Dear Recycle Lady,
What is COP27? Need Information
Dear Need Information,
COP27 is the United Nations Climate Change Conference going on now. It is more commonly called COP27 as it is the 27th United Nations Climate Change conference. This year it is being held in Egypt from Nov. 6-Nov. 18. More than 90 heads of state and some 35,000 delegates from over 190 countries are in attendance. For more information, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_United_Nations_Climate_Change_Conference. This year’s conference is sponsored by Coca-Cola. Environmentalists are considering their sponsorship a form of greenwashing, as Coca-Cola has been named the top plastic polluter for the fifth year in a row by a coalition of 11,000 global organizations working towards a reduction in single-use plastics.
Dear Recycle Lady,
Can milk cartons be recycled? Milk Drinker
Dear Milk Drinker,
Milk cartons are made of paperboard, which sounds like they should be recyclable. However, the paperboard is covered with a thin layer of food-safe polyethylene plastic (#1 PET). Unfortunately, our recycle center doesn’t have the equipment to recycle these milk cartons. Milk can be purchased in plastic jugs that are recyclable at the recycling center. Milk is also available in a returnable/reusable glass jug, which is the most sustainable method of packaging milk.
Dear Recycle Lady,
Can bread be put in the compost bin or pile? Composter
Dear Composter,
Yes. Bread, particularly stale bread, can be added to your compost pile. It adds nitrogen to your compost and is considered “green” material. Be sure there are no scraps of food or fat on the bread. Sweet or sugary bread should not be put in compost. To facilitate faster composting, break the bread into small pieces before putting into the compost pile or bin. Bread added to a compost pile should be covered so as not to attract rodents or wildlife. Incidentally, please do not feed bread to birds. Bread is heavily processed and contains chemicals and preservatives that are not good for wild birds. According to www.thespruce.com/good-bread-for-birds, bread is considered “candy” to birds. Multigrain, wheat or organically produced bread can be offered occasionally, especially if it has additional nutrients, such as peanut butter or grape jelly on it. Suet with sunflower seeds on it or regular birdseed are the better options.
Dear Readers,
It has been pointed out to me that several problems have arisen from California’s law to reduce food wastes. According to https://reason.com/2022/04/23/californias-new-food-waste-law-is-backfiring/, the law that was supposed to help the environment and combat hunger is causing chaos for food banks, businesses, small cities and towns throughout the state. Local food banks have had difficulties implementing the law as a result of rising fuel costs and uncertainty over who pays for recovering the food. Let’s hope these difficulties can be solved and the intent of the new law can be realized.
Tuesday, Nov. 15, was America Recycles Day. It is observed nationally to promote sharing of tips for recycling and highlighting ways to recycle items not accepted curbside, such as tires, pesticides and electronics. America Recycles Day is recognized by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the nonprofit organization Keep America Beautiful. Let’s get behind this celebration day next year and find new ways to recycle. I will be requesting a list of all your new ideas, so please keep a record.
Good news and kudos to the Indonesian fisheries ministry — they are paying fishermen to collect plastic trash at sea as part of the country’s efforts to reduce marine plastic pollution by 70% by 2025.
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.
