Originally published Mar 20/19 The Reminder. Flin Flon, Mb. Sponsored by North of 53 Consumers Coop.
Finding the topic for a weekly newspaper column is challenging. Regular readers may notice that some columns sound familiar. It is because a previous column has been reused.
Events during the week often provide the inspiration. That is the case this week.
A couple of people took advantage of the fact that I like questions to stop me for information they need about recycling. One gave me information.
The rule is that mixed materials are not recyclable. An example is the inside cardboard from the ‘Hello Fresh’ boxes which have a layer of aluminum or plastic. This person told me the layer is easily removed and wondered if the liner could then be recycled. The answer is yes.
A friend sent a couple of articles about the struggles in recycling worldwide. It commented a lot of recyclables are ending up in landfills because of this which is unfortunate. It also mentioned that this is forcing North America and the rest of world to develop other recycling infrastructure. An increase in our price for cardboard shows this is happening.
On a more serious note, I am worried for our world. Recycling does make a difference but so much more is challenging our planet.
Sunday when I was outdoors it was unusually quiet. There were no birds singing. It reminded me of information I read recently that the total mass of birds has decreased by 50% since 1970. Whether this is worldwide or North America only doesn’t matter. It is significant. Similar numbers are out there for insects and animals.
Habitat destruction, rising temperatures and unknown factors are contributing.
Change needs to happen fast. The question is how. The answers are not easy.
Finding the topic for a weekly newspaper column is challenging. Regular readers may notice that some columns sound familiar. It is because a previous column has been reused.
Events during the week often provide the inspiration. That is the case this week.
A couple of people took advantage of the fact that I like questions to stop me for information they need about recycling. One gave me information.
The rule is that mixed materials are not recyclable. An example is the inside cardboard from the ‘Hello Fresh’ boxes which have a layer of aluminum or plastic. This person told me the layer is easily removed and wondered if the liner could then be recycled. The answer is yes.
A friend sent a couple of articles about the struggles in recycling worldwide. It commented a lot of recyclables are ending up in landfills because of this which is unfortunate. It also mentioned that this is forcing North America and the rest of world to develop other recycling infrastructure. An increase in our price for cardboard shows this is happening.
On a more serious note, I am worried for our world. Recycling does make a difference but so much more is challenging our planet.
Sunday when I was outdoors it was unusually quiet. There were no birds singing. It reminded me of information I read recently that the total mass of birds has decreased by 50% since 1970. Whether this is worldwide or North America only doesn’t matter. It is significant. Similar numbers are out there for insects and animals.
Habitat destruction, rising temperatures and unknown factors are contributing.
Change needs to happen fast. The question is how. The answers are not easy.
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