Hi Everyone,

I just got back from a trip to Rio de Janeiro and took a trip up to the famous Christ Reedemer statue. What a view as the clouds and sun played on the statue!

Christ Redeemer statue in Rio

What does this have to do with recycling?

Well, right at the base of the Christ Redeemer statue are these great recycling bins. Public recycling bins are very important because they send a message that a community is a "recycling community". As part of the City's new recycling plan, we are looking at placing public recycling bins at public spaces such as the airport, malls and town square to show that Anchorage recycles. (See the bins below under "read more")

Last Friday we posted a draft plan from our economic consultant Lisa Skumatz on the programs and costs of potential recycling strategies. Please note that this plan has changed considerably since this first draft. We hope to have a final draft for the public over the next couple weeks. Our goal is to have a proposal before the assembly sometime in February. Stay tuned for the updated version.

Kevin Harun

About a week ago, Nick Moe ventured to Anchorage Recycling Center at 6161 Rosewood Street and got a back-of-the-shop tour from plant manager Bob Tenge.

Take a look.

Alaska Metal Recycling-A Schnitzer Company is the largest metal recycling facility in the state and will PAY you for your ferrous & non-ferrous metal.

Shredded Metal: Alaska Metal Recycling reuses metal that would otherwise go in the landfillCar Recycling: Cars stacked and waiting to be salvaged

Zapping Electronics Waste: Larry Zirkle of Total Reclaim shows some of his recycled electronics

Electronics recycler Total Reclaim can recycle almost anything that can be plugged in or lit up.

Total Reclaim recycles all types of unwanted computers and electronics including monitors, servers, TVs, laptops and office machines. They also offer certified destruction of hard drives and recycling services for commercial and industrial refrigeration and HVAC equipment, refrigerant gases, fluorescent lamps and ballasts. Transportation services are available. Residential, business and government customers welcome.

A Little Help from a Friend: Natalie and her dog Nookie do a recycle pick up in Anchorage

Here is a Q and A with Natalie Smith from GoGreenAlaska

What recycling services do you currently provide?

We do residential curbside. That includes plastic, aluminum, paper, and cardboard, tin, glass, and newspaper.

How many houses are signed up for pickups?

We are servicing around a dozen households from hillside to east Anchorage. We encourage small businesses to participate and offer a discount when they sign up.

LED Streetlights: Resource Efficiency Intern Michael Barber holds up an LED street lamp that could be used in Anchorage

The City of Anchorage is rethinking streetlights in a big way: by planning to switch all 16,000 of the old yellowish-orange street lamps in the City to a new system of energy efficient street lighting. While a primary goal of the project is to save tax dollars through these new efficiency measures, the project endeavors to solve many other serious problems associated with street lighting as well. The new lighting will help us reclaim a night sky filled with stars and the Aurora Borealis, it will reduce light trespass while providing better visibility, and it will also reduce the Municipality’s environmental impact, particularly our green house gas emissions.

We have talked a lot about recycling on this blog, but there are many other aspects to 'green living'. Many of you may be familiar with the phrase "Reduce, Re-use, Recycle." This phrase explains the three ways people can help lessen their impact on the Earth. Turning off lights, re-using containers and buying used clothes are all alternative ways to reduce waste. The Three R’s form a set of guidelines for conservation. First, you Reduce. You simply use buy less products and use less products. The second stage is Re-using what you already having, meaning you don’t need to spend money on more items. Lastly, you Recycle what you cannot re-use. Outlining a ‘green life’, the Three R’s can provide a starting point for people looking for a place to start.

Questions often come up about the value of recycling both intrinsic and material. We all know (at least most of us) the moral reasons to recycle. That is to be a good steward of our resources, to conserve, to protect our natural beauty and allow future generations the same access to prosperity we enjoy today.

It is very important to keep the moral reasons in mind but equally important are the economic reasons. If you are trying to promote recycling, knowing the financial side of the argument is essential. The bottom line is the materials that are often thrown away in Anchorage and around the world are worth money!

What is the deal?

Why is it that only certain Pete 1 and HDPE 2 plastics can be recycled? I know about there being different kinds of Pete 1 plastics (water bottles vs. food containers vs. those insane hard plastic packages most new products are sealed in nowadays), but, for Pete's sake, if it's stamped Pete 1, it's a Pete 1 and should be recyclable. Same goes for HDPE 2. It turns people off to recycling when their sorting has to be this specific. And it annoys people like me that this other stuff ends up in the landfill.

This is a great question. I have been frustrated many times when trying to figure out where to recycle various plastics. When talking to the Recycle Center about the plastics issue they said some PETE 1's and HDPE 2 plastics are made differently. Some are injected while others are molded. Even though they are labled PETE 1 it might not be recyclable here in Anchorage. This also has to do with where the plastics are shipped and the lack of markets for a particular plastic here in Anchorage.

By far, the most frequently asked question we get is about curbside recycling. When will we get it? How much will it cost? Anchorage has been patiently waiting a long time for this important recycling service and I'm happy to announce we are getting curbside recycling! A comprehensive recycling plan has been created with the help of our recycling consultant Skumatz Economic Research Associates and the citizens of Anchorage through online surveys and town hall meetings. The details of implementation are still being worked out and need to be passed by the assembly but we have an idea of what it will look like.

Feel free to sumbit comments or questions regarding recycling.

1) What do I do with gift boxes from department stores? Does it go into the cardboard or the mixed paper bin?

Most of those thin boxes from department stores go into the mixed paper bin. Cardboard is distinguished by having a waffle-like layer in between the sides.

2) Can I recycle bottles with the lid still on?

It is good to remove the lids when possible on plastic and glass bottles. The lids are usually made up of a harder plastic or a different material. The recycle center won't go up in smoke if you forget.

Attention all Businesses and enthusiastic employees! Here are a few great opportunities for businesses to recycle and possibly save money. The first is by implementing recycling for paper, plastic, aluminum and small amounts of cardboard in the office. Alaska Waste provides office pickups for a low cost are the best programs for bigger businesses that have a substantial amount of recycling. Alaska Waste takes mixed paper, aluminum cans, plastic bottles, cardboard and shredded paper from every floor in an office, so all that is required of businesses is to place recyclables in their proper bins. Pick-ups can be scheduled on a weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly basis, or by calling in. Alaska Waste’s prices start at $40 per month and can service entire buildings. Alaska Waste can be reached at 563-3717 (phone) or by 273-2797 (fax).

Now that it's after Christmas, I'm sure that you, like everyone else, have bags and bags of used gift wrap sitting around. Instead of throwing all of that paper away, why not recycle it? Yes, that's right: gift wrap is recycleable. Just put that gift wrap in with your normal paper recycling! It's that easy.

Onto another Christmas-time topic, what are you going to do with that tree that's been sitting in your house for the last three weeks? You're going to bring it to any Anchorage, Eagle River or Palmer CARRS-Safeway parkinglot where the trees will be turned into woodchips and then re-used.

Hello everyone and welcome to the recycle and renewables blog. I hope you are having a great holiday. Speaking of the holidays is there anyone out there who hasn’t finished their shopping yet? I’ve included some links to eco-friendly gifts and gift ideas below.

-- From zipcars to solar-powered cell phones
Concerned about giving eco-friendly presents this year? This site has plenty of great gift ideas to help you make a positive impact on your friends and family!