Is the Sticky Part on Post-it Notes Recyclable?

I always wondered if the sticky part of the Post-it made it difficult to recycle. All my questions were answered at the 3M Post-it site.


"Why won't my recycler take Post-it® Notes?
Recycling depends on both available technology and prevailing economics. Historically, some recyclers assumed that Post-it® Notes were difficult to recycle because of their "sticky" adhesive. This is not true. Any mill that accepts mixed-paper recycling can accept Post-it® Notes and 3M is working with industry associations to encourage the inclusion of Post-it® Notes in all mixed-paper recycling programs."



For more queries relating to the Post-it Notes, be sure to read through the Frequently Asked Questions.

Why Don't All Cities Accept All Plastics to Recycle?

After a friend read one my posts relating to deciphering the numbers on the bottoms of plastics, she came to me with a great question: Why don't all cities accept all the plastics (#1-7) and how can we find out which plastics our city will accept to recycle?

These are both valid questions. I came across a site that addresses these queries. Check out, http://tinyurl.com/5c4lq9

Overall, it all depends on your local solid waste management, so contact them to confirm what they will and will not accept. Another site I often go to is, Earth911.com . Here, you can look under plastics, type in your zip code, and they will list all the places within a particular mile radius, where you can recycle your #1-7 plastics.

Recycle Glue Sticks and Bottles

Did you know those glue sticks you buy for your kids are recyclable? My daughters' elementary school started collecting empty Elmer's glue bottles and glue sticks which are then rinsed out and brought Wal-Mart starting Earth Day, April 22, 2008 through the end of the school year.

"More than 40 million students use Elmer's glue and glue sticks annually," said Terri Brown, Elmer's marketing services and communications manager. "By recycling Elmer's, the #1 brand of school glue, teachers and students can take pride in improving their communities. To provide teachers with all the tools to execute recycling, we have developed a classroom program with online support to keep students engaged and excited about the recycling project."

Visit the Elmer's Glue Crew Recycling Program Web site, http://www.elmersgluecrew.com/ to join (at no cost) or learn more about the program. Good to know: they will accept all brands of empty glue bottles and glue sticks for recycling, but they cannot guarantee that they will meet the guidelines for recycling these different types of plastics.

One Person's Trash is Another's Treasure

A big part of the recycling loop is "REUSE." I'm always lugging bags of outgrown clothes and toys to my friends' houses or donating them to charity. Both are very good recycling options. Clothing and toys are the obvious products families reuse. How about pots and pans, a table or a ladder? What if you are looking to acquire something, but don't have the extra cash?

A fantastic site to visit is Freecycle.org. Their goal is "to build a worldwide gifting movement that reduces waste, saves precious resources & eases the burden on our landfills while enabling our members to benefit from the strength of a larger community." Did you catch the term "gifting?" That means anything you donate or acquire is FREE. Simply send an e-mail to the members of your local Freecycle community and provide a treasure to another individual.

Decifer the Plastic Recycling Numbers

So, do you think your plastic take-out food container is recyclable just because it has the chasing arrows symbol on the bottom? Talk about a misconception! This symbol with the number inside simply indicates the type of resins used to produce the product.

Once all your different plastic recyclables has reached the recycling plant, it is important that the plastic types are not mixed. Just a tiny amount of the wrong plastic can destroy the melt. That is why the Society of the Plastic Industry has come up with a code, or number, inside of a recyclable-looking triangle to allow recyclers to differentiate between the various types of resin, or plastic. To find out in more detail what the numbers mean, check out http://www.pslc.ws/mactest/work/recycle.htm.


The numbers range from 1 to 7; 7 being the notorious, NO RECYCLING POTENTIAL. Most water bottle lids are made from this #7, so remember to take off the lids before you throw your bottle into the recycling bin. Other plastic products you may purchase may be labelled with the #7, so be really sure you want it. You'll have to hold onto it for eternity since it is un-recyclable!

Recycle, Donate or Sell Your Cell Phones

How many old cell phones (minus the battery, of course!) does your child have hiding in their toy chest? Cell phones are one of the many electronics that people are starting to purchase on an annual basis. So if you don't want your child to play with your old one, where do you dispose or donate them?



Many stores, gyms, and community centers have boxes set up to collect old, used cell phones to donate to victims of domestic violence. A brother and sister from Massachusetts started a worthy program, Cell Phones For Soldiers, where they collect discarded cell phones and send them to soldiers around the world.



Little did I know, you can actually get cash (from a few dollars to over $100) for your old, used cell phone. Check out, http://www.cellforcash.com/index.asp. Simply, find your model cell phone, request a postage paid box, and send back the cell phone with its charger. They will verify all the contents and mail you a check. Cell For Cash has many models to chose from, but if your particular phone is quite archaic, you just may have to donate it. Cell For Cash has a variety of safe options for you to recycle your cell phone.

No Sorting Needed...and You Get Cash?!

RecycleBank has come up with a revolutionary concept that entices people to WANT to recycle: combine all of our everyday recyclable items together in one large bin and get paid in the form of useful grocery and pharmacy coupons.

So far, this single stream recycling program is working in communities in Pennsylvania, Virginia, New York, Connecticut, Vermont, Nebraska, Maine, and New Jersey. Here's how it works:

"Each household in a RecycleBank area receives a bin with a computer chip in it. The household then fills the bin with paper, glass, plastic and metal--no sorting needed--and sets the bin on the curb. When the recycling is collected, an arm on the truck weighs the bin and uses the computer chip to record the weight. The data is added to an online account, and customers can log in to redeem their points each month for coupons and gift certificates.
"We generally see about a 100 percent increase in recycling in mid- to affluent neighborhoods," says CEO, Ron Gonen. "In lower-income neighborhoods, it can be up to 1,000 percent, because the recycling rates are so low there.
"If you think about solar or wind power or buying a hybrid, they're very important, but today they're not something that's accessible to the average person," he said. "I look at recycling as the average thing that every person and household can do."
Especially if it puts cash in your pockets."