What Does Convenience Cost?

Disposable dishes have been around since the introduction of the Dixie cup in 1907. Dixie Cup is
more of a genericized trademark now and used as a description of any small paper cup. It was first called "Health Kup", until 1919 when it was named after a line of dolls made by Alfred Schindler's Dixie Doll Company in New York.

This new fad of disposable cups and dishes instead of a washable, reusable type spurred on a whole line of products targeted at convenience.

Greenest Of The Green

We recycle what we can...or at least what we remember to. That is, if there is a recycling bin around...close...nearby.  Ok, if we don't see one, we throw it into the trash.  It's easier than carrying it around in the car and remembering to get it out when we get to a recycling bin, if we remember to look for one. In our fast-pace, busy lives, the last thing we need is to try to remember one more thing. What we are looking for is ease and convenience.

Are We Throwing Away A Renewable Resource?

Deep inside a landfill among the trash and debris lie airless pockets filled with the by-product of decomposing waste; a gas rich in methane. Some areas in landfills, or entire landfills themselves, may be a poor source of methane due to the type of waste buried there. Construction debris, for example, is dry and will not rot, whereas yard waste and food scraps will be consumed by bacteria and decompose in such a way that produces a plethora of methane gas.  When bacteria overtake the rotting waste this gas is given off and, when harnessed, can be a valuable source of energy for things such as heat and electricity. This certainly spurs on this side of the landfill vs garbage disposal debate discussed in a previous article aptly titled, “The Garbage Disposal Debate”.

The Detrimental Effects Of Litter

It may seem, on the surface, that litter helps wildlife rather than being harmful.  Some food litter can help feed animals or give them a place to seek shelter from heat or rain. To the contrary, litter and landfill waste is actually more harmful than beneficial to animals and wildlife.

Pros Of Using A Shredding Service, Part 1

Check stubs, bank statements, account numbers, and actually any documents with personal information such as social security numbers on them.  What do these have in common? Every one of them could be used by identity thieves and should be disposed of by shredding.

Trickle-Down Effects of Disposable Water Bottles Run Deep

“Recycling one plastic bottle can save enough energy to power a 60-watt light bulb for six hours”.* Imagine how much energy Americans could save if every one of the estimated 30 to 50 billion water bottles that are thrown away each year were recycled! Although it seems impractical to think that every one of them would be recycled, if even half of them wound up in the recycling bin instead of the landfill, it would impact the United States greatly.

Recycling Works.....if you know the ins and outs

What goes in...or gets left out...of the recycling bin, that is! 

Recycling Reviewed, part 2

Can you spot the recycling in this trash container?   Well, not only is it in there, but it’s staying in there. I mean, is it possible that a trash truck can compact several hundred pounds of waste material, dump it at a transfer station, take perfectly clean, untorn recycling bags out of it, and send it to a materials recycling facility (MRF) for use in manufacturing other products?  It’s possible...but not very probable.  Statistics show that this method of taking recycling materials mixed with trash to a dirty MRF for separation and eventual processing at a  recycling facility can have very poor results.

Our "Sorted" Past

Recycling Reviewed, part 1

Recycling has been around in some form as long as any of us can remember. We took glass and plastic bottles back to the grocery store for the deposit and we collected aluminum cans to take to the scrap yard for a little pocket change. We even understood the importance of repurposing items for other uses than their original intended use, which is why most of our parents had a bird feeder made from an old milk jug or a paper mache picture frame made from cardboard and newspapers.