27.Video: Making opalescent glass

This short Science Channel video shows how old manufacturing methods and common minerals are used to make uncommonly beautiful glass.  To preserve raw materials, glass trimmings are recycled back into new batches of molten glass.  Skilled workers must work fast and carefully so we can enjoy stained glass windows and other art glass objects. 

26. Garbage Dreams: Hard recycling in Cairo

We have this award-winning 2009 documentary on order via inter-library loan and will report back.  It's about the Zaballeen ("garbage people" in Arabic) in Cairo that find their jobs in jeopardy by progress. 




There is more information about the film on PBS.  Conditions are probably much worse after the recent upheavals.  

25. Renters' Right to Recycle Act (CA) 2011

We are fortunate in that our apartment complex offers recycling services (cans, plastic and paper products) on site. We just have to bring our stuff to the maintenance room each week.  No bins. No driving to a drop-off center.  The system has been in place for years and it works. Therefore it was an eye-opener to read that roughly 3-million apartment-dwelling Californians only recently got the "right" to recycle when Gov. Jerry Brown signed the "Renters' Right to Recycle Act" in July.  Previously, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger had vetoed a similar bill. Why didn't he like the bill?  

24. November 15: America Recycles Day

Next week is America Recycles Day.  This is a good day to renew our commitment to recycle each day. The sponsoring organization has a pledge to sign as a means to remind us to keep going. 

23. Notes from the field: Trex lumber from recycled plastic bags

Plastic shopping bags are popular for their durability and ease of use.  But they're bad for the environment and not welcome in most MRFs either.  Locally we dispose of our unwanted plastic bags at Econofoods grocery stores (MN) in collection boxes provided by Trex.  Trex makes beautiful products from them.  The company states that in 2010 they collected over 3.1 million plastic bags for use in their products, making them the #1 plastic bag recycler in the U. S.. Private bag recycling projects are worth supporting.  Plastic bag deposits or use fees are sensible too.  If shoppers were all charged a quarter for each plastic bag used, it wouldn't take too long for cloth bags to become widely used instead.  

22. MN shutdown & environmental services

It's Day 13 of the Minnesota governmental shutdown and not only are some environmental permitting services not being performed, but the Polution Control Authority website is offline too.  One wonders how long the governor and legislature will continue to put Minnesota's  5 million plus residents last on their agenda.
July 20 Update:  Gov. Dayton signed a bill to end the shutdown today and about 22,000 state employees will return to work tomorrow after a 20-day layoff.  

21. Haz-Mat Day in Goodhue, MN

Goodhue County (MN) sponsors several Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) free collection days at various sites around this region.  This is an agricultural county (corn & soy beans) dotted with charming small towns and industrious folks.  We took advantage of this service one gray day last month and drove to the town of Goodhue.   It only took about an hour to load up the car, drop off the old paint, and return home. Easy. 
One major benefit of diverting hazardous wastes from landfills is to keep underground water cleaner for all life.   

20. Unpacking our new duplex eco-friendly printer

Last week, Office Max had a printer deal too good to pass up.  The Lexmark Prevail Pro-705 printer was on sale for $129.00 and if you traded in an old printer for recycling, they would knock off another 50 bucks.  So we brought in a broken printer and picked up a green printer for about $80.00. 
We wanted a printer for our home office that would automatically print on 2-sides to reduce our paper consumption by 50%.  Activating the Eco-Mode button takes care of that and other tasks.  Other features we were looking for included durability, WI-FI, a recyclable unit,

19. Rough recycling conditions in the U. K. village of Wye

WyeCycle Documentary from James Dolan on Vimeo.


This 5-minute documentary is about a community recycling company, WyeCycle, in England.  The staff is dedicated, motivated, positive and inventive.  For example, they turned old mini-vans into recycling trucks that run on bio-diesel that they make themselves. But they work under difficult circumstances and their future is uncertain.  
I feel bad for these inspiring recyclers because they don't appear to have the financial support they need to do their work without struggle.

18. Waste-to-Energy in 1919 Austin

A Popular Science article entitled "Out of the Garbage Pail and into the Fire" (February 1919) by Joseph Brinker exploded any idea I had that waste-to-energy plants are a fairly new concept.  It's about an experimental plant designed by E. L. Culver of Chicago.  He used a mixture of garbage, coal dust and tar to produce 2 lb. bricks which, when burned, gave the same, or better, heat as lignite coal.   This method also did not produce the gasses that coal-fired electrical generation plants did.  Culver's plant was successful and produced all of the heating units needed by Austin, Texas to power the city.  

17. Army Earth Day Posters

The U. S. Army Environmental Command has published Earth Day posters yearly since 1997.  Check them out on the video we posted on our new You Tube channel.   The recurring symbols on the posters link environmental protection with patriotism and national security.

16. Milton (VT) picks large recycled-plastic playscape

During a recent brief trip to Vermont, I was glad to read that the town of Milton is purchasing playground equipment made from 95%-recycled plastic.  The Milton Independent reports that the equipment, made by Earthscapes Play Structures (KY), will cost approximately $61,000 installed.  Additional funds are available for other amenities. The company states on its website, "Our recycled structural plastic lumber is made from reclaimed post-consumer plastic products like milk jugs

15. Wisconsin's recycling programs are in jeopardy

 Gov. Scott Walker's 2011/2013 proposed state budget, if approved by the Legislature, will eliminate the state's mandate for local governments ("responsible units") to run and maintain efficient recycling programs.  It will also eliminate grants, administered by the Department of Natural Resources, for recycling programs.  Recycling programs are currently funded from two sources:  a recycling surcharge on large businesses and by a separate Recycling and Renewable Energy Fund.  The later funds come from a $7 per ton landfill tipping fee which would still be collected.  Gov. Scott wants to use the money for economic development programs instead.   Residential recycling is mainly funded at the local level but if the State stops its cost share, communities may have to abandon recycling.  JS Online writes that in 2010, the state subsidized 27% of the cost of local recycling programs, or $29.3 million. 

14. Natural disasters: Japan

Recycling of natural disaster debris in California 2007.

As we know, Japan is currently suffering from the tragic loss of life and property following a catastrophic earthquake, aftershocks, tsunamis, floods, and fires.  Additional worries involve 2 nuclear power plants.  The death toll is unknown.  The American Red Cross writes: "The earthquake triggered fires and caused severe damage to buildings, leaving five million households without electricity and 1 million without water. Early assessments indicate that more than 2,500 houses have collapsed completely, with 2,500 more damaged."  
Donations to the American Red Cross Japan Earthquake/Pacific Tsunami fund may be made here: http://www.redcross.org/


How will Japan deal with the debris from these events? 

13. Recycling tin cans during World War II

"SAVE 'em * WASH 'em * CLEAN 'em * SQUASH 'em."
The illustrations and text of this 1943 U. S. government newspaper advertisement are educational and motivational. 

12. Innovation: Clean energy from contaminated recyclables and trash

I learned about this on-site mobile waste-to-energy machine, the GEM 3T120, from a Linkedin posting by Stu Haber of IST Energy (MA).  I think the GEM could be used productively in small transfer stations that offer recycling because glass and metals are usually separated by the users at these sites.  Processing could be used to heat site buildings, or create electricity, a cost savings.  Non-profits may be able to get grants to give this innovative approach a try and work out the kinks.  I've subscribed to IST's YouTube channel

11. Who should pay for recycling appliances after natural diasters?

Hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, earthquakes, fires and other natural disasters result in the massive collection and recycling of "white debris" or destroyed appliances by governmental entities.  They contain hazardous materials that must be removed before they can be recycled for their scrap metal value.  The oils and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) have to be evacuated by trained technicians.  Foam insulation has to be dealt with separately.  It's an  expensive process.  FEMA does assist communities with the cost of recycling white debris.  Yet today, taxpayers are demanding that manufacturers--and their shareholders--take-back and recycle their own products.  Should a recycling fee be collected at the point- of-sale for appliances to offset these expenses?  Who should

10. From Sweden: Official Trailer One Tonne Life

We're watching the English videos on the One Tonne Life Channel on YouTube.  We like the fact that the house produces its own energy and that the family can track its energy use in real-time.  The presentations are sometimes like infomercials.  We'd like to see more data posted on the project's homepage and hear more from the family on their social networking pages.  The unique house

9. Fun UNFCCC-winning animation: landfill methane to electricity

This entertaining short video by Olivier Diamant won first-place in a 2010 UNFCCC competition.  It's about a Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) project in Colombia.  The UNFCCC website states: "Under the Clean Development Mechanism, emission-reduction (or emission removal) projects in developing countries can earn certified emission reduction credits. These saleable credits can

8. Why I like Oregon's separated-glass recycling policy

Old glass > new bottles in 1972

Oregon enacted the nation's first unrepealed bottle bill to deal with the problem of highway litter from throwaway carbonated and malt beverage containers in 1971.  Consumers pay a 5-cent deposit per can or bottle at purchase and received 5-cents back per bottle if redeemed at a store.  Consumers can also put them out in their recycle bins.  Most Oregonians are directed to put their glass in a separate bin for a number of reasons. Among them are: 

• Worker safety--glass shards injure workers.
• Damage to expensive machinery--glass shards score metal, cut rubber conveyors and cause maintenance problems.
• Commingling glass with other recyclables causes contamination from food.
• Separating glass results in a cleaner product that won't be rejected by glass plants.
• The price paid for glass by glass plants is too low to justify the extra costs of trying to separate glass from commingled recycling.
• Transportation costs are high relative to its commodity value.

The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality estimates 

7. Christmas tree recycling

Cutting the tree in 1939

By now most people have disposed of their holiday trees and wreaths in some fashion.  We used to drag our trees to a wooded area on our lot to serve as cover for birds, rabbits and other critters.   Many people participate in free or low-cost wood mulching or waste-to-energy programs.  Some folks save their trees for summer cook-outs or bonfires.  A recent Audubon Magazine blog post reports on three

6. Recycling in WWII America: tin cans

During WW II,  civilians were asked to collect and carefully prepare their tin cans for melting.  As the poster reads, they were to remove tops and bottoms, take off paper labels, wash and flatten the cans firmly before taking them to a collection center.  The cans were urgently needed for ammunition. Today, many households aren't even asked to wash or pre-sort their cans to boost participation rates. Many people don't understand that it's still in America's self-interest to recycle.  Recycling tin cans makes sense because it requires less energy to make metals from used cans than to mine and smelt new ores.   At the very least, recyclers should wash their cans to reduce exposing MRF laborers to toxins and to make them less attractive to rodents.  

5. Vermont's new e-waste law in effect

We used to dispose of our old large electronics at the town drop-off center and pay fees.   The Chittenden Solid Waste District made it easy for us.  All Vermonters are now mandated to keep their electronic waste out of state landfills.  We all love our electronics but they can contain hazardous materials such as lead and mercury.  Laws that ban e-waste from landfills, set up e-recycling programs, and involve both consumers and manufacturers are needed globally. 

4. Recycle bins = best green marketing

When we lived in Mesquite (TX), municipal recycle bins were new (2008).  We were not in the pilot distribution area but requested a bin.  We were the first on our street to put out our recycling in the green 18-gallon bins.  Soon green bins starting appearing in front of our neighbors' houses.

3. What is a MRF? It's a Materials Recovery Facility

MRFs ("murfs") are where the contents of your recycling bin or cart go after a hauler picks them up.  Your recyclables are then sorted mechanically and by hand. 

There are 3 basic types of MRFs:  Single-Stream MRFs take commingled

materials like paper and plastics. These were developed to make it easier for the public to recycle and increase public participation.

Dual-stream MRFs are where paper goods are brought in separated from glass, tin cans and plastics. In general, dual-stream MRFs can produce cleaner end-products.  Because pre-sorting is done at home, and citizens are more involved, there are fewer contaminates.  

2. Burn barrels

Like most rural householders, my father burned trash in a barrel.  In the cities, residents' trash was picked up by sanitation workers but burn barrels were utilized too.  Using burn barrels is not a smart way to dispose of trash for a lot of reasons.  Today we know that wastes turn into toxic chemicals like dioxins when burned in barrels.  These pollute the land, air, water and food.  Old habits die hard but this is one we need to kick.  Recycling, using landfills or waste-to-energy plants are better for the environment than burning trash in the backyard. 
Image: NYS Dept of Environmental Conservation 

1. Recycling campaigns and patriotism

During World War II, Americans were under mandatory rationing and recycling orders.  Americans recycled tin cans, paper, tires, silk stockings, aluminum, car bumpers and more to

support manufacturing for the war and to alleviate shortages.  Shoppers didn't have the choice of "paper or plastic" to carry or wrap their goods in, but used paper was valued.  It's too bad people dropped the effort after the post-war boom.  Paper is one of the easiest things we can keep out of landfills.  Paper recycling is good for America. 
Image: NARA