Trash Talk

Bring the Green: Trash Talk

9/18/09

by: Melisa Camp

This week I wanted to talk about trash. While on a trip from Phoenix to Tucson I noticed all kinds of garbage lying around roadside. It made me sad to think that this is the world I have brought my three month-old son into. I’m hoping to do something about it and I hope you will choose to take action as well. Join my cause on Facebook: http://apps.facebook.com/causes/355419 and pledge to recycle litter in your community on October 30^th.

By now, most people recycle some of their garbage regularly, but do you really know what you can and cannot recycle in your blue recycling bin? I found a few surprises.

Recycle

• Any and all paper: magazines, newspapers, and even your mail.
• Phone books- recycle the ones you have and sign up to stop receiving them on your doorstep at this website in seconds: http://www.yellowpagesgoesgreen.org/stop-yellow-pages/
• Plastics with the numbers on the bottom of the container that your city recycles. For example, Phoenix only recycles #1 or 2; Tempe, Scottsdale, Mesa, and Gilbert recycle #1-7, and Chandler recycles #1-6. A quick google search of your city and recycling should pull up the information for you.

Don’t recycle

• Shredded paper
• Soda and beer boxes 6 to 12 packs*
• Laundry detergent boxes*
• Plastic bags- Plastic bags can be recycled at: Alberrtsons, Bashas, Circle K, Fry’s, Safeway, Sprouts, and Sunflower Farmers’s Markets.

*Wet strength boxes are treated with a waterproof sealant that makes them difficult to recycle.

Reuse

• Sell or trade in your old electronics to Costco. They have a program for laptops, cell phones, digital cameras, LCD monitors, MP3 players, Blu-Ray, Gaming Sytems, GPS, and more. See website for details. http://costco.gazelle.com/
• Donate old items you don’t want. Find a drop off store here http://locator.goodwill.org/.
• Repurpose things you would ordinarily throw away. For example recovering furniture, using an old two liter for a bird feeder (upside-down), or cutting the bottom off of a plastic bottle with a handle and using the remaining part as a scoop; I use mine for dirt, bird seed, and plant food.
• Bring ink containers into local office supply stores like Office Max to be reused and get money back.

Reduce

• Buy in bulk and reduce your garbage. Costco or Sam’s club anyone?
• Use a lunchbox instead of paper bags.
• Send an email instead of mail. Print only what you need. My newest trick is to email directions from mapquest to my phone instead of printing them.
• Use a few reusable shopping bags instead of plastic ones. The hard part is remembering to bring them into the store. If you have small purchases refuse a bag.

Finally, if you have kids and want to teach them about recycling, check out this fun interactive webpage. My students last year loved starfall.com, and especially got into this activity. http://www.starfall.com/n/holiday/earthday/