The Fairfield Library will be “talking trash” on Thursday, Nov. 14, at 7:30 p.m.   For those who wonder whether a household item can be recycled and how, here’s their chance to get an overview of local options as Marg Dwyer, an executive committee member of the Southeast Iowa Sierra Club, will provide a status report and then explain Fairfield residents’ options for recycling locally thru Waste Management, Connelly Recycling, and Terra Cycle.   Recycling programs in the United States have undergone many changes, from pre-1992 curbside sorting, to offshore shipping, to China’s banned imports of foreign garbage. The industry has to reconsider its approach:   • Economics: When is recycling profitable? • Infrastructure: What technologies must be implemented? • Consumer packaging: What new regulations are proposed?

Global health and hygiene company RB, maker of popular consumer brands including Mucinex and Enfamil, has announced its partnership with international recycling leader TerraCycle to offer consumers a simple and completely free way to recycle their consumer goods packaging.   The RB Health & Nutrition Recycling Program will accept packaging waste from all brands of vitamins and supplements, upper respiratory, sexual health & well-being, as well as infant formula & child nutrition, personal care and foot care.   The Healthy You, Healthy Planet™ partnership with TerraCycle to recycle all health and nutrition packaging is the next step in achieving RB’s global commitments to support a more sustainable future, which also includes reducing product packaging and eliminating waste through innovation.   Through the RB Health & Nutrition Recycling Programme, packaging waste from the following categories will be recycled:  

• Vitamins, minerals and supplements packaging (Ex: MegaRed & Airborne): blister packs, tubes, bottles, cans, boxes, caps and lids
• Sexual health and well-being packaging (Ex: K-Y & Durex): tubes, bottles, wrappers, cans, boxes, caps and lids
• Cough, cold, flu, sore throat, and nasal care packaging (Ex. Mucinex & Delsym): bottles, tubes, spray bottles, blister packs, caps and lids
• Infant formula and child nutrition packaging (Ex: Enfamil): tubs, bottles, wrappers, cans, boxes, cap, and lids
• Personal care and foot care packaging: tubes, bottles, caps, lids, and other plastic packaging

  From vitamin bottles and caps to infant formula tubs, TerraCycle will clean and melt the collected product packaging into hard plastic that can be remolded to make new recycled products.   “At TerraCycle, our mission has always been to ‘Eliminate the Idea of Waste’ and its recycling initiatives like the RB Health & Nutrition Recycling Programme that drive awareness of single use packaging epidemic. These programmes elicit positive change in the consumer and ultimately lead to the preservation of our environment for future generations to come,” said Tom Szaky, TerraCycle CEO. “Since our founding, TerraCycle has made it our objective to recycle the unrecyclable, while diverting waste from landfills and local communities. It’s partnerships like the one we enjoy with RB that truly make a difference and make it possible.”   The RB Health & Nutrition Recycling Programme is open to any interested individual, school, daycare, fitness facility, healthcare office, office, or community organization. To learn more about RB’s global commitment to support a more sustainable future visit www.rb.com/US. For more information on TerraCycle’s innovative recycling programmes, visit www.terracycle.com.

In the wake of climate change and the pollution crisis, Burt's Bee partnered with TerraCycle to launch a national recycling initiative titled the 'Recycle On Us' program. This program is completely free to consumers and allows them to recycle all Burt's Bees personal care, lip care, and beauty care packaging to TerraCycle to recycle. Once the packaging is collected, it's cleaned and melted and turned into new products. “Sustainability is one of Burt’s Bees’ core values,” explains Paula Alexander, Director of Sustainable Business and Innovation. “Burt’s Bees strives to formulate with natural ingredients and design our packaging with mindful materials, such as post-consumer recycled content, but we don’t stop there. Now, through our partnership with TerraCycle, we can not only minimize the material used to create our packaging but through nationwide recycling access, minimize or even eliminate used packaging entering the waste stream.” The Burt’s Bees Recycle On Us program is available to individuals, schools, offices, and community organizations.

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is recognizing 10 recycling programs from a mix of businesses, schools, nonprofits and local governments with the 2019 Wisconsin Recycling Excellence Awards. In honor of America Recycles Day on Nov. 15, the DNR is recognizing four entities for “overall operations of a recycling program,” four entities for “special projects and initiatives” and two entities for program “innovation.” “It is exciting to see communities and businesses find new ways to reduce waste and recycle,” DNR Waste and Materials Management Program Director Joe Van Rossum said. “We want to promote these efforts and share how we divert materials from landfills in Wisconsin.” The Overall Program Awards recognize efforts that are robust and continually improving while demonstrating a commitment to improving the overall recycling or diversion program.

• 7 Rivers Recycling in Onalaska developed methods to enable the recycling of old mattresses. 7RR deconstructs the mattresses primarily for the steel, foam and wood. The company smelts the steel for other steel products, makes the foam into carpet backings and grinds the wood into wood mulch for a variety of uses. The company estimates they will recycle more than 12,000 mattresses this year.
• The Purdy Elementary School Green Team in Fort Atkinson is made up of teachers and students in fourth and fifth grades. They are working hard to reduce waste from their school destined for the landfill. While caring for nearby Brietzke Educational Wetland, they recycle trash and compost organic materials. They are also working on ending the single-use plastic problem, recycling milk cartons and many other classroom initiatives.
• The city of New Richmond went through a comprehensive update of its residential recycling services, which the city had not revisited since 1996. In 2018, the city began roundtable discussions with recycling contractors and utilized an online and paper survey to solicit input from the community. The analysis led to a conversion to automated single-stream recycling. The city also works with TerraCycle to recycle cigarette filters in its downtown district.
• University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point has a long history of waste reduction, recycling and sustainability. UWSP was the first UW campus to have recycling chutes in all residential buildings and offer composting in every academic building on campus. The school also vermicomposts--using worms to digest food waste and produce nutrient-rich castings, which are spread as a soil supplement on campus gardens. Other waste diversion initiatives include a student-run food pantry, elimination of plastic straws and the University Surplus reuse program.

Projects and Initiatives Awards recognize specific projects that increase materials recycled or diverted through a particular action or project.

• Aldo Leopold Elementary School in Madison created and maintains a waste reduction and recycling program in their cafeteria that focuses on easy waste reduction techniques to divert waste and promote sustainability. By merely educating students on how and why to recycle milk cartons and sort and stack the food trays, lunch waste volume has been reduced by about 75%.
• Alliant Energy developed a waste management and recycling program for its construction of the West Riverside Energy Center (WREC) near Beloit. The program manages tons of materials generated during construction at the 90-acre project site and includes an active training component and collaboration with local organizations. As of July 2019, their data shows that 87% of waste generated from the WREC project site has been diverted from the landfill.
• Digital Bridge, a Milwaukee-based nonprofit, collects and refurbishes business computers and redistributes the devices to low-income individuals and nonprofits. The company has redistributed over 1,000 computers. Digital Bridge is providing access to affordable technology as well as setting up computer labs for communities that need them.
• Edgar School District science teachers from the middle and high schools created a step-by-step plan to enhance their recycling program. Working with administration and maintenance, the number and sizes of recycling bins were evaluated and increased. Staff also focused on better placement of the recycling containers for easier access and proper use. The district put training in place and adopted a goal of an effective district-wide program that “reduces, reuses and recycles while minimizing the footprint our community leaves.”

According to the Green Restaurant Association, the average dining destination creates 100,000 pounds of garbage per year. Restaurateurs can divert 90% of that from the landfill with the proper recycling and composting program, the organization says, but Rhodora has taken the concept even further, completely eliminating all waste from its operations.   And to be clear, that means everything. No single-use plastics, no products or packaging that can’t be recycled, upcycled, or composted, and no trash in the kitchen, the dining room…or in the bathroom. Wines are natural and low-intervention, from small farms, and the menu – inspired by the conservas tapas bars of the Iberian Peninsula – is short and sweet, just tinned fish and seafood, pickles and charcuterie, cheeses and simple salads, with ice cream for dessert.   Rhodora is the work of the Oberon Group, a local restaurant group with a focus on community and sustainability, and though it’s the first zero-waste bar in Brooklyn, and likely the first in the US as a whole, it’s not the first in the world. The UK’s Silo, which opened in Brighton in 2014 and relocated to London just this fall, served as an inspiration, and the chef there helped the Rhodora team navigate through unfamiliar waters.   As Grub Street reports, they sought out cheeses sans wax rinds, breads that could be delivered by bike, and oysters that would come in a closed-loop delivery system – i.e., in packaging that goes back to the supplier to be reused. There’s a composter for food scraps, and as for that bathroom issue, there’s TerraCycle, a New Jersey recycling company that handles hazardous waste – one of their collection boxes has been installed in the facilities.  

To read the full story, visit https://www.lonelyplanet.com/articles/rhodora-brooklyn-waste-free-wine-bar.

It seems like manufacturers rush us through the year. Just after school is out, we are treated to back-to-school advertising. In August, Halloween is already all over the stores. Before Halloween is past, we are rushed right past Thanksgiving to Christmas.   Personally, as soon as Halloween ends, I think of it as the season of giving. There is no better area to demonstrate the feeling of “neighbors helping neighbors.”   That has been the motto of the Item Appeal, a nonprofit near-and-dear to my heart, where volunteers ensure that every penny raised during the year (most of it in November and December) goes back to the community to help those in need. Often, we see people who previously needed help getting back on their feet and giving back. The Appeal volunteers are the best around. We may be biased, but we don’t think so!   You need look no further than this year’s George Bailey award winners to see those who care about their neighbors. Alan Gage and David Goodale, in addition to their work with the Elks, run chicken shoots almost every weekend in the spring and fall to help great causes. Last weekend, it was the Clinton Adult Learning Center. Families who have lost everything in a fire, and people suffering great illnesses, have all benefited from the duo’s zaniness at these events. Fellow honoree, Cid DeLeo, has shown a love for Clinton, and its people, all her life. She will share a stage with the Chicken Shoot Guys.   Also being honored that night will be Thomas Haemer, who has helped out all over the community, from Gael Force’s FIRST robotics team to the Clinton Historical Society. He will be honored with a newly-minted Lifetime Achievement Award because we honestly cannot think of enough ways to honor those who promote doing good in this community.   Speaking of doing good, last week’s Item featured Clinton High School’s new food pantry for students in need. Organizer Rose Solar told us that, after the story ran, three residents stopped in and dropped off big bags of groceries.   Over the weekend, the Knights of Columbus gave away winter coats for children and adults in an annual event that keeps giving. The group has already agreed to help another coat giveaway, sponsored by the Thomas J. Serewicz, Sr. Foundation so, hopefully, any leftover coats will find those who really need them.   In this issue of The Item, A. Anthony Garreffi kicks off the campaign associated with his second in the “I Caught Santa” series. Last year, the first book, which dealt with issues of homelessness, helped raise $500 for WHEAT. This year, with a book called “Respect Your Toys,” Garreffi is committed to raising $750, plus a $250 donation from Avidia Bank, to WHEAT, while also working with the Hasbro Toy/Terracycle recycling program to collect broken toys so they can be fully recycled.   November is a hairy month for many police officers and firefighters, who give up their razors for a month while collecting money for their favorite charities, like Cops for Kids with Cancer. Many of these stations will also host Toys for Tots collections, after collecting surplus Halloween candy for veterans’ care packages.   We have food drives at many of the local schools, the diaper pantry serving area mothers and so many other people looking to make a difference in their communities. It is overwhelming to see the need in our communities. However, the residents always seem ready to help.   Throughout the season of giving, The Item will try to shine a spotlight on some of these efforts. Because none of us can help everyone, but if all of us can help some, we can make a real difference. Figure out how you want to help and jump in.   Jan Gottesman is managing editor of The Item. She can be reached at clintonitem@yahoo.com.

For PTA Secretary Lizzie Montgomery, helping Norton Elementary School to win outdoor garden beds, a picnic table and gazebo made entirely out of recycled materials was no easy feat.   “I heard about TerraCycle about four or five years ago, but at the time I couldn’t figure out how to participate,” she said. “Our family is big into recycling and we’re glad we could expand it to the entire school community.”   TerraCycle is a national organization that aims to combat climate change by upping the public’s recycling awareness. It is a free program that businesses and local organizations can use in order to safely and sustainably dispose of non-recyclable or difficult-to-recycle waste.   The contest, which began at the beginning of the summer and ended in late September, asked community members to visit the TerraCycle website and vote for the school of their choice as many times as they wanted. The competition was open to all schools in the country.   Montgomery, who had never posted on the Cheshire Community Forum on Facebook, began posting daily reminders  on the site over the summer, encouraging everyone to vote for Norton.   “Up until now, I had no real way of participating in TerraCycle’s competitions” Montgomery mentioned. “They needed a certain amount of pounds in order to even enter the competitions, which is hard for one family to come up with. But if a whole school or community does it, it becomes a little easier.”   Norton Elementary School’s Principal Kelly Grillo is excited to share the win with her students and staff.   “I am personally very grateful for Lizzie Montgomery for all of her efforts to make this win possible,” she said. “She has made TerraCycle a part of our school community. We will continue to support this initiative as we are dedicated to doing our part to reduce litter that would otherwise end up in a landfill or incineration facility. Our students and staff will enjoy the new additions to our campus and are proud that we are making a difference for our environment.”   TerraCycle’s programs use waste materials that typically would have no value and turn them into products that can be resold or reused for something else. While not everything can be recycled, TerraCycle’s website has a hefty list of what can be, including different wrappers and various plastic containers that any student would find in their lunchbox.   “We put collection boxes in each classroom,” Montgomery explained. “When you collect a certain weight of items you can have it picked up and you get points associated with what was brought in, and then you can utilize the points for different things through TerraCycle.”   For this particular contest, votes were tallied by the number of people who specifically voted on TerraCycle’s website for their school. Montgomery’s dedicated efforts to remind Cheshire residents to vote every single day was a big help in Norton’s success.   “I thought it would start to get really annoying and people wouldn’t like it,” Montgomery said. “But when it was over, people came up to me and said that the only reason they remembered to vote was because of me, so I guess it helped.”   The installation date is unknown, but Montgomery still has big plans for Norton.   “They will have a contest in the spring for a new playground,” Montgomery said excitedly. “So Norton will be back participating in that later on.”   Find out more about TerraCycle online at https://www.terracycle.com/en-US.

Allowing a toothbrush to dry between uses is effective for killing most bacteria that may be on them, however, some strains of bacteria can continue to thrive even in dry conditions. Preventing this build-up of bacteria is an important reason to clean your toothbrush regularly, similar to a dish cloth or sponge. If you’re sick, you may want to clean the toothbrush daily or even twice daily until the illness subsides to avoid re-infecting yourself. Having a member of the family who refuses to keep the toilet lid down while flushing is another great reason to regularly clean your toothbrush (as keeping the lid up allows the fecal matter to spray up into the air and onto surrounding surfaces, like toothbrushes sitting on the sink counter, yuck!). Use one of the methods below to reduce or remove the bacteria on your toothbrush.  

Cleaning the Toothbrush with Peroxide

You Will Need:

 

• Hydrogen peroxide
• Water
• A cup

 

Steps to Clean the Toothbrush:

  1. Put the toothbrush in the cup with the brush head facing down. 2. Fill the cup with enough hydrogen peroxide to fully cover the brush head. 3. Allow the peroxide to fizz until finished. 4. When the peroxide has finished fizzing, the bacteria has been killed and the toothbrush can be removed from the cup.  

Cleaning the Toothbrush with a Denture Tablet

You Will Need:

 

• A denture tablet
• Water
• A cup

 

Steps to Clean the Toothbrush:

  1. Place the toothbrush in the cup with the brush head facing down. 2. Fill the cup with water. 3. Drop a denture tablet into the cup. 4. Allow the denture tablet to fully fizz. 5. When the tablet has finished fizzing, the toothbrush is clean and can be removed from the cup.  

Cleaning the Toothbrush with UV Light

  There are toothbrush holders made now that have a UV light inside and will kill the bacteria on your toothbrush as soon as you store it away in the holder. Doing this can drastically reduce the need to clean your toothbrush, though we do still recommend the occasional cleaning with one of the cleaning solutions mentioned above as well to fizz away debris between that can gather between the bristles (even if that debris is bacteria-free). These devices can be found online or occasionally in some supermarkets.  

Additional Tips

 

• Store your toothbrush in an upright position to allow the moisture to drip down from the brush head so that it has the best chance of fully drying out between cleanings, which will kill many types of bacteria.
• The American Dental Association recommends replacing a toothbrush every 3-4 months as this is the usual amount of time for the bristles to become worn and therefore less effective.
• Clean your used toothbrush, then keep it with your cleaning supplies for tasks like scrubbing grout lines.
• Many toothbrushes can be recycled! Colgate brand toothbrushes can be turned in to the Terracycle program, and other types of toothbrushes may be eligible for recycling through the Preserve program at Whole Foods in the U.S. according to Recycle Nation.  Nylon toothbrush bristles can be pulled out of any type of brush for recycling at an appropriate facility.
• For your next toothbrush, consider buying a bamboo handle brush that can be composted. There are many varieties of this brush available in major supermarkets now (Thank you Colgate!).

As lentes de contato descartáveis, ou lentes “one day” como também são chamadas, são as lentes feitas para uso diário e que são descartadas no final do dia.

It is now possible for clinic clients to drop their used toothbrushes, empty toothpaste tubes and floss containers into a specially designed container directly at the Dental Center. It is the company Terracycle, specialized in the recovery of this type of waste, which will handle the recycling at the Dental Center.   "We have always been very sensitive to the environment," said Dr. Isabelle Deschênes, owner of the Dental Center. "We have been recycling paper, cardboard and ink cartridges for a long time now and we are no longer offering individual water bottles to our customers. It was important, however, to do even more ... "   In addition, customers and staff using the Center's coffee machine will also be able to collect coffee capsules. The same goes for all latex and nitrile gloves; which can represent more than 2,000 gloves per month.   Ms. Deschênes adds:   "These actions to help the environment will not be the last. There is still some way to go to manage a completely green dental clinic. "