The INDEPENDENT, May 17, 2000
Page 5
Paper or plastic? Which is more environmentally sound after
What do you answer when
asked “paper or plastic” at the
grocery store?
Because paper bags are
made from trees - a renewable
resource - and biodegrade
more easily than plastic, they
would seem to be favored over
plastic bags, which are made
from non-renewable petroleum
products. But the choice be
tween paper and plastic is
more complicated than it first
appears.
The Argument For Plastic
Most plastic bags are made
from some form of polyethyl-
Don’t wave goodbye
at a mill closure.
S u p p o rt
Sustainable Forestry
Put loggers to work,
not robo-saws.
S u p p o rt
Sustainable Forestry
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‘ Current clients or new accounts.
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429-4045
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The INDEPENDENT, 725 Bridge
507 Rose Ave., Vernonia
ene (no. 2 or no. 4). During the
manufacturing process, a pa
per bag made from virgin mate
rial requires more energy and
creates more air and waste-
water pollutants than a plastic
bag, although in our area, most
paper bags are at least 40 per
cent recycled content.
Plastic bags are lighter and
use up less space than paper
bags. This means that landfill
space is conserved on a per
unit basis, even though plastic
takes longer to biodegrade. A
smaller comparative volume
wastes less gas, since it re
duces shipping needs (one
truck of plastic bags hold the
equivalent of seven trucks of
paper bags).
When recycled, plastic bags
are shredded, melted and
made into products such as
wood-polymer lumber, drain
pipes, plastic envelopes and
new plastic bags. There are,
however, very few places in the
area that actually accept plas
tic bags for recycling.
Plastic bags are starting to
contain more and more post
consumer recycled content, of
ten from other bags and from
milk jugs. Check on the bag or
ask your grocer if they contain
post-consumer recycled mate
rial. This means that a lot less
virgin resources and energy
are used and a lot less pollu
tion is created.
The Argument For Paper
Brown paper bags, or kraft
bags, are easy to recycle (usu
ally with corrugated cardboard)
and are recycled back into new
kraft bags. All kraft bags in Ore
gon contain recycled fibers.
Some are made of 100 percent
post-consumer material, com
bining old bags with wood
chips from old pallets.
Paper can be recycled sev
eral times before its fibers grow
weak, whereas plastic recy
cling is usually a one-time
process. The market for post
consumer plastic bag material
is weak and the supply of virgin
plastic resins is cheap and
available. Thus, paper bags
use far fewer virgin resources
than plastic bags. Paper recy
cling in this area is well estab
Hazardous waste disposal slated
A free hazardous waste dis
posal day will be held Satur
day, May 20, from 9:00 a.m. to
3:00 p.m. at Tualatin Valley
Fire and Rescue, 20665 SW
Blanton Street, in Aloha.
Metro Recycling staff invites
people to take advantage of
the free event to get rid of old
paint, pesticides, thinners, sol
vents, antifreeze, art/hobby
chemicals, pool/spa chemicals,
poisons, and medical sharps
(syringes, lancets, etc).
Upon arrival at the disposal
site, remain in your car. A tech
nician will unload your materi
als from the trunk of your vehi-
cle when you reach the unload
ing area. Do not smoke in the
collection area.
If possible, keep products in
original containers. Do not mix
products together, as danger
ous reactions can occur. Pack
containers carefully in card
board boxes in your vehicle’s
trunk, away from passengers
and pets. Boxes and other con
tainers, including gas cans, will
not be returned. It is okay to
bring old gasoline in milk jugs,
but fill them just before you
leave. Do not put items in plas
tic bags.
For more information, call
Metro Recycling at 234-3000.
lished, profitable, and done lo plastic. Reuse paper ana pias-
cally, maintaining low trans tic bags as many times as pos
sible, try not to double bag,
portation costs.
shop at stores that give bag re
The Real Question
Why not dispose of the de funds and use bags with high
bate altogether? Getting the
most use out of both types of
bags reduces the demand for
new ones and has a greater
environmental impact than the
choice between paper and
Merchant Marine flag will fly here
American Merchant Marine
seaman have fought alongside
the U.S. armed forces since
1775, while conducting the vital
process of supplying materials
for both military and civilian
Draft horses on display at PCC
The 34th annual Draft Horse ing. There will also be draft
Plowing Exhibition will be Sat horse drawn hay rides and a
urday, May 20, from 10 a.m. to petting zoo for the kids!
3:00 p.m. at the Portland Com
Draft Horse Day 2000 will be
munity College Rock Creek a day of education and family
Campus.
fund. Food, music and other
It’s a great event for fami displays will be available. This
lies, and a day to experience is a free event. For more infor
and learn about another time, mation, call 645-5353.
when everyday life was linked
to the land. These one-ton Legion meeting for
muscle-powered, organically election of officers
fueled teamsters will demon
American Legion Post #119
strate a time-honored method
will hold a business meeting on
of tilling the soil.
In addition to the draft horse Tuesday, June 13. Included on
activities, there will be booths the agenda is election of offi
demonstrating historical crafts cers for the next year.
Post #119 meets in the Le
and trades such as horseshoe
ing,
blacksmithing,
butter gion Hall, 627 Adams Avenue,
churning, ice cream making, Vernonia. For more informa
spinning,
tatting,
quilting, tion, call Ralph Sturdevant at
woodcarving and basket mak- 429-6696.
MAY 2000
F S
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6:30 p.m., Head Start Bldg.
6:30 p.m., Head Start Bldg.
7:00 p.m., Head Start Bldg.
1:00 p.m., New Hong Kong
7:30 p.m., VHS Library
7:00 p.m., Head Start Bldg.
7:00 p.m., LDS Church
7:00 p.m., City Library
Noon, Lew’s Place
1:00 p.m., Senior Center
7:00 p.m., City Library
>:30-8 p.m., Christian Church
For location call 429-7193
6:30 p.m., Lew's Place
For Info Call 429-4074
10:30 a.m., City Library
5:30 p.m., 1st Baptist Church
For location call 429-2401
7:00 p.m., City Library
For location call 429-1414
6:30 p.m., City Hall
7:00 p.m., Head Start Bldg.
7:00 p.m., Grange Hall
6:00 p.m., 510 Bridge St.
7:00 p.m., City Hall
For Info Call, 429-1204
7:00 p.m., City Library
7:00 p.m., Fire Station
8:00 p.m., District Office
1:00 p.m., Senior Center
7:00 p.m., Fire Station
7:00 p.m., WOEC
needs. During World II, U.S.
Merchant Marines suffered the
highest rate of casualties of
any branch of the service, with
the exception of special units
that helped protect the mer
chant seamen.
In 1988, U.S. Merchant Ma
rine seamen were finally recog
nized as military veterans of
World War II.
For more information about
the American Merchant Marine
Veterans organization, contact
Vernonia resident R.N. “Chick”
Jensen.
The official flag of the U.S.
Merchant Marine will be pre
sented to Vernonia Memorial
Cemetery by the Oregon
Chapter of American Merchant
Marine Veterans. The donated
flag will fly with others along
the cemetery’s Avenue of the
Flags.
S M T W T
VERNONIA
Mondays
Al-Anon
Mondays
Alcoholics Anonymous
Saturdays
Alcoholics Anonymous
2nd
Thursday
Arts & Crafts Society
2nd Wednesday
Boosters
Tuesdays
Boy ScouLTroop 201
Wednesdays
Boy Scout Troop 860
Cemetery Beautification Comm. 2nd Thursday
2nd Wed.
Chamber of Commerce
4th
Tuesday
Doll Club
4th Monday
Friends of the Scout Cabin
Thursdays
Girl Scouts
3rd
Thursday
Izaak Walton League
1st & 3rd Tuesdays
Lions Club
Nehalem Valley Car Club
Mondays
Preschool Story Hour
Thursdays
TOPS
Upr Nehalem Watershed Council 4th Thursday
Vernonia Airport Committee 3rd Wednesday
1st Thursday
Vernonia Cares Directors
1 st & 3rd Mondays
Vernonia City Council
2nd Monday
Vernonia Comm. Dev. Corp
2nd Friday
Vernonia Grange
2nd Thursday
Vernonia Health Center
1st Thursday
Vernonia Planning Comm.
Vernonia Pride
Last Thursday
Vernonia Ridge Riders
2nd Tuesday
Vernonia RFPD Board
2nd
Thursday
Vernonia School Board
1st Friday
Vernonia Sr. Center Board
2nd Monday
Vernonia Volunteer Firefighters
3rd Tuesday
WOEC Directors
recycled-content.
For more information on re
cycling, visit <www.columbiace
nter.org/recycling>, or call your
Columbia County Recycling
Coordinator at 397-1501.
MIST-BIRKENFELD
M-BRFPD Board
M-B Ambulance Assoc.
M-B Firefighters Assoc.
M-B Rescue
M-B Helping Circle
Natal Grange
AUGUST 2000
JUNE 2000
JULY 2000
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2nd & 4th Tuesday
1st & 2nd Thurs.
1st & 2nd Wed.
3rd Wednesday
2nd Wednesday
2nd Wednesday
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SEPTEMBER 2000
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7:30 p.m., Main Fire Station
7:00 p.m., Main Fire Station
7:00 p.m., Main Fire Station
7:00 p.m., Main Fire Station
10:00 am, 755-2346 for info.
7:30 p.m., Grange Hall
BANKS
8:00 p.m., Methodist Church
Fridays
Alcoholics Anonymous
7:30 p.m., City Hall
2nd Tuesday
Banks City Council
7:00 p.m., City Hall
Banks Planning Commission Last Tuesday
7:30 p.m., Jr. High Library
2nd Monday
Banks School Board
Sundays, Wednesdays 7:00 p.m., UMC Youth Bldg.
Banks Youth Group
1st Thursday
12:30 p.m., Brown Derby
Chamber of Commerce
3rd
Monday,
odd
months
7:15 p.m., City Hall
Citizen Participation Org.
1 st Saturday
10:00 a.m., City Library
Friends of the Library
1st & 3rd Wednesdays 7:00 p.m., Methodist Church
Lions Club
8:00 p.m., Gun Club
3rd Wednesday
Sunset Park Assoc.
7:00 p.m., Jr. High Library
Wednesdays
TOPS
7:00 p.m., Station 13
2nd Wednesday
Tri-City RFPD Board
COLUMBIA COUNTY (All meet in St. Helens unless otherwise noted.)
10 a.m., Courthouse
Wednesdays
Board of Commissioners
00
p.m.,
Sunset Park Church
2nd Tuesday
Citizens for Senior Justice
10:30 a.m., Courthouse
2nd Friday
COLCO Transportation
1:00 p.m., Courthouse
2nd Friday
County Council of Seniors
7:00 p.m., Fairgrounds
2nd & 4th Mondays
County Fair Board
6:00 p.m., 1054 Oregon St.
3rd Thursday
County Parks Commission
7:00 p.m., Courthouse
Emergency Comm. Dist. (9-1-1) 3rd Tuesday
Noon,
location call 429-3713
Historical Society
4th Wednesday
7:00 a.m., Village Inn
Traffic Safety Commission 1 st Wednesday
Organizations and meeting dates not listed may be included by calling 429-9410
or by mail to The INDEPENDENT, 725 Bridge Street, Vernonia, OR 97064.