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Recycling
is something that's part of our culture.
If you were born after 1960, it's pretty much
in your blood. We bundle newspapers, rinse
and collect jars and bottles, crush aluminum
cans, and sort our trash six ways from Sunday.
But have you ever
stopped to ask yourself, "Where does this stuff
go, anyway?" If you have,
you're not alone.
This week, in honor
of April 22
and Earth Day,
we're taking a closer look at what is actually
done with all that stuff. You'll
be amazed (and perhaps amused) by some of the
uses. We've got some great
links to direct you to sites with recycling
instructions and where you can buy any of the
pictured items made from recycled materials.
We'll also share with
you what we as a company -- and the drycleaning
industry as a whole -- are doing to be sure
we're as environmentally careful as possible.
Happy
Earth Day -- see you soon!
Ed and Mary Longanecker
Iris City Cleaners and Laundering Company |
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Earth
Day Factoid
- Each year, do-it-yourself
oil changers improperly
dump more oil than the tanker Exxon Valdez
spilled into Alaska's Price William Sound.
- Some auto
stores take used oil Whaleys
do in Mt. Pleasant,(in a milk jug for instance).
Some states have laws requiring any business
that sells oil to take used oil back from
customers.
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Reduce,
Reuse, Recycle Coupon
In
honor of Earth Day, we're saluting those who
want to Reduce their wardrobe
and Reuse those old clothes
by Recycling them to people
who really need them. We're collecting
clothes for our local community action center,
which we'll clean before they are taken over.
For every 3 garments
you bring in to recycle, we'll clean a regular
garment at no charge.
(Include
first page of this e-mail with your order.
Offer expires May 10, 2004. Cannot be
combined with other offers.) |
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How
can I reuse thee?
Let me count the ways!
Admit it,
you've had the occasional thought
as you sorted through yet another
pile of trash and put some of it in
the recycling bin for pick-up that
this is probably just all going to
the landfill. You're wrong,
though. Your recyclable trash
(and mine, and that of a whole lot
of other people, of course) turn into
the most amazing things. Here
are a dozen.
- Recycled
Plastic Lumber -- that's
right, they take plastic and extrude
it as super-durable
"lumber".
See photo 1 above and look at the
deck. No problem with weathering
there!
- Recycled
Yellow Pages -- Pay
attention to the instructions on
how to recycle your Yellow Pages
each year. They're processed
and blended with plastics, and turned
into promotional
items like those
in photo 2, retaining their characteristic
color.
- Lazy
Boy Flip Flopps by Splaff --
(photo 3) Straps are made from old
bike inner tubes,
bottoms are reworked
tire rubber, hemp
fabric insole is also recycled material.
- Windchimes
made from recycled glass --
a sweet tinkly sound, even the second
time around (photo 4).
- Pencils
made from recycled money! (photo
5) -- You thought they burned it
all? Nope. Now they
make it into things like piggy banks,
pencils, and other items.
Same
for blue jeans and newspapers.
- Recycled
Armoire -- (photo 6)
Preserving the world's forests by
using
reclaimed timber
-- from demolished barns, warehouses,
houses. Sometimes better wood
than today, since it's from old-growth
forests of yester-year.
- Ring-a-ling!
Baskets,
bowls and more made out of recycled
telephone wires (which
come in many colors). Photo
7.
- From
pop bottles to playground equipment
(photo 8). This
sturdy plastic is ideal for outdoor
use and takes a beating.
- Recycled
chop sticks! (photo
9) Yes, somebody gathers up
old chop sticks and uses them to
create home
decor items like
those in this photo.
- Corrugated
Art -- This backgammon
board (photo 10) is
made from recycled cardboard, but
it's not cheap. Each
board is hand crafted and unique.
Even the frame and glass are recycled.
Playing
pieces are Sacajawea and Susan B.
Anthony dollars
(an interesting twist on recycling)
since they are gold and silver.
Priced at $300 each, this
product shows recycling does pay.
- Engravable
wooden pens, mechanical
pencils and letter openers -- made
from recycled bowling pins, alleys,
driftwood, pool cues and other hard
woods from dumps.
(photo 11)
- Trash
containers -- how appropriate,
trash turns
around and collects more trash.
(photo 12)
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We
are enormously appreciative of the opportunity
to share our weekly newsletters with you.
We feel that much of the content is valuable
for anyone who purchases fine clothing and is
interested in their preservations and cleaning.
Click on the symbol to the right if your would
like to send this and future newsletters to
a friend.
Thanks a million, Ed and Mary
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The Iris
City Cleaners Connection
is
a weekly news letter dedicated to the interest
of fine garment care, restoration,
and conservation. It is published
in Mt Pleasant, Iowa by Iris City Cleaners and
is an extension of our services described in
www.iriscitycleaners.com
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