Green Info for the Picking

I love recycling, and my favorite thing to recycle is information. That’s really what our EcoConsumer program is all about. We receive a lot of info and we give out a lot of info, and that way we can increase the value of that info by recycling it to different audiences.

So here are three examples of info I got recently, either that someone sent to me, or that I knew or researched and sent out in response to a question. Today I’m recycling on Patch.

- Fruit-tree picking
A King County resident called me with this question: My brother has property in eastern Washington state with nice apple trees. He’s not there in October to pick the apples, but he would like to let some group come in and pick the trees and donate the apples to a food bank. But he’s wondering – If these pickers (also known as gleaners) get hurt picking his trees, is he liable?

I was pretty sure the answer was no, but I confirmed it with some quick research. Here’s what Washington state law says  about that (see #4).

So next fall, let the gleaners go to work! Fruit tree gleaning to donate to food banks is an awesome trend I wrote about in my Seattle Times column a few months ago. Check out the  contact info given in that column for more info about gleaning programs in our area.

- Donation salvation
I recently heard from people in my office about a  cool non-profit organization. It’s called Mountain Re-Source Center and they take donations of building materials and other items, mainly from businesses, and place them with non-profits around the country. They started in the Appalachian Mountains but now have a presence right here in our area, on the Eastside. Check them out!

- Cat litter conundrum
Here’s an excerpt from an e-mail I got: “I have some concerns and questions regarding my main garbage item: Cat litter.  Even though I have only one cat, her litter (she is an indoor cat) is basically the bulk of my garbage. I tried burying it but during the wet winters it turns into a gooey, clay mess.  Burying did not work. So I double bag the stuff, as instructed by the City of Seattle, but feel like I am contributing to a mounting garbage problem. I have heard that there is some sort of compostable cat litter but haven't been able to find it at my local pet store.  Do you know anything about this item?”

Here’s what I wrote back: “Although they don't necessarily promote themselves as compostable, my understanding is that several types of cat litter - made from pine (one brand is Feline Pine), other old sawdust, old newspaper (one brand is Yesterday's News), wheat, and other organic materials - can be put in your home compost bin. Standard clay-based cat litter should not be put in your home compost bin. (And don't put any cat litter in your yard waste cart - Cedar Grove Composting, where that material goes, does not want it in there.)

“Here is an article from 2010 that has some good info and ideas about home composting of cat litter. However, I do not think you should compost the actual cat feces. I would try to scoop that out, bag it and put it in the garbage. My opinion is that bacteria that could be present in cat poop might not break down fully in a home composting bin (it might not get hot enough).

“Because cats can be picky and it seems like all cats have different tastes, your cat may not like some of the alternative compostable types of cat litter (I have heard that Feline Pine is generally more popular with cats than Yesterday's News). But it might be worth a try.

“I also would not feel bad if you have to continue to put all or part of your used cat litter in the garbage. Recycling and composting should not be an onerous chore, and if it takes you a lot of extra time and effort to compost the cat litter, I don't think it's worth it.

“But we certainly appreciate your interest in reducing waste. If you do decide to try composting your cat litter, maybe in a few months let me know how it's going, if you get a chance. Thanks!”

Well, I guess that’s enough info recycling for today! Keep the questions and comments coming!

(A version of this article first appeared on my EcoConsumer Blog.)