BoroGreen, a Hillsborough grassroots group whose mission is to build a sustainable community, is partnering with local businesses helping to promote plastic cap (number 5) recycling at Amwell Pet Supply on Route 206 (formerly Casey & Trixie’s) and Super Sundaes.
Clean, dry caps made of rigid plastic can be recycled. Examples are shampoo, soda, flip top (i.e., lotion), detergent, and medicine bottle caps. Examples of caps that cannot be recycled are margarine, yogurt, number-4 milk, metal, pump (i.e., lotion), and spray pumps.
Remove extra debris such as paper and plastic tapes as well as the cardboard or foam insert circles usually found in medicine caps.
In turn, Super Sundaes is running a recycling contest from April 22 through 30. Thirteen different categories include number-6 white foam bowls, cups and egg cartons, number-5 bottle caps.
Terracycle brigades of the Hillsborough High School Technology Club are collecting include chip bags, personal care and beauty containers, Tom’s of Maine products, scotch tape, candy wrappers and bags, Colgate oral care products, diaper and wipes packaging, cheese packaging, writing instruments (pens, pencils, and markers including caps), and Solo plastic cups. All need to be in clean, dry condition.
Whoever brings in the most recyclables for each category will receive prizes. For contest information, go to Super Sundaes Facebook page. After the contest is over, Super Sundaes will still continue to collect on behalf of the Technology Club.
The Technology Club also collects ink toner cartridges, corks, scrap metal, small electronic items (old or broken cell phones, tablets, mp3 players, digital cameras, keyboards/mice, GPS devices) as a club fundraiser. The “trash” gets upcycled into new consumer products through Terracycle, a Trenton-based operation that researches ways “to outsmart waste.”
A small crew of six to 10 dedicated students help collect, sort and ship the collected trash to Terracycle. Monies raised from the recyclables are used for students in scholarships, materials for projects and for shipping supplies. To schedule an afterschool dropoff or to ask any questions, contact advisor Tim Zavacki at [email protected].
BoroGreen’s next monthly meeting is on Thursday, April 25, at 7:30 p.m. at 4 Ivy Lane. Kathryn Widener, a local storyteller who has presented at Hillsborough Public Library, will lead a workshop to encourage members to share their stories.
