February 6, 2002

This biweekly column tries to answer some of the most commonly asked questions about recycling, composting and the town's solid waste program.

Q: I have a lot of rags, but I hate to just throw them away. Is there some place to donate them?

A: Yes, but not very close. Dollar a Pound at 200 Broadway in Cambridge deals with used clothing and scrap fabric. After they sell what they can to the general public, they sell the rest to rag dealers. Rags and fabric scraps are made into a variety of stuffings, the soft backing on some sorts of floor mats, and many other products. Dollar a pound will take your rags and add them in to theirs.

Q: I got a large item packed with styrofoam. It has the recycling symbol and #6 on it, so I put it into the recycling bin, but the recycling truck workers left it behind. What's the explanation?

A: You need to put it with your trash. Polystyrene foam (styrofoam is a brand name) is recyclable - it can be melted down and made into plastic forks and such, but in fact it has almost no resale value in the recyclables market. KTI, the firm in Charlestown that handles our recycling, won't take it. Some manufacturers are switching over to pressed paper packaging instead of the formed foam, but more need to do so.

If you get the little "styrofoam" peanuts in packaging, you can drop them off at Mailboxes, etc. on Waltham Street if they are clean. They re-use them in the packages that they send out.

Q: I have a very old fire extinguisher that used carbon tetrachloride. I'd like to get rid of it, but it wouldn't be safe to put it into the trash and the Household Hazardous Waste web site says no fire extinguishers at all. What do I do?

A: The Greater Boston Yellow Pages lists a number of fire extinguisher companies, some of which will handle it. The nearest is in Waltham. You definitely need to get rid of the carbon tetrachloride one, transporting it very carefully, but people who have old CO2 extinguishers or similar should get them inspected and re-filled, rather than throwing them out and buying new ones.

Q: Do milk cartons go in the bin with the paper or containers?

A: Containers - there is a plastic coating over the paper. Remember to rinse it well.

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There were some problems with the curbside Christmas tree pickup. This is a message from the DPW:

Because of the snow storms many Christmas trees that were put out early got covered up. Also some trees were put out late and some might have been missed by Waste Management. For now, residents can continue to bring their Christmas trees to 201 Bedford Street and drop them off at the designated area. Residents can also bring their trees to Hartwell Avenue on Mondays and Fridays from 7:30 AM - 3:00 PM. The next scheduled curbside yard waste collection is the week of April 14-18.

Got a question or a suggestion? You can reach us by calling the League of Women Voters line at 781-861-0123 or by e-mail at Iexrecycles@hotmail.com. For more information, check out the SWAT Web page at http://www.lexingtonma.org/swat /HomePage.htm, the town's Web site http://ci.lexington.ma.us (click on the Solid Waste quick-link) or call: 781-274-7298.