Watermelon Music and The D’Addario Company would like to give out free strings for guitars, bass guitars, mandolins or ukuleles. Local musicians may simply bring in a stringed instrument from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 16, with at least two non-perishable food items, and the staff will install a brand new set of D’Addario strings and tune and polish the instrument (The limit is limit two instruments per household). All food received will be donated to Davis Community Meals, helping people in need during the holiday season. Any extra donations will be both accepted and appreciated.       For more information or to volunteer to help restring instruments, call Watermelon Music at 530-758-4010 or email themelonball@watermelonmusic.com.

We were starry-eyed 20-somethings when we opened Arizona Music Pro,” said Meg Roederer from the full-service musical instrument company in downtown Flagstaff. “We had the entrepreneurial spirit. And here we are 25 years later – we are so grateful.” In 1994, Lance and Meg Roederer opened Arizona Music Pro (AMP) shortly after they both graduated from Northern Arizona University. Each brought different strengths to the business: Lance possessed the music background and business experience while Meg’s communications and marketing degree helped establish and promote the mission and goals. But, as the couple set out, they did not envision what would be one of their major challenges as young entrepreneurs. “The biggest challenge we had was managing the growth,” said Lance Roederer during the 25th anniversary celebration on Oct. 4 at the one-stop music shop. The business owner, whose music talents earned him an NAU scholarship and chair in the Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra, hired staff and added managers to handle the unexpected growth. Within two years, the couple moved the business into a larger building just one block west of the original AMP location on Route 66. AMP still resides at the second location and has become a landmark on “The Mother Road” in the sizeable building that was once the Flagstaff Greyhound Bus Depot and later a NAPA Auto Parts store. Today, Lance attributes much of AMP’s success to the supportive staff, including General Manager Rich Neville, Store Manager Vince Abeyta and others. The team of trained experts with more than 75 years of collective industry experience offers advice for instrument rentals and lessons as well as musical instrument sales to clients throughout Northern Arizona. “Music education was a core component of what we wanted to do,” said Meg. “We continue to strive to do that with our many educational services.” AMP supports music education with donations to schools, organizations and festivals, recognition of young music students through its annual trophy program and lessons, studio time and helping to make instruments affordable for schoolchildren. The business also arranges workshops to inspire and motivate adult musicians. “We’ve given away $4,000 worth of prizes,” Lance said at the anniversary event, where those gathered enjoyed live music by local band Naughty Bits. “I’m pleasantly surprised that our manufacturers stepped up to provide the prizes for our 25th anniversary celebration.” Winners took home a Taylor GS mini acoustic guitar, a Fender Stratocaster guitar, Kala Ukuleles, a Mackie Freeplay PA System, PreSonus studio monitors and more. Industry manufacturing representatives from Roland, Boss, Shure, Mackie and PreSonus were on site to provide demonstrations and offer advice during the event. At the same time, musicians could recycle and replace old instrument strings with D’Addario NYXL or Nickel Bronze Acoustic strings. Old strings collected were recycled through Playback, the world’s first instrument string recycling program sponsored by D’Addario and TerraCycle, the international recycler of hard-to-recycle waste. “We’ve been searching for a solution for old string reuse after installing a new set on a guitar, so it’s great that D’Addario and TerraCycle are helping dealers confront this issue,” Lance explained. “Recycling these strings, regardless of brand name, will help to greatly minimize our store’s landfill contribution.” Arizona Music Pro serves Flagstaff’s diverse music scene, from rockers to classical and everything in between, said Lance. “We love what we do and are excited to celebrate 25 years of doing business as Flagstaff’s music store – thank you, Flagstaff!” FBN

Nov. 9 – Free Recycle and Restring Event Local musicians are invited to attend a free recycle and restring event at Concert Musical Supply in Murfreesboro on Saturday, Nov. 9, from 11 a.m.–4 p.m. Sponsored by D’Addario and international recycling company TerraCycle, musicians can bring any old instrument strings for recycling and get their electric or acoustic guitars restrung with D’Addario NYXL or Nickel Bronze Acoustic strings for free. Old strings collected during the event are recycled through Playback, D’Addario’s recycling program. The collected metal strings will be converted into recycled alloys which are commonly utilized in the construction of guitar necks and the recycled nylon will be used in automotive applications, for instance. For more information on Playback, visit daddario.com/playback. For more information on the recycle and restring event, call 615-896-6518 or visit concertmusicalsupply.com.  

Salina’s nearly half-century-old music store is partnering with their long-time string suppler, D’Addario, to offer free instrument restringings to area musicians. And maybe help save the planet along the way. “I was talking to them about what we can do for our consumers, and they mentioned that they had started this recycling program,” said Rick Hanson, of S.M. Hanson Music. “I thought it was a great idea — I’m not a super ‘green’ kind of guy, but I don’t want to throw away stuff that could be used.” On Saturday, S.M Hanson Music will offer a free recycle and restring event 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the company’s east Salina location, 335 S. Clark St., Salina. Musicians can bring any old instrument strings for recycling and get their electric or acoustic guitars restrung with the Brand New D’Addario XT Electric or XT Phospher Bronze Acoustic strings, all at no cost. Old strings collected during the event will be recycled through “Playback,” D’Addario’s free, national recycling program. “The price of new strings is about $16 a set, and $10 is our normal charge to put them on and tune it, so it’s a $26 service for free,” Hanson said. Playback is the world’s first instrument string recycling program, launched through a partnership between D’Addario and recycling company TerraCycle, organizers said. “The normal metal recycling guys don’t want to deal with strings,” Hanson said. “They are different metals and alloys, usually brass or bronze wrapped around a steel core. So we’ll take any type of instrument strings — violin, viola, cello, guitar, banjo, bass — whatever, we will collect them in a box to send them off. “TerraCycle specializes in very niche areas — along with strings, they offer recycling for Tide laundry detergent bottles, which I guess are constructed of plastics which the other recycling companies don’t want.” Musicians have been receptive to the recycling program, even going out of their way to mail instruments to Salina. “I had a lady from Madison, Wisconsin, found out we were participating and mailed me her strings,” Hanson said. “We’ve had a lot of interest and phone calls. I’ll have two guys in here, and that is going to be their only job Saturday, is changing strings.” To learn more about TerraCycle or get involved in its recycling programs, visit www.terracycle.com.

SM Hanson Music is kicking off its instrument string recycling program with a free restringing and recycling event Saturday. What happens to old guitar strings once they are replaced? Quite often, they end up in the landfill. Rick Hanson and SM Hanson Music, Inc., want to do something about that. The longtime Salina music store is publicly kicking off its instrument string recycling program with a free recycle and restring event from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at the store, 335 South Clark Street. The event is sponsored by D’Addario® and international recycling company TerraCycle®. Old strings collected during the event will be recycled through Playback, D’Addario’s free, national recycling program. Playback is the world’s first instrument string recycling program, launched through a partnership between D’Addario and TerraCycle, a global leader in recycling typically non-recyclable waste. During Saturday’s event, musicians can have their electric or acoustic guitars restrung with new D’Addario XT Electric or XT Phospher Bronze Acoustic strings at no charge. With new strings and labor, that’s a value of more than $25 per guitar, Hanson said. Additionally, people can bring in any old instrument strings for recycling. A peek inside the the instrument string recycling box at SM Hanson Music, Inc. Hanson, who has served as president of SM Hanson Music, Inc., for the past three months, said that while the free restringing event is only on Saturday, the recycling effort will continue at no charge for any instrument strings. The store will even accept strings that are shipped to it from outside Salina, he said. “We’ve been searching for a solution for old string reuse after installing a new set on a guitar, so it’s great that D’Addario and TerraCycle are helping dealers confront this issue,” Hanson said. “Recycling these strings, regardless of brand-name, will help to greatly minimize our store’s landfill contribution.” Hanson said the Salina music store is one of three in Kansas that offers instrument string recycling services. SM Hanson Music, Inc., boasts a 47-year history of providing quality service and products for every musician – from beginner to expert. For all levels and ages, the full-service music store helps musicians find the right gear based on any budget, music taste, or experience level. With friendly and knowledgeable staff channeling more than 80 years of combined music teaching experience, S.M. Hanson Music, Inc.,  is a one-stop shop for instruments, gear, musical expertise, and even sound and video systems via their Sound Solutions Department. For more information about the guitar restringing and instrument string recycling event or other events offered by SM Hanson Music, Inc., check out the store’s Facebook page or website.  

Think about how much plastic you have in your home. There’s packaging from the Amazon Prime order you got yesterday, plastic shopping bags from the grocery store, yogurt tubs, ketchup bottles — and the list goes on. There’s also plenty of plastic in your body. Citing research published in Environmental Science and Technology, National Geographic reports the average person consumes 39,000 to 52,000 microplastic particles each year. It’s still unknown how consuming this much plastic affects our health. The world is experiencing a crisis of excess plastic waste, which the International Energy Agency estimates will double by 2030 and quadruple by 2050, according to PRI. Yes, some of it gets recycled, but a large percentage ends up in developing countries, burned, or dumped. Increasingly, we’re running out of places to put it, and the most impoverished nations are shouldering the burden of First-World countries’ excess. The good news is there are many ways to reduce our impact and use less plastic. It starts by better understanding how much plastic we actually consume and where it all goes when we’re done with it.

Plastic, Plastic Everywhere

The United States leads the world in plastic consumption. According to an investigative report by The Guardian funded by The Ford Foundation, the U.S. generates 34.5 million tons of plastic each year. That’s enough to fill the Houston Astrodome 1,000 times. And National Geographic reports that each year, 18 billion pounds of this plastic flows into our oceans from coastal regions. If the trend continues, UN Environment estimates that by 2050, our ocean will contain more plastic than fish. Globally, it’s even worse. UN Environment also notes that worldwide, we produce 300 million tons of plastic waste. That’s almost the equivalent of the entire human population’s weight. It’s hard to wrap your mind around such numbers. And alarmingly, the United States is about to start producing even more plastic. According to S&P Global Platts research, also cited by PRI, plastic production is set to increase by 40% by 2028. Companies are building many of these production facilities close to the oil refineries along the U.S. Gulf Coast of Texas and Louisiana.

The Problem With Recycling

But plastic is easily recycled. As long as we put it in the recycle bin each week, it’s OK. It’s not like it’s ending up in a landfill — right? On the surface, this sounds like a somewhat reasonable excuse. But when you dig down just a little bit, the truth is much more sobering. The Guardian’s report found that each year, the U.S. ships hundreds of thousands of tons of plastic to developing countries for recycling. But 70% of these countries mismanage the plastic waste. The recycling process is dirty, time-consuming, and performed by locals paid a few dollars a day to hand-strip plastic waste into what’s usable and what isn’t. These countries — which include Bangladesh, Laos, Ethiopia, Vietnam, and Senegal — have very few environmental regulations or worker protections. That means workers “recycle” our plastic in increasingly hazardous conditions. One plastic sorter The Guardian interviewed in Vietnam admits she’s afraid of breathing the air. And no one will dare drink the water there. Environmental group Gaia released a comprehensive study in April 2019. It found the people living in the countries that import our plastics are experiencing adverse effects like skyrocketing respiratory illnesses and contaminated water supplies. The photographs in The Guardian and Gaia reports are horrifying and illustrate the stark truth: The United States uses more plastic than any other country on Earth. And this excess consumption is literally ruining the lives of people in developing nations all over the world.

How to Use Less Plastic

The plastic crisis is a grim and depressing reality that affects us all. Making small changes in how we eat, shop, and live will help slow our consumption of plastic and make a big difference over time.

1. Recycle Intelligently

One big problem with recycling is what Gaia calls “aspirational recycling.” Aspirational recycling is throwing all sorts of things into the recycling bin hoping somewhere down the line someone will find a way to recycle it. These items include dirty plastic bottles and packaging, broken toys, plastic grocery bags, dirty to-go food containers, and even used diapers. Plastics labeled No. 1 and No. 2 are in highest demand for recycling. But you need to rinse the containers out before putting them in the recycle bin. And those aren’t necessarily the only plastic codes you can recycle. Make sure you know what your local municipality will accept for recycling and what they won’t. One item you can’t put in the recycle bin is plastic shopping bags. While these can be recycled, they can’t go through a typical facility’s single-stream sorter because they clog the machines. Take these bags directly to retailers for recycling. Walmart and many other large grocery store chains have collection bins at the entrance to recycle plastic shopping bags. Last, check TerraCycle to see which companies they’ve teamed up with to reuse hard-to-recycle items, like juice pouches, guitar strings, and toothpaste tubes. You can send used packaging to TerraCycle for free, and they turn it into new products like backpacks. 2. Avoid Bottled Water Bottled water is an expensive convenience, and the U.S. consumes a lot of it. Beverage Daily.com, an industry trade publication, reports we consumed 13.7 billion gallons of bottled water in 2017, a 7% increase from the year before. But CBS News reports that 7 out of every 10 plastic water bottles wind up in a landfill or incinerator. Plastic water bottles also leach microplastics, which we ingest every time we take a sip. Research from the study published in Environmental Science and Technology found that people who drink only bottled water consumed 90,000 microplastics per year, while people who drink only tap water consumed 4,000 microplastics per year. Get out of this cycle by using a reusable water bottle, ideally one made from glass or stainless steel. It’s not always easy to remember to bring water with you, especially when you’re wrangling kids or rushing off to work. Leave some extra empty water bottles in the car to fill up at a restaurant, convenience store, or water fountain. Or leave a note near the door to remind yourself to grab your water bottle.

3. Remember Your Reusable Grocery Bags

In the United States, we consume one single-use plastic shopping bag per person per day on average. That’s 365 bags per person per year. Compare that to Denmark, which consumes an average of four bags per person per year, according to National Geographic. As of 2019, only two states, California and Hawaii, have a statewide plastic shopping bag ban in place. But the movement to ban single-use bags nationwide is growing. Some cities — such as Coral Gables, Florida; Anchorage, Alaska; and Greenwich, Connecticut — have citywide bans on plastic bags. Others, such as Chicago, impose a tax of anywhere from 5 to 10 cents on each bag to discourage use. You can see a full list of which cities have banned plastic bags on Forbes. Switching to reusable bags makes a big difference in your plastic consumption. Reusable shopping bags are inexpensive, especially if you get them on Amazon, and come in a dizzying array of colors and designs. Keep them in your car or purse, and make it a habit to return them to your car or purse as soon as you’re done using them so they’re ready for next time. Or let your kids help you remember to bring reusable bags to the store. Let’s face it: Their memories are often a lot better than ours.

4. Bring Reusable Cutlery

A visit to any fast-food or fast-casual restaurant often means lots of plastic and paper waste, from plates to cutlery. Reduce this waste by bringing your own reusable items, like stainless-steel drinking straws, bamboo cutlery, and a reusable cup. Or bring a set of cutlery you already have at home. Keep your dinnerware in a small bag in your car, purse, or backpack so they’re with you when you need them most.

5. Rethink Oral Care & Beauty Products

Oral care products are hard to recycle because they’re often made from a variety of plastics. Toothpaste tubes in particular can’t be cleaned and often contain an aluminum coating. Bamboo toothbrushes have a bamboo handle, which is compostable, and nylon bristles, which aren’t. However, most plastic toothbrushes aren’t recyclable at all — unless you use Colgate brushes, which you can recycle through TerraCycle’s program. Another option is to use a Preserve toothbrush. They’re made with 100% recycled materials and come with a mailer to send your used toothbrush back to the company for recycling. Many people also use disposable razors, which are mostly plastic. However, an increasing number of companies — like Parker and Vikings — make high-quality safety razors. They’re designed to be used for years and eliminate the need for plastic razors. And that’s just a sampling of the green alternatives to disposable beauty products.

6. Try to Avoid Plastic Clamshells

Some fruits and vegetables come in plastic clamshells. These are hard to recycle because they’re made with different types of plastics. Thus, they end up in a landfill or shipped off to another country. But avoiding plastic clamshells is sometimes easier said than done. So much fresh food comes in these packages, making a visit to the produce section of the grocery store a frustrating experience. But food at farmers markets doesn’t come in clamshells. Use LocalHarvest to find one near you. You can also make different choices at the market, like buying loose fruits and veggies instead of those wrapped or bagged in plastic.

7. Use Reusable Produce Bags & Wraps

Grocery stores keep a ready supply of plastic produce bags for people to carry fresh fruits and vegetables. But why do we need them? Produce won’t get that dirty on the way home, and it gets washed before we eat it, anyway. Skip the produce bags and put fruits and vegetables right into your shopping cart. If that’s inconvenient, bring reusable produce bags, which you can buy inexpensively on Amazon. At home, try reusable food wraps made of cloth and beeswax instead of plastic wrap to store a variety of foods, from fruits and vegetables to sandwiches. They typically last a year under normal use. Read the product reviews carefully, though. There are plenty of options, but the less expensive wraps don’t always hold up well over time. Look into established brands like Bee’s Wrap.

8. Buy From Bulk Bins

Bulk bins make it easy to reduce your plastic consumption. Just bring a jar or bag and have it weighed at checkout. There are plenty of bulk grocery stores in big cities like San Francisco and New York, so finding food in bulk there is usually pretty easy. But if you live in a smaller town or rural area, finding a store with bulk bins is almost impossible. To make it easier, use the free app created by Zero Waste Home to find one near you.

9. Make Your Own Cleaning Products

Walk down the cleaning aisle at the grocery store, and you’ll see a sea of plastic. Unless you find a specialty brand that packages their product in glass bottles, avoiding plastic here is almost impossible. But it’s easy, inexpensive, and healthier to make your own cleaning products using ingredients like baking soda, vinegar, and lemons. There’s even a way to make DIY laundry detergent, which is more effective and safer than commercial brands. Store your products in glass jars — large Mason jars work well — or a reusable plastic spray bottle. And instead of using a plastic scrub brush to wash dishes, opt for cloth dish rags instead. Plastic scrub pads harbor a ridiculous amount of bacteria. Researchers found an average of 362 different varieties on the average plastic scrubby, according to a 2017 study published in Scientific Reports, and a total of over 5 trillion bugs per sponge. Cloth rags are much cleaner as long as you use a fresh one every day. If you need something with scrubbing power, opt for a cotton and wood pulp Skoy pad, which is completely biodegradable. Another easy way to reduce your plastic consumption is to use bar soap for handwashing rather than single-use liquid soap pumps. Bar soap is less expensive, and if you opt for locally made or natural soaps, they’re plastic-free.

10. Rethink Feminine Hygiene

Feminine hygiene products like pads and tampons contain a lot of plastic that can’t be recycled. However, there are now plenty of options to reduce your environmental impact dramatically. Try using reusable menstrual cups, such as the Diva Cup or Lena Cup. They last five to 10 years and save you $1,000 or more compared to buying disposable pads or tampons over the same timeframe. Make sure you find the right size for your body, though. It’s tricky if you’ve never used one before. The website Menstrual Cup Advice does nothing but reviews on menstrual cups, and they have an extensive Q&A section if you need advice on sizing. Washable reusable pads are also an option for those who don’t feel comfortable with a menstrual cup.

Final Word

Trying to reduce your plastic consumption may feel like a futile endeavor. After all, plastic is everywhere. How much of a difference can one person possibly make when it’s so prevalent in modern society? Yes, it feels overwhelming, especially when you walk into the grocery store and see plastic everywhere you look. But no change, however small, is ever wasted. And when you multiply a single change by thousands or millions of people, it really does begin to make a difference. The key is to avoid the throwaway culture that’s become so prevalent in our society. Simple steps might feel insignificant in light of the mountainous environmental problems we’re facing, but they’re not. If you need some inspiration, check out Beth Terry’s blog My Plastic Free Life. Since 2007, Terry has been blogging about her mission to avoid using plastic in her life. Her website is full of tips to avoid plastics and clever products to help you reduce your consumption. What tips can you share on how to cut down on plastic consumption?

Calling all musicians who play a stringed instrument: Has it ever bothered you that your used strings go straight in the trash? Did you know an estimated 1.5 million pounds of instrument strings go to landfills every year? Well, here’s some good news! TerraCycle and D’Addario have partnered to create a free recycling program for all types of instrument strings and clippings, including nylon, steel, and orchestral strings. Once collected, the metal and nylon strings are separated by type, and the metal is melted down and smelted into new metal alloys. The nylon is recycled into industrial plastic applications. We won’t be collecting strings at Weavers Way, but you can recycle them at Vintage Instruments at Broad & Lombard streets in Philadelphia, and A & G Music Center in Drexel Hill. In addition, you can collect and recycle strings on your own by sending them to D’Addario through a program called “Player’s Circle.” Once you sign up and recycle strings through the program, you’ll earn points toward new gear. All the details about both programs are at this link: www.terracycle.com/en-US/brigades/daddario-playback.

C. F. Martin & Co. announces their official partnership with D’Addario on the Playback string recycling program. Recognizing a growing need in the industry, D’Addario developed the program as a means to recycle guitar and orchestral strings, which are not accepted through municipal recycling programs. With over 3.9 million strings recycled to date, Playback has been widely successful, offering local string recycling centers at dealers, or the option to mail in used strings. The collaboration is a precise pairing, aligning with Martin’s commitment to environmental sustainability and corporate responsibility.   Environmental impact is something Martin takes seriously. They have programs in place at the factory to recycle string waste, sound holes, sawdust, and more, and over 85% of their guitars are built from sustainably sourced wood. With their logo on recycling containers and signage at local string recycling centers, Martin will have a clear presence in the Playback program.   The Playback program is powered by TerraCycle, an international upcycling and recycling company that aims to transform waste into new materials and products. After the strings are collected, they go through a process to separate the metal and nylon strings; the metal strings are melted down and smelted into new alloys, while the nylon strings are recycled into plastic applications. With over 330 string recycling centers across the U.S. at local musical instrument dealers, it makes it easy for any musician to repurpose their guitar or orchestral strings responsibly.   Martin maintains an unwavering commitment to environmental sustainability and responsible manufacturing practices and is the first in the Musical Instrument Industry to receive B Corp Status. Martin continually drives the acoustic guitar market forward, introducing innovative features that have become standards across the industry. These groundbreaking innovations include the introduction of X-bracing, the 14-fret guitar, and the “Dreadnought” size guitar.   D’Addario is the world’s largest manufacturer of musical instrument accessories, marketed under several product brands: D’Addario Fretted, D’Addario Orchestral, D’Addario Woodwinds, Promark Drumsticks, Evans Drumheads, and Puresound Snare Wires. A family-owned and operated business with roots dating back to the 17th century, D’Addario now has over 1,100 employees worldwide, and manufactures 95% of its products in the U.S. while utilizing Toyota’s lean manufacturing principles. D’Addario musical accessories are distributed in 120 countries, serve more than 3,300 U.S. retailers, all major e-commerce sites, and are the preferred choice of musicians worldwide, such as Keith Urban, Zac Brown, Brandi Carlile, Dave Matthews, Gary Clark Jr., Chris Thile, Ry Cooder, Joe Satriani, Julia Fischer, Anderson Paak, Kacey Musgraves, and more.   The D’Addario Foundation believes in the power of music to unlock creativity, boost self-confidence, and enhance academics. D’Addario also reinforces its role as a social and environmental leader with initiatives such as Playback and PlayPlantPreserve.

  The new academic year is set to begin very soon here in Eugene, and one of my goals for the year ahead is to be more environmentally conscious. As musicians, especially string players, it’s hard to ignore the environmental impacts of our instruments. I’m not saying that we should be exceedingly guilty or completely stop playing the violin or anything, but I think it’s worth considering ways that we can alter our habits in order to better the condition of the earth (in addition to creating beautiful music). 1) Take good care of your instrument and replace/rehair only when necessary. This is fairly obvious. However, this is effective especially from an environmentally friendly perspective, not to mention a financial standpoint. Of course, you need everything working in the best condition possible, but if you can get another few weeks out of your strings or can wait an extra couple of months to get your bow rehaired, why not wait a little longer? As a grad student on a tight budget, I am a master of this philosophy. It will save you money and will also help to reduce waste. When it is necessary to change out your strings, look into options to recycle your strings in order to avoid throwing the old ones into the trash; TerraCycle and D'Addario recently partnered up to create their own free and easy string recycling program.   2) Consider electronic over paper sheet music. Before I elaborate on this point, I should tell you that I definitely prefer pencil and paper over an electronic medium for sheet music. But, I find my iPad super convenient when traveling, and it’s great to store all of my big technique books (you never know when you might need to refer to Sevcik Op. 8 #24 when you’re teaching a lesson!) An iPad can be great for new music purposes as well; I did a piece a couple of years ago in San Francisco for violin and prepared piano that required an iPad/foot pedal combination because I had to play off of a score. I definitely do not use an iPad for everything, but if you’re open to trying an electronic version for some things that you practice, it’s a great way to save a few trees. If you do use paper copies, assuming you don’t need the music again (I don’t mean your heavily annotated book of the Bach sonatas and partitas!) recycle them when you’re finished.   3) Keep track of your instrument accessories. It’s really hard to keep track of every pencil you’ve ever brought into a rehearsal or practice room (believe me, I understand). But, try your best to hang onto everything; it eliminates waste, and again, helps you financially. Be mindful of where you keep your mute, rosin, shoulder rest, peg goop, pencils, tuner, metronome, cleaning cloth, and/or whatever else you keep in your case. When my cleaning cloth gets dirty, I just throw it in the wash with my other towels. I find this method of using a reusable cloth to clean my instrument more effective and environmentally sound than using a disposable towel or cloth every time I want to clean my violin.       4) Think about the products you use. There are some environmentally friendly products, like all natural rosin, that string players can use if they are interested in going green. There are several options online if you hunt a little bit; it’s a subtle but effective way to make a difference. 5) Donate > throw away As with anything, donating to someone in need rather than throwing away is a much better option all around if you decide you can't use something anymore. Is your shoulder rest just not right for your set-up anymore? Ask someone if they want to try it out, or donate it to Goodwill. Finding an alternative to the trash whenever possible is good for everyone, not to mention the environment.

If you’re interested in helping progress towards a healthy environment and you work in the music business, you’ll be happy to know that there’s actually a recycling program for guitar strings. Established by D’Addario and now joined by Martin Guitars, the Playback program has already recycled over 3.9 million strings. Playback string recycling is now available at many music stores, and there’s also an option to do it by mail as well. This is a needed program because it’s estimated that 1.5 million pounds of used strings end up in landfills every year. The backbone of the Playback program comes from international recycling company TerraCycle, which not only recycles products, but also turns waste into new materials and products as well.  When the company receives old guitar strings, it first separates the metal from nylon. The metal is melted down and smelted into new allows, while nylon strings are recycled into new plastic applications. It’s fairly easy to recycle your strings for Playback. Pack at least 2 pounds of strings into a container and print a free shipping label that you get from registering with D’Addario’s Players Circle. You can then earn points that you can turn into free products. Go here to register for the program.