By Ollie and Gloria Maier
Daily Record Columnist
— Many of you are familiar with the ‘Keep America Beautiful’ effort. Thus an article in the latest Resource Recycling e-newsletter caught our eye.
“Keep America Beautiful is looking to boost its work in recycling, particularly in furthering its partnerships with recycling organizations and targeting a younger, more diverse audience for its anti-littering, pro-recycling message.”
In a recent conference, “... Ed Skernolis, head of KAB's recycling efforts, pointed out that the organization ‘has always been active in recycling. In fact, one-third — or 200 — of the organization's local affiliates are governmental recycling coordinators.’"
Some of the KAB programs include Curbside Value Partnership, America Recycles Day, the Bin Grant Program, and RecycleMania, which has a record 600 colleges and universities competing this year.
(Of course, Texas State University is involved in this competition. And the e-waste collection effort from everyone in the area to take place on campus in April is part of this effort.)
Skernolis explained, "We are putting together the final elements on our plans to move forward... KAB is eager to work with many in the recycling landscape, notably with a revitalized National Recycling Coalition.”
(That is good news to hear.)
Switching subjects, we mentioned in this column that anyone involved in recycling plastics may want to attend the National conference on recycling plastic to be held not that far away in Austin.
It will be at the Hilton Austin on March 2-3. They expect over 800 attendees and already have registrations from 35 states plus 19 countries throughout the world (North and South American, Europe, Asia).
(If conditions permit, we plan to go so we can provide some information on what was covered in a future column.)
Now an answer to a question. A reader asked if we knew where he could recycle #5 plastic (empty pill bottles used on prescription drugs).
While I advised Harlean that I just found them handy to store small items such as screws, nails, washers, nuts, etc., he said he has bags of them.
Calls to local pharmacies found they could not take them back but recommended removing the labels from them and recycling them with other plastic such as the milk jugs and soft drink plastic bottles.
A call to the Green Guy Recycling Services drop-off site confirmed this was OK as did the city of San Marcos in their curb-side recycling service.
Till next week, do have a great one...
Gloria and Ollie are local citizens concerned with the environment and helping others. Ollie is a graduate of Leadership San Marcos and they both received higher education at TxState University and worked on staff before retiring. For questions or comments, please call them at 353-7432 or e-mail them to omaier@TxState.edu.
