As we begin the New Year, I hope it's not too late to remind everyone that white Styrofoam is recyclable and should not be thrown out with the garbage. Like holiday wrapping paper, cardboard boxes, gift boxes and even plastic bags, Styrofoam is also recyclable but it requires more commitment.
On my way into work this past week I noticed a very large bag of block Styrofoam, set out for the garbage hauler, which reminded me of this ongoing disposal issue. Styrofoam is problematic. Only materials labeled "1" through "5" are recyclable through our current county recycling program _ Styrofoam is a "6."
I should note that the word "Styrofoam" is commonly (though incorrectly) used to describe the expanded polystyrene foam comprising products such as disposable coffee cups and coolers, or cushioning material in packaging. Polystyrene is a polymer (a compound made up of many like molecules) made from styrene, a monomer liquid derived from petroleum and natural gas byproducts. Patented and first used commercially in the 1940s, Styrofoam is actually a product name given to extruded polystyrene foam building materials by The Dow Chemical Co. For familiarity's sake, I am going to continue to misuse the term.
When picked up by a local hauler, discarded Styrofoam is taken to the Montgomery-Otsego-Schoharie Solid Waste Management Authority southern transfer station in Oneonta. From there it is driven another four hours and placed in a landfill in western New York. What a waste! Because Styrofoam is so light (95 percent air), it takes up a large percentage of landfills when measured by volume rather than weight. Given its bulk, transportation costs and because it is not biodegradable, Styrofoam should not be a one-use item. OCCA feels it is worth the extra effort to find this reusable material a new purpose.
Like the 100 Mile Diet, which encourages people to buy food from local farmers and producers, we should also be keeping our waste close to home whenever possible. To my knowledge, The Copy Shop at 218 Main St. in Cooperstown is the only Otsego County business that accepts used Styrofoam block. Styrofoam peanuts and bubble wrap can be dropped off at New York Salvage at 35 Otsego St in Oneonta. Both companies reuse these materials for shipping.
OCCA is aware of only one other environmentally sound option for that unwanted Styrofoam: You can bring it to the Earth Festival 2011 collection on April 9 at Milford Central School, after which it will be delivered to Shelter Enterprises in Cohoes. This will be the second year that Earth Festival organizers relocate clean, white Styrofoam to this company, which compacts and re-densifies the polystyrene for reuse in packaging and insulation materials. A donation of $5 is suggested to help cover the cost of truck rental to make this delivery possible.
We encourage everyone who receives the "gift" of Styrofoam to recycle it with a local business, reuse it yourself, or bring it to Earth Festival in the spring. Every pound of reused or recycled Styrofoam means that one pound of new polystyrene need not be created.
I picked up that bag of Styrofoam block on the curbside to keep it out of the landfill _ please let it be one of your New Year's resolutions to recycle all the Styrofoam that enters your home or workplace.
Clarvoe is president of the Otsego County Conservation Association.
Columns
A Christmas leftover you can't eat
- Big Chuck D'Imperio
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My pal Brucie, savior of Sidney's hospital
Ask any hospital administrators if they've ever heard of a closed hospital in New York state that has ever been re-opened. They will say, "Impossible." In a half century of going through records you can't find any.
Continued ... - Catching a whiff of 'Vermont Vapor'
- Selections from the virtual mailbag
- Recalling days of 'Doughnut King'
- Opera great's visit still a thrilling memory
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My pal Brucie, savior of Sidney's hospital
- Cary Brunswick
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We've become our own worst enemies
The past month has been marked by a seeming unprecedented number of man-made tragedies, as distinct from those caused by violent outbursts of the natural world, such as earthquakes, hurricanes and tsunamis.
Continued ... - Plenty of blame to go around for Bangladesh horror
- Obama is going against his word on Social Security
- Reflecting on a Florida trip
- Those magnificent spies in their flying machines
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We've become our own worst enemies
- Chuck Pinkey
- Guest Column
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Records seizure is an insult to free press
Distrust of government secrecy has been elevated to an exceptional level with the disclosure the Justice Department covertly examined two months of Associated Press phone records to determine who leaked details to the AP about a foiled terrorist plot.
Continued ... - The evangelical view of same-sex marriage
- Manor's fate will be Otsego board's legacy
- A closer look at our economy - Part II
- Use fracking to fill budget gaps
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Records seizure is an insult to free press
- Lisa Miller
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A view from above
Fire towers in the Catskill Mountains have always been destination points, built to capture some of the region’s best views. These sentinel stations served an important role for the earliest possible sightings of forest fires in the remote mountain ranges. But the fire towers and those who manned them fulfilled a multitude of other roles as well.
Continued ... - Being a parent is a constant learning process
- Healthy doesn't have to mean expensive
- A family era ends with close of Potter series
- Independent stores make up for loss of Borders
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- Mark Simonson
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General Clinton Canoe Regatta got a new home in 1972
Ever since 1963, when Charles Hinkley and a group of Tri-Town businessmen came up with the idea for what we know today as the General Clinton Canoe Regatta, people lined the shores of the Susquehanna to watch the canoeists as they made their 70-mile trek from Cooperstown to Bainbridge.
Continued ... - Sunday movies in Oneonta finally shown in 1934
- Politics, fitness and landmarks dominated local news in May 1968
- Local people sought income in many ways in 1933
- Local windstorm in 1983 caused tense moments
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- Rick Brockway
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Kids have sparkle in their eyes
When I was in my teens, old Bill Naatz told me about a stream north of Lake George where a man had panned out enough gold to make his wife a wedding band. It was all rumors, but to his grandson and myself, it sounded like the makings of a great adventure.
- People make the outdoors even better
- Turkey season has ups and downs
- Spring air isn't always the freshest
- Adriondacks keep growing and growing
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Kids have sparkle in their eyes
- Sam Pollak
- William Masters
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Schreibman tops Chris Gibson on women's issues
As the time to vote draws near, we need to remember how money can run politics more than we can. Raising funds is a prominent (if not the dominant) task of getting elected. Raising issues is also crucial, but those efforts are subject to distortion and fear-mongering.
- Republicans feelentitled to allthey can garner An entitlement is a legal benefit available from the government to individuals who are within a defined category of recipients, such as needing insurance for unemployment or health services.
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Romney focuses on self; Obama emphasizes unity
Mitt Romney criticizes President Obama for saying a person's success is rooted in his community, and is not all his alone. Romney belittles this with his belief in individual initiative. He is better at the put-down than the push-up.
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Romney shows little regard for common man
The Republicans in Congress have voted over and over, 33 times, redundantly and uselessly, to rescind what they call Obamacare.
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Scouts' gay ban creates problem where none exists
The Boy Scouts of America's "emphatic reaffirmation" of its vow to exclude any and all homosexuals from its hallowed ranks is ill-considered and pathetic, especially in view of its having reviewed the matter for two years.
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Schreibman tops Chris Gibson on women's issues
