Environmentally friendly residents of Grand Marais now have an option of either taking their recycling to the Cook County Recycling Center, or having it picked up curbside and delivered for them.
EcoBlue Recycling, LLC is locally owned and operated by Paulina Backstrom. Paulina is still transitioning out of her job at North Shore Health, agreeing to stay a while longer to help train in her replacement. In the meantime, news of her service has spread fast and she has been inundated with calls and requests for pick-up.
There are two types of service: one for residents and one for commercial businesses.
Residential subscribers will receive bi-weekly service. EcoBlue will provide one or two 32-gallon cans or one 45-gallon wheeled can for recycling.
Materials accepted include cardboard, beverage cans, food cans, glass bottles and jars, plastic bottles and jars, jugs, loose paper, magazines, newspaper, packaged food boxes and mail. All of the containers must be free of food debris.
Commercial subscribers are offered either weekly or multi-weekly pick-up. Prices vary by volume. Some of the items not accepted are plastic bags, Styrofoam, bubble wrap, plastic utensils, paper towels, napkins wax coated cups, stained glass, light bulbs, mirrors, porcelain and ceramics, empty chemical containers etc.
Why recycle?
On her website Backstrom spells out plenty of reasons.
One ton of paper produced from recycled materials cuts production energy consumption in half and saves 17 trees and 350 gallons of oil.
Recycling aluminum to make new cans consumes 95 percent less energy than making them from raw ore. Recycled steel becomes new steel cans, recycled bicycles, or steel beams. Most dumps are made up of over 30 percent packaging materials that could be recycled.
To learn more, search ecobluerecycling@outlook.com.
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