DEAR SUN SPOTS: Scrabble fans are invited to help raise money for Literacy Volunteers Androscoggin by playing their favorite board game. Letters for Literacy Scrabble Fest is Scrabble with a twist, with the competition featuring teams of two to four players collaborating over the same letter tray to try to outscore another multiperson team.
Participants can either form a team or register as an individual and be matched with a team that needs a player. Those who are serious about their Scrabble skills are encouraged to register in the Pro Division, while more relaxed players should choose the Social Category. Players collect pledges to benefit adult literacy services in Androscoggin County, and the top fundraisers have a wonderful array of prizes to choose from.
All proceeds raised by players are used to provide critically needed literacy services for adults in our community. Join us from 1 to 4:30 p.m. on April 30 at the High Street Congregational Church, 106 Pleasant St., Auburn, for an enjoyable afternoon of refreshments, prizes, and good-natured Scrabble competition.
Registration is required by April 24. For more information, call 207-753-6658, email scrabble@literacyvolunteersandro.org or see www.literacyvolunteersandro.org. — Tahlia, no town
ANSWER: This sounds like such a good time. I hope you have a big crowd on hand for this fundraiser and I want to thank you for such a well-written letter that includes all the details.
DEAR SUN SPOTS: Where can I recycle Styrofoam? There seems to be a lot of ways to recycle plastic, but what about all those trays for meat purchased at grocery stores? And what about the bags that bread comes in, etc.? It would be nice to not throw all that in the trash. — Ed, Greene
ANSWER: Readers have Earth Day on their minds now that spring is here. I like that you are being mindful of our poor abused Mother Earth and attempting to do your part.
Expanded polystyrene foam (EPS) is a hot button. It is one of the top contributors to environmental litter, is not biodegradable, is resistant to photo-oxidization and is difficult to recycle.
In Maine, polystyrene foam is not collected for recycling and must be treated as trash. The only way it can be recycled is for the consumer to find options to reuse it.
Since polystyrene is composed of petroleum, it has properties that make it technically recyclable, but EPS is also composed of more than 90% air, making it lightweight and bulky, so collection and transportation impacts of recycling it often outweigh the environmental benefits.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ National Toxicology Program has listed styrene, a chemical found in expanded polystyrene foam, as a reasonably anticipated human carcinogen that can be transferred from EPS foam containers into food and beverages.
Emergency legislation providing a temporary exemption for polystyrene foam packaging for meat, poultry, fish, seafood, and eggs was passed here in Maine in June 2021. This temporary exemption will be repealed July 1, 2025, allowing additional time for companies using polystyrene foam packaging for raw proteins such as meat, poultry, fish, seafood, and eggs to find alternative materials for their products.
In Tuesday’s Sun Spots, I will share ways you can reuse Styrofoam and all those plastic bags, too.
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