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