Questions:

1. Can a peanut butter plastic jar with a small amount of peanut butter be recycled?
2. Can a piece of paper smaller than a business card be recycled?
3. Can plastic window envelopes go into the recycle bin?
4. Can a clean styrofoam food container be recycled?
5. Do staples have to be removed before recycling papers?

Answers: 1. yes, 2. no, 3. yes, 4. yes, 5. no
For more information on recycling, see:
sandiego.gov/environmental-services/recycling/residential
sandiegocounty.gov/content/sdc/dpw/recycling/RecycleRight.html

by Maureen McNair
Recently, during the same week, two adults visiting our South Bay Food Pantry told me they had not eaten in three days and I received an offer for 11,000 pounds of free apples. We all understand that people in our community go without food because they don't have the money to buy it. And, we know that many more than two people in our region went hungry that particular week. The produce wholesaler offered me the apples for free, if I would take them all. The transportation was our responsibility. The apples were harvested in Washington State and transported in a refrigerated semi-truck to the produce wholesaler's warehouse near the San Ysidro border crossing. But, the wholesaler couldn't find buyers for the apples. They were perishable and took up valuable warehouse space. If he didn't give away the apples, the company would have to pay the costs to transport the food to a landfill and pay the fee to use the landfill. That was more cash out of the business' pocket toward an investment that had already lost money. So, it made financial sense for the produce wholesaler to make a tax-deductible gift of the 11,000 pounds of apples.

Tip of the Week: Planting a shade tree is a visible and affordable way to take local climate action. Trees absorb carbon, reduce water and air pollution, provide wildlife habitat and help cool the planet. Decades of inequitable investments in San Diego communities can be reduced by planting trees in neighborhoods that lack them. The Kate Sessions Commitment invites communities to plant 100 trees in their neighborhoods. Reserve your five-gallon tree today. ​