Recently in Recycling Category

It's Christmas Day, and you've probably scored some cool spoils ... as well as a messy pile of wrapping paper, ribbons and boxes.

Every holiday season, dedicated holiday recyclers find ways to reclaim wrapping paper, containers and bows. Here are some tips to reusing wrapping paper:

+ Gift wrap with few tears, folds or dangling tape can be ironed, tissue paper with no tears can be smoothed and flattened for storage, bows can be steamed and fluffed, fabric bags gently cleaned, and ribbons pressed and rewound for use good as new.

+ If you have no intention of chasing down gift boxes or bags after turning them over to friends, family or colleagues, you can cover store logos with inexpensive decals or seasonal fabric as a way to encourage receivers to pass them on rather than throw them out.

+ Check out http://craftstew.com/recycled-crafts/10-crafty-ways-to-recycle-wrapping-paper and http://tinyurl.com/a2jq52 for more ideas.

... The Associated Press

• The San Francisco Chronicle reported on this paper alternative:

The eco-friendly company Fwrap, maker of fabric book covers and gift wrap, has a new line of packaging for the holidays, the Petals collection.

Fwrap uses remnants and scraps of fabric in ways that will make the giver want an equally well-wrapped gift in return. In fact, true friends will use their newly acquired Fwraps on gifts for the person who gave them.

The Petals collection contains irises and tulips.

The Fwraps range from $8 to $13.

• If you're looking to save some green while being green, consider recycling old calendars as wrapping paper or plucking decorations for your packages from your yard. Get six more eco-friendly wrapping options at the Office Supplies blog.

• If you choose to stick with more traditional gift wrap, here's one more tip, from the Eco Chick blog: "Avoid wrapping paper with foil accents. Metallic and foil papers usually can't be recycled, and in some recycling facilities, if they end up in the mix with other paper, they can ruin a whole batch, making it totally unusable."

In the great credit crunch that is now our reality, many are finding ways to save money just about any way they can. Love food hate waste is great resource to find ways to get the most from your refridgerator or pantry. They explain expiration dates, give food storage tips and even have "rescue recipes" searchable by what food needs to get used up quick. The Website states that each year 7 million slices of bread are thrown away. Garlic and bread soup anyone? For more stats on food waste, visit WRAP, a British organization working to reduce food waste, encourage recycling and tackle climate change.

Yard sales are so 20th Century. If the economy has you down and you're looking for ways to be thrifty or to help out someone in need, you need to get online.

The Freecycle Network is a movement of like-minded people who give away things they don't need anymore to those who might be able to use it, rather than ship it off to the landfill.

The group's mission statement:

"Our mission 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."

To participate, contact the yahoo group you want to join. Membership is free. Then you can list items you want to get rid of or post a request for something you need. You'll also receive emails about items that are being offered. Everything posted must be free, legal, and appropriate for all ages. Recent postings in the Torrance group have offered up everything from new women's underwear to wrought iron patio furniture.

Freecycle groups in the South Bay:

• Carson


• Manhattan Beach


• Palos Verdes Peninsula


• Redondo Beach


• San Pedro


• Torrance

The San Francisco Chronicle has an unusual little recycling story about a man on a crusade to recycle cork.
Roger Archey is promoting a pilot program for a major cork manufacturer that collects the discards from several wineries and restuarants in the Bay Area and runs drop-off centers. So far, he's collected more than 300,000. That's about a ton of cork. There's just one little problem:

Now the question is: What to do with that growing pile of corks? Amorim could recycle them into flooring, Ping-Pong paddles, insulation and other items, but the corks would have to be shipped to Portugal. A Missouri craftsman has offered to turn them into floor tiles, but that's also a long haul with a big carbon footprint. "I'm trying to focus on other options that are more local," Archey said. "Our mantra is to keep cork out of the landfills at all cost."

Find out more about the cork recycling program at www.recorkamerica.com.

A recent report from NBC's "Today Show" this week has people scrambling to check their water bottles and plastic containers because of concerns that a harmful chemical, bisphenol A, or BPA, may leach into your water or food if the plastic is exposed to heat (via microwave or dishwasher) or excessive wear (causing cracking, peels and chips). Studies have shown that BPA is linked to fertility problems, and behavioral issues among children. A final government study will be released in a few weeks.

How do you know what bottle the chemical is in? The key is to turn it over. Inside the triangular recycling symbol is a number from 1 to 7. If it has a number 1 on it, that means use it once. Then, throw it away in a recycling bin. A 2, 4 or 5 is fine to keep refilling until you see wear or cracking, then discard. But the numbers 3, 6 and 7 pose the most danger, including cancer risks.

On the "Today Show," Dr. Nancy Snyderman said, "The reality of it is that nobody knows. There's been no long-term studies. After you repeatedly beat-up plastic and hurt the integrity of the outside, do chemicals leach out into your food and water? Common sense would say, probably yes."

Check out video of the "Today Show" report for yourself.

You can also go to the Institute of Agriculture and Trade Policy Web site for details about the numbers on the plastic bottles. Read up on recent news reports about the bisphenol A controversy.

If you’re looking for something to do with your Daily Breeze after you finish reading the latest issue, we have some ideas.

To make a kite, you’ll need scissors, a tape measure, string, glue, two wooden sticks and instructions.

Or, if you want to make a biodegradable seedling pot, check out this site that will tell you how to use your newspaper to do just that.

It’s pretty amazing that with a few simple folds, you can make a piece of paper glide through the air. To perfect your paper-airplane making skills, you need some simple instructions.

Finally, for those really looking for a challenge, learn how to make purses woven out of newspaper.

The California Integrated Waste Management Board has turned myth buster. The myth? That you need to change your car’s oil every 3,000 miles.

The state agency claims that doing so not only costs you more, but also hurts the environment — and does nothing for your vehicle.

Don’t believe it? Read more about the “3,000-mile myth.” If the site convinces you, maybe you can save a few bucks.

And if nothing else, you can at least save yourself a trip to the glove box and find out how often your car’s manufacturer recommends oil changes. The site includes a full listing of vehicles and their manufacturer guidelines.

Now that the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors is trying to reduce plastic bags, it might be a good time to bite the bullet and make your own reusable bags. Added bonus: Many grocery stores give a 5-cent rebate for each bag you bring in when you shop.

Jan Andrea's craft site has tips on fabric, a pattern and detailed instructions.

Make-it-easy has instructions for visual people.

Etsy Labs has an innovative idea: fusing several plastic bags together to make one strong, reusable one. So, you can recycle the bags you have now and make a cool looking reusable bag for the future.

If you would rather knit than sew, The Purl Bee has a pattern for a pretty knitted bag.

And, (this is rather amazing) My Recycled Bags has a tutorial for making yarn out of old plastic bags that you can then crochet into things like a large market bag, a grocery tote with a granny square, or dozens of other things.

Idealbite.com, which bills itself as a sassy, eco-friendly blog for real people with busy lives, just launched a Los Angeles-based newsletter. Subscribers can get the newsletter and a daily tip sent to their email address of choice.

The blog was way ahead of the curve on the plastic grocery bag issue that the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors is set to vote on today. In September 2006, they published a list of some sites where you can buy reusable shopping bags.

If you want to know more about Ideal Bite, you can read up about the founder in a cool little profile in February's Domino magazine.