ABC's of Recycling, Tips/Articles,
Smart Recycling from A to Z
Mar 25 2024
We’ve been on a journey.
Over the last couple years (and a couple months), we’ve covered 26 letters and 26 topics related to recycling. Altogether, we’ve had hundreds of views of our ABC’s of Smart Recycling posts. That’s great news. Because, let’s face it, recycling isn’t always straight forward. And the more we know, the better we can act as Smart Recyclers.
Here’s a few of our favorite posts.
Julie loves E Stands for Energy. I learned so much creating this post! For instance, it takes 20 times the energy to create a new aluminum can versus a recycled can. 20 TIMES! But my absolute favorite has to be Letter M is for ‘MRF’ Materials Recovery Facility.
Our SCARCE staff took a field trip to the murf and saw a recycling facility in action, including the eddy current machine. It was like something out of a science fiction movie! (You can see some of the photos I took that day are in the Letter M post, as well as under letter Q – Quick Tips.) On the right is a photo of former SCARCE staff member, Rose, and Kay checking out the eddy current machine.
“It’s sobering to learn how much food is wasted each year and the impact that has on methane gas emissions. Providing actionable tips about how to reduce the waste we generate at home, extend the life of produce, and guidance for composting scraps is valuable information that we can all use!”
Andrea chose F- Food for Thought.
Kay chose Q- Quick Tips for Quality Recycling. She declared it her favorite post as soon as it was completed. There’s a lot of info packed into this post, including the tip to never put old bowling balls into your blue recycling bin. Why did we have to mention that? Because Kay said, it’s happened! (Ask her about that story, next time you see her.) This post was a favorite because of the catchy reminder phrases too.
Remember the “Rule of Thumb,” “Cardboard FLAT, cans FAT,” “Tanglers are Manglers,” and, of course, “When in Doubt, Throw it Out!”
Kay loves a catchy slogan.
“Honestly, I feel really strongly about this topic. Instead of just trash vs recycling, viewing items as resources and applying 6R’s principles has ended up saving me time, effort, and money. It also makes me feel good about myself, which is another bonus! I literally can’t bear to throw away recyclable items. It’s easier to reduce the “waste” I accumulate in the first place, than to go to all the effort of finding creative ways to properly dispose of recyclable items.”
Emily’s favorite is Letter R – And the R-word Checklist.
Jean’s favorite post is X-is for X ray. “Lots of people just don’t realize how these common items found in our homes are so poisonous! It’s good to get the info out there.”
(That’s Jean on the left. She’s a smart owl, not an x-ray, in this photo.)
“It’s my favorite article because it’s a little thing that makes a big difference. I think that’s really cool. Also, since I’ve started working at SCARCE, it’s something I’ve been making an effort to do myself.”
Caroline chose letter Z is for Zero Waste
We would love to hear what your favorite post was. Did you learn anything surprising?
Send us an email at [email protected], or post a comment.
And no! We’re not done yet. In May, we’ll start our next ABC adventure. Reduce, Reuse & Refuse ABC’s with tips on how to create less waste and live more green!