Dear Recycle Lady,
I have two empty 5-pound bags of sugar. One bag has a white liner, and the other bag has a brown liner. Do I recycle them with white paper or cardboard? Puzzled Recycler
Dear Puzzled Recycler,
White bag liners and brown bag liners have different material composition, so they recycle differently. Brown bags are typically made with unbleached paper, while white bags are most often made from bleached paper. Due to this difference in composition, brown bags and white bags are not put in the same recycle bin. Brown bags are recycled with cardboard and white bags are recycled with white office paper, unless the outside of the bag is colored and then it is recycled with cardboard. As with all recyclables, be sure the bags are dry and totally free of sugar. You may sometimes find a bag with a liner of wax or plastic coating that makes it non-recyclable.
Dear Recycle Lady,
What is a sea mount? I am reading a very interesting book about the ocean, but it doesn’t define new terms very well. Need Definitions
Dear Need Definitions,
A seamount, as defined by oceanographers, is an underwater mountain that rises at least 1,000 feet or more from the deep-sea floor. It never reaches the surface of the sea or ocean, so it is not an island. Many are found hundreds to thousands of feet below the surface and are considered to be in the deep sea. Most seamounts are formed by extinct volcanic activity and are mostly conical shaped. They form ocean apartment towers that create currents and hard surfaces where corals, fish, and other marine life gather. Earth’s oceans contain more than 14.500 seamounts, according to Wikipedia, and are one of the most common marine ecosystems in the world.
Dear Recycle Lady,
Are the cans that Seresto flea and tick dog collars come in recyclable? Protecting My Dog From Ticks
Dear Protecting My Dog From Ticks,
Yes, Seresto containers are recyclable with steel cans, which are 100% recyclable. Any chemicals from the flea & tick dog collar that might remain in the can would be destroyed by the extreme high heating process that is used to process recycled steel. The top of the can be left on or recycled separately. When recycling a steel can with an attached lid, leave the lid attached or place it inside the can. It is not necessary to remove the label as it burns off. However, if you remove the label, it can be recycled with magazines, thus eliminating waste. There is no quality loss during recycling and recycling cans save 74% of the energy required to make a new can. Steel has the highest recycling rate of any material at more than 88%, and two-thirds of all new manufactured steel comes from recycled steel. If in doubt, a can be determined to be made of steel using a magnet as steel contains some iron, making it magnetic. There is a large magnet outside the steel recycle bin at the Recycling Center if you need to check on a can.
Good News: The UK recently reached its lowest greenhouse gas emissions level since what year? The UK’s emissions have dropped to levels not seen since 1872, before cars, planes, and even sliced bread. Cleaner energy, fewer fossil fuels, and a rise in electric vehicles helped drive the historic decline.
Have questions about recycling, or interesting information about recycling? Send questions or requests Recyclelady7@gmail.com. Dear Recycle Lady is sponsored jointly by the Greenbrier Recycling Center and Greenworks Recycling.
