Palm | Kelapa Sawit

Turning off unused lights or remembering to unplug unused electronic devices are simple and easy ways to save energy but another important and equally simple way to reduce energy waste is by recycling. According to earth911.com, “Recycling is the process of taking a product at the end of its useful life and using all or part of it to make another product.” The recycled product requires less energy to produce it but also saves money and valuable resources.

Two important functions of recycling are: 1.Keeping, “valuable material such as aluminum and paper out of landfills, so this material can be reused in other forms and not wasted” and 2.Preventing, “hazardous materials and chemicals such as lead and mercury from ending up in landfills, which can contaminate soil and leach into our drinking water” (earth911.com).

Recycling has become a simplified task thanks to Single Stream Recycling which allows an individual to combine household products in one container for roadside pick-up. Recycling can also save you money by literally reducing your waste and ultimately lowering your garbage bill. I was surprised to learn just how many items I throw away on a daily basis that is recyclable. I bet you will find at least one item you can be recycling and didn’t even know it.

Recycable Items

Items such as opened mail, sticky notes, index cards, file folders, plastic bottles, jugs, tubs, and screw-top jars, paperback books, white or pastel office paper, paper egg cartons, cans (uncrushed and clean), balled aluminum foil, pie pans, empty aerosol cans, magazines, blueprints, newspaper, phonebooks, glass bottles and jars, lose metal jar lids, cardboard (flattened), brown paper bags, milk cartons and drink boxes can all be recycled in one container (earth911.com). It is important to note that plastic lids or caps, plastic bags, Styrofoam or paper takeout containers/cups and shredded paper are not allowed to be combined with the rest of your recyclables. Plastic bags can be disposed at most grocery stores or at your local recycling center.

I recommend visiting earth911.com http://earth911.com/reduce/energy-costs-and-conservation-facts/
to learn about recycling and the significant benefits a simple task can have.

Interesting facts I learned on earth911.com include:

•Recycled paper saves 60 percent energy versus virgin paper.
•Recycled paper generates 95 percent less air pollution: each ton saves 60 pounds of air pollution.
•Recycling one ton of paper saves 17 trees and 7,000 gallons of water.
•Every year, enough paper is thrown away to make a 12-foot wall from New York to California.
•Production of recycled paper uses 80 percent less water, 65 percent less energy and produces 95 percent less air pollution than virgin paper production.
•Recycled glass saves 50 percent energy versus virgin glass.
•Recycling of one glass container saves enough energy to light a 100-watt bulb for four hours.
•Recycled aluminum saves 95 percent energy versus virgin aluminum; recycling of one aluminum can saves enough energy to run a TV for three hour.
•Recycled aluminum reduces pollution by 95 percent.

It's the holiday season and folks are looking for gifts and wrapping paper that are green and eco-friendly. For good ideas peruse your local holiday market for handmade items like soaps, baths and crafts that are made with organic home-made items that are made locally and avoid the advertising and Greenwashing marketing that is abound in the stores. Try to be creative with paper bag wrapping paper, twine and newspaper wraps instead of using store bought non-recyclable wrap and tinsel. For more ideas and inspirations read on:

Go to:
http://www.lime.com/features/green-holiday/Top-10-Green-Gift-Wrap-Ideas
for more information and ideas on green wrapping and recycling for gift ideas.

It is also recommended that if you buy a christmas tree, buy a live one and recycle it properly. Go to: http://earth911.com/blog/2008/11/11/treecycle-this-holiday-season/.

This website can tell you how christmas trees get recycled and what happens in the process. At home, we personally have a fake tree that is 7 foot tall. We have had this tree for the last six years. We like an artificial tree because we like to decorate before Thanksgiving and a live tree usually does not last as long in our home.

For ornaments, there are also awesome ways that you can decorate a christmas tree by making handcrafted ornaments. One favorite for my family has always been making dough out of flour, salt and water. Cutting or creating shapes out with cookie cutters and using our imagination as to how we want out ornaments to look and be. Cook them in the oven and paint them or decorate them the way you choose. Here is the recipe: http://crafts.kaboose.com/saltdoughgifttoppers.html.

My Mom and Grandma used to make dough people, ornaments and pins to give away as gift
presents with the above recipe. These times have brought back many happy memories with my family and I hope to give those same memories and sense of using your creative edge in creating eco-friendly items that can become family heirlooms over the years.

Here is a link for more information on other eco friendly gift giving and ideas.
http://crafts.kaboose.com/saltdoughgifttoppers.html.

You can also visit your local recyling center for items to be used for making ornaments, wrapping and hand crafted gift items. In Eugene there is M.E.C.C.A which stands for Materials Exchange Center for Community Arts. One can only imagine how junk can be recycled and made into something fun and unique. http://www.materials-exchange.org/

Happy Holidays!
Christina Lymath

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The Ecology Center (EC) in Berkeley California was established in 1969 and launched a curbside recycling program way back in 1973. They still run it as a non-profit and the funds generated help with other community projects. This organization has supreme credibility in the field of recycling and we must agree with what they say: “The EC continues to be a place where people turn for reliable information about alternatives to harmful practices like pesticide overuse, for avenues to local policy makers and for connection with others concerned with environmental issues”.

The EC in 1995 decided to investigate adding plastics to the curbside recycling. Their comprehensive report found these interesting facts:

A link exists between the promotion of plastics recycling and an increase in production of virgin resin.

• Plastic packaging production in recent years has outstripped plastic recycling by as much as a six to one-margin, and most of that production is from virgin materials.
• Plastic packaging is not produced from petroleum waste, but from natural gas that could be used otherwise or not extracted at all.
• Although all plastic containers bear the recyclable symbol, most are not recyclable.
• Picking up plastics at curbside costs about $800 of taxpayer money or more per ton.
• Much of the plastic collected for recycling is shipped overseas, and processed under, at best, dubious conditions.
• Many of the products made from the plastic resin that is being recycled are not themselves recyclable, making the "recycling" only temporary diversion from landfill.

The Plastics Industries (who are great polluters) very much like promoting the idea of recyclable plastics yet it has no comparison to say, recycling paper. At best curbside plastic can be re-used once and then it goes to the landfill; or it is sent overseas “under, at best, dubious conditions”. We (myself included) have always thought that plastic was made from the leftovers of a barrel of crude oil after gasoline production, but this is not true. The answer is “pre-cycling” and here are EC’s suggestions:

a) using refillable containers; b) buying in bulk; c) selecting products that use little or no packaging, and d) choosing packaging materials that can be recycled and are made from recycled materials such as glass, metal, and paper. Holding companies accountable for the material they sell by legislatively demanding recycled content also has been shown to work on the city, state, and national levels.

Click here for an informative quiz with answers

Fran, David

Before long we should all be recycling experts. Here are some articles on recycling, including a handful of the latest headlines.

e-Waste

• Proper recycling of electronics is vitally important
  
  
• Recycling Keeps Toxic TVs from Landfills
  
  
• Recycle your ink cartridges - I do this myself. This is a cool thing. The only downside is that the envelopes only fit two cartridges, and I have about 10 more to dispose of myself.
  
  
• The Computer Recycling Problem
  

• Is Recycling Your Old Clothes Worth It?
  
  
• Trends in Fashion Recycling - How trendy is it? (And I wonder if recycling 'trendier' clothes is trendier.)

• Ontario to set OK recycling fee on electronics
  
  
• Fee yet to deter recycling - (Columbus, OH)
  

• Delhi to regulate recycling e-waste
  
  
• Wal-Mart steps up recycling in Fairbanks
  
  
• Eureka, Arcata both on the path to mandatory recycling
  
  
• West Bridgewater residents urged to recycle more
  
  
• New recycling plan cleaning up

“The refuse from discarded electronics products, also known as e-waste, often ends up in landfills or incinerators instead of being recycled. And that means toxic substances like lead, cadmium and mercury that are commonly used in these products can contaminate the land, water and air.” (wired.com) 4.6 million tons entered U.S. landfills in one year alone. Some of the metal is removed and recycled but then we exploit poor in other countries to do the dirty work of removing the guts. The National Geographic states that: “Much of the waste ends up being discarded along rivers and roads. Often it's picked apart by destitute scavengers, who may face dangerous exposure to toxic chemicals in the broken equipment.”

Here is an interesting point from vital graphics: “The Computer Report Card says that some U.S. companies have a double standard when it comes to recycling. While some companies have implemented recycling policies in the European Union and Japan, where such programs are mandated, they've yet to do so in the United States.”

This is a real problem and we here at PSU would like your input. Take this quick survey with comments by others and see the results at the same time—but don’t hit “submit” until you see the results.

David Best-PSU student

"Global Warming is fundamentally an energy problem and it can not be regulated away."

Recently I heard Michael Shellenberger speak on the radio. Last year he wrote an article with Ted Norhaus called "The Death of Environmentalism". Their approach is completely different from almost everyone I have read on the topic of global warming. Most people tend to feel overwhelmed and terrified by the problem. Recycling and riding the bus sometimes doesn't feel enough (nor is it), yet nobody wants to drastically change their lifestyles. Shellenberger suggests that if the government made a $200 billion dollar investment (we have already spent over $507 billion on the war on terror) in clean energy, it would then drive the price down. His approach is inspiring. He reminds us that we are strong, innovative and creative people. He offers a solution that seems doable. Please listen.......http://www.pdxcityclub.org/mp3/pdx11-02-07.mp3

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