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Talking Trash in Coral Ridge
Recycling Computer Printers
Most printer cartridges are easily recycled, refilled or re-built. But printer vendors sell the printer cheap, and make their real money selling supplies. They don't want you be environmental.
The "right" environmental solution is to sell new cartridges with a postage paid mailer for returning the old one. Some forward-thinking companies, such as Hewlett-Packard, have been known to do this, especially for laser printers. Sometimes you can find free envelopes for donating cartridges to a refiller, but don't bother with refill kits. They may save money, but they are messy, and you use as much plastic as a new cartridge.
To make a difference, buy recycled paper for your printer (because of the fine grain, it can look better than regular sliced trees). Grab piles of "blank on one side" paper from work, and use the other side. And always buy recycled.
Encourge your company to buy a printer with duplexing (two sided printing), and to hire a company to take away waste paper regularly. WARNING: You may have a recycle bin at your company. Stay a little late one night and ask the cleaning people where it goes. You may be in for a shock.
Plastic Containers (milk, soap, juice, fresh pasta, water, etc.)
All plastic containers you purchase should be marked with a large and clear recycling code. This code must be molded into the plastic and located on the bottom surface of the container. Ideally the entire container should be made of the same plastic to avoid confusion, but often the caps are of a different type. Caps should be separately marked, but few are. Note that most caps are NOT of the same type as the bottle they sit on.
Glass, Steel, Aluminum Cans and Foil
Glass, steel (or "tin") and aluminum are easy to recognize and recycle. For clarity, a recycling symbol should be present, but most people have little trouble sorting these materials. Glass bottles must not be mixed with other types of glass such as windows, light bulbs, mirrors, glass tableware, Pyrex or auto glass. Ceramics contaminate glass and are difficult to sort out. Clear glass is the most valuable. Mixed color glass is near worthless, and broken glass is hard to sort.
There have been marketing experiments with plastic and steel cans that look exactly like aluminum cans. Recycling plants have been damaged by these fakes. The distinctive shape of an aluminum beverage can must be reserved for aluminum beverage cans only.
It is no longer necessary to remove labels for recycling. To save water, clean only enough to prevent odors. Unlike with plastics, the high temperature of glass and metal processing deals easily with contamination.
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Coral Ridge
Trash Collection Schedule
Black Garbage Cart:
Monday & Thursday
Food wastes
Non-recyclables
Household trash
Yard Waste Cart:
Monday - North of NE 26th St.
Thursday - South of NE 26th St.
Blue Recycling Bin:
Every Thursday
Bulk Trash/Large Yard
Waste:
4th Monday of the
Month
Residents Urged to Join a CRA Committee
Sign up Today For a CRA Committee. We need you! Be a part of a force that makes things happen in Coral Ridge!
Call John Aurelius:
954-772-82222
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