Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Good day, Nature Dave friends!  This week’s theme at camp is all about reducing, reusing, and recycling.  Many times, we throw things into the trash without thinking about whether it could be used in another way or recycled.  Sometimes, we may not know what we can recycle or how to reuse items.  So here are a few ideas on how we can cut down on the amount of waste we produce.

In Lower Merion Township, where Riverbend is located, we are able to recycle three main categories of items: commingled items, mixed paper, and textiles.  Commingled items include clear, green, and brown glass; metal food and beverage cans; and plastic items #1- #7.  Mixed paper includes newspapers, magazines, catalogs, “junk mail”, telephone books, notebooks and school papers, soft and hardback books, paper shopping bags, chipboard packaging, beer and soda cartons, cracker, cake and cereal boxes (but remember to remove the plastic bags). Textiles are clothing and fabric…these are not picked up by the Township, but they can be taken to the Township’s recycling drop-off center.

There are several everyday items that Riverbend reuses for camp crafts and projects.  Some of these include yogurt cups for stream and pond exploration, paper towel rolls and egg cartons for crafts, and plastic 2-liter soda bottles for bird feeders.  Right now, we’re accepting yogurt cups, so if you have any empty yogurt containers, Riverbend is happy to reuse them!

Recycling and reusing are simple ways that we can reduce waste and the impact on our environment.  Thanks for keeping these things in mind.

I’ll be back next week with some more good stuff on keeping our Earth healthy.  Until then, I’ll see you ‘round the ‘Bend!

–Nature Dave