America Recycles Day is Monday, November 15th. Let's start a thread on recycling in Miles City. Did you know that EMI is now accepting glass? Unfortunately the glass is not recycled but is crushed to reduce the amount of space needed in the landfill, thus extending the life of the landfill and reducing taxes.

I have been looking into the glass recycling thing. It is really hard to recycle glass here in Montana. There isn't a plant that recycles it. And if we were to recycle it, it has to be trucked to CO. So then you are putting to much into it to make it worth it. But does Montana have enough people here to make our own plant? Dont really know that either. But a thought for someone that wins the next Power Ball!

Recycling... A new thread.... Hmmm...

You know, I think Miles City needs a concrete swimming pool....

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Seriously, glass is hard to recycle into a consist reusable product because there are so many different types and qualities. Here in Gillette we have a program that provides blue plastic bags for newspaper, cardboard, and other materials. There is a company that stops by and picks up those bags placed on the curb on your trash day. Maybe someone in Miles City could partner with EMI to do a similar project.

Richard: Someone has started a pick-up service for recycling here, I think it's called "Curbside Recycling" or something close to that.

When Keep Miles City Beautiful gets up and running, they'll be offering many ideas for us ~ like collecting all our unusuable computers and sending them to Sidney where they are recycled.

Tongue River Winery is also taking empty wine bottles. I'm doing all I can to keep them stocked!

I wish there was an area, (like a section of the landfill ) that was set aside as a free cycle ~ stuff creative souls could rehabilitate into useful 'things'. I know what a nightmare that would be, but we discard so many resources!

I hope the computer recycling thing gets going because I have PILES of old computer equipment at my office.

RETHINK...REUSE...REDUCE...RECYCLE

These are all part of the overall process of conserving our resources. We are wasteful in our consumerism and we don't stack up well on a global basis in our efforts at recycling.

We are all capable of doing much more than we do in this regard. It isn't all that hard.

We recycle aluminum, #1 and #2 plastic, glass, corrigated cardboard, newspapers, magazines, and we shred and recycle other papers.

We also compost organic food waste (vegies, fruits, eggshells), grass and leaves.

And we NEVER EVER throw any waste out of our car windows. It is so easy to dispose of properly.

When Keep Miles City Beautiful becomes fully affiliated with Keep America Beautiful there will be resources available through KAB to raise awareness of these types of issues in the community through education and work projects. Watch for these efforts and become involved.

I am old enough to remember the iconic ad in which a Native American sheds a tear at the sight of a littered American landscape. We still have a long way to go to learn that every litter bit hurts.

EMI will also accept aluminum cans, corrugated cardboard, newspaper, office paper, shredded office paper, HDPE plastic (milk jugs), PETE plastic (pop bottles), HDPE plastic (mixed), glass, phone books, magazines, clothing and household items for the Woods and Goods store.

Miles City Curbside Recycling is owned and managed by Dustin Sloan so give them a call.

Here's an informative site on re-cycling E-Waste! http://deq.mt.gov/Recycle...fault.mcpx

Miles City Curbside Recycling at 234-5375.

Pacific takes aluminum, copper, brass and scrap iron.

It's hard to make glass recycling work financially. Glass is made from the most abundant mineral on earth (silica sand) and by the time you truck it to wherever it's going and melt it down, you're not making any money on it. Crushing it up before it goes to the landfill is certainly a good idea though, as is reusing it yourself where you can. I think that NRCS building in Billings used crushed glass as gravel for their driveway or something but I'm not sure how well it worked. Seems kind of messy and dangerous.

we recycle our water bottles and pop cans and take them to EMI......to recycle food cans (soup, beans, etc) do we put them into a bag with the pop cans...do they have to be washed, rinsed and have the outside paper removed?

If glass is crushed fine enough it can be used as a building material. If it smoothed enough it can be used as a landscaping material.

joycegibson: I've been wondering the same things ~ about tin cans ~ as you posted, so I called Pacific Steel & Recycling to get the scoop!

They do accept tin cans, and do not require the labels to be off, or the top/bottom both cut from can. The do prefer you rinse the cans before bringing them in!

Beth: Can't glass be finely ground enough to use again as sand? It seems like I've heard that before..somewhere.. I've seen concrete and glass counter tops, and they're very interesting, although not in everyone's taste.
Aren't colored bottles used extensively in Scott E. and Karla L.'s earth ship home?

I think Miles City should give Bert Elwood a major award for his years of dedicated recycling service that he has provided for the community.

I wonder what to do with old material from clothing. I have clothes that are past it to wear but could be made into rags or paper. (I know synthetics must go to the garbage gods but I'm wondering about old blue jeans.) Does EMI still accept old clothes to be made into rags?

Just read today's "Two Lumps." Snooch has read that a new product called 'glassphalt' is being made with 40% recycled glass instead of sand. He then asks Bennie, "Does that mean . . ."

Bennie walks off. Herherher.

K.Duffy, glass can be crushed into sand and used for building materials. EMI's glass crusher can't get it fine enough. They have looked at purchasing another glass crusher but have other needs at this time. Scott and Karla's earthship home does have some colored glass bottles placed into the walls for a beautiful stained glass look but they don't need any more bottles. It would be great to have other home remodelers/house builders look into this use of old bottles. Which makes me wonder if we in the Miles City community could use some of our cast away materials (glass, aluminum, manure, paper, cardboard, plastic) here and create a value added product, rather than shipping it to Billings or farther...

Amorette, EMI does accept cotton clothes and materials. They cut them down to rag size. They also have a recycled item called "baled clothing." I'm not sure what that is.

EMI does not recycle tin cans. The only metal EMI recycles is aluminum pop cans. We do not take any other form of aluminum. For a complete list of items we recycle, please visit our website.

http://emi-mt.org/recycling.aspx

Hi EMI, I didn't see clothing on your website. What is the story on recycling clothing?

EMI does accept clothing and household items. The clothing that cannot be sold at Woods 'n Goods or made into rags is baled and sold to a firm in Seattle that distributes the clothing overseas.

Clothing and household items can be dropped off in the red barn behind our main yellow building. For larger household items please contact Sue at EMI. Our number is 234-3740. Thanks!

Billings Yellowstone E-waste solutions does have a website; http://www.yellowstoneewaste.com/
At the bottom of their main categories there is "collection events" Looks like event are organized for pick up in Helena and Big Timber. The Helena pick up has fees specified for every electronic item.

Yellowstone E-Waste solutions usually charges PER POUND if you bring your items to them. I do not know the going rate at this time.
Best Buy will charge you 10$ for a $10 gift card and to take your old electronic equipment (I took in my broken TV/VHS combo to them last month).

I want to emphasize the dangers of E-waste. We need to be responsible consumers. Last week I went to the dump and counted 6 computer towers in the pit! Electronics contain a whole slew of toxic compounds. All though some may be in small amounts in electronics - those compounds are dangerous.

I have had conversations with folks about how much E-Waste recycling costs. My thought is if you have enough money to buy and upgrade your electronics, you can save enough money to dispose of the old stuff properly. Sometimes it can be used again. Did you know Timothy at Big Sky Computers will take old, slow, computers and donate them to people in need.


Highlights from Dartmouth Toxic Metals Research Program:
Cadmium affects your body's ability to metabolize calcium, leading to bone pain and severely weakened, fragile bones.

Chromium can cause skin irritation and rashes and is potentially carcinogenic.

Copper can irritate the throat and lungs and affect the liver, kidneys and other body systems.

Lead poisoning can cause a variety of health problems including the impairment of cognitive and verbal activity. Eventually, lead exposure can cause paralysis, coma and death.

Nickel is carcinogenic in large doses.

Silver probably won't hurt you, but handle it too frequently and you might come down with a case of argyria -- a condition that permanently stains your skin a blue-gray shade.

If you have a computer, printer, or software that still works and would like to donate it, Computers4Kids in Billings, MT accepts these items. They accept certain older items to break down and be recycled, but you must include a cash donation with these items. They also accept iPods, MP3 players, and DVD players to refurbish and give away as well.

Computers4Kids is a nonprofit organization working to ensure that under served and at-risk youth in Yellowstone County have home access to capable technology for educational purposes.

To view a complete list of what they accept, how to get your computer ready for donation (such as how to erase your hard drive), and how to donate your items, you can visit their website. http://www.computers4kidsinmontana.org/

See the Miles City Star Friday, Nov. 5th issue for a listing of recycling opportunities. Thanks Amanda and Janelle.

Tomorrow is the day, bring your glass into EMI tomorrow or anytime this week to get it counted towards Miles City's efforts to Keep America Beautiful.

Are there any hobby farmers that need egg cartons? It would be nice to post here with an email/drop-off address

We have enough egg cartons at the moment, but check with Scott Elder at the Great Grains Health Food store. He may know.

The Eastern Montana Industries Recycling Board is looking into the need for an electronic waste collection day. It would involve the old computers, TVs, game stations that we don't use anymore. Is there any interest in the Miles City area?

YES!

Yes

Yes!

Recent action by the Los Angeles Board of Supervisors to ban T-Shirt plastic bags is bringing to the forefront the issues associated with these bags. They are petroleum based and take forever to bio degrade in landfills. Their light weight floats them all over the landscape when not recycled properly and they clog storm drains and make their way into the oceans where they are dangerous to ocean life. Plus much of their usage is one-time usage and then we have to make and pay for another one.

An alternative to these bags is using reusable bags. Purchase once and use over and over. I keep my reusables in my car and take them to the grocery store. At Reynolds Grocery they will give you a $.05 credit for each bag used. I've paid for my bags many times over and am helping with the environmental degradation caused by plastic bags.

There are so many ways each of us can improve how we RETHINK, REDUCE, REUSE and RECYCLE. Why not choose just one idea to adopt into your lifestyle and see how good it feels to be part of the solution rather than part of the problem?

An alternative to these bags is using reusable bags. Purchase once and use over and over. I keep my reusables in my car and take them to the grocery store. At Reynolds Grocery they will give you a $.05 credit for each bag used. I've paid for my bags many times over and am helping with the environmental degradation caused by plastic bags.

Sorry, but you are not helping the environment. The bags you are recommending need to be washed to avoid spreading E-coli and other yeasts and bacterias. I don't see how it is "green" or conserves one of our most important natural resources, wasting water washing your grocery bag.

http://earth911.com/news/...ealth-risk

The 15-page study releases the findings of two independent testing laboratories, showing that unclean reusable bags can pose a public health risk due to high levels of mold, bacteria and yeast present in the samples. Some of the findings include:

-Sixty four percent of the tested reusable bags were contaminated with some level of bacteria and nearly 30 percent had bacterial counts higher than what is considered safe for drinking water.

-Forty percent of the bags contained the presence of yeast or mold.

-Some of the sampled bags contained unsafe levels of coliforms and fecal intestinal bacteria.

Further, for every one of these bags recyclable bags being used, a pine-beetle infested pine tree is not being cut down and made into a old-school paper bag. We really need to return to the use of paper bags and clean up our forests.

[This message has been edited by Richard Bonine, Jr (11/19/2010)]

Richard,

As usual your points add to the discussion. I feel rather that the bad things you mention are attached to all types of things that are a part of our life and are transmitted around us all the time, not just perhaps on a reuseable bag. Washing a bag along with my shorts and socks doesn't require additional water. But I agree that there is great pressure on water and it's usage and waste of water is another important issue to pursue.

The extraction of oil and natural gas used in manufacturing plastics requires vast amounts of water especially in the current methods of fracturing the products from the earth. The natural world is a tangled web and the inter-related issues call for all our best efforts to deal with them. You work with the environment and your views merit our attention.

I have no issue with harvesting pine beetle infested trees. If their best usage is making paper bags that could be ok by me or perhaps lumber that is more than a one time short period use. A paper bag is preferable to plastic in that scenerio.

Richard, I agree that water is a valuable resource and should be conserved. However the bags I use for groceries I wash with other laundry and I do not use anymore water or detergent to keep them clean. Most of the groceries are over packaged anyway and do not contact the bags. I wash fruits and vegetables before eating too. I noticed that the article you sited was sponsored by a plastics industry association. I think the article is more publicity by the plastics industry than a public health issue.

I think of re-usable cloth bags vs. plastic bags as the lesser of two evils. Also, as Beth said, how often would you really need to wash the bags? It seems like every step forward in attempts to better our environment always have a, "ya, but.." attached to it! Down with Yabits!!

I have been wondering why it is that only the #2 plastics with necks can be recycled at EMI. Anyone know?

K Duffy,

My understanding is that the plastic shredding machine at EMI is designed in such a way that it grabs the neck of the bottle to pull it in. The neckless tubs can't be grabbed and thus interrupt the efficiency of the machine by requiring human intervention.

EMI can provide a better explanation, I'm sure.

Sounds reasonable ~ thanks Art!

K Duffy and Art, I asked Sue at EMI about the plastic recycling. They will accept #1 and #2 but it has to be in the shape of a bottle or jug. They do not accept tubs or lids because it contains a different grade of plastic that melts at different temperatures. EMI hauls stuff to Billings Recycling and they only accept the bottle or jug shapes, so that's the market.

I noticed that the article you sited was sponsored by a plastics industry association. I think the article is more publicity by the plastics industry than a public health issue.

Well, perhaps the cloth bag industry should do their own study demonstrating that no such threat exists or is of limited concern.