Need for Nationwide Recycling Questions Hotline

I hope that President Obama will as soon as possible foster the establishment as soon as possible of a factually reliable and federally-approved nationwide Recycling Hotline phone service.

That proposed new and well-publicized nationwide hotline information service---a service that could be financed in large part by non-profit foundations and the private sector----might provide helpful answers to questions from the general public, such as:

--"A lot of my trash items are packages I bought at a department store that contain both plastic and paper products together in the same package. My tendency is to not bother trying to recycle items like that, since they would not be appropriate in either the plastic recyclables bin or the paper products bin. What do you recommend?"

--"Do you believe there should be additional bins offered at recyclables drop-off places that are exclusively for recyclable items that fall into more than one recyclable-item category, such as plastics and paper products?"

---"Is there a nationwide website information service that invites the consumer to state the zip code or city or town or county or state where he is situated, and that will then immediately inform that consumer about any and all recyclable-items drop-off places situated within that zip code or city or town or county or state."

---"What suggestions would you offer to Americans who are staying in a hotel, for instance, and who are told by the manager of that hotel that it does not currently have a comprehensive policy of recycling any and all applicable trash items left in that hotel room by guests staying there. Do you believe that tourists or out-of-town visitors should be denied the opportunity to recycle fully, for any reason?"

----"How would you respond to those who say that if you recycle envelopes of letters you've received, for instance, some crook could get access to those items and then use that to invade your privacy or steal from you, or pursue some other criminal conduct victimizing yourself."

---"My understanding has always been that I should not put an item in a recycling bin unless I've cleaned it thoroughly in advance. However, I have lots of dirty trash items that would be difficult to clean adequately before I could put them in a recyclables-pickup bin. I tend to resolve challenges of that type by merely tossing that item into the trash can instead. Besides, it is time-consuming to clean dirty trash items of that type. What would you recommend that I do, in cases of that type?"

---"I've heard that citizen participation in natural-resource recycling has a bearing on the national security of this country, since it protects America from having to rely excessively on foreign nations for raw materials. Do you agree that recycling is good for the 'homeland security' of this country?"

---"I often find when I try to participate in recycling that I cannot be sure whether a trash item of mine is made of plastic or something else, or whether it is made of aluminum or some other metal, or whether it would qualify as a 'mixed-paper' item, or is in fact something else. I tend to resolve doubts in my mind by putting that item in the trash can, in order to save time. What do you recommend that I do, in cases of that type?"

---"I found lots of trash-type items in the attic the other day, and many of those items had been manufactured or made several decades ago. Is there any expiration date on recycling an item? Can an item that was manufactured in 1930, say, be recycled in the year 2009?"

---"I tend to look upon trash items as germ-spreading, and for that reason my first impulse is to simply keep all of my trash items together in a fully-secured trash can. Is there any basis for my concern that if I try to store recyclable items in a separate and open-air bin inside my residence, this might subject me to bacteria and other unwanted germs that could harm my own medical health?"

---"What is the earliest age at which you recommend that an American citizen should participate in recycling?"

---"How old should my children be before I attempt to teach them about the importance of recycling? Would age 4 be a good age for that, or would you recommend that I begin to teach my child about recycling when he's age 2 or 3?"

---"Do you recommend that I assign my children to collect recyclable items from the front yard or back yard as a chore for which they can earn allowance money from me? Or does that type of request tend to trigger negative attitudes toward recycling by most children, do you find?"

---"I have a relative who tells me that since he is sure he is being stalked during this period, which he has reported to his local police department, he does not have the option of attempting to participate in recycling. Any such participation in recycling by my relative could give the stalker the opportunity to secretly study the lifestyle of my relative, and to then ruthlessly exploit the private facts about my relative that had been gleaned by the stalker in that context. My relative says he shreds everything, in order to prevent a would-be stalker from surreptitously spying on my relative, and that my relative assumes that shredded items are not easily recycled, in any event. Is that true?"

---"My husband tells me that he prefers what he assumes to be the Presidential style of shredding everything, and not recycling, since this is the best way to protect our household's privacy, my husband says. Do you agree with my husband on that?"

---"If I put a recyclable item into a bin for recyclables and that trash item needs additional cleaning before it can be recycled, is there anyone who would do that for me? Or does that item just get tossed into a trash can as a reject?"

---"I don't have the time to remove paper labels affixed to plastic jugs of milk that I store. Is it okay for me to put a plastic milk jug into a recyclables bin, even if it still has some paper packing on that plastic milk jug?"

----"Is there a religious aspect to natural-resource recycling? Am I more likely to go to Heaven if I recycle religiously?"