Dear Recycle Lady,
After all the packages are opened on Christmas day there is always a pile of ribbons and bows left. Are ribbons and bows recyclable? Love Christmas
Dear Love Christmas,
Ribbons and bows make packages festive and pretty, but they are a definite no-no for recycling. If ribbons get into any of the equipment, they can bring everything to a halt. Bows are less hazardous to equipment than ribbons, but they usually have a plastic component and a glue that sticks the bows to the packages. Both of these two components make bows nonrecyclable. Please do not put any ribbons, bows, twine, or anything long and stringy in a recycling bin. When opening packages, keep a bag or a box handy for the bows and ribbons. They will then be ready for use the next time you wrap a package.
Dear Recycle Lady,
What about Christmas cards? Can they be recycled? Love Christmas Cards
Dear Love Christmas Cards,
Yes, most Christmas cards can be recycled but look them over first. Any glitter, ribbons, foil, or felt must be removed as these items do not recycle. Glossy cards go in the magazine/slicks bin and plain paper cards go in the office paper bin. There are other options to recycling/reusing Christmas cards that you might consider. Two websites: https://earthfriendlytips.com/epic-ideas-to-recycle-christmas-cards and https://www.shelterness.com/ideas-to-recycle-christmas-cards have some wonderful ideas for repurposing/recycling Christmas cards. When choosing cards for next year, consider using seeded Christmas cards that have wildflower seeds embedded in 100% recycled paper. Next spring these cards can be soaked in water, torn up and planted in a thin layer of soil. A great start for summer wildflowers! Seeded cards are eco-friendly and zero waste. These cards can be purchased online, as well as other eco-friendly cards made from recycled paper.
Dear Recycle Lady,
I have two plastic bottles, both of which have a label on them. One bottle’s label says, “Remove Label Before Recycling.” The other bottle’s label doesn’t say anything about removing it. Can the second bottle be recycled without removing the label? Confused Recycler
Dear Confused Recycler,
If a bottle doesn’t have a label that says to remove the label before recycling, then the bottle is recyclable with its label. If you look at the labels on your two bottles you will notice that the label that needs to be removed is considerably heavier than the label on the other bottle. The labels on your bottles are made of two different types of plastics, and different types of plastic process differently. The thinner plastics burn off during processing, but the heavier plastics do not. Thus, they must be removed before recycling.
Sad News: The brightly colored red and white clown fish are getting smaller and lighter as they adapt to the rising heat of the ocean. This helps them to survive on less food and less oxygen.
Have questions about recycling or interesting information about recycling? Send questions or requestsRecyclelady7@gmail.com. Dear Recycle Lady is sponsored jointly by the Greenbrier Recycling Center and Greenworks Recycling. to
