Tour information is geared towards adult understanding and is not appropriate for youth groups.  Any group of 6-13 adults may request a private tour by calling 301-600-7405 or sending email to ACreamer@FrederickCountyMD.gov.

WHO:
Any student, kindergarten through 12th grade, who is a resident of Frederick County.  Public, private and home-school students are encouraged to apply.

WHAT:
An essay contest to increase general awareness and support of recycling in our community.  Submissions should address one or more of the following topics:

   * Why we should recycle.           
   * Why recycling matters to me.   
   * How recycling helps the environment.
   * How recycling is a positive part of our community.
   * How recycling uses science and technology to work.

HOW:  Essays should be neatly handwritten or typed.  Entries may be mailed, emailed or faxed to our office, and must be accompanied by an official entry form.  Submissions will be judged in four grade-level categories:
   *  grades K-2 (25 -100 words)
   *  grades 3-5 (100 - 400 words)
   *  grades 6-8 (300 - 600 words)
   *  grades 9-12 (500 - 800 words)

WHY:
To educate the community about recycling...and a have a chance to win prizes!  Six prizes will be awarded:
   *  each grade-level category winner will be awarded a $50 prize
   * two grand prize winners will each be awarded $150!
   * all winning essays will be printed in the Frederick News Post on Earth Day (4/22/14).

WHEN:
Essays will be accepted from February 19 through March 28, 2014.

For More Information, please call 301-600-7405 or send email to Recycle@FrederickCountyMD.gov.

You have a container with the symbol "PET" or "PETE" stamped on the bottom.  Maybe it has a nice, promising #1 and even the "chasing arrows" recycling symbol...but, is it really recyclable? 

The short answer is that polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles and jars are recyclable, while PET deli, bakery, takeout or produce "clamshell" containers are not. 

Want help understanding why this is so?  Read on for the longer answer, today's science lesson on the wonders of PET.

Despite the universal labels that may be stamped on the bottom, not all PET containers are created equal.  Plastic bottles and jars are in demand for reuse by manufacturers, but mixing them with "clamshell" takeout containers, cups and other PET containers dramatically lowers their value and recyclability.

The reason for this is that containers are manufactured differently depending on their intended use.  For example, the bins that strawberries come in they are made by heating a thin plastic sheet and shaping it in a process called thermoforming.  Plastics made this way have a lower viscosity and melt differently than other PET containers.  Alternatively, plastic water bottles are manufactured by a process called injection molding; this is where molten plastic resin is forced or blown into a form/mold and released when cooled.  The bottom line is that plastic products that are manufactured differently have different physical properties, even if the base material is the same.

Beyond this, depending manufacturing specifics and intended use, plastic items may be given chemical additives and surface treatments that further change their physical properties.  Even the labels and glues used on bottles vs. produce packaging are different.  All of this adds up to a need for keeping the various types of PET products separate from each other for recycling.

If you're thinking, "Well, yeah, but bottles look different than clamshells- how hard could it be to sort them at the recycling center?"  Well, fairly difficult it turns out. While a takeout deli container may look different than a water bottle, next problem is that not all thermoforms (clamshells/cups/produce & takeout containers) are even made with PET.  So then you have visually similar products that cannot be mixed together for recycling; they look the same but don't recycle the same. 

 

Basically, plastics are a huge recycling challenge, so if you find them confusing, don't worry, you're not alone.  We thank you for your interest and dedication to trying to "recycle right".  Remember, when in doubt throw it out...or check our app to find out!  And if you'd like to find out even more about the complexity of and challenges facing PET recycling, check

out this interesting recycling industry article here. 

 

WHEN:
Saturday, May 10, 2014
8am-12pm

WHERE: 

The Public Safety Training Facility

8349 Reichs Ford Road 

Frederick, MD 21704

WHAT:
Free disposal of items such as garden and household chemicals, fluorescent bulbs (compact and tube), old fuel, medicines (in original containers only) and much more.
Items not accepted at this event include alkaline batteries, paint and motor oil.