What
to do with those AOL CD's?
September
19, 2003
Dear
Marti,
I am so incredibly sick of getting AOL CDs in my mail. Is there
anything to do with them? I tried putting "return to sender"
on them, but it came back to me. Any thoughts?
Thanks,
Rodger
Dear Rodger,
I'm with you. To me, this is the height of annoying
modern, unsolicited, and generally unwanted junk mail. While I've
seen some really creative reuse projects for these CDs, there
is a limit to the number of coasters, CD clocks and shiny mobiles
one home can use. I don't have a great recycling answer for you,
but I do have a fun way for you to vent your frustration and send
a message to AOL that they should take responsibility for the
unwanted trash they stick in mailboxes all over the world.
Send your AOL CDs to three guys in California
who, like you, overdosed on AOL CDs being shoved at them and decided
it was time for a little consumer rebellion. They plan to collect
one million AOL CDs from other disgruntled mail recipients and
then take them back to AOL headquarters to tell THEM to deal with
them. They've set up an entertaining website giving customers
mailing instructions and info, complete with a mailing label.
When last I visited the site, they'd collected 228,918 AOL, CompuServe
and Netscape CDs so far. Their hope is that AOL and other companies
considering this kind of promotion will get the message that consumers
don't support needless creation of waste.
So release your consumer ire, Rodger, and have
a laugh or two by visiting www.nomoreaolcds.com.
They ask that you recycle the packaging. The plastic envelopes
they sometimes use are not recyclable, but the tin containers
can go with your commingled containers at the curb…or you
could make them into jewelry boxes, business card holders, or
maybe reside your house with them.
Dear
Marti,
What can I do with a propane tank?
Signed,
Doug
Dear Doug,
It's always a sure sign that summer is winding
down when the Eco-Cycle phone starts ringing with questions about
propane tanks. Clearly the covers are going on the grills and
the RVs are coming in to park. If a propane canister's certification
has expired, you can take it to various sites to be "recertified"
for five years (at a time) until it is completely unusable. In
order to be recertified, the tanks or containers must be in good
condition with no excessive rust or damage.
If your propane tank has seen its last days
of burgers and dogs, it can be recycled, but it is, of course,
a pressurized container with combustible gas inside so you'll
need to have the valve removed. There are various locations around
the county that service propane tanks and can remove the valve
and recycle the tank for you. You can get a list of locations
from our "Guide to Hard-to-Recycle Items" online at
www.ecocycle.org. If you
have an empty tank with the valve removed, we can take the empty
tank and the valve with scrap metal at the Boulder or Longmont
recycling drop-off centers but the valve must be removed first!
We do not recommend removing the valve yourself. It's a trick
probably best left to the professionals.
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