Recycle Today For a Better Tomorrow
The holidays bring lots of cheer, but also a whole lot of waste. According to Jeremy Walters, of Republic Services, the average American household generates approximately 1,000 lbs. of trash from Thanksgiving through New Year’s Day.
What can you do to help keep all of this waste from going to the landfill? Warda is blessed to have easy access to a recycle trailer at the Warda Self-Storage Facility off Hwy. 77. You may also live in one of our neighboring communities that offers curb-side recycling or has a recycling center to take your items.
In doing a bit of research on what and how to recycle, I found some interesting facts. The recycle trailer in Warda takes tin cans, no. 1 and no. 2 plastics (no bags), glass, cardboard and newspaper, magazines and slick paper. All of these have their own separate containers.
No. 1 plastics include water bottles, food jars, salad dressing containers and mouthwash bottles. These plastics are usually clear in color and are intended for single use only. When recycled, these are shredded into tiny pellets and reprocessed into new bottles. They can also be turned into polyester fiber to produce fleece clothing, carpets and to stuff sleeping bags, jackets and pillows.
No. 2 plastics have a high strength to density rating and they can stand heating and freezing. They can be reused and include things like water, milk and juice jugs, bottle crates, toys, playground equipment, flexible pipes, plastic envelopes and cosmetic and household cleaner bottles. These plastics can be recycled up to ten times. The clear plastics are recycled back into the same containers, while the colored plastics are turned into many other things, such as floor tiles, toys etc.
Shopping bags are a no. 4 plastic and are not widely accepted at recycling facilities. Many grocery stores (including the Brookshire Brothers in Giddings) have special containers outside where you can drop these off. You can also put the plastic wrap that is around the cases of bottled water in these bins.
Styrofoam is a no. 6 plastic and is rarely taken at local recycling facilities.
Coming in at no. 7 are harder plastics like sports bottles, car parts and medical and dental equipment. These are harder to recycle, and most facilities will not accept them.
Interestingly, water bottle caps are made of a different material than the bottle itself, and every recycling program has its own preferences. Bottles are a no. 1 or no. 2 plastic, and the caps themselves are usually a no. 5. Some recycle places ask you to leave the caps on the bottles, others want them separated. I heard years ago that you should remove the caps, as when the machine crushes the bottle with the cap intact, it causes it to fly off the bottle and can cause problems. In America, we use 2.5 million plastic bottles each hour.
To recycle glass, it has to be clean and unbroken. In Warda, all glass goes into one container. I’ve been to recycling facilities that want the colored and clear glass separated.
Cans, both tin and aluminum, are easily recyclable. Warda has a container for the tin cans; just be sure they are cleaned and dry, and paper labels are removed. If you’re recycling your aluminum cans, the Picnic Grounds at Holy Cross Lutheran Church has a special bin where you can dump full bags of them, which are sent to the Trail Life organization for their fundraising efforts. It’s a great way to help the environment and the Trail Life boys.
Cardboard needs to be broken down flat, weather you’re placing in the Warda recycle containers or your curbside recycling. It also needs to be clean and dry, meaning no grease or food remains—which makes most pizza boxes something you cannot recycle. It’s ok to leave tape on the boxes.
Paperboard, such as cereal boxes, cracker boxes, tissue boxes, etc. are usually placed with paper recycling, not cardboard. They also must be clean and dry. No dirty napkins, paper towels, etc. If you are recycling tissue boxes, remove the plastic film from the opening before tossing the box in the recycle bin. The same goes for removing the plastic “window” on envelopes.
In Warda, there is a separate container for newspaper, magazines and slick paper. Shiny/ glossy magazines and junk mail gets its shine from additives, such as minerals or resins that fill the gaps in the fibers of the paper to create a smooth and shiny surface. You don’t have to remove staples, cardstock or even the perfume samples that are often found in magazines.
Now, you may be thinking about recycling all that gift wrap, tissue and gift bags that you used over Christmas. Not so fast! While you may be thinking gift wrap is just paper, putting it in your recycling may be causing more harm than good. A lot of gift wrap contains nonrecyclables such as glitter, coating, dyes or metallics, and can contaminate the whole process. The same goes for gift bags, bows and tissue paper. You can give it the “crumble” test (crumble it in your hand; if it’s difficult to crumble, it can’t be recycled). You may have good intentions, but if in doubt, throw it out.
Holiday cards and envelopes can be recycled, but just like gift wrap, they cannot contain any glitter, foil or decorations, and must be clean and dry. You can also tear off the stamped area and drop the stamps off at Holy Cross church, where the ladies trim them and send them in to be sold to collectors.
Things that most places say are a no include: ribbons, bows, cellophane wrapping, bubble wrap, plastic air pillows and foam sheets/packing peanuts.
One rule of thumb to take away is that everything you recycle should be clean and dry.
I certainly am not a recycling expert, and if you have any additional information regarding the best recycling practices, I’d love to hear them and share them in a future column.
Happy New Year to you all.
Funeral
Ralph and Carolyn Bamsch attended the funeral of Robert Yurk on Saturday, Dec. 19, in Lexington at St. James Lutheran Church. Robert and Ralph were classmates at Giddings High School and Pam and Carolyn worked together at the Texas Department of Public Safety in Austin for several years.
Holy Cross Services
Services at Holy Cross Lutheran are on Sunday at 9 a.m. Bible class and Sunday school follow the morning service.
Midweek communion service is held on the first Wednesday of every month at 9 a.m.
Sermon links/streaming videos and additional information is at www.holycrosswarda.com.
Faith Lutheran High School
FLHS will be closed for Christmas break from Dec. 19 through Jan. 4.
The Board of Directors of FLHS is in the planning stages for their Spring Raffle. They are seeking valuable items or monetary donations to be used in the raffle. Please contact Nikki Kueck at Kueckn@faithlutheranhighschool.com if you have something to donate.
Bible Study
Bible study at Holy Cross will resume beginning Jan. 6. They will begin a short six-week discussion of the book called “You’ll Get Through This” by Max Lucado. If you are interested in joining the group, please let Cyndy Zoch know. The approximate cost will be $15. Contact Cyndy Zoch at cyndy. zoch@gmail.com or (979) 966- 3166 for more information.
Prayer Requests
Shirley Varner, Helen Kaiser, Ruby Bohot, Linda Lehmann, Zachary Pietsch, Mark Noack, Bernice Guettler and Kaden Hernandez.
Sympathies
Our sympathies are extended to the family of Cynthia Segura, friend of Judy Wagner, who passed away on Dec. 19.