CEC Blog

Hello Everyone,

We recieve several calls about recyclign each week.  People want to know where to recycle and what can be recycled.  While recycling is a wonderful service provided in many communities and Richmond has a fantastic curbside program and the Best Way dumpsters provided in the county in many places are factastic – we also must ask the question – How do I reduce?  Recycling typically means that the packaging being recycled will actually be “down-cycled” into either a lesser quality product or another product made from recycled materials that does displace that same product being made from virgin materials.  For example, many recycled beverage containers are then recycled into the one-use plastic bags.  However, there are many plastic containers that may be turned into recycled lumber or other products, but is does take a lot of recycled plastic and energy to make a 2X4 of recycled plastic lumber!

Of course there a zillions of ways to reduce what we use.  I am going to begin today with a pet peeve – junk mail!

Catalogchoice.org helps you to remove your name from unwanted catalog lists.  You may also call those catalog companies as well.  catalogs are a bit

Too many mailings from an organization, college, or business? – Remove yourself from mailing lists -use those pecky return envelopes and the company or organizatio will pay the postage!

When ordering over the phone – request that your name not be added to the mailing list or traded or sold to other comapnies.

Use those return envelopes for mailing other items instead of using a new one.  Take an old address label or tape a scrap piece of paper over the return information and use as your own envelope.

Choose to recieve your magazine subscriptions on-line – many magazines now offer an on-line subscription option.

Use the blank second sides of junk mailing as scrap or in your printer for printer paper.  most is high quality and works well in typical printers and even copiers!

Encourage your office to collect paper that has only been used on one side and use it in office printers and in the second drawer of your copier for interoffice memos, notes, minutes, etc.

Please feel free to post other ways to reduce junk mail or save or reuse paper.

Remember – recycling comes after you have already reduced what you use and re-used what you are able to re-use!!

Thank you everyone!
Stephanie