Good and Green Tips from 2023

June 2023:
Staples offers a new and very comprehensive recycling program that pays you back in Staples rewards. It’s free to bring into any Staples store. Here is a link to all that they take and it’s a lot… They have added things like pens and markers, phone and tablet cases in addition to cords, mouses, batteries of all kinds and much more. I tested it out and brought a whole bag of stuff which they pretty much just accepted and then put into my Staples app the $10 reward that should hit in 30-40 days. Very easy and it feels great to recycle all those things that have been hanging around my home office! https://www.staples.com/stores/recycling#whatcanberecycledinstore

The Wareham Recycling Center is a valuable, if possibly underused, resource for the community.  Below is a link to their web page as well as their recycle flyer.  Although the flyer does not say so, I am told that they recycle small metals; the volunteer I spoke mentioned bed frames as the type of thing they would recycle.  You will notice that they recycle a number of items, which are often difficult to dispose of in responsible ways. https://www.wareham.ma.us/recycling-department  Their summer hours are Wednesdays 1-3 PM and Saturdays 9-12N.

July 2023:
Here are several places to learn about recycling by shipping from home.

Terracycle offers free recycling programs are sponsored by brands, manufacturers, and retailers around the world to help you collect and recycle your hard-to-recycle waste. Print labels and ship your recyclables right from home – for free! More about Terracycle How to Recycle my waste for free

gotsneakers.com Sneaker recycling program.  Print a label and ship out your old sneakers at no cost to you.

givebackbox.com  The Amazon Give Back Box – Print a label and ship from home for free.  Use that empty Amazon box to ship back clothes, shoes, accessories and jewelry in new or great condition.  Or pay $20 to ship directly to the charity of your choice.

August 2023:
Keep an eye on our bulletin board in the Parish Hall for updated information and ideas. And please feel free to post any articles you may find. This month we have info on Eco-Friendly cleaning products you can make at home; Encore Baby registry https://www.encorebabyregistry.com/ ; Dri Umbrellas https://dri.earth/  and Bamboozle https://www.bamboozlehome.com/ .

Both Goodyear and Michelin Tire companies are converting plastic and other waste into ingredients for their tires, instead of using only new, non-sustainable rubber products. Goodyear has created a 70% sustainable-material version of its Assurance all-season tire. The company is making strides towards its aim of developing a tire that is 100% sustainable by 2030.
Michelin is transforming everyday waste (corn stover, waste wood, food containers, plastic packaging, plastic bottles…) into new tires, among other new products. By 2030, Michelin’s goal is to have used up to 13.5 million tons of these materials to manufacture their tires.

September 2023:
Here are a couple of web sites that can help you use more sustainable laundry supplies; Grove Collaborative laundry sheets: Grove Collaborative Laundry Sheets and FriendSheep Dryer Balls that last for YEARS: https://www.friendsheepwool.com/collections/eco-dryer-balls  (and they’re cute too!). Also, Becky Ryder has an article on our bulletin board instructing us how to make our own cleaning solutions at home. Check it out!

We will be compiling a list of local collection bins for clothing, books, whatever around our area. Please feel free to send me any information and locations you know, as we want to create as comprehensive as possible list to make it easier for people to know where they can recycle items. We will post that info on our Good & Green bulletin board. We’ve added some new articles too, so take a look, including an article about “Fast Fashion” which is what the over-purchasing and underpricing of clothing goods. A company founded by some Gen Z folks in Providence created “Sift” a free browser extension that helps find second hand alternatives to purchasing new clothes.

October 2023:
Here are some new postings on our bulletin board in the parish hall- take a look:

  • Opinion piece about how Massachusetts is lagging on banning plastics (though Gov. Healey is no longer allowing state agencies to purchase single use plastic bottles. Good start!
  • Lego is still trying to make sustainable bricks to reduce carbon emissions. They found the use of recycled plastic for their products didn’t reduce carbon emissions.
  • Letter to the Editor (Boston Globe) from a consumer who is upset about grocery stores offering too many products in plastic clamshells- especially fruit. Bulk stores are especially guilty of using too much plastic packaging- much more than they used to.
  • Our recycle bin is in and down in the parish hall, to be used during our community events and coffee hours. Deacon Hilary will be emptying it as we go along, so please continue to use it at our gatherings. Here’s what goes and doesn’t go in the bin:
    YES:     All paper, magazines, cardboard, wrapping paper, CLEAN pizza boxes, juice and milk cartons, cereal boxes, plastics #1-7, laundry detergent bottles, plant pots, tin and aluminum cans, CLEAN aluminum foil, pie plates, metal lids, all glass containers.
    NO: shrink wrap, dishes, Pyrex or glassware, no shredded paper, no food waste or liquids, no plastic bags, plastic film or bubble wrap, no plastic pouches.

November 2023 tips:

Looking for places to give away your old clothing, books and other items? Here are a list of just some of the donation bins around our community. Always check your transfer station to see if they have bins for charities like Salvation Army and Red Cross. Red Cross and some others are maintained by third party textile companies who pay the charity by the pound, and then distribute the good clothing and turn the not-so-good clothing either into industrial rags or insulation, so all of your clothing, no matter the condition can get either re-used or recycled. We do encourage all of us to first reducing the purchasing of cheap clothing and items, to reduce the impact on our environment and our international neighbors where clothing donations are piling up.

Donation bin locations (send us others you find!)

Books: in front of the Old Bridge restaurant in Buzzards Bay and at St. Peter’s Church, Buzzards Bay

Clothing: 3 of them on St. Margaret’s and Cohasset Roads in Buzzards Bay

Clothing and Book bins: Rochester 4 Corners

Nice clothing/Thrift Shops:

Walt’s Mobile Closet at the Gleason Family Y on Charge Pond Road in Wareham

Emmanuel Church of the Nazarene, Wareham

Congregational Church, Wareham Thrift Shop

December 2023

The Good and Green Team has come up with these web sites for companies that offer products made from sustainable resources all year long. Take a look at them and we think you’ll find some great gifts for everyone on your list!

https://bluedotliving.com/marketplace/

https://earth911.com/how-and-buy/sustainable-holidays-gifts-for-cooks-foodies/

https://www.netzerocompany.com/

Also, there is a local Cape Cod organization Love. Live. Local that has a gift guide to local shops so your money can stay local and support local businesses. https://lovelivelocal.com/love-local-gift-guide

https://longwharfsupply.com/pages/our-namesake – Sweaters made from oyster shells and recycled plastics! Just ordered one for my brother-in-law. They are not cheap, but the company has a very interesting story.

 

TerraCycle Made: https://shop.terracycle.com/en-US/tcmade?gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIkOyxmbfpggMVKExHAR2NBA03EAAYASAAEgKTevD_BwE – Terracycle is a company that collects plastic packaging and now they are creating their own products from it!

And finally a piece about recycling- does it help and is it any good?

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/29/opinion/recycling-plastic-paper-aluminum.html?campaign_id=39&emc=edit_ty_20231129&instance_id=108855&nl=opinion-today&regi_id=20078657&segment_id=151239&te=1&user_id=fae36f2d1cf526c7a10fafc003ef2624 – this article is very eye-opening.