The Shadow
Dear Recycle Lady,
How can we recycle plastic mailers that have a thin plastic bubble wrap inside?
What To Do With Mailers
Dear What To Do with Mailers,
If your plastic mailer is white with blueprint, it recycles with plastic film, but not curbside recycling. It can be put in one of the Trex boxes for plastic film at the Recycle Center, Amy’s, Lewisburg Methodist Church, or St. James Episcopal Church. They can also be put in the recycling bins at Kroger’s, Walmart or Lowes.
However, if your plastic mailer looks like the blue one, but is white with red print, the red recycle symbol will have a diagonal line through “store drop-off,” similar to the universal ‘NO’ indicating that it does not recycle. It goes in the trash.
Paper envelopes lined with bubble wrap are made with both paper and plastic, therefore can’t be recycled since they are made of different materials. Paper envelopes with padding made with newspaper are recyclable, but not locally. Mailers padded with Styrofoam dots, regardless of whether they are paper or plastic, are not recyclable and go in the trash. Please consider saving and reusing these mailers.
Dear Recycle Lady,
If I am unsure if a piece of paper recycles with office paper or magazines, which one should I choose?
Office Paper vs Magazines
Dear Office Paper vs Magazines,
If you are uncertain whether a piece of paper is office paper or magazine paper, put it in with magazines. Office paper is generally designed for everyday use. It is thinner than paper used for printing magazines, more absorbent, and tends to bleed ink. While office paper is available in 20 lb. and 24 lb. weights, magazine paper is generally heaver and is available in weights of 60 lb. or more. Magazine papers have a thin layer of plastic or clay coating that creates a smooth, glossy surface with bright colors, crisp images and reflects more light. This glossy finish of a quality magazine may account for 25% of the weight of the paper and could be a contaminant if recycled with office paper.
Dear Recycle Lady,
Should I use paper or plastic take-out bags at the grocery store?
Shopper
Dear Shopper,
Why choose either one? The best choice is to bring your own reusable bags when you are shopping. Plastic bags are definitely a no-no. In fact, Kroger will no longer be using single-use plastic bags after 2025. Some states and stores in the U.S., as well as countries such as Australia, have already instituted such a policy. In these locations, shoppers have become accustomed to bringing their own bags or carrying out purchased items without a bag. Some estimates suggest that 100 billion (100,000,000,000!) single-use plastic bags are thrown away in the U.S. every year and only 5% are recycled. Brown paper bags are highly preferable to plastic as they can be recycled with cardboard, however, it requires cutting down forests and use of more energy to make paper bags. Bringing your own reusable bags is the best choice of all.
Good News: The population of snow leopards in Kazakhstan, a central Asian country, has increased between 153 to 189. Due to conservation efforts and protected areas, their numbers have doubled since the 1990s.
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.
