Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Regular Recycling Schedule for the Holidays
Many times during the holidays our recycling schedule is affected, but not this year! So, this is my reminder for everyone to put your recycling cart out on your regular day by 6:30 a.m. the week of Christmas and New Years. Happy Holidays!
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Holiday Light Recycling
Do you have your strands of Christmas or holiday lights strung? Maybe you found that some of your old ones don't work. Well don't just put them in a pile for spare lights or throw them away...Recycle Them! Here is a link to find all of the free recycling drop off locations for unwanted holiday lights...
http://www.cleanenergyresourceteams.org/campaigns/ryh-11-12#map
The closest sites in Brooklyn Park are the Hennepin County Recycling Center at 8100 Jefferson Hwy and Cherokee Hardware. The closest site in New Hope is Frattallone's Hardware. Happy Recycling!
http://www.cleanenergyresourceteams.org/campaigns/ryh-11-12#map
The closest sites in Brooklyn Park are the Hennepin County Recycling Center at 8100 Jefferson Hwy and Cherokee Hardware. The closest site in New Hope is Frattallone's Hardware. Happy Recycling!
Monday, November 14, 2011
What happens to your recyclables?
Kare 11 did a nice video at the Waste Management recycling facility following recycleables. Here is a link to the video...
http://www.kare11.com/video/default.aspx?bctid=1267215425001
http://www.kare11.com/video/default.aspx?bctid=1267215425001
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Pumpkin Recycling
Now that Halloween is over, don't forget to give your pumpkin a second life...recycle them! Okay, it is not really recycling, it is composting, but you get the idea. Drop you pumpkins off from Nov. 1 - Nov. 7 at the Central Park parking lot across the street from the Operations & Maintenance shop at 8300 Noble Ave N. Please remove candles and have fun throwing the pumpkin in the dumpster!
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
#1 - #7 Plastic Recycling
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Public Input Wanted on Trash Collection in Brooklyn Park
On June 6, 2011, the Citizen Long-range Improvement Committee (CLIC) presented a recommendation to the City Council to hold a public hearing and pass a resolution of intent to organize the garbage collection system consistent with the goals outlined in their Solid Waste Collection system study which are to be a city, proactive and committed to being "Economically Green", improving the City's environment, while promoting a possible lower cost of service with high efficiency, adding more safety in our neighborhoods and conserving our streets.
The city council took the recommendation under consideration and asked staff to develop a community engagement plan to get more feedback from residents on the issue of organizing the garbage collection system.
Staff is planning three community cafe style public meetings, one in each voting district in the City. The meetings will be facilitated by members of CLIC, with staff assistance as needed. They will include an overview of organized garbage collection by staff from the MN Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) and insights from CLIC on their two year study of garbage collection and their recommendations. The rest of the cafe will be spent in roundtable discussions getting input from attendees on solid waste and recycling collection.
Community Cafe Schedule
August 8th from 7:00-8:30pm at Brooklyn Park Evangelical Free Church- 7849 West Broadway Brooklyn Park, MN 55445
August 11th from 7:00-8:30pm at Grace Fellowship- 8601 101st Ave Brooklyn Park, MN 55445
August 15th from 7:00-8:30pm at Discover Church- 1400 81st Ave N Brooklyn Park, MN 55444
All of the comments and findings from the cafes will be consolidated into a report and presented to the City Council targeted for August 29th or September 6th.
For more information contact me at dan.ruiz@brooklynpark.org Please come be part of the process!
The city council took the recommendation under consideration and asked staff to develop a community engagement plan to get more feedback from residents on the issue of organizing the garbage collection system.
Staff is planning three community cafe style public meetings, one in each voting district in the City. The meetings will be facilitated by members of CLIC, with staff assistance as needed. They will include an overview of organized garbage collection by staff from the MN Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) and insights from CLIC on their two year study of garbage collection and their recommendations. The rest of the cafe will be spent in roundtable discussions getting input from attendees on solid waste and recycling collection.
Community Cafe Schedule
August 8th from 7:00-8:30pm at Brooklyn Park Evangelical Free Church- 7849 West Broadway Brooklyn Park, MN 55445
August 11th from 7:00-8:30pm at Grace Fellowship- 8601 101st Ave Brooklyn Park, MN 55445
August 15th from 7:00-8:30pm at Discover Church- 1400 81st Ave N Brooklyn Park, MN 55444
All of the comments and findings from the cafes will be consolidated into a report and presented to the City Council targeted for August 29th or September 6th.
For more information contact me at dan.ruiz@brooklynpark.org Please come be part of the process!
Monday, May 23, 2011
Don't Fry Day
This sounds pretty "corny", but the message is a good one, The Friday before Memorial Day is “Don’t Fry Day,” a time to remind people at the start of summer about the dangers from exposure to the sun’s harmful rays. Melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer, is on the rise in America and is the most common cancer among young adults aged 25-29. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) SunWise program and the National Council on Skin Cancer Prevention have partnered to provide simple tips on protecting yourself that could save lives.
“Many people still do not realize that unprotected sun exposure can lead to skin cancer and other health problems,” said Gina McCarthy, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation. “Simple steps such as using sunscreen, putting on sunglasses or wearing a hat can protect us and our families, while still enjoying the great outdoors.”
One American dies from skin cancer every hour. It is the most common type of cancer in the United States, where skin cancer affects more than two million people each year, outnumbering the cases of breast, prostate, lung and colon cancers combined. One in five Americans will develop the disease in their lifetime. Over exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun is the main cause of skin cancer.
Although skin cancer risk factors are always present even during the winter, the dangers are greater during the summer months, when the days are longer and more people are outside for longer periods of time. As millions of Americans kick off the summer season this Memorial Day weekend by enjoying the great outdoors, EPA encourages families to learn about sun-safe practices and to reduce overexposure to UV.
For “Don’t Fry Day,” (May 27 this year), EPA encourages Americans to take these few, easy precautions when they are outside:
• “Slip, Slop, Slap, Wrap.” Slip on a shirt. Slop on SPF 15+ sunscreen. Slap on a hat, and wrap on sunglasses to protect your body from overexposure to the sun
• Seek shade. Find shade during the sun’s peak hours between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. to reduce the risk of too much sun exposure
• Check the UV Index. When planning outdoor activities check the UV Index to identify the times that pose the greatest risk for overexposure to the sun
“Many people still do not realize that unprotected sun exposure can lead to skin cancer and other health problems,” said Gina McCarthy, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation. “Simple steps such as using sunscreen, putting on sunglasses or wearing a hat can protect us and our families, while still enjoying the great outdoors.”
One American dies from skin cancer every hour. It is the most common type of cancer in the United States, where skin cancer affects more than two million people each year, outnumbering the cases of breast, prostate, lung and colon cancers combined. One in five Americans will develop the disease in their lifetime. Over exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun is the main cause of skin cancer.
Although skin cancer risk factors are always present even during the winter, the dangers are greater during the summer months, when the days are longer and more people are outside for longer periods of time. As millions of Americans kick off the summer season this Memorial Day weekend by enjoying the great outdoors, EPA encourages families to learn about sun-safe practices and to reduce overexposure to UV.
For “Don’t Fry Day,” (May 27 this year), EPA encourages Americans to take these few, easy precautions when they are outside:
• “Slip, Slop, Slap, Wrap.” Slip on a shirt. Slop on SPF 15+ sunscreen. Slap on a hat, and wrap on sunglasses to protect your body from overexposure to the sun
• Seek shade. Find shade during the sun’s peak hours between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. to reduce the risk of too much sun exposure
• Check the UV Index. When planning outdoor activities check the UV Index to identify the times that pose the greatest risk for overexposure to the sun
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Old Drugs
Time to raid the old medicine cabinet and get rid of old drugs, medicine, pharmeceuticals...whatever you call them. Hennepin County is hosting two free drop off events:
- Saturday April 30 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Brooklyn Center City Hall, 6301 Shingle Creek Pkwy
- Thursday, June 2 from 3 to 7 p.m., Richfield Ice Arena, 636 66th St. E, Richfield
Friday, February 25, 2011
A follower's follow up...Do I have to rinse?
One of my followers (that sounds weird to say) read an article about rinsing out recyclables and thought it was worth sharing. Here it is...
http://motherjones.com/blue-marble/2011/02/clean-food-containers-recycling
The article points out that it could be more wasteful to clean/rinse recyclables than the benefit of recycling it. I use a couple guidelines in my house when it comes to rinsing. One is the smell factor. I don’t want to leave food in a container that will cause my recycling cart to stink. Most of the time I give soup cans, etc. a quick rinse. The other factor is the economic factor. I will use a spatula to get the last bit of pasta sauce out of a jar…it turns out to be enough sauce for a kids portion of pasta. There is a reason that restaurants use spatulas to get every ounce of product out of cans. It effects their bottom line.
Take a somewhat hypothetical pasta jar example. If a jar of sauce costs $2.50 and has 10 servings in the jar, if you don’t use a spatula you may only get 9 servings and you are wasting 10% of the product or $0.25 per jar. My family goes through about 4 jars a month. If I wasted 10% of every jar it adds up to $12 per year and that is just pasta sauce, it doesn’t count peanut butter, mayo, etc.
With all that said, I agree with the article on clean recyclables and I agree that it is a waste to scrub containers clean with water and paper towels. What are your thoughts on this?
http://motherjones.com/blue-marble/2011/02/clean-food-containers-recycling
The article points out that it could be more wasteful to clean/rinse recyclables than the benefit of recycling it. I use a couple guidelines in my house when it comes to rinsing. One is the smell factor. I don’t want to leave food in a container that will cause my recycling cart to stink. Most of the time I give soup cans, etc. a quick rinse. The other factor is the economic factor. I will use a spatula to get the last bit of pasta sauce out of a jar…it turns out to be enough sauce for a kids portion of pasta. There is a reason that restaurants use spatulas to get every ounce of product out of cans. It effects their bottom line.
Take a somewhat hypothetical pasta jar example. If a jar of sauce costs $2.50 and has 10 servings in the jar, if you don’t use a spatula you may only get 9 servings and you are wasting 10% of the product or $0.25 per jar. My family goes through about 4 jars a month. If I wasted 10% of every jar it adds up to $12 per year and that is just pasta sauce, it doesn’t count peanut butter, mayo, etc.
With all that said, I agree with the article on clean recyclables and I agree that it is a waste to scrub containers clean with water and paper towels. What are your thoughts on this?
Monday, February 14, 2011
Reduce waste on Valentines Day
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Valentine's Day has a long history of romance and love, which has, in recent years, become centered on cards and gifts. Approximately 190 million valentines are sent each year in the United States (making Valentine’s Day the second most popular holiday for sending cards), and over 36 million heart-shaped boxes of chocolate are sold each year. It is also the top holiday for fresh flower purchases.
This year, consider putting a little more thought into your valentine’s gift. It will show your loved one that you care about him or her and that you care for our environment. Instead of the standard cards, flowers, and chocolates try:
• Buy a card that is made from recycled materials, or make one from materials you already have
• Consider sending an e-card to friends and family rather than a paper card
• Buy local, fair trade, organic chocolates—it will support the producers and cut down on waste used to transport or chemicals used in production
• Choose locally grown, organic flowers
• Make a donation to an organization close to your valentine’s heart
• Look for antique jewelry rather than buying new
• Plan a trip, concert or other experience that you could do together
• Walk to dinner at a local restaurant, or make dinner yourself using locally grown ingredients.
• Buy candles made with soy or beeswax, or make your own
However you decide to celebrate this Valentine’s Day, a little extra thought and personalization can keep your valentine and your environment happy. Thanks to my friends at http://www.rethinkrecycling.com/ for the tips. If you have any other tips, please share them!
Valentine's Day has a long history of romance and love, which has, in recent years, become centered on cards and gifts. Approximately 190 million valentines are sent each year in the United States (making Valentine’s Day the second most popular holiday for sending cards), and over 36 million heart-shaped boxes of chocolate are sold each year. It is also the top holiday for fresh flower purchases.
This year, consider putting a little more thought into your valentine’s gift. It will show your loved one that you care about him or her and that you care for our environment. Instead of the standard cards, flowers, and chocolates try:
• Buy a card that is made from recycled materials, or make one from materials you already have
• Consider sending an e-card to friends and family rather than a paper card
• Buy local, fair trade, organic chocolates—it will support the producers and cut down on waste used to transport or chemicals used in production
• Choose locally grown, organic flowers
• Make a donation to an organization close to your valentine’s heart
• Look for antique jewelry rather than buying new
• Plan a trip, concert or other experience that you could do together
• Walk to dinner at a local restaurant, or make dinner yourself using locally grown ingredients.
• Buy candles made with soy or beeswax, or make your own
However you decide to celebrate this Valentine’s Day, a little extra thought and personalization can keep your valentine and your environment happy. Thanks to my friends at http://www.rethinkrecycling.com/ for the tips. If you have any other tips, please share them!
Friday, February 11, 2011
Let your voice be heard
Want to help shape the future of recycling? Join your neighbors at one of Hennepin County's recycling forums. There will be discussion on improving recycling and hopefully some snacks. I'll have to check on the snacks before I RSVP to go. The closest one to us is March 8, from 6:00 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Crystal Community Center, 4800 Douglas Dr. N. Visit http://www.hennepin.us/recyclingfeedback for more information. They are asking you to RSVP at 612.348.4168, but I'm sure they will not turn you away if you just show up.
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