Hilton Head Monthly Magazine

WARM REGARDS FROM MONTHLY'S MOST-DISTANT READER

Dear Monthly,
It’s Saturday morning — another cold day — and the view over Lake Thun does not bode well. It looks like an unfriendly winter day, a day to forget.

Filled with expectations, I go to the mailbox in search of an orange envelope I’ve impatiently been waiting for. Yes, there it is: Hilton Head Monthly’s March edition has finally arrived, and the day doesn’t look so bad any longer.

I sit down comfortably in the living room and begin to read the magazine. After a while I notice how my thoughts deviate. Suddenly I’m in the sunny, warm Lowcountry, and spring is in the air. I look at the sea in front of me, and the seagulls circling around a boat that plows its way through the waves. But before I get too carried away, I’m back in reality. I’m not in Hilton Head Island any longer, but in the Berne countryside in Switzerland.

My love for the Lowcountry has grown since I first visited in 2008, but unfortunately, as a non-American, I’m often painfully aware that Hilton Head Island and the Lowcountry are nearly unattainable. All I have is a dream.

But one thing is certain, I’m probably the most distant reader of Monthly!

HOW TO RECYCLE SMARTER

Dear Monthly,
Sure, recycling is good for the environment. It reduces the amount of material taken to the landfill. It saves energy. And, for most recycled materials, it costs less to recycle than to landfill, so it saves us tax dollars. But we could all do more.

The county has a contract for processing recycled materials that includes a 50/50 sharing of the proceeds. As the economy improves, this becomes significant. Citizens could help by recycling more often and recycling correctly. For example, mixed paper is exactly that. It is everything that is not cardboard, corrugated boxes or newspaper. It is all that junk mail we get — used envelopes, used computer paper, catalogues and brochures.

Another way to help is to avoid contaminating the recycle bins. Make sure you look at the bottom of the plastic container and recycle only those with a number 1 (PET) or number 2 (HDPE) in the triangle. Any plastic materials other than these two are contaminants. Please don’t throw filled plastic or paper bags in the bin. Empty them first.

If you have any questions about recycling, contact county recycling coordinator Carol Murphy at 843-255-2634 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .