WHO KNEW?
These are words that Community Climate Connections or C3, a committee of Sustainable Hanover, has been working with a lot in the past few months. We hope that you have seen our “Who Knews?” in the Hanover listserve every Tuesday, on the Sustainable Hanover website where it can be found under “News,” or on the Sustainable Hanover Facebook page.
We try to find interesting and helpful ideas for residents of Hanover to use to make our community more sustainable. That is, we want to assure that the Town of Hanover thrives for present and future generations. We focus on ideas from many different areas of our lives that are do-able, that people are talking or asking about, and that can make a difference for our community. For example, at our last committee meeting, we were discussing whether plastic bottle caps are recyclable or not and we came up with 3 different opinions. (Check the end of this article for the correct answer.)
We have been pleased to receive emails from people who have read a Tuesday morning “Who Knew?” saying they appreciated that piece of info or suggesting other pieces of information. We welcome new ideas and even guest authors! We can always add writers to our “staff.” Email us at sustainablehanovernh@gmail.com, if you are interested.
Below are 2 examples of recent “Who Knews?” to give you an idea of the types of things that we write about as well as an answer to that question about plastic bottle caps.
We had been hearing about “No Mow May” from various sources so we posted this “Who Knew?” the last week of April.
WHO KNEW Simple Changes in Lawn Care Produce Fascinating Results?
In the US, roughly 80% of us live in urban areas and our lawns take up a lot of space. Typical lawn care can contribute to greenhouse gasses and pollute runoff from rain or snow. We also know that because of pesticide and herbicide use on lawns native bees are in decline in urban areas, and few flowering plants are found. However, a few simple changes in the way we care for lawns can bring back pollinators and contribute to biodiversity in our own lawns…….The results of a recent study suggest that a ‘lazy lawnmower’ approach to lawns results in greatly improved bee numbers and increased flowers. For some, mowing less often is more economical, practical and timesaving than lawn replacement…..
Finally, a recent Who Knew? told about a helpful app from the Lebanon Landfill that none of us knew about:
Who Knew There Is a Free App to Help You Identify Recyclables and Compostables?
While many of us in Hanover have No Sort recycling provided by Casella, , recyclables can also be dropped off free of charge at the Lebanon Landfill in clearly marked bins.
The Landfill maintains an amazing list of what can be recycled or disposed of. See lebanonnh.gov/solidwaste The website also gives you the information to download a free App which will clarify what can be recycled and what is trash. No longer will you be left wondering:
1. Search for Betterbin in the Apple App Store or Google Play.
2. Download the app to your mobile device.
3. Create an account and log in.
4. Choose Lebanon as your community.
5. Use the app to scan the UPC barcode of any items you wish to recycle or alternatively use the text search option.
6. Receive Lebanon Recycling Center program-specific disposal instructions.
7. Earn points and receive rewards!
If you have trouble accessing or using the app, please email marc.morgan@lebanonnh.gov.
After perusing the Lebanon Landfill website, I found their answer about plastic bottle caps: Plastic bottle caps are NOT Recyclable at the landfill. “These items are all plastic but we cannot recycle them at our facility. If you cannot find an outside recycling vendor for these items, you will need to dispose of them in the landfill.” Since Beauchene takes their recyclables to the Lebanon Landfill, plastic caps are not recyclable through them.
However, many Hanover residents use the free curbside recycling service by Casella. If you use this service, you can recycle the plastic bottle caps, if they are left on the bottle. For more detailed recycling information from Casella, see https://www.casella.com/services/recycling/recycle-better?tab=Download_Free_Posters#tabs .
Who Knew???
Community Climate Connections (C3): Sarah Young, Rebecca Paquette, Judith Pettingel, Robin Kaiser, Barbara McIlroy, Susan Edwards, Barb Callaway