Posts Tagged ‘Massachusetts’
If you are like me, as a mom trying to be greener, whenever you have packaging with Styrofoam, you are at a loss – what do I do with it? I cannot recycle it the traditional way. Shouldn’t just toss it into the garbage. What do I do with it? Well, you can set it aside. That is what I do with it. Waiting for the solution.
Why can’t I just throw Styrofoam away?
Well, you could, but it is going to sit in the landfill longer than you or I will be around. Or your children or grandchildren. It can take Styrofoam up to an estimated 500 years to degrade in a landfill. If your waste management program burns garbage, as many do, that Styrofoam creates a toxic ash. What’s the solution, then?
I had a chance to meet with Dave and Barbara Sherman from ReFoamIt last spring. They set up Stryofoam Collection Days and invite anyone from the surrounding towns to show up with their Styrofoam. They ask that you remove all tape, labels, and food particles from it beforehand. They accept Styrofoam peanuts and return them to companies like UPS.
My town of Wayland, Massachusetts is holding its annual Hazardous Household Waste Collection Day.
All of us have unused chemicals stored in our basements, garages, and utility rooms. When we bought our home in 1999, we inherited three large containers of that tar-like driveway sealant. Turpentine from the 1970′s! Paint from I can’t tell when. My list is long. Last year I jumped on this and signed up. I want to encourage Wayland, Massachusetts residents to take advantage and register.
Attention folks in Massachusetts! There is a cash for appliances rebate program about to launch and if you have an old appliance, now is the time to jump on this and get a new one. This program is like the cash for clunkers program, to encourage residents to replace old energy-sucking appliances with new Energy Star qualified appliances.
I love to recycle, reduce, and reuse when I can. However, Styrofoam is one of those items that most recycling programs do not take,
Your styrofoam cup will outlive you
and it is a part of our daily lives. Everything is packed in Styrofoam. It isn’t just packing materials, either. It is most fast food drink cups, like the ones from Dunkin’ Donuts (the unofficial official coffee provider of Massachusetts!) or egg cartons. Take out containers are also a big culprit.
