Recycled Glass
Yes, recycled glass. After reading about the glass in Bham Now, I went to the Alabama Environmental Council to check it out for myself. Some thoughts:
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The Bham Now article mentioned using if for mulch. This is a fantastic idea as our tree wells downtown have a huge shortage of much.
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But is it safe? YES. The glass is broken into tiny pieces and tumbled so the sharp edges become dull. I don't think you could cut yourself if you tried.
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It's cheap! We spend money having to ship recycled glass out of Bham. Imagine if we used it instead! Typically AEC collects $5 for a 5-Gallon bucket. I would imagine we could work out a deal.
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It's pretty. Mulch can be kind of dull.
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It last longer than mulch.
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It doesn't collect bugs the way mulch does.
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We may have to sweep it back into the tree well from time to time but you have to do that with mulch too.
BHAM NOW ARTICLES:
Why is Birmingham so far behind in recycling? (January 31, 2018)
Glass recycling collection halted at the Alabama Environmental Council. How you can help. (January 27, 2018)
Recycling is one of Alabama’s most important industries for new jobs (February 8, 2018)
and one really BIG thought:
Why doesn't the City of Birmingham handle recycling. According to Bham Now, Bham recycles about 9% and the folks at AEC are barely getting by. It's a miracle they can get anything done as they are a nonprofit and depend on volunteers. They don't even have proper equipment and have to ask favors of nearby companies to help. If that wasn't enough, recycling could also provide Bham with cash savings and be a job creator!