Friday, September 5, 2008

Recycling Tyvek Envelopes

I bet that you also have a stash of those plastic envelopes stuffed in the top of your hall closet because one day, long, long ago, you read somewhere that you could mail them someplace to be recycled. But you're cutting your consumption, and your kids haven't been deluged with gifts lately, it not being the traditional Season of Giving, and it's been awhile since you got something in the mail. The weather is cooling, tho, and you may be reaching for your fleece jacket soon enough, and they are going to come tumbling down on your head. Why, just today, I got something small in the mail that I'm going to give away on Monday at the Green Moms Back-to-School Carnival, so I was reminded once again: Tyvek envelopes are recyclable.

Reusable, too! In the instructions for mailing them back they tell you to turn it inside out and to write the address on the inside. Doh! Why didn't I think of that? Not to mention that you can just use a new label, for that matter. So reuse them to death, of course and then.....

Tiny Choices just talked about this, and while I will leave the interesting Cradle-to-Cradle conversation to their comments, suffice it to say that Fake Plastic Fish won't be having any wanton Tyvek-envelope consumption parties just because the end product is going to be a recycled park bench (ie not a new recycled plastic Tyvek envelope).

Perfect enemy of good? Who knows... but here's the info:

For Small Quantities (less than 25 envelopes/month)
Turn any Tyvek® envelope inside out, so the unprinted white surface shows on the outside. Stuff the inside-out Tyvek® envelope with other used Tyvek® envelopes for recycling.

Address and mail the envelope to:
Tyvek® Recycle
Attn. Shirley B. Wright
2400 Elliham Avenue #A
Richmond, VA 23237

I am going to assume that you don't have more envelopes filling up your mailbox than that. If so, you need to go read Suze Orman, not MamaBird. Or you can click through my link in the first paragraph for instructions. That'll work, too.

Happy decluttering!

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

my husband must be nominated as the poster child for people who recycle these envelopes. we have had a stash of them for thousands of years that never seems to go away. he's been at this for over a decade.

still, i applaud him, just the same, even though they're beginning to take over, lol :-)

Anna (Green Talk) said...

I end up reusing them as padding for items I send in the mail or I reuse them to send to people. I thought that was just called being thrifty? (LOL)

Leticia- Tech Savvy Mama said...

I never thought of turning them inside out but that makes perfect sense. Thanks!