R ECYC L E At l a n ta ,
G eo r g i a
C E L E B R AT E , C H RO N I C L E & I N S P I R E A Q UA RT E R LY P U B L I CAT I O N P RO D U C E D b y R e c y c l i n g Pe r k s . c o m
ISSUE 2 F E B RUA RY - A P R I L 20 1 6
The planet is in your hands. Illustration: Alex McCain
3 CITY SPOTLIGHT: RECYCLING HISTORY Recycle Atlanta, Georgia is produced by Recycling Perks. It is our goal to build awareness of recycling, encourage people to participate in recycling every day and every week by rewarding for recycling with discounts and freebies. YOUR ATLANTA TEAM Rory Christian | roryc@recyclingperks.com Bill Dempsey | bdempsey@recyclingperks.com
4 GETTING OUT IN ATLANTA & RECYCLING EVENTS
6 WHAT HAPPENS TO YOUR PLASTIC?
7 LOCAL BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT: MISS D’S NEW ORLEANS STYLE PRALINES & POPCORN 8 RECYCLING PERKS REWARDS PARTNERS
Are you looking for a list of all the other businesses on board? We’ve got it all right here.
10 VALENTINE’S DAY RECYCLED DECORATIONS AND GIFTS 11 ADD THE ONES YOU LOVE TO YOUR ACCOUNT 12 I AM IN CONTROL DAY EVERY DAY TIPS ON HOW TO ENSURE A BETTER FUTURE 13 WANT TO BE RECYCLED 14 ATLANTA CELEBRATES EARTH DAY 2016 15 RECYCLE ETIQUETTE - LEARN TO RECYCLE RIGHT 16 RECYCLING PERKS
RECYCLING HISTORY WORDS:
Recycling has a longer history than you may think. In ancient times it was commonplace to melt down broken swords or pots to make new items. Prior to the Industrial Revolution, recycling was common in households. Items were reused until they were too worn to be useful and then recycled. During war times when new resources were scarce it was common to have recycling drives to collect metals for the war effort. After the wars ended and the Industrial Revolution began providing plentiful household items, it was easier to simply throw things away and buy new ones rather than reuse or recycle them. Household garbage that was not burned or buried on a homeowner’s land went to the landfill. Early landfills were open pits into which garbage would be evenly spread. A herd of pigs would be turned loose to eat the garbage during
Tracy L. Hambrick, Recycling Manager, City of Atlanta
the day. In the evening the pigs would be herded out, the garbage pushed to the edge and burned. After the war, as the urban populations boomed, the concern for clean air and water called for more restrictions on landfills, which evolved to what they are today; basically still just a mountain of garbage, but with guidelines and laws designed to protect the environment. Recycling is as important today as it was to our ancestors, and for the same reasons. Recycling diverts items from the mountain of garbage and gives them a second life. Metal and glass can be infinitely recycled, and plastic and paper become new versions of their old selves a number of times over. Recycling helps protect our natural resources. New paper is made from trees, metals are mined, and the majority of plastic is de-
rived from petrochemicals. Recycling saves these natural resources, and the energy it takes to extract them from the environment. The City of Atlanta invites you to join us every 3rd Saturday for Recycle Day, at the Mall West End located at 850 Oaks Street, SW Atlanta, GA 30310. Come out and recycle your clothing, electronics, tires, #6 polystyrene, paper for shredding, and household recycling. One visitor per car will receive a reusable shopping bag made from 100% recycled materials. For more information about the City of Atlanta’s recycling program please visit www.atlantaga. gov/recycling. Help protect the environment and your city by recycling today.
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Get Out In Atlanta, GA! February
2/1-17 JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL Several venues. http://ajff.org
2/13 PARK TAVERN OYSTER FEST 4 pm, Park TavernAtlanta 2/27 ATLANTA MISSION 5K 7 am, Centennial Olympic Park
2/27 BLACK HISTORY MONTH
PARADE
1 pm, Sweet Auburn Historic District
2/13 VALENTINES DAY
GARDEN PARTY
7 pm, Atlanta Botanical Garden
March 3/5 DENTAL DASH AT DAWN 5K 8 am, Historic Fourth Ward Park
3/15 ST. PATRICK’S DAY 5K 3 pm, Piedmont Park
KID’S ULTIMATE FITNESS
3/19 RUN ATLANTA 5K 8 am, Piedmont Park
CHALLENGE
10 am, Piedmont Park
ATLANTA BRUNCH
FESTIVAL
11 am, Historic 4th Ward Park
3/12 ST. PATRICK’S PARADE 12 pm, midtown Atlanta
4
RIRA ST. PATRICK’S PARTY
3 pm, 12th St. between Peachtree and Crescent Ave
T21 RUN 9 am, Piedmont Park 3/20 PUBLIX GEORGIA MARATHON &
HALF MARATHON
7 am, Centennial Olympic Park 3/26 5 TO THRIVE 5K RUN/WALK 8 am, Piedmont Park
Recycling COMMUNITY RECYCLING EVENTS Keep Atlanta Beautiful
April 4/1-10 ATLANTA FILM FESTIVAL Several venues. atlantafilmfestival.com 4/2
WALK FOR LIFE, EVERY BREATH
COUNTS ASTHMA RUN/WALK
Electronics, polystyrene, tires, metals, textiles, and paint is accepted. BUCKHEAD
OLD FOURTH WARD
8 am, Grant Park
4/2-3 SPRING FESTIVAL ON PONCE
6 am, Olmsted Linear Park - FREE
1st Saturday of each month 10:00 am – 3:00 pm Second-Ponce de Leon Baptist Church 2715 Peachtree Road, NE
2nd Saturday of each month 10:00 am – 3:00 pm Walden School 320 Irwin Street NE
4/8-10 ATLANTA DOGWOOD FESTIVAL 12 pm, Piedmont Park 4/16 2016 FIGHT FOR AIR CLIMB 8:30 am, 191 Peachtree Towers 4/16 ENERGY FOR LIFE WALKATHON 10 am, Piedmont Park 4/23 WALK MS ATLANTA 2016 6 am, Piedmont Park & Surrounding 4/28-30 WESLEYAN ARTIST MARKET 7 pm, 5405 Spalding Drive - Peachtree Corner 4/30 WALK TO END LUPUS NOW 11 am, Piedmont Park 4/30 INMAN PARK SPRING FESTIVAL 12 pm, Inman Park
CITY OF ATLANTA RECYCLE DAY Electronics, polystyrene, tires, metals, and clothing may be recycled.
3rd Saturday of each month The Mall West End 850 Oak Street
CHARM Center for Hard to Recycle Materials
Household hazardous waste and tires in addition to many more items may be recycled.
Tuesday: 9:00 am - 4:00 pm Thursday: 9:00 am - 4:00 pm Saturday: 8:00 am - 4:00 pm 1110 Hill Street 5
Recycled plastics can be diverted from the waste stream, measured and managed to reduce pollution and thereby benefit the environment. Additionally, recycling creates jobs not only in the waste management industry but in all other industries that utilize recycled materials like the clothing and textile industry. Unfortunately, because of the different chemical compositions of plastic, it is the most difficult material to manage in the waste stream. Think about all of the plastic items you can find in your home, these items end up lost in the waste stream and end up in the land fill; bottles, plastic wrap, sandwich bags, candy wrappers, remote controls and even grocery bags. Recycling minimizes the amount of waste sent to landfills: specifically packaging and food containers made of… you guessed it, plastic! But what happens to the recycled plastic? It’s pretty interested in fact! After recyclable plastic is collected, it’s taken to your local MRF (Materials Recovery Facility). From there, plastic is sorted manually and then bundled into plastic bales for storage until they can be further processes. When the time comes, the plastic bales are then broken apart and sorted (by humans not robots) by color and resin type. After sorting, all of the materials get ground up, or shredded into small flakes of plastic which are then separated by density or weight. The plastic flakes must then be thoroughly washed and decontaminated before being dried. These flakes are then melted down and made into plastic pellets for use in post consumer recycled products like outdoor decking materials, fencing, doors and windows, roof tiles, fiber and fabrics. Most post consumer plastics are normally used for specific products and are rarely used for food and beverage containers but the application of the little pellets are endless.
FreeDigitalPhotos.net - winnond
I know, you’re probably wondering, “Why should I even care about plastic contamination due to improper sorting?” The first and most important reason is the versatility of plastic. Plastic has become an essential ingredient to human life and that won’t be changing any time soon. So, with more plastic in our future, we have to find better ways to reduce the carbon footprint of plastic on the planet and avoid the harmful effects that plastic has on aviation, land and marine life.
WORDS: Monique Webb, Recycling Perks
What happens to your plastic? 6
We all know that Recycling is important but did you know that in relation to all plastic on the planet, only small amounts of plastic is recycled. But why? Well, because there are different types of plastics and each have their own chemical composition. Mixing these different or chemically non-compatible plastics can actually contaminate the recycled plastics. Furthermore, inks and glues from labels (such as a paper or plastic bottle label) can further contaminate plastic making it non-recyclable.
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WORDS:
Rory Christian, Recycling Perks
Miss D’s Made with much, much love One stop at Miss D’s New Orleans Style Candy and you will be a “triple” popcorn, praline, and brittle fan for life. Not only will the sweet smell of the churned (right in front of you) pralines and candied apples draw you in, but the atmosphere of love and kindness will make you feel like family. Ms. Dionne Gant, known to friends as Miss D, is truly one of a kind. After relocating to Atlanta due to Hurricane Katrina and dealing with life’s battles, Miss D decided it was time to focus
on her life and happiness. She continued smiling, putting her apron on and completing recipes she had been working on for 25 years. Then, Voilà! Her life-long journey and dream of creating Miss D’s New Orleans Style Candy became a reality. Thank goodness! The treats are unforgettable; favorites are the triple popcorn, the pecan praline, peanut brittle as well as the cherished candied apple! As loyal customers say, she is considered to be more than just an amazing baker, she’s a friend.
Her generosity and smile are contagious, and not to mention - her baking is addicting! Miss D’s New Orleans Style Candy is located at 209 Edgewood Avenue, Atlanta GA 30303, right as you walk into the Sweet Auburn/Municipal Market. Just follow the smell of sweets and pure bliss coming from Miss D’s kitchen! As a Recycling Perks member, you’ll get 10% off all purchases with 25 points! 7
RECYCLING PERKS REWARD PARTNERS BEAUTY & SPA
Support the businesses who support you! All of the rewards on Recycling Perks are provided by businesses who support recycling in Atlanta. Log on to RecyclingPerks.com to enroll in your free account and redeem earned recycling points for discounts from these fine establishments.
ASB Skin & Wellness Ambrosia Salon Aroma Soul Skin Boutique & Brow Bar Atlanta Bundle Boutique Atlanta Hair Studio Attitudes By Moe Aveda Institute Atlanta Barron’s London Spa Blendz Hair Salon Boss Babe Body Cj’s Hair Studio Clean Start Total Body Cleansing Conceited Inc. EcoColors Salon G Salon | Spa | Store Hair Images Atlanta Heavenly Nail By Al J Spot Studio Love E Fashion Marvi Threading At Lenox Melange Hair Studio Natural Element Organic Soaps Nette’s Essentials Massage Nubiance Salon and Spa PURE HD Salon Paces Dentistry Planet Beach Rejuvenate Spas Inc. Relax & Wax Midtown Atlanta Relish Salon SKYHH Salon Sally B’s Skin Yummies Salon Enjay of Atlanta Simply Sun Tanning Solar Dimensions Studio Oliver Salon Suddenly Slimmer The Cherry Blossom Salon The Love Language of Touch The Styling Firm of Atlanta Tired Soles Total You Wellness Center
EVENTS & ACTIVITIES 8
3Quest Challenge Apex Museum
Atlanta Movie Tours Centennial Park Ice Rink Crazy Dash Digital Adventures Dip ‘n Dab Fernbank Science Center Gotham Dream Car Sprint Leire Tid Studios Magic & Mystery Live Event Millennium Gate Museum Paranoia Quest Room Escape Atlanta Shoppe Artisan The Murder Mystery Company Wacky Walks Wine Tours of Georgia ZoUnique Abstracts Zoo Atlanta
FOOD & DRINK 3 Parks Wine Shop Adios Cafe Agave Restaurant Babylon Cafe Banjo Cold Brew Coffee Big Al’s Gourmet Butter Made Burgers Cafe 55 Caja Popcorn CalyRoad Creamery CamiCakes Cupcakes Carver Neighborhood Market Cupcake Endulgers Boutique DaKota Blue Debbie’s Delights Eclectic Bistro and Bar Edible Arrangements Garnish and Gather Golda Kombucha Happy-Hookah IT’SUGAR JaNi Chic Just Add Honey Tea Company Kenley’s Restaurant Kimis Bistro Land of a Thousand Hills Coffee Co. Lovies BBQ Lupa’s Kitchen Mana-Foods Mayflor Farms Miss D’s Pralines No Mas! Cantina
Noni’s Bar and Restaurant Pizza Hut Poco Mas! Raising The Bar Red and Green Brazilian Steakhouse Silver’s Delight All Natural Juice and Caribbean Restaurant Sweet Auburn Seafood Restaurant Sweet Cheats Tex’s Tacos Food Truck The Landmark Diner The Pig & The Pearl The Shed at Glenwood Xocolatl Chocolate
East Atlanta Copy Center Intown Healthy Hound & City Kitty Jay’s Mobile Detailing KararD Productions Low Cost Computer Services Qwik2fix Road Wrench - Atlanta’s Mobile Bike Repair Roberson Specialized Services TWCP Repairs TapeWorm Repairs The Sewing Studio The Whole Dog Market Traci with an Eye Graphic Design
HEALTH & FITNESS
SHOPPING
ABS: Absolute Body Symmetry Active Sol Yoga Any Spine Chiropractic Center Atlanta Rocks! Barre3 Atlanta Buckhead Best Fitness by Pharr Big Boned Fitness Body By Jai Body By Larry B Body By Sno Body That Works Dance 411 Fitness Battalion GNC Midtown Plaza Gauge Fitness Hybrid Athletic Systems InTown Stars Gymnastics Integral Health Studio Jeanne’s Body Tech Kick Start Martial Artsâ„¢ PSS Injury & Wellness Center Play Hard Gym Roc House Women’s Fitness Spa Sacred Sweat Yoga Sacred Thread Yoga Sparlin Health Care Steve Hightower Hair Salon & Day Spa Svelte Fitness Thunderbolt Power Yoga
Alexis’ Suitcase Aroma Paradise Authentiks Apparel Avon Superstore Baby Love Big Daddy Biscuits BookATailor City Fashion Common Scents CrossFit Midtown EAV Smoke & Vape Flame Of Life Frabel Studio and Gallery Glitz Jewelers Global Newstand Inman Park Dry Goods KJ Hosiery Kaboodle Home Pet Chef Express RASA T-Shirts Recycling Rules RimTyme Sam Flax Shades For Less Simple Sisters Sisters Bookshop Sock Fancy TOUCHTel Wireless Urban Jewelry Vue Eyewear
HOME & GARDEN Fig & Flower Forest Things Le Jardin Francais Preserving Place Rag & Frass Farm Regionally Right Farms Seed Factory The Flower Garden
SERVICES ASAP Carpets & More Black Owl Tattoo Bounce Bounce Party Rentals CitrusFresh Carpet Cleaning Computer Doctor Digital Arts Studio DigiTechCo
HAVE YOUR BUSINESS APPEAR HERE!
Become a partner today. At no cost! Call us: 855-813-2154
9
VALENTINE’S DAY RECYCLED DECORATIONS AND GIFTS WORDS: Monique Webb, Recycling Perks
It’s possible! Recycle your Val-
lauryn20001u.loveitsomuch.com
2.
entine’s Day with these help-
3.
ful ways to make new light of
4.
old items. Check out these fun ways to make recycled décor
Valentine’s Day Cards
for this loving holiday.
blog.modcloth.com
Heart Garlands Materials: - Yarn - Fabric (old shirts, jeans or any left over fabric) - Thread - Needle - Scissors - Cotton stuffing (from and old stuffed animal or pillow) Instructions: 1. Cut fabric hearts out to desired sizes 2. Cut yarn in 4 inch strips and create loops for each heart 3. Sew looped yarn onto fabric heart 4. Sew (inside-out) around the shape of your heart, leaving a 1-inch opening for stuffing 5. Flip your hearts onto the right side 6. Stuff with cotton fill 7. Sew the 1-inch opening closed 10
Cut fabric into small squares about 2 inches Tie the fabric all around the heart shape Stand back and enjoy your new wreath!
merrimentdesign.com
8. 9.
Decorate as desired Tie your hearts to a 3-foot piece of yarn (evenly spaced) 10. Hang your garland and enjoy your work! Heart Wreaths Materials: - Fabric or paper (from old clothing or misprints) - Wire Hanger (an old broken one) - Styrofoam Instructions: 1. Form the hanger or wire into a heart
Materials: 1. Old greeting cards, magazines, catalogs, newspapers or leftover construction paper 2. Scissors 3. Glue 4. Pen or Marker Instructions: 1. Look through old greeting cards, etc. 2. Cut out pictures you would like to use on your cards 3. Take a piece of construction paper and fold it in half to form your card 4. Glue the pictures you cut out to the front of the card 5. Write a special note inside to compete your card 6. Give the custom card to the one you love! See more on our Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/recyclingperks/
Add the ones you love to your account Invite your spouse, child, roommate, co-worker, or anyone who helps you earning points.
SAME ADDRESS
SEND INVITE
ENJOY
Anyone who recycles at the same address as yours, can be added to your account.
In your account, click on “Invite someone to your account”. Type in the name and email of the person you would like to share your points with. The new user will receive an invitation to create their account.
Everyone will be able to use the common earned points, in their own way. You might want to redeem a free yoga class, while they might want to go out for dinner...
www.recyclingperks.com
11
I AM IN CONTROL DAY!
MARCH 30: Every day tips on how to ensure a better future WORDS:
O
n March 30, 1981, after U.S. President Ronald Reagan was wounded in an assassination attempt, the then Secretary of State Alexander Haig was quoted as stating “I am in control here.” While this statement was taken out of context and the story forgotten with time, this special day transformed into the day you remember, you have the power to get things in order in life. So today, whether you’re at work, on a bus, or in your bed, take a moment to remember that you are in control. You are especially in control of the future of our planet. Below are some easy tips to ensure a better future from the second you start your day. AT HOME • • • •
•
• • • • • •
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Ban bath time, take showers instead. Baths require almost twice as much water and inflate energy costs for heating the water Take a shorter shower. Every two minutes you save on your shower can conserve more than ten gallons of water! Brush your teeth without running the water. You’ll conserve up to five gallons per day Consider using non premium, discount brand toilet paper. Some premium extra soft toilet paper use many layers, and lots of chemicals for bleaching or perfume. See a rating of your toilet paper brands here: http://www.nrdc.org/land/forests/tissueguide/ ratings.aspx Try home-made recipes before buying strong chemicals. Example: Use white vinegar to clean, it’s an antifungal that also kills germs and bacteria. Read more on: http://www.greenamerica.org/livinggreen/greencleaners.cfm Turn off the lights when you’re not in the room Use compact fluorescent light bulbs to use 75 percent less energy than standard incandescent bulbs Buy a refillable water bottle instead of the disposable ones. Three times more water is used to produce a bottle of water than it holds Turn off your computer instead of leaving it in sleep mode. You can save 40 watt-hours per day. Also, skip the screensaver When something is broken, try to fix it! If you can’t, then recycle it! Program your thermostat when you’re not home. You can save energy and you’ll lower heating and/or cooling costs by 10% or more per year
•
Sandra Hungate, Recycling Perks
Bike or walk instead of taking your car. Ditching the car will save about a pound of CO2 and other pollutants per mile
AT THE OFFICE
• • • •
Recycle your daily newspaper. Recycling just the Sunday papers would save more than half a million trees every week Double-side and single space your printing to use 75 percent less paper Plug electronics into a power strip with a circuit breaker so that when you turn it off, you shut down all the juice. Or simply unplug electronics when you’re done using them! Pay your bills online instead of on paper to save trees and avoid greenhouse gas emission for mailing
AT LUNCH TIME
• • • • • • •
Why not go meatless every now and again? You’ll save thousands of gallons of water that go into producing just one pound of beef and an animal’s life Buy trash free products! For example, use a bagless vacuum, reusable lunch boxes, and avoid products that are excessively packaged Ditch plastic and paper bags. Get yourself some reusable totes Compost food leftovers! Use one less napkin a day or use cloth napkins. More than a billion pounds of napkins could be saved from landfills each year Use a dishwasher instead of washing your dishes by hand, but only run it when it’s full. You could save hundreds of gallons of water each month Buy local whenever possible to avoid pollution of shipping And of course: recycle. Always!
HAPPY I’M IN CONTROL DAY!
!
Want To Be Recycled WORDS:
Kanika Greenlee, Executive Director, Keep Atlanta Beautiful
Imagine a shampoo bottle that dreams of becoming a hairbrush, a steel can that hopes to someday be transformed into a bicycle, or a plastic bottle that believes that, one day, it could become a park bench. These are some of the many destinies that could be fulfilled if more Americans took time to do one thing: recycle. A public service advertising (PSA) campaign introduced by the Ad Council and Keep America Beautiful (KAB) aims to inspire the nearly two in three Americans who do not recycle regularly to make recycling a part of their daily lives. Despite increased visibility of public recycling receptacles and increased curbside programs, levels of recycling remain low at less than 35 percent. The average American generates 4.4 pounds of trash per day and recycles or composts only 1.51 pounds. Think of all the hairbrushes, bicycles, and park benches that could be produced if all of that was recycled instead. As a whole, the United States produces approximately 254 million tons of trash each year and recycles and composts 87 million tons of this material, according to the U.S. EPA. The Ad Council first partnered with KAB to address the issue of littering more than four decades ago. The result was Iron Eyes Cody — “The Crying Indian,” — one of the most iconic advertising campaigns in American history. The PSAs have a different goal, but one that is just as important: to waste less by recycling more. Our “trash” could go on to live a whole new life and serve a valuable purpose, if only more people would give it a chance. Most recently, Keep America Beautiful and the Ad Council joined with Unilever to expand the conversation around recycling beyond the kitchen and into the bathroom as nearly half of Americans do not consistently recycle their plastic personal care products. This new phase of the campaign illustrates how products like shampoo bottles can be recycled and transformed into new products, like hair brushes, combs, and more. Visit IWantToBeRecycled.org to view “I Want To Be Recycled” PSAs and get a behind-thescenes look at how trash can be transformed through recycling, to debunk common recycling myths, and to find details about recycling locations near you. You can also find out how to give garbage a new life or learn how many times an aluminum can could be recycled into a new aluminum can. Atlanta residents can get rewarded for recycling! Earn points redeemable for goods and services by signing up for Recycling Perks, and then recycling properly. You can link to the Recycling Perks website by visiting www.atlantaga.gov/recycling. 13
ATLANTA CELEBRATES EARTH DAY 2016 WORDS:
On the heels of a week’s worth of collecting special recyclables to celebrate America Recycles Day, November 15th, the City of Atlanta is preparing for another week of activities to honor Earth Day on April 22nd. Earth Day was first observed in 1970 as Senator Gaylord Nelson aspired to focus the antiwar sentiment towards environmental protection. This movement led to the formation of the Environmental Protection Agency and subsequent passing of the Clean Air, Clean Water, and Endangered Species Acts. Earth Day is now a globally celebrated holiday that has now extended into Earth Week, a full week of events focused on green awareness. The City of Atlanta will host a weeklong celebration that will conclude on Earth Day. Each day the Cartlanta Recycling Team will collect a special recyclable item at Atlanta City Hall: - Monday: collect plastic bags and film, - Tuesday: Keep Atlanta Beautiful will sponsor the collection of gently used shoes, - Wednesday: a paper shredder event will be held outside Atlanta City Hall to shred office papers, - Thursday: old cell phones will be collected for donation to Zoo Atlanta to benefit the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund.
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On Earth Day, April 22 the week will conclude with a Recyclables Fashion Show hosted by the Art Institute of Atlanta in the Atlanta City Hall Atrium. The show will feature clothing made from upcycled materials. The 2015 fashion show featured designs that were imaginative and beautiful examples of reusing materials. One of the main goals for Cartlanta is informing Atlanta residents about what recyclables are
Tracy L. Hambrick, Recycling Manager, City of Atlanta allowed in their blue curbside bins. These items are paper, cardboard, metal cans and lids, glass bottles, juice containers, and plastics #1- 7. All recycling must be clean and dry, and placed loosely in the bin, not bagged. It is important to know the difference between what is and what is not allowed in the Atlanta curbside collection cart. Items placed with recycling that are not allowed are called contaminates. The most common contaminates are plastic bags, and recyclables contaminated with food. Other items considered to be household goods such as foil (trays or plates), light bulbs and polystyrene (commonly referred to as Styrofoam) are contaminates. Although they may be recyclable, these should not be placed at the curbside. There are community events held on the first, second and third Saturdays of each month that include collection of paper for shredding, textiles, polystyrene, metals, clothing, paint, electronics, and single-stream recycling. Learn more at atlantaga.gov/recycling or call 311. For recyclables that are not collected curbside or at community events, there are still more options. Stores such as Target and Publix collect plastic shopping bags and film plastic. Film plastic includes dry-cleaning bags, bread bags, and wraps from paper towels, bathroom tissue, napkins, diapers and newspaper bags. This film is then used to make composite lumber for porches, fences, and benches. Ink cartridges can be recycled at Target and Staples. Batteries, both rechargeable and small disposable, can be recycled at Atlanta’s own Home Depot. The recycling options are out there, and chances are they are at a store you already visit or in a community near you. Join the City of Atlanta and celebrate Earth Day every day by recycling.
Recycling Etiquette WORDS: Monique Webb, Recycling Perks
Etiquette is defined by Merriam-Webster as the rules indicating the proper and polite way to behave, so surely there has to recycling etiquette and we have all the Do’s and Don’ts listed here just for you! The following will help you to better prepare your items for recycling to ensure that none of your recyclables end up in the waste stream.
DO RECYCLE Below is a list of the items you can recycle, and how to prepare them for recycling. Rinse aluminum cans, glass bottles, jars and containers for recycling. Remove stray items from cans, bottles and containers. Place newspapers, magazines and catalogs in a tied bundle or in paper grocery bags. Remove food and wash containers. Remove paper clips and staples from paper. Remove tape and labeling from cardboard packaging. Tear out contaminated areas of pizza boxes and recycle the clean parts only.
DO NOT RECYCLE Below is a list of the items you cannot recycle, and why. Tissues, paper towels and paper napkins; these are inherently contaminated items.
Wet paper or wet cardboard. These will clog recycling machines and contaminate other cardboard being recycled. Food wrappers as they are usually contaminated with food such as chocolate or grease. Plastic shopping bags. These may usually be returned to the grocery store and go through an entirely different recycling process.
MORE HELPFUL TIPS Recycle electronics and E-Waste items such as cell phones which are toxic at an E-Waste recycling center not with your household recyclables. The most important thing to remember is to remove plastic caps and lids from plastic containers. Remove straws from plastic bottles as well.
Frozen food plates, deli trays or take out food containers; it is usually difficult to remove food from the contaminated material are not recyclable.
Plastic bags are recyclable, however, they are processed separately and should be returned to grocery stores that have special bins for clean plastic bags.
Bottle Tops because they are made from a different plastic from bottles and the chemical compounds in that type of plastic make it non-recyclable.
If a recycling container is full, do not place your recyclables on the ground, wait until the bin is emptied.
Yard waste such as tree trimmings and grass cuttings Never recycle any food contaminated items such as paper cups, paper plates and pizza boxes. Medical waste should not be placed in recycling bins. Medical waste is considered household hazardous waste and must be disposed of properly. Place recyclables into plastic grocery bags because plastic bags are not recyclable.
Do not recycle toxic containers in your household recycling bins such as paint cans, motor oil jugs, antifreeze jugs, pesticide containers, other household cleaning bottles as labeled. These must be disposed of using hazardous waste procedures. Additionally, tires may also be recycled at your local hazardous waste drop off center. Be sure to check your local requirements for more detailed recycling practices in your city. 15
THANK YOU FOR RECYCLING!
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