WHAT'S NEW?

Back to Article Index
What's New?
by JANE BOGNER
SUNDAY, May 29, 2005

Aluminum Bottles?
Back in the mid 1960s, breweries started packaging beer in aluminum cans instead of steel/aluminum cans. Now Anheuser-Busch has introduced a aluminum bottle. Officials said that the containers cost more to make than glass bottles, but are hopeful the distinct aluminum bottle will to catch the attention of Budweiser drinkers at clubs and bars. They also noted that aluminum, as a material, should also keep the product cooler for a longer period of time.

As far as recycling goes, aluminum is the easiest material to handle as it is crushed easily compared to plastic that sometime pops back into its original shape. In this country, aluminum products generally contain 35 percent recycled content.

Local Clothes Recycling
Clothes are one of the hardest items to recycle. If they are wearable, they should go to your favorite thrift store. In addition, there are 20 Gaia Clothes and Shoe Recycling Bins located around town. The bins are serviced by Campus California TG (www.cctg.org). In 2004, CCTG collected 79,513 pounds from 13 boxes in Vallejo.

Up to 95 percent of the clothing they collect is recycled. Thrift stores purchase 25 percent of the good quality clothes and what they do not sell will be returned to the mixed rags category.

The remainder contains 70 percent mixed rags and five percent garbage. Mixed rags are processed by sorting centers. Here is an interesting breakdown of what happens to mixed rags: 50 percent is wearable clothes that is repaired and sold; 15 percent is turned into cotton wipers; 10 percent is knitwear (wool & synthetics) that is made into recycled wool; 10 percent is synthetic material that will end up as mattress stuffing or insulation; 10 percent is woollen material that will also be used for stuffing; 5 percent is shoes that are repaired and sold.

A list of where these greens bins are located will be posted on our website and at our recycling center.

COMPOSTING
Want Coffee Grounds?
Drop in any Starbucks or local coffee shop and ask for free used coffee grounds. They are a great addition for your compost pile or to fertilize plants in your yard that are heavy feeders. The local Starbucks program is called "Grounds for your Garden." Baristas package up spent grounds into empty coffee bean bags and slap on a label of instructions for using these grounds in your garden.

The Oakland A's have switched to corn-based plastic-type cups and cutlery for their baseball fans. Two elements had to be in place before this could happen; they had to find a composting yard that would take these items along with hotdog, nacho, and other food wastes; and they had to find a reliable source for the corn-based products. The food waste is being hauled to Jepson Prairie Composting in Vacaville and Los Angeles-based Nat-ur Inc is supplying the cups and cutlery. To find out more go to the Alameda County Recycling web site: www.stopwaste.org.

In Memory
Mary Appelhof, the "Worm Woman" and author of "Worms Eat My Garbage," passed away on May 4 from complications of cancer. I had the pleasure of meeting her in 1991at the Exploratorium in San Francisco. During the cold winters in Kalamazoo Michigan, Mary began experimenting with indoor earthworm composting. She became the leading expert in Vermicomposting and started an international green revolution.

VALCORE has included vermicomposting in their backyard composting classes for years and instructors will be demonstrating worm composting at the Youth Ag Day on May 31 at the Solano County fairgrounds. Students will be bussed in from all the cities in the county to learn about animals, crops and farms in our county.

VALCORE will conduct a free backyard and earthworm composting class on June 11 at 38 Sheridan from 10 am to Noon. We will give away two BioStack compost bins to Vallejo residents at the workshop. The class is sponsored by the City of Vallejo.

GIAI Clothes Recycling Bin locations

Oil Change Shop 794 Admiral Callaghan Ln
Food Mart 3200 Sacramento Str
Hollywood Video 4286 Sonoma Blvd
Spring Town Tire Service 1846 Springs Road
Brittons Mini Mart 640 Broadway
Seven Eleven 1208 Tennesse St.
Bobs Tow Service 41 Cypress
Sun Shine Bakery 3570 Sonoma Blvd
Meadows Video 3790 Sonoma
B & B Liquors 1813 Springs Road
Island Pacific 2110 Springs Road #24
Billar Los Portales 1457 Solano Ave
TJ Market 1 Benicia Rd
Thompsons Market 249 Benicia RD
Vallejo Furniture 700 Sereno Dr
7-11/ Citgo 5th St./ Military East St. In Benicia
Pacific Salvage Inc. 5759 Napa-Vallejo Hwy 29 in American Canyon

VALCORE Recycling Vice President Jane Bogner's "A Sorted Affair" is published every other week in the Times-Herald, Community Outlook Section. For recycling information call Genie Kaggerud, VALCORE Recycling manager at 645-8258 or visit www.VALCORErecycling.org.