Welcome to Dr. B. Green's
Question & Answer Page

We encourage you to contact Dr. B. Green with any recycling questions that you might have.  You can e-mail him at:

Dr.B.Green@live.com

  Check out the Compost Site Rules - click on the picture to the left.

Q.  Dear Dr. B. Green:  I saw a commercial vehicle unloading brush at the Mechanicsburg – Silver Spring compost site.  I thought the compost site was for residents only?  And by the way, the leaf much and tanbark are wonderful!  – “Green Thumb”

A.  Dear Green Thumb:  You are correct that the compost facility is for Mechanicsburg Borough and Silver Spring Township residents only.  The signs at the compost site clearly state the site is not to be used by “commercial landscaping businesses.”  The compost site is under 24-hour surveillance. What you saw was likely a contractor's pick-up truck being used by a resident to haul limbs damaged by the December 2007 ice storm. 

The leaf mulch and tanbark produced at the compost site are available to residents of the Borough and Township.  A $10 coupon, good for a large scoopful of either material loaded into a truck, is available from the Mechanicsburg Borough Office during regular hours.  Or, residents can shovel the materials into containers, car trunks, trucks, or trailers at no charge.  [Contact the Borough Office at 691-3310 for information on the days and hours the loader will be on site.]

A.  Dear Backyard Composter:   The leaf much is made from leaves collected by the Borough of Mechanicsburg and Silver Spring Township.  Temperatures achieved and sustained during the composting process effectively pasteurize the leaf mulch.  The compost site does not accept grass clippings, which have a remote possibility of containing residues from lawn treatment chemicals.  Other compost facilities accepting grass clippings and operating according to approved guidelines are not experiencing problems with the quality of their compost products.

The tanbark offered at the facility is made from branches, limbs and leaves collected in the municipalities or brought by residents to the compost site.  These materials are periodically  processed through a grinder on loan from the Solid Waste Authority of Cumberland County.  After processing, the ground material is stockpiled as tanbark.  Moisture and time and the size and density of the stockpile permit some curing of the tanbark. Tanbark should be applied like other mulches as a cover material to restrict weed growth and retain moisture in the soil.  Mulches should not be applied directly against plant or shrub stems or tree trunks.

Q.  Dear Dr. B. Green:  I have a question about the weekly limit of 4 trash bags in Mechanicsburg Borough.  We use 17-gallon bags to line our kitchen wastebasket.  Can I only set out four 17-gallon bags each week?  -  “Perplexed”

A. Dear Perplexed: I have good news for you!  You are not limited to setting out four 17-gallon bags for weekly collection.  I suggest you obtain two or more 32-gallon trash cans if you don’t already have them.  You may place as many of the 17-gallon bags into a trash can as will fit, as long as the total weight of the 32-gallon trash can does not exceed 50-pounds.  If you are an Orange Bag Option customer, the same would apply for the 32-gallon orange bag.  Recycle as much as you can and you may find yourself needing fewer trash bags!

Q.  Dear Dr. B. Green:  I know I can recycle plastic jugs that contained laundry detergent, but what about plastic containers that contained coffee, for example, Folgers-type plastic containers?  “Avid Recycler”

A. Dear Avid Recycler:  This is a tough question and when I get tough questions about recycling in Mechanicsburg I always refer to the Borough’s recycling instructions.  I can look at the 2008 printed flyer that was mailed by Penn Waste to all Borough residents, or when I have access to a computer I can check the flyer on Borough’s Recycling Page (www.mechanicsburgborough.org/recycling/BoroughRecycling.htm).  Now to get to your question:  Plastic cans are not listed as acceptable recycles like soda bottles, detergent bottles and plastic milk, juice and water jugs.  I suggest that you use them as storage containers.  They would be a handy for holding nails, screws and other hardware and they will not rust.  They might make a nice planter for herbs, flowers or vegetables.  If plastic cans should become acceptable for Mechanicsburg’s curbside recycling program in the future, the Borough’s recycling instructions will be updated.

Q. Dear Dr. B. Green,

I've noticed that the household battery recycling containers have disappeared from the Giant Store, Ritter's and Davis Country Living.  Is there some place locally that I can recycle these batteries?

Sincerely,

Trying2Bgreen

A. Dear Trying2Bgreen:

Thanks for wanting to do the right thing by recycling your batteries.  Yes, there are places to recycle household batteries, although they are likely not in a convenient walking distance for you.  

Household batteries can be grouped into two general categories, 1) "rechargeable" and, 2) "single use." 

1) Rechargeable batteries are recycled for the metals they contain, including nickel, cadmium, and cobalt, which are used in steelmaking, and lead.  The actual recycling process for many of the rechargeable batteries recovered in the U.S. is done by INMETCO, located in Ellwood City, Pa. 

There are 13 locations within five miles of Mechanicsburg that collect rechargeable batteries, according to the Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation "Call2Recyle" web site, www.call2recycle.org.  The stores also collect cell phones for recycling: Batteries Plus, Battery Warehouse, Best Buy, BJ’s Wholesale Club, Drive-Kore, Inc., Home Depot, K-Mart, Lowe’s, Radio Shack (2), Sears, Verizon Wireless, and Wal-Mart. The addresses for the locations and further information on battery recycling can be found at www.call2recycle.org.

Stores wishing to participate in the Call2Recycle rechargeable battery and cell phone recycling can sign up on the Call2Recycle web site or call 1-800-8-BATTERY or 1-877-2-RECYCLE.  Call2Recycle provides safety instructions and handling guidelines, plastic bags to individually contain each battery, battery collection containers and a prepaid shipping label for each container.  The store will be listed on www.call2recycle.org and the toll-free helplines.

2) Single use "alkaline batteries" can be recycled but are commonly discarded with household trash, which is considered to be a safe practice since most alkaline batteries have been manufactured as "mercury free" since the mid-1990s.  TOXCO, Inc. in Trail, British Columbia, recovers manganese and zinc from alkaline batteries.  Only one location within five miles of Mechanicsburg collects alkaline batteries for recycling according to the Easth911 web site: www.earth911.org.  Batteries Plus, located at the Gettysburg Road/Hartzdale drive entrance to the Capital City Mall, collects alkaline batteries, rechargeable batteries, and lead-acid vehicle batteries for recycling. 

TOXCO provides collection kits for recycling lithium, alkaline, mercury, nickel-cadmium, nickel metal-hydride, magnesium, silver, zinc and lead batteries through the Big Green Box Program.  A description of the program and a cost sheet can be found at www.biggreenbox.com.

This may be more information that you need but I’m glad to help you.  If you’re concerned about adding to your “carbon footprint” by driving to a recycling location, combine your recycling trip with a shopping excursion or consider biking to recycle.  If you know a local storekeeper who might be interested in becoming a battery recycling locations, please share this information.

Thanks and keep recycling,