And it wasn’t the same old presentation! She had a bunch of new information, facts and figures about recycling, and ideas and tips to help everyone reduce their carbon footprint. She answered questions and even surprised us with some details about recyclable materials that were previously unknown.
You can download a PDF of her entire PowerPoint presentation she made that evening: Park Tower Earth week 2025
Some of the interesting things she highlighted:
What CAN you recycle?
•Paper: office and printer (white and colored), envelopes, junk mail, magazines, newspaper, Post-it notes
•Aluminum, bi-metal and steel cans
•Rigid plastics: bottles and jugs (i.e., water, soda, juice, detergent and milk bottles)
•Flattened, empty cardboard boxes
•Empty, clean and dry fiber cartons
•Clean glass bottles and jars
What CAN’T you recycle?
•Food or beverage waste
•Soft plastic packaging & bubble wrap
•Styrofoam
•Padded & Tyvek style envelopes
•Styrofoam coffee cups & K cups
•Tissues & paper towels
•Straws and plastic cutlery
•Candy & chip wrappers
•Dirty pizza boxes
•Shredded paper
•Paper plates
•Plastic bags
•Pouches
•Hazardous materials
•Tanglers
What happens to the recycling?
•Aluminum can be recycled hundreds of times into new soda cans.
•Plastic bottles can be made into many products, like clothes, carpeting and composite decking.
•Paper and cardboard is made into new paper products, such as paper towels and napkins.
•Recycled glass can become new glass for the beverage industry, fill for asphalt, countertops, fiberglass production, reflective road beading, garden mulch and shoring for beaches.
More actions to consider:
•Reuse glass jars to store food instead of buying plastic containers.
•Carry an empty reusable bottle through security at airports and refill at touchless stations.
•Support companies recycling program such as Nordstroms Beauty or Patagonia’s take back program.
•Check out Terracycle.com or Earth911.com to see what recycling options are available for your unique home items.
•Use reusable bags, share, borrow, have a clothes swap, shop second hand and have experiences instead of buying stuff!
More ideas to investigate:
Do not reply “thank you” or “got it” to emails. Reduce your electronic carbon footprint. Read about data centers or an interesting article can be found at:
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/shortcuts/2019/nov/26/pointless-emails-theyre-not-just-irritating-they-have-a-massive-carbon-footprint
Read about the effects of Fast Fashion on the environment:
https://earth.org/fast-fashions-detrimental-effect-on-the-environment/
•What is the life cycle of the items we donate?
https://www.greenamerica.org/unraveling-fashion-industry/what-really-happens-unwanted-clothes
Please see more information and watch Republic Services videos, please check out our website at: https://www.recyclebycity.com/chicago
To check out the Chicago Action Plan (CAP)
https://www.chicago.gov/content/dam/city/sites/climate-action-plan/documents/Chicago-CAP-071822.pdf
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