October 2007 | On Our Radar
How to Recycle Everything
By Eric Larson
In an effort to be the most eco-
conscious kid on your block, you’ve no doubt found yourself standing with some kit or caboodle in your hand, staring at it vacantly, wondering whether it is reuseable, recyclable, take-backable, compostable, or, sadly, bound for that bin grimly labeled garbage. To demystify the process, if only a little, we took to the web and compiled this shortlist of some of the more interesting ideas we discovered for dealing with your post-consumer waste.
Sex Toy Recycling: All the Buzz
Oh, yes, you can. Major companies in the United States., like Sony, are now creating “take-back” programs so that consumers can send their old, obsolete electronics back to the manufacturer — with the goal of taking in as many products as they send out. Well, because remote control helicopters and Wiis aren’t the only electronics people play with in their free time, LoveHoney, a UK-based purveyor of adult toys, has started the “world’s first sex toy recycling scheme” for their line of Rabbit vibrators. Their offer is simple: send your old one back, get half off on a brand new one. Perhaps the sexiest part of all is that for every vibrator returned, LoveHoney makes a donation to a green charity (lovehoney.co.uk/rabbit-amnesty).
When in Doubt, Drop Trough
In our Jetson-esque future, perhaps it will be possible to toss all of our kaput products into a magical machine (made from recycled sex toys and the like, of course) and have them pop back out, good as new. Until then, we’ll have to settle for the likes of these two websites from across the pond. Recyclethis.co.uk and Compostthis.co.uk are helpful hubs for recycling/reusing and composting questions and solutions. Just type in your latest post-consumer conundrum, press send, and watch the practical, creative and often downright ingenious ideas roll in. Recent suggestions have included using old yoga mats (which are made from unrecyclable polyvinyl chorlide, or PVC) for working under your car, or, if you’re already carfree, using them to kneel on in the garden; using old USB memory sticks as plant labels; and rinsing out old potato chip bags to reuse as media storage. As for compostables, there’s plenty you probably haven’t thought of, including human hair and pee — yes, pee — as they’re both great sources of nitrogen. So next time you’re in the garden, feel free.
What Counts
81: Percentage of recyclers who wash out plastic and glass containers before depositing them in the blue bin.
1 Billion: Number of disposable coffee cups that would be eliminated from landfills each year if just 15 percent of college students used mugs instead.
18.5 Million: Number of trees that would be saved annually if all Americans viewed and paid their bills online.
18: Percentage that your chances of identity theft will be reduced if you pay bills online.
827,060: Gallons of embalming fluid buried in the U.S. each year (not to mention 90,272 tons of steel for caskets and 14,000 more tons for vaults).
6000-10,000: Average dollar cost of a conventional funeral (green burials can cost half as much).
9: Months longer New Yorkers can expect to live compared to the average American (thanks to all that fast city walking).
Compiled by Jenny Rough
Sources: Body + Soul magazine (reader poll), Sustainable Works,
IdealBite.com, New York magazine, www.GlendaleNaturePreserve.org.
Don’t Just Get Mad…Get Active
Be a part of the process of helping homeless youth experience the healing power of their creative energy as a one-year volunteer (or longer) at the Sanctuary Art Center. No need to be a formally trained artist; a love for art and a passion for working with street youth will do. www.sanctuaryartcenter.org
The Magnuson Community Garden is creating an Art Committee with plans underway to enhance the beauty of their garden through art installation. Join in the efforts to encourage artists to interact with public works or roll your sleeves up and help out with the garden at one of their “work parties.” www.cityofseattle.gov/magnusongarden.
Become an Art Buddy at Art With Heart — a nonprofit that empowers kids who are facing trauma, illness or other crises through therapeutic books and artistic healing programs that support expression of both their suffering and strength. www.artwithheart.org
Swathe yourself in art by volunteering at one of the three SAM locations. The Seattle Art Museum relies heavily on volunteers as their “heart and soul” to help bring the community together and facilitate the museum’s diverse programs, so get to helping. www.seattleartmuseum.org
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