Dog sweaters

Dog sweaters made from reclaimed cotton - What's that?

by Anita Funkhouser

We hear a lot these days about "going green." To some people, that's means taking drastic measures to prevent the earth from "burning up." To others, it simply means taking care of what we have, reusing, recycling, not wasting and finding new ways to pollute less.

This idea has now moved into the pet industry with something called Reknitz sweaters, dog sweaters that are made from reclaimed cotton. Using reclaimed cotton does the following:

REDUCES:

Waste
Fertilizers
Water
Insecticides

REUSES:
Cotton fibers
Dye

What is reclaimed cotton? In the process of making a cotton T-shirt, a sizable amount of extra cotton is left over. Normally these left-over scraps of cotton fabric are destroyed in an incinerator or simply taken to a landfill, but now there is a new process by which these scraps of cotton are cleaned and separated into raw fibers and then made into a new premium product - dog sweaters - without having to use additional water, fertilizers, insecticides or even farmland to grow new cotton. Not only that, but there's less going to landfills and less pollution into the air from incinerators.

According to idealbite.com, "non-organic cotton crops use 25% of all insecticides globally." Combining this with the large amounts of water that are needed every year to grow cotton, using reclaimed cotton results in a lot of reducing!

Since reclaimed cotton fibers already exist, a resource is being reused that our society has already dedicated time and energy toward. As these cotton fibers were originally manufactured into sheets of fabric for making clothes for humans, they are top quality but cut too small to make other articles of clothing. The cotton scraps are cleaned and separated into raw fibers by color and then blended with 24% new acrylic fibers and spun into yarn. There is no need to re-dye the fibers because the careful mixing of the colored fibers allows the reuse of the existing dye on the fibers and creates unique and eye-catching colors.

Using reclaimed cotton to make dog sweaters reduces waste, fertilizers, water and insecticides, reuses cotton fibers and dye, keeps more garbage out of landfills and prevents pollution from incinerators - just one more way to "go green."

About the Author

Anita Funkhouser is the owner of GoGreenDogBeds.com, offering high-quality, eco-friendly dog beds, toys and sweaters made in the USA from recycled soda bottles, and GoGreenDogBeds.com Blog, a blog about tips on dog care, dog product information, dog training ideas and more.

This article may be reprinted if the author's bio is left intact.

Recycle Those Old CDs

Millions of CDs, DVDs and plastic covers are tossed out every year.  They are generally either incinerated or reach landfill sites. In either case the pollution resulting from the disposal of these products could have been avoided if the owner knew what to do with them (or wasn't so lazy).  Sometimes discs are disposed of for the simple reason that they are scratched and not useable as is. You can attempt to repair small scratches using a mild abrasive such as toothpaste and work the abrasive with radial strokes out from the center.

Alternatively you can send your disc(s) to a professional refinisher such as AuralTech CD Refinishing. They charge about $3 and guarantee the results. Another option is to give music / movie discs to charity or trade in at a music store. If none of these options are possible then the next step is to prepare for recycling by first separating the plastic case from the disc and paper cover insert. 

The paper can be handled as per normal paper recycling.  The discs can be stored in a box or 50/100 CD holder until you figure out what you want to do with them. Plastic covers can be saved and re-used when other covers are damaged. Alternatively, you can find out if your local library accepts CD covers. Many times the covers get damaged on loan.

Below are some other ideas for recycling your saved up items. Plastic covers:

• Construct a collection showcase (butterflies, stones, etc). Click here for an example.
• Glue felt on the bottom and use as coasters;
• If you are an artist consider using the inside of the cases as mini-palettes for your paints;

Discs:

• Take two discs and glue them together, shiny sides out. Hang them up to:
  • Keep birds out of your garden;
  • Repel flies (unconfirmed);
  • Use as a suncatcher.

• Use as a substitute for wallpaper, window or mirror border;
• Use as Christmas tree decoration - use glitter glue and/or decorative paint to make it more interesting
• Use them as Christmas light reflectors outside. C-7 size bulbs fit through the opening;
• Use as reflectors along your driveway or sidewalk;

If you are not the artistic type and still can't figure out what to do with the CDs and covers then check to see if they can be handled through normal curbside pickup or at a local recycling facility. Barring all of these options they can be mailed to a recycling company by ground transportation to one of many recycling facilities. You should be able to find the closest company using a web search.