have a lot more color choices, but not as high of a recycled content as Dunn Edwards, which has a minimum of 80% post-consumer paint.

What About Paint Recycling..Near Impossible?

Paint recycling in most states does not yet exist. We can’t assume that HHWs will serve as recycling centers; much of their purpose is proper disposal of toxic items. I went to Earth 911 to see if we could recycle paint in New York. At first it was a little confusing because after I typed the word “paint” and my zipcode into the search engine I was given the information for our HHWs and assumed it was for recycling. It wasn’t until I looked at the small print under the links for all the New York HHWs that I saw these links were for “Paint Disposal,” not “Paint Recycling.”

(Unfortunately, I called our HHW before I made that discovery and spent about 5 minutes asking the woman on the other end why the website said I needed a driver’s license to recycle paint. She was very confused as well and told me to just stay home and dump the paint in a bag full of kitty litter. That’s when I realized she thought I wanted to dispose of the paint and recycle the can. I don’t recommend the kitty litter option, by the way. A little wasteful if you ask me.)

Here’s what Earth 911 says about the subject, to keep it in perspective:

Paint can not be separated and recast in a new material. In some instances, it can be used to produce more paint. This is highly dependent on the amount and quality of the paint in question. Used paint has little value as a commodity, especially when compared to other recyclable materials. This makes it even harder to find a recycler. The next best option is proper disposal. This means collection, solidification and disposal of the paint itself. When done correctly, the can or container is then recycled. Though imperfect, this has a tremendous impact on the environment.

So what’s the solution for those of us not near any paint recycling centers?

1. Don’t buy too much paint to begin with!
2. Buy the least toxic paint you can get your hands on, and recycled paint if you can.
3. If you have a garage or shed that doesn’t need to be fancy, you can combine all of your used paints (as long as they are all made of the same base material like latex) and use tint to make a basic color for walls, floor, ceiling, etc.
4. Donate your paint to a place like Habitat for Humanity who will put it to good use.
5. And then, for you New Yorkers, there’s the Brooklyn stand-by of putting cans of paint out on the sidewalk for others to find. I have mixed feelings about this. As long as the cans are well sealed and childproof, it’s not too hazardous. I think perhaps Craigslist and Freecycle are better options, though. (I do have a dear friend who painted her whole apartment from street paint, but she didn’t get to choose the colors and her apartment is a bit of a candy-colored pastel party.)
6. Keep the paint in your basement/under the sink well sealed until your city or town makes recycling available.

For more details and tips on disposing of your unwanted paint, check out Planet Green and Earth 911’s great articles.

Also, if anyone has any success stories about using recycled paint, I would love to hear them. As well, I’m interested to hear if your town or city just established paint recycling options. Hopefully New York will catch on soon. There must be millions of paint cans just waiting for recycling in the five boroughs.

Manufacturing, packaging, and shipping items make a huge environmental impact. If you’ve got the time, why not turn some these items into gifts this year.

Cereal Box Journal

Naturally, giving intangible presents cuts down on those stacks of socks and scarves sitting unused in your closet, plus you’ll get bonus points from family and friends for reusing materials that might have ended up in the trash or recycle bin!

Here you can use empty cereal boxes and magazine cut outs to create awesome looking journals. Let your creative energy flow, you’ll be amazed at what you can come up with. Click here to get the design details and make sure you let us know how it turns out.

Recycled Record Bowl

If you’re looking for a great home made gift to give this holiday season, recycled LP records are the way to go. I made a bunch of these and gave them out as gifts last year, and there will be a few love ones getting them as gifts this year. They are super easy to make and you can usually find great albums at your local thrift store. They’re prefect as an artistic piece on your coffee table, or for holding chips and other snack items. Here’s what you do.

• Choose an LP with a colorful label.

• Clean the LP with water; dry well.

• Preheat the oven to 350 Fº.

• Lightly oil one side of the LP, (any oil will do).

• Place the LP oiled-side-down on the cookie sheet.

• Set timer for 1 minute and 35 seconds.

• Put the cookie sheet into the oven and start the timer.

• After 45 seconds, flip the LP over so it heats evenly.

• When the time is up, take the LP off of the cookie sheet and begin molding, turning up the sides to create a wavy bowl shape, (be sure to let it cool just enough that you don’t burn yourself). You only have 20 to 30 seconds of playtime to shape the bowl, so work quickly.

• If your bowl’s shape doesn’t work, put it back in the oven for another 10 to 15 seconds. That will give you more playtime.

• The finished product will be smaller than you might expect, but you’ll love the finished look.

Recycled Record Bowl

Have fun and let us know how it turns out.

Plastic bottles that typically hold water, soda and juice are made from polyethylene terephthalate, a petroleum-based material also known as PET. These days, we are seeing more and more eco-products that boast about being made from PET, like recycled plastic bottles.

Polyethylene terephthalate is a thermoplastic polymer resin from the polyester family. It’s most often used in synthetic fibers, as a material for plastic bottles and food containers, and in engineering resins in combination with glass fiber. It’s extremely versatile and one of the most useful and important raw ingredients in man-made fibers.

Plastic containers bear the “arrow-triangle” symbol with a number 1-7, suggesting they are all recyclable, however, only numbers 1 and 2 can be recycled. PET is the most recyclable plastic, and is increasingly being made into an assorted throng of products.

PET can be recycled into fibers that are used for polyester fabrics. Major designers use recycled plastic bottles for haute couture. Five PET bottles yield enough fiber for one extra-large t-shirt or twenty-five two-liter bottles can make one sweater. Five two-liter PET bottles yield enough fiberfill for a ski jacket. PET is also spun like cotton candy to make fiber filling for pillows and quilts.

We’ll continue to buy and use plastic bottles, let’s hope people continue to come up with creative ways to recycle PET.

Many of the items we buy and use can be recycled. Craft projects from recycled goods are one great way of ensuring that our limited natural resources are optimally used.

From the fabric of old garments to well-trash salvaged materials, can be used to create styles that make mouths drop. As environmental awareness grows and shoppers yearn for individual looks on a budget, people everywhere are getting in on the recycled trend.

Here is a great way to recycle old cans and transform them into a super stylin’, super hip, wine rack for your favorite organic wines.

Thanks Michelle for another innovative recycled DIY idea! Click here to start this project.

Most American cities have aspiring recycling programs that have sharply reduced the amount of trash bound for landfills. The glistening skyline of Houston may be labeled the world’s “energy capital”, but it’s the worst recycler among the United States’ 30 biggest cities.

Houston recycles only 2.6% of its total waste, (according to a study this year by Waste News), in comparison to other cities like, San Fran and NYC, who recycle 69% and 34% of their waste dutifully.

Environmental advocates have been pleading for municipal intervention in Houston for years. But city officials say real advancement will be hard to come by.

The city’s sprawling, “no-zoning” layout makes collection expensive, and there is little public support for the kind of effort it takes to sort glass, paper and plastics

“We have an independent streak that rebels against mandates or anything that seems trendy or hyped up,” said Mayor Bill White, who favors expanding the city’s recycling efforts. “Houstonians are skeptical of anything that appears to be oversold or exaggerated. But Houstonians can change, and change fast.”

The city picks up garbage at 340,000 homes, and fewer than half have recycling bins. Some 25,000 homes are on a waiting list for bins, but the city says it cannot afford more bins.

Those without the bins are asked to take their recyclable garbage to one of just nine full-service drop-off depots in the city.

Mayor White, (a Democrat), has consistently pushed for environmental initiatives, said that a lack of progress on recycling was among his biggest disappointments and that the situation merited “radical changes.”

Last year the City Council contemplated inflicting a mandatory $3.50 monthly “environment fee” for all single-family homes. It was negotiated down to a voluntary $2.25, but then dropped entirely because of fierce opposition, city officials said.

Critics blame the state for not prompting municipalities into recycling. Still, city officials say the biggest hindrance to recycling in Houston is cheap landfill fees. It costs $32 to throw away a ton of waste, compared with $70 in the Northeast, according to the National Solid Wastes Management Association’s latest survey.

Some reject this controversy, citing other cities with even lower landfill fees.” Blaming landfills is a completely flawed argument, old-fashioned thinking that is really just laziness,” said Eric Lombardi, the director of Ecocycle, the nation’s largest nonprofit recycler, in Boulder, Colo.

Obviously Houston needs to do something about their recycling efforts and I agree with Mr. Lombardi, it’s old-fashioned and time they work on catching up with the rest of the country!

Starting next April, a fee will be added to electronics to help establish a recycling system for Ontario, CA. Producers of televisions, computers, monitors and fax machines will pay an “e-waste” fee on each device to help build a structure of 420 drop-off locations where e-waste can disposed of safely.

The fees will range from 32 cents for a mouse or keyboard, $10 for a TV and $13 for a desktop computer. Later in the year, fees will be charged on articles like cell phones, cameras, DVD players and stereos.

Alberta, British Columbia, Nova Scotia and Saskatchewan have already implemented similar plans. Dalton McGuinty, (Ontario Premier), acknowledged it was time to take responsibility for e-waste and with this program jobs will also be created.

The present plan is to charge fees to the manufacturers of the products, but there’s no sign as to whether the companies will digest the fee as a cost of doing business, or eventually pass the fee onto consumers.

Eleanor Friedland, (of Consumers Council of Canada), said she “expects the majority of companies will add the fee to the final cost of their product, forwarding the fee onto the consumer”

Between homeowners and businesses, Ontario disposes 90,000 tons of e-waste, (computers, printers and televisions), each year. The province says that number could grow to 123,000 tons over the next 5 years. That’s the equivalent of four million desktop computers, 1.5 million notebook computers, 1.2 million computer monitors, 1.5 million printers and 2.2 million TVs. Only 27% of that waste is recycled, the rest is taken to landfills or exported overseas, where it poses a threat to the environment and human health.

Electronic products contain toxic elements, (lead, cadmium and mercury), which can cause environmental and health problems if not disposed of properly. Any new effort to recycle e-waste is a good one. Way to go Ontario to implementing this program!