Recycle Lady: Plastic Free July

Dear Recycle Lady,

Why is the month of July called “Plastic Free July?” Curious

Dear Curious,
The month of July was first called Plastic Free July in 2011 by the Australian Plastic Free Foundation. Its purpose was to raise awareness of the harmful effects that single-use plastics have on the environment, to encourage individuals to make more sustainable choices, and to inspire everyone to reduce their use of single-use plastics. It is now a global movement with people from 190 countries striving to make positive changes in their daily lives and to live more sustainably. According to an IPSOS survey conducted in 2021, 29% of global consumers were aware of Plastic Free July. Of those aware, 13% participated in the challenge. These figures represent an estimated 140 million people from 190 countries getting involved in Plastic Free July! Think of the impact we could make if all of us participated in Plastic Free July by making just one positive change in the use of single-use plastic! For example, purchase compostable eating utensils instead of plastic ones for your picnics or keep a reusable coffee cup at the office instead of using single-use Styrofoam cups.

Dear Recycle Lady,

I am cleaning out my home office, and I have several manuals that are out of date. Some have slick covers and others have covers that are office paper. Can these manuals be recycled? Techie

Dear Techie,

The answer to your question has many facets. If your manuals are bound books with a soft cover, they can be recycled with magazines, as paperback books do. If your manuals are hardback books with office paper pages, they can only be recycled if you first remove, and trash, the hardback covers. The pages then can be recycled with office papers. If your manuals have a metal or plastic binding, this binding must be removed before recycling the pages. Pages that are office paper are recycled with office paper; pages that are slick or colored are recycled with magazines.

Dear Recycle Lady,

Yesterday I came across the word pre-cycling in a magazine article. What is pre-cycling? Wondering

Dear Wondering,

According to https://recyclingsimplified.com, pre-cycling is about reducing waste. It is sometimes called a low-waste lifestyle as it is about making initial choices that will minimize waste or maximize reusable or recyclable materials. For example, it is about choosing items that are unpackaged, have less packaging, or have packaging that is recyclable. It is doing simple things, like taking a reusable bottle or bag with you, buying only what you need, or using rags instead of paper towels for cleaning. If you are trying to decide between a plastic, paper, or cardboard container, paper and cardboard boxes are the best option. Ultimately, pre-recycling is making choices that reduce consumer waste and have the smallest possible impact on the environment.

Good News for the Environment: Sea cucumbers are marine animals living on the sea floor and are known to consume plastic particles at an astounding rate. They eat it by scooping up sediment from the ocean floor, and they ingest over 100 times more plastic than expected, based on its numbers.

Bad News for the Environment:A new Oceana report estimates that Amazon’s plastic packaging waste in 2021 totaled 354,500 tons, an 18% increase over 2020 estimates.

Have questions about recycling, or interesting information about recycling? Send questions or requests to recyclelady@greenbrier-swa.com. Dear Recycle Lady is sponsored jointly by the Greenbrier Recycling Center and Greenworks Recycling.