Franco Folini

During my break between graduation and graduate school I worked as a naturalist at a residential camp for 6th graders.  Over a week we taught them many topics and also worked on socialization.  The big one was always square-dancing.  They hated it and we got tired of  pushing them to do something they thought was uncool.  So we thought that we would replace the Virginia reel with something a little “cooler.”  Our choice was Cyndi Lauper’s She Bop.  We thought this would be a treat for them and raise the coolness factor. 



Were we wrong! She Bop was a She-flop.  Cyndi was singing her heart out and the campers were frozen like deer in the headlights.  Looking at the expressions on their faces, you’d thought that we killed someone right in front of them.  It was a social experiment we never tried again.

We couldn’t recycle She Bop, but you can recycle ABOP.  ABOP stands for Anti-freeze, Batteries, Oil, and Paint.  This is stuff we regularly have around the house and in our lives that needs special handling when finished. 



Why special handling?  Well, anti-freeze is sweet and sugary so critters love to drink it, which is nice except they tend to die afterwards.  Batteries have heavy metals and other chemicals that are best when they are in batteries or ore but not so good in our water supplies or soil.  Oil  has been in the news enough lately- you get the point.   And latex and oil paints contain a host of chemicals, including volatile organic compounds or VOCs.  This is bad stuff that we need to treat gingerly and not just dump in the drain or trash.  Repeat after me: We all live in a watershed and everything we dump or pour eventually ends up in our water or the ocean. 

So is this stuff getting recycled?  Yes!  Anti-freeze can be filtered and refurbished— as good as new.  And there are lots of places selling recycled antifreeze in North America.  Request it at auto parts stores and get your radiator flushed professional where they can deal with the chemical.



Likewise, there are a plethora of battery types out there from auto and flashlight batteries to hearing aid and watch batteries.  I hope that most folks are switching away from single-use batteries and getting on the rechargeable bandwagon, but most batteries can be and are recycled to a certain extent.  Here is a helpful battery link. 



Oil recycling is happening too, but only about 10 percent ends up being reused with the rest of it being repurposed and burnt in power plants and co-generation facilities.  The reason more is not being directly recycled is that folks are not asking for and buying it.  We need to  make the  market for used oil.  My own view is that the market would exist if it was marketed more.  So if you want to do something about the Gulf oil gusher other than walking, combining trips, and telecommuting, buy some recycled oil and if your local lube shop does not carry it, go someplace else.



Now we come to paint.  Recycled paint has been on the market for decades.  Some is simply collected and re-blended, which is fine for interior applications, and some paint is re-processed, which means that it is blended with a base-paint and works for both exterior and interior applications.  The good news about recycled paint is that it is generally cheaper.  I am particularly excited about recycled paint because we will begin selling Metro Paint at the RE Store in Seattle and Bellingham starting this month in addition to all the half-cans and remixed paint we usually sell.  (And did I mention that it is cheaper?)

So if you want to RE Bop your ABOP:





1. Get on the recycled antifreeze wagon

2. Switch to rechargeable batteries and dispose of the others properly

3. Say: Recycled oil please; and

4. Visit the RE Store or others who are selling recycled paint for your next purchase and save the Planet while you save money.

5. Then She Bop while you ReBop your ABOP!