things i got wrong about recycling

Reduce. Reuse. Recycle.

I've had that mantra inscribed into my brain ever since I was a child.
I thought I was pretty savvy about what it meant, too.
But today I've learned that maybe I wasn't quite as hep to it as I'd thought.
Here's what I learned at the RCEC's "Putting Recycling Rumors To Rest" session.

MYTH: Electronics have to wait for Earth Day to be recycled.
The truth is that those items - computers, laptops, monitors, printers - are accepted at the Chatham County center on Eisenhower Drive at any time of year.
You bring it, they keep it until their recycler comes to pick it up.

MYTH: Bottle caps are not recyclable and must be removed from plastic bottles.
I had known that the caps and the bottles were two different kinds of plastic... and that is true.
I had thought that the caps were already recycled and could not be recycled again.
That is false, false, false.
The high-density polyethylene (HDPE or HDLPE) caps can be ground up and recycled repeatedly.
Likewise, the polyethylene terephthalate (PET or PETE) bottles can be ground up and recycled repeatedly.
When they are ground up together, the one can easily be separated from the other due to their different densities. Simple immersion in a water bath will have one plastic floating while the other sinks to the bottom, allowing a physical maneuver - such as scooping - to separate the two for processing into new materials.
The use of chemical properties to benefit the Earth, y'all!

MYTH: Receipts should be placed in the recycling bin.
No, not really.
Once upon a time, receipts were printed on paper.
However, a plastic film is more often used, and that is not recyclable.
Just have that receipt sent to your email for later verification of the charges.

MYTH: Glass cannot be recycled anymore.
Here's the problem with that one.
Glass certainly can be recycled, but not here in Chatham county.
That's because the nearest glass recycler is located in Conyers and the cost of the gasoline to transport such a heavy substance as glass would make the recycling cost prohibitive.
However, for those who are going to be around that town, you can take your old glass there and they will be glad to take it off your hands.
Likewise, large cities, such as Atlanta, typically have glass recycling centers nearby.
So, the next time you travel, think about what items you can offload at those recycling venues.

MYTH: Recycling is the "R" that has the most impact on living "green".
This is so false, yet it is the most pervasive myth.
Why?
Because it allows us to shift responsibility onto "them", not "us".
Check the man in the mirror, please.
YOU and I are the only ones that can control this issue.
YOU and I are responsible for reducing our usage of materials. When given a choice between an item with a lot of packaging and an item in minimal wrappings, choose wisely. Why pay for stuff destined to be discarded?
YOU and I are responsible for reusing materials that are purchased and to maximize the benefit of that produced good. Those plastic plates can be washed and used more than once!
YOU and I are responsible to choosing to buy only those items which are packaged responsibly, in materials which can be recycled and which utilize post-consumer recycled matter.
That is the true power "we" wield over "them".
Manufacturers follow the money trail laid by the consumers. Manufacturers will only use post-consumer recycled matter if they see it as beneficial to their bottom line. It is truly up to us to make better choices, one day at a time, and to support those businesses which are also making better choices.

Did you know that Georgia is second in the nation in the number of manufacturers making use of post-consumer recycled matter? Only California out-ranks us.
Here are several manufacturers in Georgia that are acting now to preserve Earth for tomorrow.
Shaw Industries - carpet
Pratt Industries - recycled packaging
Novelis - aluminum containers and car parts
Ball Container - metal containers for food and beverages
Rehrig Pacific - plastic pallets, bins, and containers
Erth Products - compost and soil

I'll be looking for their products in the future.
I support those who support my future.
What about you?