Dear Recycle Lady,
I have a stack of newspapers that have yellowed with age. Can they be recycled? Spring Cleaner
Dear Spring Cleaner,
Clean, dry newspapers are recyclable regardless of their age. By recycling newspapers, you are saving trees and forests, conserving water and reducing air pollution. You are also reducing waste and saving energy. If you don’t want to recycle your newspapers, they can be put in the compost pile. Newspapers are an excellent source of carbon and are considered to be brown material. Be sure to shred the newspaper before putting it in your compost pile. Throwing it in as a bundle will turn into a moldy, icky mess as oxygen can’t get inside the folded-up paper. Don’t worry about the newspaper inks damaging the compost. Inks today are nontoxic. Another option is to take the newspapers to the Greenbrier County Humane Society. They always need newspapers.
Dear Recycle Lady,
I want to recycle a large number of manila file folders and the larger hanging brown folders that hold the file folders. Which bin do I deposit them in? Cardboard?? Thanks. Organizer
Dear Organizer,
Manila file folders can be recycled with either office paper or cardboard. The large brown folder, also available in other colors, can only be recycled with cardboard. Be sure to remove any metal or plastic latches, as well as any elastic bands that may be attached to the folders before placing them in the recycle bin.
Dear Recycle Lady,
What are Fairtrade products? Curious
Dear Curious,
Fairtrade is a global movement made up of diverse companies, organizations and consumers who want to put people and the planet first. To be certified as a Fairtrade USA product, a company must make products to the highest standards, provide sustainable livelihoods and safe working conditions for workers and farmers and take care of people taking care of animals. The first Fairtrade USA dairy company in the U.S. was Chobani, and Ben & Jerry’s was a strong supporter. The Fairtrade America label was created in 2019 and, according to www.fairtradeamerica.org, there has been a 118% increase in consumers who recognize the Fairtrade label. Market partners offer training, new technologies and other services to the nearly 2 million farmers, workers and fishers in 100-plus countries that make 30,000-plus products that carry the Fairtrade mark.
Dear Readers,
Congratulations and big kudos to Lewisburg Boy Scout Troop 70, Cole Morgan, Eagle Scout-to-be, and the supporting cast of hundreds of locals who tossed plastic film into one of the five large recycling bins available. Over 1,000 pounds of plastic film has been collected by the Scouts in less than two months. What an accomplishment! Their original expectation was to collect somewhere around 100 pounds a month, instead, they collected over 500 pounds a month. The Trex bench that the Scouts will receive will be placed somewhere on the path of Montwell Commons.
According to the rules of the Trex Challenge, the Scouts can’t do another collection until 2025. Is there another civic group out there that will take on this great project and continue the collection of recyclable plastic film? Not only will they earn a bench of their own, they will be keeping another 1,000 pounds of plastic film out of the landfill.
If so, please, contact Cliff Baker or me at recyclelady7@gmail.com.
Have questions about recycling or interesting information about recycling? Send questions or requests to recyclelady7@gmail.com. Dear Recycle Lady is sponsored jointly by the Greenbrier Recycling Center and Greenworks Recycling.
