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| Headline |
Author |
Published |
Section |
Bag Lady
On reusable recycling bags |
Umbra Fisk |
27 Jan 2005 |
Ask Umbra |
| Dear Umbra, I am the cofounder and current president of the Recycling Club at R.L. Paschal High School in Fort Worth, Texas. We have started collecting cell phones and plan to donate them to Verizon, since they refurbish and recycle or sell them. With the money they make, they buy new ones with airtime for (in our town) ladies at the Women's Haven shelter. We plan to start recycling plastics too. I need a bag for all this paper. Anywa ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, education, green living, recycling (all these topics) |
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Ay, There's the Stub
On recycling pencil stubs |
Umbra Fisk |
27 Sep 2004 |
Ask Umbra |
| Dear Umbra, I'm looking for a place that accepts pencil stubs (one to two inches long) to recycle into new pencils. I've found recycled pencils online -- made from denim, plastic, recovered wood, and paper currency. But what can I do with my stubs? Phoenix Covington, Ky. Dearest Phoenix, All the waste-reduction tips tell you to stop using wooden pencils, but that doesn't help with the ones you already have. Plus wooden pen ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, green living, recycling, waste (all these topics) |
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Bottle Racket
On plastic water bottles |
Umbra Fisk |
02 Aug 2004 |
Ask Umbra |
| Several readers have sent in questions about the dangers of chemical leaching from plastic bottles. A composite version: Dear Umbra, I've read some conflicting things about the risks associated with reusing plastic water bottles. For instance, the generally trustworthy folks at the urban-legends site snopes.com have criticized a widely circulated email that claims regular water bottles are not safe for refilling because the plastic ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, green living, recycling, toxics (all these topics) |
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Girl on Film
On recycling videotapes and laser discs |
Umbra Fisk |
17 Jun 2004 |
Ask Umbra |
| Dear Umbra, I'm a dedicated cineaste, and over the last decade I've built up a large library (around 5,000 titles) of classic films on VHS and old-fashioned laser discs. I have been anxious to start adding DVDs to my collection, with all the extra features they offer, but I've held off because I know that any further expansion of my collection will require me to make more space -- i.e., get rid of a bunch of bulky pla ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, green living, recycling, waste (all these topics) |
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Jewel-Use Technology
On recycling CD jewel cases |
Umbra Fisk |
25 Mar 2004 |
Ask Umbra |
| Dear Umbra, I've been Googling all over to find a place where I can recycle old CD cases, to no avail. I'm moving soon and would really like to find an environmentally safe way to dispose of these things. Do you know of any place they can be dropped off, or any other alternatives? Melissa Edgewater, N.J. Dearest Melissa, Here's an answer not just for you, but for all those readers who write in with insanely specific rec ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, green living, recycling (all these topics) |
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Table of Contents
On post-consumer content |
Umbra Fisk |
25 Mar 2004 |
Ask Umbra |
| Dear Umbra, So I was sitting there at lunch, eating my crackers, when I spied a recycling symbol and was confused. What is "pre-consumer" content? I mean, if the label is true ("carton made from 100 percent recycled paperboard -- minimum 35 percent post-consumer content"), what is the other 65 percent? And what is paperboard? Kevin Laurel, Md. Dearest Kevin, Pre-consumer content is the stuff picked up from ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, green living, recycling (all these topics) |
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Recyclical Market
On the market for recycled material |
Umbra Fisk |
25 Mar 2004 |
Ask Umbra |
| Dear Umbra, In reference to your polystyrene response: The polystyrene I have seen recently appears with a No. 6 recycling triangle on the bottom. But I've heard there is no market for this stuff, even though our local recycling company claims to want us to collect all Nos. 1 through 7. How can this be? Gail San Bruno, Calif. Dearest Gail, It's a trick. Since recycling became the Next Big Thing in the 1980s, town ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, green living, recycling (all these topics) |
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Export Retort
On exporting our recycling |
Umbra Fisk |
09 Mar 2004 |
Ask Umbra |
| Dear Umbra, While we were cleaning out a family member's house, a neighbor stopped by to see what we were up to. I mentioned that we were tossing "real trash" into the large dumpster and compiling recyclable materials for a trip to the recycling center or metal scrap yard. We don't know this person well, but without him knowing our political persuasion, he stated that recycling is just another segment of the "liber ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, green living, recycling (all these topics) |
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Doubt of the Benefit
On the benefits of recycling |
Umbra Fisk |
09 Mar 2004 |
Ask Umbra |
| Dear Umbra, Some time ago, the public radio program This American Life, hosted by Ira Glass, was about recycling. Glass reported, "Experts agree that we have plenty of landfill space for the foreseeable future." He proposed that recycling therefore did little more than make us feel good. The hapless person he interviewed came up with no better response to that than, "Well, what's wrong with feeling good?&q ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, green living, recycling, solid waste treatment and disposal, waste (all these topics) |
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For What Shall It Profit a Man...
On recycling profitability |
Umbra Fisk |
09 Mar 2004 |
Ask Umbra |
| Dear Umbra, My friend has the notion that recycling programs lose money. Where does this come from? I can imagine situations where that could be the case, but in most cities there seems to be plenty of material being recycled to justify the collection infrastructure, etc. And surely there are markets for more recycled content than we currently produce. Why does the myth persist that recycling doesn't make sens ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, green living, recycling (all these topics) |
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Chips and Peanuts
On packaging peanuts |
Umbra Fisk |
25 Feb 2004 |
Ask Umbra |
| Dear Umbra, I was wondering whether you could provide me with advice about packaging materials. You see, I was recently married and my wife and I now find ourselves buried under packaging peanuts, Styrofoam, and other such materials, much as we tried to avoid the fate (of receiving loads of store-bought gifts, that is, not of being hitched). What do you suggest we do with boxes and boxes of this post-nuptial detritus? Chip Giller G ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, green living, recycling (all these topics) |
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Make Local Focal
More advice on recycling batteries |
Umbra Fisk |
26 Jan 2004 |
Ask Umbra |
| Dear Umbra, I've been turning in my used alkaline batteries at the local drug store's photo department, mine being Savon here in Southern California. It appears they recycle their spent film cans and cartridges, as well as cameras and batteries. At least this is what I have surmised when I have dropped off my used batteries and the attendants have not refused me. It wouldn't hurt for others to do the same. Besides, onc ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, green living, recycling (all these topics) |
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Cater to Pater
On intransigent non-recyclers |
Umbra Fisk |
15 Jan 2004 |
Ask Umbra |
| Dear Umbra, I am a completely eco-friendly person and strive to have my family follow in those footsteps. We have a recycling system -- one my canned-beer-drinking dad refuses to abide by. (Not that I'm criticizing canned beer or my father. Both are good.) He refuses to recycle his cans, and I'm a little tired of digging them out of the garbage. Is there anything I could do to change his outlook on his wastefulness? Rebecca ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, education, green living, recycling (all these topics) |
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Widget Jones Diary
On recycling widgets |
Umbra Fisk |
15 Jan 2004 |
Ask Umbra |
| Dear Umbra, I am a huge fan of Guinness, often referring to it as Nectar of the Gods. Question is, are the cans with the cool nitrous plastic doohickeys in them recyclable? I've got a bet riding on this with the significant other. Thanks for enlightenment. Melissa Denver, Colo. Dearest Melissa, Yes. Guinness recycling is good for you. That little ball is known as a widget, which is another word for doohickey. It's made of polypro ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, green living, recycling (all these topics) |
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Brew Ado
On beer containers |
Umbra Fisk |
15 Jan 2004 |
Ask Umbra |
| Dear Umbra, My friends and I consume a fair amount of beer, and we're wondering: What's worse for the environment, buying beer in cans or in bottles? Kelly Manitoba, Canada Dearest Kelly, Thank you for giving me a reason to look up the Earth's mineral-reserves map in my atlas. I've learned fascinating things about aluminum and glass and discussed the whole matter with lifecycle analysis experts and recycling folks (including my pal Peke the ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, green living, recycling (all these topics) |
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Battery FAQ
On recycling batteries |
Umbra Fisk |
28 Oct 2003 |
Ask Umbra |
| Dear Umbra, I have to humbly admit that for years I've known that one can recycle batteries, but unfortunately, I've never known where or how to do this. I've been living in Seattle and northern Italy for the last year, and I have a pile of old batteries in each place. If you have any insight into how I might go about recycling them in both the U.S. and Europe, I'd so appreciate it! With gratitude, Meg Seattle, Wash., and Ivrea, It ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, green living, Italy, recycling, solid waste treatment and disposal, toxics, waste (all these topics) |
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Trophy Case
On reusing trophies |
Umbra Fisk |
26 Jun 2003 |
Ask Umbra |
| Dear Umbra, You are my only hope! I need help with trophies. Not trophy boyfriends or bass fishing trophies, but a large collection of wood and metal trophies that I have accrued due to a high school career rife with geeky accomplishment. My mom, who has graciously housed these trophies up 'til now, has finally wised up. Instead of looking upon the trophies and dreaming that her daughter will one day be a neurosurgeon, she now understands ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, green living, recycling (all these topics) |
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Dairy Godmother
On milk cartons |
Umbra Fisk |
15 May 2003 |
Ask Umbra |
| Hi Umbra, I don't know if the same thing has happened in the U.S, but here in Canada the milk industry has undergone a massive shift to using different containers. Once, you could get plastic jugs or cardboard cartons with fold-back lids or plastic bags. But now, the most commonly available container is a revised carton. It has a plastic spout, as if pouring with the other kind were too hard. Can you tell me which of the containers has th ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, food and agriculture, green living, recycling (all these topics) |
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Bamboo Ado
On wood floors and solid waste |
Umbra Fisk |
27 Feb 2003 |
Ask Umbra |
| Oh Wise Umbra, We'll be replacing our carpeting with wood flooring, probably from one of the major home stores (Home Depot or Lowe's). Are wood floors a really bad environmental choice if they are made from unsustainably harvested wood? Would I be better off going with a (probably petroleum-based) fake wood floor? Also, is there any environmentally responsible way to dispose of my old carpet? If the nice garbage collectors pick ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, green building, green living, green products, placemaking, recycling, waste (all these topics) |
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Wrapture
On wrapping paper |
Umbra Fisk |
10 Dec 2002 |
Ask Umbra |
| Dear Umbra, Any suggestions on where to find recycled wrapping paper? I know the real environmental choice is to reuse stuff I have around the house, but sometimes newspaper, etc., just doesn't have the right look. Any ideas where I can find recycled/tree-free wrapping paper for the holiday season? I've been looking around (both online and off) but all I can find is rolls of brown packing paper. I want something a little more festive. Thanks, ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, green living, holiday, recycling (all these topics) |
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Give Yourself a Wedgie
On recycling beer bottles with lime wedges |
Umbra Fisk |
21 Jun 2002 |
Ask Umbra |
| Most Honorable Umbra, Knower of All Green Things: Am I unwittingly hampering the recycling process by twisting that lime wedge into my bottle of beer? The dang things are tough to get back out! Humbly yours, Jill Brooks Dearest Jill, Please be assured that I thoroughly investigated your problem. I started with Personal Solutions. I have a pile of limes I keep down here to fend off scurvy, and I spent som ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, food, green living, recycling (all these topics) |
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The Paper Chase
On corporate paper recycling |
Umbra Fisk |
23 Apr 2002 |
Ask Umbra |
| I work for a large corporation that is very wasteful with paper. I am looking for information on whom I can complain to about this so that something will happen. They do not use recycled paper or require any recycling of paper. Beth Dearest Beth, Prepare yourself: The fate of reams of office paper is in your hands. You must be the defender of the discarded draft, the champion of the crumpled wad, the protector of the printer ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, business, education, green living, recycling, waste (all these topics) |
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