Your Questions About Recycling
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Filed under Recycling Q & A
Joseph asks…
Some recycling issues here. Help!?
My apartment building won’t set a recycling bin and I want to begin to recycle my newspapers and water bottles.
Where can I throw my gather-recycled goods?
What can I do?
How about school? What can I do for my school to have recycle programs as well?
The Expert answers:
Go to www.earth911.org to find a local recycle center.
Remember Recycle comes 3rd in the three R’s. I would focus more on reduce. You will save money over all if you get a water filter and a reusable water bottle. Bottled water has a lot of negative effects on the environement and is very wasterful. Research has shown that some brands don’t even meet CA state standards. Many brands are just filter city water anyway.
Try switching to an online newspaper or sharing a subscription with others.
Mark asks…
Paper Recycling Help?
I know that recycling centers accept aluminum glass plastic paper etc… But as far as paper goes does it matter what kind? Do they accept like…construction paper, colored paper, magazines, and does the paper have to be 8.5X11 or can it be smaller or larger like post its or long strips of paper from cutting projects. I want to give out some bins at a school my mom works at and I didn’t know if I had to specify what kind of paper i can accept like even scraps and stuff? Also where I work I would like to pas out some recycle receptacles and collect as much paper I can. I have been recycling for about 3 years on my own and I collect as much as i can and go at the end of each quarter and recycle my paper but I would like to expand the paper recycling and start to recycle aluminum and plastic on my own but id like to set up because at work we go through alot of paper and it makes me sad when i see the person i share my office with shredding papers. Would I be able to take the trash bag from her when shes done shredding the paper and include it with the paper I take to the recycle center?
I never really asked them at the recycle place I just assumed they only accepted white paper because i had a friend who I noticed only had white paper she was recycling maybe there was colored ones underneath but I never saw it. Thanks for helping me save trees one memo at a time!
The Expert answers:
Firstly PAPER:
It all depends on what your recycling centre does. Unshredded white paper probably has a retail value, at least to the recycler, if not you, as it needs less processing, has longer fibres than newspaper and probably doesn’t need the same bleaching as coloured papers (but don’t quote me on that). Shredding cuts the fibres up and therefore would lower the value of the paper. However, even coloured and newspaper can be recycled and mixed with cloth waste to increase average fibre lengths to produce lower quality paper, including newsprint. In turn, newsprint could go into cardboard.
In all cases, size doesn’t matter, as it all gets turned to fibre before the new paper is made. Check the kind of post-its you are using, as some of the glues used are not recyclable and can ruin the paper waste. I think there are some brands which can be recycled and you should encourage your company to use them.
The economics of recycling differs, depending on where in the world you are. The landfill tax in the UK means that all sorts of recycling are more cost effective than putting waste into a hole. The use of paper and other materials for energy production via incineration (not ideal) or bio-digestion to produse methane could be an option in your area. How about trying to get the senior management in your company into recycling, maybe as part of their corporate social responsibility? Surely they would not be against you coming up with a recycling plan if you do it in your own time?
Friends of the Earth have a good article on paper recycling in the UK (see below).
Next ALUMINIUM:
Aluminium recycling will always be worthwhile, as extracting aluminium from ore is a very energy intensive business, using huge amounts of electricity. It is estimated that it takes twenty times the energy to produce aluminium than recycle it. You shoud be able to make money from aluminium waste if you separate it from tin/steel cans.
PLASTIC is an absolute minefield and it is difficult to judge as I am not an expert in plastic recycling. How about checking with your local green groups for more information.
Sandra asks…
Paper Recycling Help?
I know that recycling centers accept aluminum glass plastic paper etc… But as far as paper goes does it matter what kind? Do they accept like…construction paper, colored paper, magazines, and does the paper have to be 8.5X11 or can it be smaller or larger like post its or long strips of paper from cutting projects. I want to give out some bins at a school my mom works at and I didn’t know if I had to specify what kind of paper i can accept like even scraps and stuff? Also where I work I would like to pas out some recycle receptacles and collect as much paper I can. I have been recycling for about 3 years on my own and I collect as much as i can and go at the end of each quarter and recycle my paper but I would like to expand the paper recycling and start to recycle aluminum and plastic on my own but id like to set up because at work we go through alot of paper and it makes me sad when i see the person i share my office with shredding papers. Would I be able to take the trash bag from her when shes done shredding the paper and include it with the paper I t
The Expert answers:
Some company’s do not want their documents out of the office. Some company’s even go as far as to hire a secure firm to dispose of waste paper and recycle it. This one is better left to management. I think I would encourage management to recycle their paper.
Lisa asks…
I Need Some Ideas ca you help me?
I made it for 6th grade rep. i have good ideas but need some more i want to make a difference. Do you have any ideas of what i can do? I want to have a fundraiser soon and one on earth day to raise money to help the school go green by buying recycling bins. Help me. PPPPLLLLEEEAAAASSSSEEE!!! <3
The Expert answers:
My daughter did presentations to the 4th grade class about being green when she was in 6th (she’s in 8th now).
– You can get the recycling bins donated (call your local trash company, it’ll work better if you do it instead of your parents)
– have the teachers recycle paper, you’ll need to get the custodians to agree with you.
– Have the school use electronic communication wherever possible instead of sending all of those flyers home.
– teach people about where water goes when you flush or use the sink so they don’t put anything in the toilets or sinks that damages our rivers and oceans
– talk about kids combining rides home from school if there’s an after-school activity, or about riding the bus if it’s available instead of everyone’s parents dropping them off
These are just a few. Go to www.scholastic.com/actgreen/ for more ideas
Carol asks…
84 percent of all household waste can be recycled or composted. TRUE / FALSE?
is it true that 84 percent of all household waste can be recycled or composted?? i’m doing a project to help get compost bins in my school and i need to know if this is a real fact that i can use for my presentation.
thanks!! will do best answer!!
The Expert answers:
Yes. The problem is implementing this idea. Someone has to want/need whatever you want to recycle/compost. Otherwise there,s no market for it. I compost. I have a large yard. I get free coffee grounds from target/starbucks kiosk which go in my garden. Our town has a comprehensive recycling program. Not everyone is so fortunate. The bottom line is; there,s no excuse for ever throwing away a soda can/beer bottle. You go up from there. Recycled cans/bottles have to be clean, or you get bugs and stink. Think about that. Wasps love soda and beer containers. Gummed up plastic containers are difficult to clean down stream from the bins. Motor oil is eminently recycle able, but must be handled carefully. The list goes on. Good luck to you.j
Charles asks…
I Think My Best Friend Hates Me?
Well i really like this girl and my best friend likes her a bit too, but not as much as me. She likes me but not him and he is always annoyed about that. He always says he will hate me if I ask her out. But lately I’ve started to develop very deep feelings for her. About two days ago I was dared to kiss the girl on the cheek. I looked at my friend to see what he’d say and he just nodded and went “I don’t care!”. So I did it and that was that.
Lately it seemed that he got over her a bit so yesterday I kinda asked her out at school when he was home sick. Today he came back to school and I was gonna tell him. I was about to tell him but I couldn’t find him so I proceeded to do my jobs around the school (I’m a school prefect so I have jobs to do, so is my best friend). I took all the bins around the school and put them in the place where we recycle things and dump things and I met my friend there. I was about to tell him but then he said.
“(Insert my other friend’s name here) told me about you and (insert girls name here).
“Oh….” I said “I was gonna tell you about that myself”
He just walked away and when he was leaving the room I said:
“So, are you angry with me? You are arn’t you?”
He just looked at me and walked away. That was the last time I saw him and I avoided him for the rest of the day. I also avoided the girl aswell.
So, do you think he hates me? I might sound like a total jerk but he is always doing this. I like someone, he likes someone, he gets so angry at me if I even talk to the girl!
I wouldn’t blame him though if he did hate me…
Do you think I’m a terrible friend?
Also, lately I’ve been wondering about my sexuality. As I’m early into puberty I’m not sure if it’s just hormones or the real thing. No one knows about this so I asked my best friend and my other close friend about a week ago what they would do if I was gay, just in case I was gay, and my close friend said “I wouldn’t care, you’re my friend!” but my best friend said, and I qoute,”
I would never be your friend if you were gay!” I said why and he said (and once again I qoute) “because all gay people do is go around and rape people! They are rapists!”
I couldn’t believe that he said that but I kind of let it go, maybe he wasn’t being serious? But I think he is. So what do you think about what he’s saying about gay people?
Please answer both questions if you can, thanks 🙂
The Expert answers:
I couldn’t necessarily say that your friend hates you, but I certainly do think he is jealous of you. That is not your fault though. I would give him a bit of space to cool down and try and approach the subject again. Also, I don’t think it’s wise to ignore this girl, it’s not her fault either!
Yeah, I could bring up the whole argument about “bros before hos” and what have you, but that’s pointless. You both liked the same girl, and it was you, not him, that she liked back. That’s the luck of the draw.
Regarding sexuality, during puberty in particular it is normal to question your sexuality. Your body goes through so many changes and hormones are flying around all over the place right now! Having thoughts about other men does not necessarily mean that you are gay, it could just be down to current stage of your life you are in right now. And anyway, if you are gay, then there is nothing wrong with that!
Your friend clearly has a warped view of homosexuality which I hope, in time and when he matures a little, he will eventually have a bit a cop on and realise that’s a ridiculous assumption. I could also go all psychoanalytic on him and suggest that, seeing as he has such a strong negative reaction towards homosexuality, maybe he himself has had thoughts about other men and it scared him. So he went into “attack is the best form of defence” mode. Naturally I can’t really say whether or not this applies to him given that I don’t even know him, but it’s food for thought anyway.
I hope things work out well for you.
Thomas asks…
FRENCH TRANSLATION! i will give points! i need someone to translate this for me!?
please dont copy and paste this on a translating site and submit it to me, i need a real translation from someone who knows french. Here it is:
I am writing a letter to you to help create a more environmentally friendly school. I have many ideas and goals to help. I think we should replace our lights with energy efficient light bulbs because this will save energy and money as the light bulbs will last for a longer time! I also think we should have more green bins and recycling boxes around the school to promote recycling! I also think we should start charging for parking because many students drive to school which adds to pollution. By charging money for parking, we can reduce car use and increase other methods such as public transit. In addition, i think we should have a compost program because many food items that can be composed are being thrown away by students and staff everyday! By composting, we reduce our garbage and help the environment!
I hope you consider my ideas,
____
This is what i have so far by myself:
e suis ecrit un lettre parce que je veux aider à créer une école plus écologique. J’ai idées et buts aider nos école. Je pense replacement le lampe dans nos école avec lampe de énergétique efficient préserver énergie est un bon idée.
^^ I doubt it makes that much sense, plus its not really what i want to say but i thought i should post it to maybe help. I really appreciate this, by the way it does not have to be exactly what i wrote in translation like if you need to change things up a bit to make it make sense then go ahead!
Once again, thank you so much!
ill rate and give points and all that stuff 🙂
Oh and i forgot..
i also want to say:
I think we should further encourage students and staff to be environmentally friendly and have more concenquences for people who litter, etc. We can encourage them by having more posters around the school and assemblies about being ecological.
The Expert answers:
Je vous écris une lettre pour vous aider à créer une plus respectueux de l’environnement scolaire. J’ai beaucoup d’idées et les objectifs à l’aide. Je pense que nous devrions remplacer nos lumières à faible consommation d’énergie des ampoules électriques car cela des économies d’énergie et d’argent comme les ampoules durera plus longtemps! Je pense aussi que nous devrions avoir plus de poubelles vertes et de recyclage des boîtes autour de l’école pour promouvoir le recyclage! Je pense aussi que nous devons facturer pour le stationnement parce que de nombreux étudiants à l’école en voiture qui ajoute à la pollution. L’argent en faisant payer pour le stationnement, nous pouvons réduire l’usage de la voiture et augmenter d’autres méthodes telles que les transports en commun. En outre, je pense que nous devrions avoir un programme de compost, car de nombreux produits alimentaires qui peuvent être composés sont jetés par les étudiants et le personnel de tous les jours! Par le compostage, nous réduisons nos déchets et d’aider l’environnement! Je pense que nous devrions continuer d’encourager les étudiants et le personnel à être respectueux de l’environnement et avoir plus de concenquences pour les personnes qui la litière, etc Nous pouvons les encourager en plus d’avoir des affiches dans l’école et des assemblages d’être écologique.
J’espère que vous envisager de mes idées
Donna asks…
How do I recover a file if I deleted it in Microsoft Word?
OK so I deleted a really important file by accident and then someone emptied my recycling bin.
How do I get it back?
Plz help fast because this was a really important paper for school.
?Thanks
The Expert answers:
Try recuva
http://recuva.en.softonic.com/
Robert asks…
How do I erase all files off my laptop FOR GOOD?
I’m assuming when you delete files off your computer, you’ll still have a trace of it somewhere. I want to delete that. I’m using a school laptop, and I have to return it soon. I want to delete all the files i have on it FOR GOOD. (I’m not sure if deleting it through the recycling bin really actually gets rid of it) Is there anyway I can do it safely without harming my laptop?
And also, please list it step by step. I’m not a super genius when it comes to computers >_<
The Expert answers:
Hi,
You are right it does leave a trace even after emptying the recycle bin. You can google and download proffessional deletion software to permanently “shred” files. This makes them harder to recover unlike files deleted the normal way which are extremely easy to get back. But the only way they’ll be gone for good is when new information is written over them where they were saved on the physical hard drive.
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