CARIBOU, Maine — The Nylander Museum will host a week of recycling events in April focusing on the three R’s: “reduce, reuse, and recycle.”
Nylander board of trustees member Travis Michaud said this is the first year the museum has hosted an event of this nature, and that it was inspired by “the fact that April 22, the Monday after our week-long event, is Earth Day.”
The spring recycling events will begin on Saturday, April 13, with a presentation from Aroostook Waste Solutions Director Mark Draper from 1 to 3 p.m. at the museum. Draper will explain how residents and businesses can easily recycle household products and materials they may have otherwise thrown in the trash. He will also discuss the colored igloos found in Caribou and nearby towns, and what materials are meant for which container in addition to explaining how to properly dispose of wood, electronics, tires, and appliances.
From there, the museum will be open 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday, April. 14, to Saturday, April 20 and feature a variety of R3-themed activities, such as planting marigolds in honor of Earth Day and creating a scarecrow out of recycled materials.
April 16 will feature a special event in which members of the community can make their own wind chime from recycled materials. All events throughout the week, according to officials at the museum, are intended for all ages, interests, and skill levels.
“The primary audience is intended to be school-aged children,” said Michaud, “but there are activities and information that could be appreciated by people of all ages,” such as Draper’s presentation.
Michaud said the board of trustees has been working hard to “organize and plan this programming as an opportunity for the community,” and that “a couple volunteers” are helping to organize the upcoming events.
“Some of the materials for the event have been donated from a local thrift store,” he said. “In addition, there are some materials that have been donated by a local greenhouse. The donations from both of these Caribou businesses is much appreciated.”
Anyone interested in learning more about R3 can email the museum at nylandermuseum@gmail.com or visit the organization’s Facebook page.
“One message we want to convey is that many things have more than one use,” Michaud said. “You don’t have to throw things out. Even if you don’t want to use it yourself, there might be someone else who could.”
