Ever want to know what to do with an old mattress? How about used cooking oil? The Green Team at Albany United Methodist Church has a new pamphlet telling recyclers that and much more. The group, which started in 2010, released “Places to take Unusual Recyclables — the Albany-Corvallis Directory” in April. It also revised its first publication, “Albany Area ReUse Directory,” which was released in the spring of 2011. After the first pamphlet’s release, the group received inquiries about where to take unusual recyclables not listed in the guide. Members did the research and answered the questions as they came up, and after a while decided to put together the new pamphlet. “United Methodists feel they have social responsibilities in many areas including natural resources,” said Ann Bateman, one of the group members and a Master Recycler. “So this team’s commitment is very much in keeping with who the United Methodist Church is.” Soon the Green Team will add Philomath to its unusual recyclables directory and hopes to eventually have it be a directory for both Linn and Benton counties. The group has also made changes at the church building. There is now a bin to recycle bulletins and the preschool recycles paper as much as possible. “Paper can be used on both sides,” said Karla Long, another member of the Green Team. “We have also had classes to teach children and adults how to recycle.” The group has asked the church’s board of trustees to make a policy not allowing any styrofoam food containers in the building. “There is no place to recycle that stuff in the state of Oregon,” said member Melinda Sorte. All groups meeting at the church are asked to use mugs or paper products for food. “Everyone has been very agreeable to this,” Sorte said. “The bridge group that meets here even has their own place in our kitchen for their cups.” Reverend Rinya Frisbie has been at the church for about a year and wasn’t surprised to learn about the Green Team. At the last church she was at in Idaho, a man collected recyclables in the back of his truck every week to take to the recycling center. “It’s not unusual to have churches do environmentally friendly things,” she said. “It’s exciting to see people live out their faith in this kind of way.” Earlier this month, the group joined with TerraCycle to become an official collection site for shoes and flip-flops. The old shoes will be recycled and turned into new products. They will hold collection days for a back-to-school event from 3 to 7 p.m. Wednesdays, Aug. 22 and Aug. 29, in the church parking lot, 1115 28th Ave. S.W. “It will be drive-through and very easy,” Sorte said. “Let’s keep all those old shoes and flip-flops out of the landfill and have them turned into new products.” The new and updated pamphlets are available in print at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore and the Albany Public Library. They are available online at www.albanymethodist.org, www.corvallisfumc.org and at the Allied Waste website at www.sanitation.com.