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Natural Awakenings Central New Jersey

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Creative Reuse

New Life for Old Bedding

Reusing, recycling or repurposing a worn-out mattress is a far better solution than adding another to the 20 million or so that annually end up in landfills. Before discarding, first check with family members, friends or coworkers, or post a note on a community bulletin board or on the Internet (Freecycle.org) about the availability of a free, gently used mattress.

Next, offer to donate the mattress to The Salvation Army, Goodwill Industries or a local consignment or thrift shop, church, shelter or disaster relief organization. Note that this option may require professional cleaning prior to donation. Many nonprofit outlets provide free home pickup of items, which can be claimed as a charitable tax deduction.

Crafty individuals may want to disassemble the mattress and make use of buttons, tabs and fabric for sewing pillowcases, reupholstering indoor furniture, covering outdoor furniture or as stuffing for pillows. Check with local artist centers too, because one or more of their members may wish to use recyclable materials like the metal springs in their works.

The wooden frame and the stuffing of the mattress can be used to create a backyard compost pile. The wood slats become the compost bin’s architecture, while the foam padding or cotton stuffing serves to shelter compost from the elements and keep the pile warm, which accelerates the composting process. The same stuffing also can be used as landscape fabric to help control the growth of weeds in the garden, and springs make a serviceable trellis to support growing plants.

Some recycling centers do not accept mattresses. Find local resources and policies at Earth911.com.

Sources: Home.HowStuffWorks.com, Tinyurl.com/RadicalRecyclingMattresses

Eco Tip
Tick Talk

Spring officially sprung on March 21. We have turned our clocks ahead. We are looking forward to warm winds, sunny skies and the smell of fresh cut grass. The daffodils and tulips have recently bloomed and we are just starting with the yard work that comes with the warmer weather.  Sadly, another season has started ramping up.  Tick season.

•             The best form of protection is prevention. Educating oneself about tick activity and how our behaviors overlap with tick habitats is the first step.

•             According to the NJ DOH, in 2022 Hunterdon County led the state with a Lyme disease incidence rate of 426 cases per 100,000 people. The fact is ticks spend approximately 90% of their lives not on a host but aggressively searching for one, molting to their next stage or over-wintering. This is why a tick remediation program should be implemented on school grounds where NJ DOH deems high risk for tick exposure and subsequent attachment to human hosts.

•             Governor Murphy has signed a bill that mandates tick education in NJ public schools. See this for the details.  Tick education must now be incorporated into K-12 school curriculum. See link:

https://www.nj.gov/education/broadcasts/2023/sept/27/TicksandTick-BorneIllnessEducation.pdf

•             May is a great month to remind the public that tick activity is in full swing. In New Jersey, there are many tickborne diseases that affect residents, including Anaplasmosis, Babesiosis, Ehrlichiosis, Lyme disease, Powassan, and Spotted Fever Group Rickettsiosis.

•             For years, the focus has mainly been about protecting ourselves from Lyme disease. But other tick-borne diseases are on the rise in Central Jersey. An increase of incidence of Babesia and Anaplasma are sidelining people too. These two pathogens are scary because they effect our blood cells. Babesia affects the red blood cells and Anaplasma effects the white blood cells.

•             Ticks can be infected with more than one pathogen. When you contract Lyme it is possible to contract more than just that one disease. This is called a co-infection. It is super important to pay attention to your symptoms. See link.

https://twp.freehold.nj.us/480/Disease-Co-Infection

A good resource from the State:

https://www.nj.gov/health/cd/topics/tickborne.shtml

 

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