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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 9, 2015)
2 B SIUSLAW NEWS ❚ WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2015 ASK A MASTER RECYCLER How do I start recycling more and wasting less? For the Siuslaw News Q. I want to recycle more and reduce the amount of garbage my family throws away each week, but I’m not sure where to start. Do you have any suggestions? A. Congratulations on wanting to Reduce, Re-use, Repurpose and Recycle. To answer your question, we collected a few favorite tips from local Master Recyclers. These are some of the many small, easy steps that can be taken to reduce the amount of solid waste you send to the landfill. As an added bonus, many of these steps also save you money. • Use cloth napkins instead of purchasing paper ones. This saves money and reduces waste. Thrift stores are a great place to find affordable cloth napkins. • Keep a small container under the kitchen sink to collect soiled paper goods (such as a used tissue, cotton filler from the top of a sup- plement bottle, paper towel, etc.). When the container is full, toss it, along with kitchen scraps, into the compost pile. A little less in the landfill all adds up. • Hook a ChicoBag (or any com- pact, reusable ‘bag-in-a-pouch’) to your purse handle or belt loop so you always have a reusable shop- ping bag at the ready. Once emptied of groceries or whatever items, sim- ply bundle it into its pouch right away and clip back in place. • Use repurposed glass containers for drinking bottles (such as juice, salad dressing or tamari containers) instead of plastic. Refilling these water bottles from the kitchen sink, or using a home filter, is much cheaper than buying single use plastic water bottles. • Even though many of the con- tainers that food comes in are recy- clable, repurposing them to reduce the need to purchase new storage containers is a better option. Maintain a small storage area for reusable bags, tubs and bottles. • If you have a little time and energy, consider making your own Kefir at home, rather than purchas- ing it. This not only reduces the number of containers going to recy- cle, but also provides exactly the ingredients you want, at less expense. • Reach for reusable plates and cups instead of disposable paper or plastic dishware. They’re more pleasant to use, save you money and reduce waste. If breakage is a concern, check thrift stores for affordable durable dishes. • Re-purpose single serve bever- age bottles over and over by refill- ing them with homemade tea or juice mixtures. This is a significant financial saving, as well as reduc- ing waste — and it may have some health benefits to boot. Freezing these bottles in the summer makes a great grab and go refresher for day long events. • Keep a stash of reusable bags in the backseat of the car. You can even bring along an extra and offer one to another shopper at the check stand. Many people are unaware that stores often give a five cent credit for bringing one’s own bag. • Instead of reaching for the roll of paper towels, keep a stack of old cloth towels or rags handy for deal- ing with spills. You’ll save money and reduce waste. • Remember handkerchiefs? Instead of disposable tissues, con- sider a return to reusable handker- chiefs. Thrift stores are often an affordable source to stock up. • Share tools or equipment that you use infrequently, e.g. borrow a friends’ sewing machine, or loan out your ladder. You’ll both save money and reduce resources. • Check out your local library! Libraries offer a wide variety of information and entertainment options, in a range of media — all for return and reuse, over and over. • Carry a reusable, lidded mug or container in your car for those daily Backstreet features Welzel, Draper in September Jewelry designer Meredith Draper and multi-media artist Ramona Welzel will be the featured artists at Backstreet Gallery this September, with a reception set for Saturday, Sept. 12, from 3 to 5 p.m., at the gallery, 1421 Bay Street. The show’s theme, “It’s About Time,” is quite literal for Draper’s innovate repur- posing of vintage watch parts into unique jewelry. Since discovering assemblage art or altered art, Draper found her niche reworking the intri- cate patterns watch parts offer. Of late, she focuses on 1950’s enameled pieces and space age watches from the 1960’s. Artfully displayed, Draper’s jewelry encompass- es necklaces, earrings and bracelets. With a mother who taught art, it isn’t surprising Draper dabbled in various art media — including free-form sculp- ture, clay, painting, spinning and weaving — until she found altered art. Draper says part of the lure of her art is the hunt. Finding the right parts for her finished jewels takes many trips to estate sales, thrift stores and the like. When not designing in her studio of treasure finds, you might find her enjoying golf. For Welzel, “It’s About Time” is about evolving and refers to her trying something new in developing her beauti- fully subtle watercolors and intricate organic ink draw- ings. Experimenting with Masa and other papers as well as using stronger, bolder color, pressreleases@thesiuslawnews.com Denture Services, Inc. COMPLETE DENTURE SERVICE William A. Foster, L.D Denture wearer Sherry Offi ce Manager FREE CONSULTATIONS COURTESY PHOTOS Watercolor by Ramona Welzel (left) and jewelry by Meredith Draper (right) will be fea- tured at Backstreet Gallery through September. she enhances the signature soft pastel colors of her previ- ous work. Next time look close. In addition to painting, Welzel literally sews her water col- ored paper into incredible paper “quilts.” Her subject matter may be abstract or realistic. She may use fragmented shapes, or overlapping designs, which appear to be 3D. Her exqui- site compositions reflect care- ful use of positive and nega- tive space. Welzel’s education and career in advertising, printing production and marketing created a unique background in developing the artist she is today. In addition to painting, Welzel enjoys spending time with friends and crafting. She likes to cook and you might see her outdoors walking her dogs. The Sept. 12 reception is part of the Second Saturday Gallery Art Tour. Stop in for art, appetizers and live music. New to Backstreet, Molly Hardin, singer-songwriter of the R&B genre, is providing fabulous music. She’s the daughter of member Jill Hardin, and niece of singer- songwriter, Tom Hardin. • Dentures • Relines • Partials • Repairs • Implant Retained Dentures William A. Foster, L.D. “Locally Owned and Operated” Serving the Central Oregon Coast Emergency Appointments Available Denture Services, Inc. 524 Laurel Street, Florence 541-997-6054 Visit us on the web T HE S IUSLAW N EWS . COM S IUSLAW N EWS Follow us on Deadlines for press releases and news items are Mondays and Thursdays at noon. espresso or soda stops. Some coffee stands give a discount for providing your own cup. • Standard plastic grocery bags can also be reused. Once emptied of groceries, if the bag has not been soiled, simply use a flat surface and smooth the bag flat, then fold to the desired size to fit into a convenient pocket. Florence Master Recyclers (MR) are part of the Lane County Master Recycler Program, a service of the county’s Public Works Waste Management Division since 2002. The mission of the MR program is to bridge the gap between aware- ness and action by motivating people to reduce solid waste at home, work and play. This monthly column, written for the Siuslaw News, answers com- monly asked recycling questions. For more recycling information, visit www.ci.florence.or.us/build ing/recycling or www.lanecounty. org/departments/PW/WMD/Recycle or follow Master Recyclers of Florence on Facebook. Experience gracious retirement living in the heart of Oregon’s wine country. Twitter @S IUSLAW N EWS NOW BUYING USED CARS & TRUCKS Under 100,000 miles. “Living at Hillside is like living on a cruise ship without all the water. Fine dining, housekeeping, maintenance and concierge services...and they mow the lawn. What’s not to love about that? Active, independent living at its best for this season of life. 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