Tuesday Tidbits: CAN I RECYCLE THAT?

 

I had originally set out to do a post with one quick, short paragraph about a series on my attempt to create less trash and what I’m trying do about it, and then describe the first thing I’m doing to that end and that I would be posting once a month about a new way I’m reducing my trash output. 

But then like any good topic, when I do a little research, I learn so many new things and my brain explodes with ideas.

So, if I’m going to reduce the amount of trash I create, I need to know what is trash and what is recyclable. Because if I know a throwaway product can be recycled, I don’t feel so bad about using it. Not as much is recyclable as I thought. 

Plastic, Paper, Cardboard, Glass, and Metal, into the recycling bin. Hold it! Not so fast.

Here are a few things that surprised me about recycling.

~Most of us know that not all plastic can be recycled, but if you’re like me, you aren’t quite sure which ones can and which can’t, or why. So in it goes to the recycling bin to let the waste management company sort things out.

All plastics are not created equal. Some plastics can only be recycled once. Others 4-6 times. Plastic bottles and jugs with a #1 or #2 on them are the only plastics that can be recycled. Polyvinyl chloride plastics like in shower curtains, piping, window frames, and some toys are not recyclable. Though some stores have bins at the front to recycle grocery bags, do not put these bags in curbside bins because they can clog the recycling machines.

One of the reasons not all plastic can be recycled is because each time it is recycled the fibers in it are shortened. Another is what the plastic is made of. All plastics are not created equal.

A lot of plastics that can’t be recycled into water bottles and such, are recycled into other things like fabric, but not all. A large amount of plastics still ends up in landfills and the ocean.

~On to paper. That piece of paper I just threw in the recycling bin might not be recyclable. Seriously? I thought paper was guaranteed to be recycled. Paper can only be recycled 4-7 times because the fibers break down and become too small. So if you buy something made from recycled paper, it might be at the end of its life. So that good feeling of buying something from recycled paper is diminished for me if it can’t be recycled again. So am I just delaying the inevitable landfill destination? But at least paper decomposes unlike plastic that takes eons.

~All cardboard is a safe bet for the recycling bin, right? Maybe not. Stop before you throw that pizza box away. Though it is cardboard—and cardboard is recyclable—that pizza box, not so much. Takeout food containers like pizza boxes and Chinese food containers shouldn’t be put in the recycling bin. The grease left on the box from the food can’t be separated out of the cardboard pulp in the recycling process, not allowing the fibers to bond together for new cardboard or whatever it’s being made into. If you cut away the soiled portions of a pizza box, the rest can be recycled.

~Glass is a great recyclable material that can be recycled endlessly. It doesn’t lose any of its quality. BUT not all glass can be recycled. Glass food and beverage containers can be recycled over and over. But some glass can’t be recycled: like any glass contaminated with stones, dirt, or food; ceramics; heat resistant glass like Pyrex; windows and mirrors; mixed colors of broken glass; drinking glasses; and crystal. I thought all glass was created equal when it came to recycling. I guess not.

~Metals, including aluminum, don’t lose their quality during recycling either, so they can be recycled infinite times. But metal lids with that plastic rubber seal thing, need to be treated differently in recycling because they have mixed materials.

Of the various materials we put in recycling bins, glass and metal are the most environmentally friendly.

I believe most if not all of the trash we create is due to convenience. I’m all for convenience. I love convenience. But I’m wondering what conveniences I can do without or substitute a non-trashy thing for. So, hopefully once a month, I can report on what I’m doing to be less trashy. Now, these post are NOT a crusade to get everyone to produce less trash and do all things eco friendly. I just want to share the small things I’m doing to reduce my trash footprint upon our earth.

Now that I know that all things recyclable aren’t recyclable indefinitely, I want to do a little more to reduce my waste. Next week, I’ll share one of the things I’m already doing to reduce my trashy side.

=0)

NEW!

THIMBLES AND THREADS: 4 Love Stories Are Quilted Into Broken Lives

Love Stitched into Four Women’s Lives
Enjoy four historical romances that celebrate the arts of sewing and quilting. When four women put needle and thread to fabric, will their talents lead to love? #thimblesandthreadscollection
Click HERE to order yours today.
FREE Preview
#thimblesandthreadscollection
“Bygones” by Mary Davis
Texas, 1884
Drawn to the new orphan boy in town, Tilly Rockford soon became the unfortunate victim of a lot of Orion Dunbar’s mischievous deeds in school. Can Tilly figure out how to truly forgive the one who made her childhood unbearable? Now she doesn’t even know she holds his heart. Can this deviant orphan-train boy turned man make up for the misdeeds of his youth and win Tilly’s heart before another man steals her away?

Other stories in this collection:
“The Bridal Shop” by Grace Hitchcock, “Mending Sarah’s Heart” by Suzanne Norquist, and “Binding Up Wounds” by Liz Tolsma


THE DAUGHTER'S PREDICAMENT (Book 2 in the Quilting Circle series)
FREE Preview
Can a patient love win her heart?

As Isabelle Atwood’s romance prospects are turning in her favor, a family scandal derails her dreams. While making a quilt for her own hope chest, Isabelle’s half-sister becomes pregnant out of wedlock and Isabelle--always the unfavored daughter--becomes the family sacrifice to save face. Despite gaining the attention of a handsome rancher, her parents are pressuring her to marry a man of their choosing to rescue her sister’s reputation. A third suitor waits silently in the wings, hoping for his own chance at love. Isabelle ends up with three marriage proposals, but this only further confuses her decision.

A handsome rancher, a stranger, and an unseen suitor are all waiting for an answer.  Isabelle loves her sister, but will she really allow herself to be manipulated into a marriage without love? Will Isabelle capitulate and marry the man her parents wish her to, or will she rebel and marry the man they don’t approve of? Or will the man leaving her secret love poems sweep her off her feet?

HEARTBEATS IN TIME – 5 books of Old West

Christian Romance (4 novels and 4 novellas) by 7 bestselling, award-winning authors, including my book, The Widow’s Plight. You'll love these 8 unique stories of love! Get it here: https://amzn.to/2VzRBoI
#HeartbeatsInTimeSet

FREE Preview
The Widow’s Plight (Book 1 in the Quilting Circle series) by Mary Davis
A single mother steps out of the shadows of abuse and into the sunshine. But will a secret clouding her past cost her the man she loves?
Finding Love In Last Chance, California by Miralee Ferrell
Dreams of My Heart by Barbara Scott
Hills of Nevermore by Janalyn Voigt
Heart of a Cowboy Novella Collection--four Old West romances by Susan Page Davis, Miralee Ferrell, Yvonne Lehman, and Vickie McDonough

#ChristianRomance #HistoricalRomance #Romance

MARY DAVIS s a bestselling, award-winning novelist of over two dozen titles in both historical and contemporary themes. Her 2018 titles include; "Holly and Ivy" in A Bouquet of Brides Collection (January), Courting Her Amish Heart (March), The Widow’s Plight (July), Courting Her Secret Heart (September), “Zola’s Cross-Country Adventure” in The MISSAdventure Brides Collection (December), and Courting Her Prodigal Heart (January 2019). Coming in 2019, The Daughter's Predicament (May) and "Bygones" in Thimbles and Threads (July). She is a member of ACFW and active in critique groups.

Mary lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband of over thirty-four years and two cats. She has three adult children and two incredibly adorable grandchildren. Find her online at:

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Tuesday Tidbits: 9,739 STEPS LATER

A funny thing happened on the way to Multnomah Falls. 

icetsarina [CC BY-SA 4.0
(https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)]

Back to that in a minute.

I haven’t seen my daughter since the few days leading up to and the day of her wedding nearly two and a half years ago. I have lived several states away from her for many, many years and don’t get to see her often. So when she and her hubby planned a trip to Oregon—a mere three and a half hours away—my hubby and I jumped at the chance to drive down to see them. Due to time constraints on our part, we couldn’t stay overnight and needed to drive down in the morning and back that same evening.

But it was well worth it.

Steps? A waterfall? My daughter? Let me connect the dots.

Daughter and son-in-law at their wedding.

Our daughter and son-in-law were a couple of hours south of Portland, so we agreed to meet at Multnomah Falls and hike up to the falls together. My daughter texted before 8am to say that Multnomah Falls parking lot was already full and closed Disappointing. I had been looking forward to standing on that Multnomah Falls bridge halfway up. Oh, my would that have been glorious.

So we agreed to meet at Bridal Veil Falls down the road.

https://www.goodfreephotos.com/
Bridal Veil Falls in Oregon.
Photo by Time Mossholder

As we neared Multnomah Falls the sign on the highway said that the EXIT to Multnomah Falls was even closed. We couldn’t even exit there. We continued on and loop back around on an old narrow two-lane historic “highway”. No shoulders, not even a white painted line where the blacktop ended. The guardrails were gothic stone and cement archey things. They were really quit beautiful. Then the guardrail would end and there would be a section of curb. Yes—curb with a row of one-and-a-half-foot stone henge behind it. We couldn’t figure out how that would stop a car from going over the edge. It was quite a ways down the steep embankment. The guardrail really needed to continue. There didn’t seem to be a rhyme or reason to where they decided to put the curb portions. Unfortunately, I couldn’t take pictures in the moving car. 

So we continue on this narrow winding road and needed to pass a family riding their bikes, one with training wheels. We (and the line of cars ahead of us and behind us) can’t get around them because we can’t see if an oncoming car is around the corner, and the family can’t get off the road because there is no place to go—the beautiful guardrail or curb and then straight down. We finally managed to get around them on a little less of a winding portion. 

We get to Bridal Veil, and the lot is closed because it too is full. So we all agree to try for Latourell Falls. That lot too is full. So we continue on to a portion of the road that has some shoulder patches where cars are parked. We find a space big enough to squeeze our car in. But where will our daughter and son-in-law park? And how will we find them. They could end up parking anywhere. 

After some doing—and telling my daughter to stand out in the road—I finally saw her. I waved my arms and she waved her arms. Even from a distance we knew each other. After many hugs, we began our hike up to Latourell Falls. 

Me and hubby with Latourell Falls in the background.

Not as big as the Multnomah or Bridal Veil, but still beautiful. We hiked up to the top and around to the other side of the falls. The trail up and down and switchbacks and very uneven. My daughter braved going out to the edge of this precipice—that you can see has no guardrail and my son-in-law followed her. EEEEEK. 

My daughter went to that very
farthest part you can see,
a few more steps from where she is.
But I couldn’t look.

I was feeling muscles I didn’t know I owned anymore. 

Weird tree that the trail switchbacked around.

That's my son-in-law!

But we made it back down to where we started. 

After our hike we went to the Japanese Garden. Much easier walking around there. It was beautiful. Lots of little pagodas tucked in between various bushes and trees… 

…zen gardens… 

…and ponds with mini waterfalls. 

These coy fish were big.

This guy seemed friendly.

I thought the other coy were big until I saw this huge guy.

We ate in the Japanese cafe and shopped in the gift shop. 

My dinner, delicious!

I got a Buddha Board Mini. You draw your stress and troubles on it with water on a paintbrush. As the water soaks into the board the marks turn black. As the water evaporates, the marks disappear, so, too, do the troubles the brushstrokes represented. 

Our time was far, far too short with our daughter and son-in-law. 

At the end of the day, I had nearly 10,000 steps and great new memories.

NEW!

THIMBLES AND THREADS: 4 Love Stories Are Quilted Into Broken Lives

Love Stitched into Four Women’s Lives

Enjoy four historical romances that celebrate the arts of sewing and quilting. When four women put needle and thread to fabric, will their talents lead to love? #thimblesandthreadscollection

Click HERE to order yours today.

FREE Preview

#thimblesandthreadscollection

“Bygones” by Mary Davis

Texas, 1884

Drawn to the new orphan boy in town, Tilly Rockford soon became the unfortunate victim of a lot of Orion Dunbar’s mischievous deeds in school. Can Tilly figure out how to truly forgive the one who made her childhood unbearable? Now she doesn’t even know she holds his heart. Can this deviant orphan-train boy turned man make up for the misdeeds of his youth and win Tilly’s heart before another man steals her away?

Other stories in this collection:

“The Bridal Shop” by Grace Hitchcock, “Mending Sarah’s Heart” by Suzanne Norquist, and “Binding Up Wounds” by Liz Tolsma

THE DAUGHTER'S PREDICAMENT (Book 2 in the Quilting Circle series)

FREE Preview

Can a patient love win her heart?

As Isabelle Atwood’s romance prospects are turning in her favor, a family scandal derails her dreams. While making a quilt for her own hope chest, Isabelle’s half-sister becomes pregnant out of wedlock and Isabelle--always the unfavored daughter--becomes the family sacrifice to save face. Despite gaining the attention of a handsome rancher, her parents are pressuring her to marry a man of their choosing to rescue her sister’s reputation. A third suitor waits silently in the wings, hoping for his own chance at love. Isabelle ends up with three marriage proposals, but this only further confuses her decision.

A handsome rancher, a stranger, and an unseen suitor are all waiting for an answer.  Isabelle loves her sister, but will she really allow herself to be manipulated into a marriage without love? Will Isabelle capitulate and marry the man her parents wish her to, or will she rebel and marry the man they don’t approve of? Or will the man leaving her secret love poems sweep her off her feet?

HEARTBEATS IN TIME – 5 books of Old West

Christian Romance (4 novels and 4 novellas) by 7 bestselling, award-winning authors, including my book, The Widow’s Plight. You'll love these 8 unique stories of love! Get it here: https://amzn.to/2VzRBoI

#HeartbeatsInTimeSet

FREE Preview

The Widow’s Plight (Book 1 in the Quilting Circle series) by Mary Davis

A single mother steps out of the shadows of abuse and into the sunshine. But will a secret clouding her past cost her the man she loves?

Finding Love In Last Chance, California by Miralee Ferrell

Dreams of My Heart by Barbara Scott

Hills of Nevermore by Janalyn Voigt

Heart of a Cowboy Novella Collection--four Old West romances by Susan Page Davis, Miralee Ferrell, Yvonne Lehman, and Vickie McDonough

#ChristianRomance #HistoricalRomance #Romance

MARY DAVIS s a bestselling, award-winning novelist of over two dozen titles in both historical and contemporary themes. Her 2018 titles include; "Holly and Ivy" in A Bouquet of Brides Collection (January), Courting Her Amish Heart (March), The Widow’s Plight (July), Courting Her Secret Heart (September), “Zola’s Cross-Country Adventure” in The MISSAdventure Brides Collection (December), and Courting Her Prodigal Heart (January 2019). Coming in 2019, The Daughter's Predicament (May) and "Bygones" in Thimbles and Threads (July). She is a member of ACFW and active in critique groups.

Mary lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband of over thirty-four years and two cats. She has three adult children and two incredibly adorable grandchildren. Find her online at:

Newsletter  Blog   FB  FB Readers Group   Amazon   GoodReads   BookBub