Is Today Earth Day?

Is Today Earth Day?

I wasn't sure. I had to look it up this morning. Last year, it seemed like it was everywhere. This year, Earth Day is taking a back seat to the recession. What is ironic is that consumption is down not because of all of the tips in newspapers, articles or blogs. It is down because people are cutting back on their spending. Interesting.

Today in the Cleveland Plain Dealer, a columnist, Regina Brett, wrote about she is trying to be "green" at home. She even checks to make sure all of the families waste baskets are sorted into their proper recycling categories. While I have been guilty of this many times by my husband, I would like to let you know an inside tip from someone who used to work at a recycling center in college. Not everything you send away is actually recycled. Some of the plastic is the wrong type of plastic. Be sure to check with your city and find out what numbers are recycled. Some people recycle everything and that just makes more work for the people recycling your trash.

Another insider tip, make sure you do not recycle your products with their lids. I see this often as I drive to and from school in people's recycling containers. The lids are not recyclable in this manner. I have heard that Aveda stores are recycling lids. See this link for more information.

From the Aveda website:

The program accepts caps that are rigid polypropylene plastic, sometimes noted with a 5 in the chasing arrows recycling symbol. This includes caps that twist on with a threaded neck such as caps on shampoo, water, soda, milk and other beverage bottles, flip top caps on tubes and food product bottles (such as ketchup and mayonnaise), laundry detergents and some jar lids such as peanut butter. Excluded from collection are pharmaceutical lids and non rigid lids such as yogurt lids, tub lids (margarine, cottage cheese), and screw on lids that are not rigid. If you can bend or break the lid with your bare hands, then it does not meet the rigid plastic definition. Please do not include any metal lids or plastic pumps or sprayers. Unfortunately, too much of the wrong types of materials can contaminate the recycling process. We appreciate your efforts in keeping it clean!

Great job Aveda! I will have a hard time with my consumption of their fantastic products when I visit to drop off my recyclable lids. My husband will just be thrilled with yet another thing I am collecting to recycle. Add the lids to my growing list of newspapers, cans, bottles, plastics and batteries.

We have come so far since my college days working in the recycling center at Mount Union College. I just checked their website to see what they've done about recycling since I left in 1994 and it is just amazing. When I started, we had trouble teaching students where to put their cans and bottles. We are more aware of our impact on the environment and I am shocked when I run into a family that doesn't recyle (hint, hint Dad). So, yes it is Earth Day. Happy Earth Day!