The Shadow
Dear Recycle Lady,
Why is West Virginia using beet juice to pretreat roads before the icy conditions arrive?
Puzzled
Dear Puzzled,
Beet juice is an environmentally friendly additive to the salt brine that the WV Department of Transportation (WV DOT) uses to pretreat highways before a big snowstorm. They experimented with its use last year and found that a 80%-20% mixture of salt brine and beet juice is effective at near-zero temperatures, whereas just salt brine alone is effective only in the 15-to-20 degree range. While beet juice is more expensive up front than salt brine, according to Highway Engineer Jacob Burgarneer, the mixture of beet juice with salt brine does less damage to the roads, so it actually saves money. In 2025, WV DOT spent more than $19 million on snow removal and ice control.
Dear Recycle Lady,
When it snows, the man clearing my driveway uses a chloride mixture of ice melts to clear away the snow and ice. I’ve heard that these ice melts can be hazardous for my dog. Why are pet-friendly ice melts better for pets than some of the other mixtures?
Concerned for My Dog
Dear Concerned for My Dog,
There are several different kinds of ice melts. These may contain sodium chloride, potassium chloride, calcium chloride or magnesium chloride, all of which can be highly toxic to dogs according to PetMD.com. Magnesium chloride is considered more earth and pet-friendly because it contains less chloride than the others. Other pet-friendly ice melts are urea-based/glycol mixtures with no chloride salts. According to PetMD.com, there are three main potential health problems that can occur if your pet is exposed to ice melts. The first issue is irritation of your dog’s skin, paw pads, eyes, mouth, and nose. Whenever you walk your dog on sidewalks or the road in the winter, wipe off its feet, making sure to clean between the toes and around their central paw pad. Paw wax and booties are available to help with this – if your dog will wear them! The second issue is gastrointestinal, such as drooling, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain and bloating that can be caused by a large amount of ingested ice melt. If you think your pet has ingested ice melt call the Pet Poison Helpline at 855-764-7661. They have toxicology experts to help determine potential risk and if your pet needs to be seen by a veterinarian. The third concern is neurologic. Typically walking through ice melt will not cause neurologic issues. However, be concerned if your dog ingests a large amount of ice melt from the bag. This can result in behavioral changes, such as seizures, weakness, unsteadiness, and coma. See your veterinarian immediately.
Dear Recycle Lady,
Does the Greenbrier Recycling Center recycle old cellphones?
Updating My Phone
Dear Updating My Phone,
Yes, old cellphones can be recycled at the Recycling Center with electronics. When you are at the Recycling Center go to the door for aluminum cans and put the phone in the yellow basket by the door. According to www.Earth911.com, for every million cell phones recycled, 3,500 lbs. of copper and 75 lbs. of gold can be recovered and reused. Plus. when electronics are recycled not only are valuable resources recycled, but toxic materials are disposed of properly and e-wastes are reduced.
Good News: Cold, salty water is denser than warm water, so it sinks and flows downward along the seafloor like a waterfall. Some of these underwater waterfalls are even taller than Niagara Falls! These hidden waterfalls play an important role in ocean circulation and help move heat and nutrients around the planet.
Kudos to the Recycle Center for recycling 888 TONS of recyclables, donated by the fantastic, caring citizens of Greenbrier and Monroe Counties!
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.
