Q: As of Sept. 9, Queen Elizabeth II’s reign marked the longest reign in British history. What other monarchs have reigned longer?
—David Dickey, Decatur
A: At least 47 other monarchs throughout history reigned longer than Queen Elizabeth II, including Bhumibol Adulyadej, the current king of Thailand.
Queen Elizabeth II, who has reigned since 1952, surpassed Queen Victoria last week. Queen Victoria ruled from June 20, 1837 to Jan. 22, 1901, a span of 63 years and 216 days.
Adulyadej, also known as King Rama IX, is 87 years old and in the 69th year of his reign. Queen Elizabeth II is 89.
Sobhuza II of Swaziland is considered to have the longest reign in history, ruling the African country for more than 82 years (1899-1982).
He became king as a baby and died when he was 83.
Q: While discussing environmental issues and recycling in Atlanta with a group of college students, one of the students laughed and said it all goes into a landfill. What happens to Atlanta’s recyclables?
—Tom Pilsch, Atlanta
A: Atlanta sends recyclables to privately run transfer stations, John Weber with the mayor's office told Q&A on the News.
The materials are then shipped to different companies that buy the goods to remake into products.
The city diverts about 30 percent of waste from landfills and has a goal to increase that amount to 90 percent by 2020.
Metal lids and cans, glass, cardboard, paper, and plastics numbered 1 through 7 are accepted for curbside recycling pickup, while the Center for Hard to Recycle Materials (CHaRM) recycles items such as household hazardous waste and tires.
Andy Johnston with Fast Copy News Service wrote this column. Allison Floyd contributed. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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