Recycle your boxes!

Now that Christmas is over, don't forget that all the boxes from your Christmas presents are recyclable. Stuff them in your cart or put them in a bundle next to your cart. The bundle must be less than 3 feet by 3 feet by 6 inches thick and taped or tied. I fold boxes down and use duct tape on each end of my bundles. Thanks for recycling!

Christmas Week Recycling Reminder

Christmas week is here and with all the hustle and bustle, sometimes it's tough to remember what day it is, much less when recycling day is. Fear not, I'm here to tell you that everyone has regular recycling this week except Brooklyn Park residents with Friday recycling collection. Your recycling collection will be delayed one day to Saturday this week.

One more thing, I was out in the snow chasing recycling trucks with our trusty communications coordinator, you can check out where we went at this link...just press play. http://www.brooklynpark.org/sitepages/pid675.php

Recycle Christmas Lights for Free at Snyders and the Hennepin County Recycling Center in Brooklyn Park!

I don't have the scoop on this news flash, but I want to help spread the word. You can recycle old Christmas/Holiday lights for free at participating Snyder Drug Stores through Jan. 10, 2010. The closest one is in New Hope at 2705 Winnetka Ave N. Snyders also gives you a coupon for $5 off a $20 purchase for bringing in old lights. You can also recycle Christmas lights in Brooklyn Park at the Hennepin County Recycling Center (8100 Jefferson Hwy.), through Jan. 10th as well. Other participants are WCCO and X-cel energy, but who knows how to get something to them? Not me.

I have to admit, I just through out 5 strands of old icicle lights last weekend. The good news is my trash day isn't until Thursday, the bad news is I have to dig to the bottom of my trash to get the lights out. Once I'm done digging, I'm off to Snyders!!!

America Recycles Day - Nov. 15

On Sunday (Nov. 15) we celebrate America Recycles Day. In my opinion it is a day to do two things. One, give yourself a pat on the back. Recycling has been a successful way to reduce trash and energy to make new things. Two, do more recycling! Did you know we recycle less than 50% of aluminum cans, glass and plastic bottles? Pledge to do more and don't forget to recycle your bottles and cans when you are on the go. It is not that tough to carry the empty can or bottle home and put it in your recycling cart. Recycling just 1 aluminum can saves enough electricity to run a TV or computer for 3 hours or a 60watt compact fluorescent light bulb for nearly a day! Did you ever leave a light on all day and think it was wasteful? Now you know one aluminum can in the trash is just as wasteful. I'm not trying to guilt you into recycling, just spreading the work that a little effort saves a huge amount of energy. Happy America Recycles Day!!!

Sustainability Roundtable

Better late than never...there is a community sustainability roundtable today at the Brookdale Library, 6125 Shingle Creek Pkwy, Brooklyn Center. A workshop for city staff is from 3 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., reception/networking from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. and a community workshop from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. The roundtable will discuss energy reduction initiatives, active living for better health, and much more. For more information visit the Alliance for Sustainability at www.afors.org

See you there!

A good cold day.

Temps in the 20's with snow and wind was not the best way to spend Saturday, Oct. 10th, but when you have 1,280 friends come to see you, I would call it a good cold day. We had a great turnout at our recycling drop off day, thanks to all who worked in the cold and thanks to all those that participated in a successful event. With that I concluded my spree of five Saturday clean up events from Sept. and Oct. that had me pretty worn down. This Saturday I think I'm going to sleep!

Drop off reminder, junk details

Please see my Sept. 30th post for information about our Special Material Drop-off event tomorrow, Oct. 10th.

Results are in from our curbside clean up in Brooklyn Park from Sept. 19th (we don't get the official results until we get the bill and now I have the bill). We recycled 960 appliances and 45 tons of scrap metal. We also collected 300 tons of bulky junk like couches, carpet, mattresses, etc. To put it another way we averaged 17 lbs. of scrap metal per household and 113 lbs. per household of bulky junk. Nice job Brooklyn Park residents!

And the winner is.....

The person who guessed 417 cans is 1st and the person who guessed 400 cans is 2nd. What am I talking about you may ask? I had a "block" of crushed aluminum cans at my recycling display this past Saturday at our Operations & Maintenance open house. The person guessing the closest wins a gift certificate to Girvan Grille, the next closest gets a free pizza from Godfathers. So how many cans were there? Exactly 427. Thanks to everyone who came to the open house and took a guess!

More stuff to get rid of...?

The curbside clean up continues in Crystal and New Hope this Saturday, Oct. 3rd. See www.hrg-recycling.com for more details. We are 2/3 done in Crystal and New Hope and completed the 2009 area in Brooklyn Park. So what have we seen? We saw participation from 60%-80% in different neighborhoods, we also saw many items that grew legs and jumped into the back of cars and trucks. Reuse is great, but if you notice a problem with scavenging, call 911.

One thing we didn't take at the curb was TV's and computers, but we will take them for free on Saturday, October 10th from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at 8300 Noble Ave N, which is the Brooklyn Park Operations & Maintenance Facility. Other free drop-off items include oil, oil filters, antifreeze, batteries, bicycles, scrap metal, and household donations for the Vietnam Vets of America. Car tires cost $1/tire for recycling, pickup truck tires cost $2/tire. Appliances cost $10/unit and air conditioners are $15/unit.

Free food, trucks and trash

I bet I can get you to say yes...and if you do, then you have to take part in one of these events. Do you like trucks? Do you have some junk to get rid of? Do you like free food? See, I knew you would say yes to at least one of them.

Junk, trash, recyclables...whatever you call it, if you have them, I'll help you get rid of them. On Sept. 19 we have a curbside clean up in Brooklyn Park. If you live both east of Noble Ave N and South of 85th Ave N put out your old couch, carpet, mattress, appliance, or scrap metal and we'll haul it away for free! This curbside clean up is also being done in Crystal and New Hope starting Sept. 19. Don't wait, get a hold of me at 763-493-8007 or e-mail me with questions at dan.ruiz@brooklynpark.org

Maybe Trucks and Free Food got you to say yes and if they did, you can't miss our 1st Annual Brooklyn Park Operations & Maintenance Facility Open House on Saturday, Oct. 3 from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at 8300 Noble Ave N. There are tours, free food, kids activities and plenty of trucks to see and climb into.

19 million TV's

I just read an interesting piece that said Americans will buy over 19 million televisions next year. Let me qualify that, 19 million 40" or larger televisions! Wow, I'm behind the times. My 25" TV is feeling pretty inadequate right now.

On a somewhat more serious note, being who I am, I thought about all those old TVs that may be destined for the basement, garage or recycling center. Remember, TVs can't go in the trash, but they can be recycled for free at the Hennepin County Recycling Center in Brooklyn Park.

I also thought about the power that those big boys suck from the outlet and so did the EPA, at least a little. Have you ever heard of Energy Star? If not, check it out (http://www.energystar.gov/tvspec ) Starting May 2010 large TVs that want the Energy Star label have new energy standards where they will have to use 50% less energy than old TVs.

Made in Minnesota

This post is long overdue...I get many phone calls from people wondering what happens to their recyclables when they are collected. Thankfully, they are made into new products right here in Minnesota! I borrowed some information from our friends at Anoka County on this list, but here is a sample of what some recyclables are made into and where they are made:

Glass Bottles - goes to Anchor Glass in Shakopee to be made into new glass bottles and jars.
Newspaper - goes to Rock-Tenn in St. Paul to be made into cardboard liner board.
Cardboard - goes to Liberty Paper in Becker to be made into cardboard boxes and paper bags.
Metal Cans - goes to Gerdau Ameristeel in St. Paul to be made into rebar for construction.
Plastic Bottles - goes to Master Mark Plastics in Paynesville to be made into plastic lawn, garden and building supplies.

So, there you have it, your recyclables are at work here in Minnesota!

Cardboard

It's not glamorous and if you have a bunch of it, it is a pain to get rid of it. On trash day there is quite a bit of it out there. What is it?...Cardboard. Many things we buy come in cardboard boxes, but overall we don't do a very good job recycling cardboard. Is it because the box is too big? Do we forget? Don't we care? Well, we try to make it as easy as possible to recycle cardboard - just put it in your recycling cart. If it doesn't, fold/cut it down into a bundle 3 foot by 3 foot by 6 inches thick and tape/tie the bundle and place it next to your recycling cart. We'll take as much as you have!

Remember, you have to put it out on trash day anyway, but how about putting it in the recycling cart instead of the garbage?

Happy 4th of July

Wow, I can't believe it has been over a month since my last post. Last night at a family function I told a few people about the blog and it lit a fire beneath me to get back in the blog saddle. Speaking of fire, I hope everyone gets out and enjoys some fireworks this weekend and who knows, maybe you'll have a beverage or two watching the show. I challenge you to try something new with your empty beverages - take them home with you and recycle them. Then go a step further. The next time you buy a beverage on the go, don't drink it and throw it away in the first trash can you see, take it home with you and recycle it too.

Did you know that in 2007 only 24.6% of plastic bottles were recycled in the U.S.? That means we throw away 3 out of 4. Aluminum cans are better, but only 53.8% are recycled, which means we throw away 1 out of 2 cans. I think most people think we are doing a good job recycling, but away from home, too many things get thrown away. Yes, I know we need to get more recycling containers in more places. I'll work on that, and maybe you can bring a can or bottle home with you too.

Have a Happy 4th of July weekend!

Summer energy saving tips

It doesn't feel like summer in MN yet, but I'm an eternal optimist and when it warms up get ready for high summer energy prices once again. They say the average home spends over $2,200 per year on energy. Here are a few energy saving tips to cut down expenses (courtesy of EPA):

• Set your programmable thermostat to save while you are away or asleep. Using it properly can save up to $180 per year in energy costs.
• Run ceiling fans in a clockwise direction to create a wind-chill effect that will make you “feel” cooler. Remember that ceiling fans cool people, not rooms -- so turn them off when you leave the room.
• Inspect your duct system for obvious signs of leaks and disconnections (most houses leak 20 percent or more). Seal any leaks with foil tape or a special sealant called “duct mastic.” Also consider insulating ducts in unconditioned areas (like the attic, basement or crawlspace).
• Seal air leaks around your home to keep the heat out and the cool air in. The biggest air leaks are usually found in the attic or basement, but also come in around doors, windows, vents, pipes and electrical outlets. Use caulk, spray foam or weather stripping to seal the leaks. And add more insulation to keep your home cooler this summer.
• Maintain your cooling system. Check your system’s air filter every month at a minimum and change the filter every 3 months. Remove leaves, dirt and other debris from around the outdoor components to improve air flow and efficiency. Have a qualified professional tune-up your system with a pre-season maintenance checkup and, if it’s time to replace your old system, look for models that have earned EPA’s Energy Star.
• Turn off office lights and equipment when not in use so they don’t generate unnecessary heat.
• Replace incandescent light bulbs in your desk lamp with Energy Star qualified compact fluorescent light bulbs which use two-thirds less energy and generate less heat than conventional bulbs.
  

More tips on to how to save energy at home: http://www.energystar.gov

More tips on how to save energy at work: http://www.energystar.gov/bizcooling

More hot tips for a cool summer: http://www.epa.gov/epahome/hi-summer.htm

Recycling, Running and Rain

Most everyone has heard of the 3 R's, right? Rain, Running, and Recycling. If you are in a spring softball league these 3 R's are more prevelent than Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Last night at Noble Sports Park I personally witnessed the first set of 3 R's, it was raining, our team was running and the recycling carts are back at the park!

So don't forget, when you're at the softball fields or on the go, don't throw away that bottle or can, look for a recycling cart! It's just 1 can you say, well recycling 1 aluminum can saves enough energy to power a television for 3 hours!

Results from Spring Recycling Day

This past Saturday we had our Spring Special Material Drop-Off. We set a new record for one of our events with 1,692 vehicles brought in t.v.'s, computers, appliances, etc for recycling. That's serving over 4 vehicles per minute. We received 110,000 lbs. of electronics, 500+ appliances, 1,400+ gallons of oil. Great job to the people who brought things in for recycling and great job to the workers that made things go smoothly!

Happy Earth Day

What can I say, it is the day that started it all. Do something good today, something for you, something for someone else, something for mother earth. Do a little thing that makes a difference. Drive the speed limit (this can be an eye opening experience for some), walk that extra few feet and put that paper in the recycling bin, park in the back of the parking lot and walk a few more extra steps. Turn out the lights when you're not in a room. These little things can make a big difference! Happy Earth Day!

National Cell Phone Recycling Week

I don't think there are any unclaimed weeks or months left anymore, you know, real exciting things like National Estate Planning Week (Sept. 20-26 last year), or national fitness month (May). Personally, I'm looking for a National Napping Day. What? Wait...it really does exist? (National Napping Day was March 9th) I missed it!

Anyway, my plug is for National Cell Phone Recycling Week, which is next week April 6-12. I don't want to spoil the exciting details, so you can see the details at the link above.

I wonder if there is a National Blogging Day?...Why do I even question it's existence, Google says it exists.

Recycle Bottle Caps

Did you know that most bottle caps that go in the recycling bin do not get recycled? I know, shouldn't all plastic that goes into a recycling cart be recycled? In a perfect world, yes, in the real world there are more types of plastics than are current recycling equipment can handle.

So how can you recycle your bottle caps? Bring them to Aveda, a local beauty salon and salon product manufacturer. They accept all sorts of bottle caps from water bottles, milk bottles, laundry bottles and the list goes on. Aveda stores are in Blaine, Bloomington, Minneapolis, and Edina.

They also have a program for kids to get a cap recycling program at their schools. Kids bring in the caps from home, they fill up a box at school and Aveda pays for the shipping and recycling. Visit http://aveda.aveda.com/aboutaveda/caps.asp for more information on the caps they accept and how to start a program at a school.

Earth Hour

Have you ever heard of Earth Hour? Me either until about 10 minutes ago. Well someone, somewhere (Sydney, Australia to be exact) came up with the idea in 2007 for everyone to turn off their lights for one hour to "vote" for elected officials to take action on climate change. This year you can "vote" by turning off your lights on March 28th at 8:30 p.m. for one hour. There is more information and a sign up to have your vote counted at http://www.earthhour.org/

So, if you choose to participate with over 1 billion people worldwide, go for a walk, go to bed early or do something fun by candlelight!

Driving Gizmos and Gadgets

In my exciting line of work I read popular magazines like Resource Recycling, MSW Management, Waste News, etc. Okay, they don't compare in circulation to People or the National Enquirer, but they do highlight some interesting gizmos and gadgets.

Today I read about a driving device that monitors your driving expense in real-time. It shows how much your trip costs and your cost per day on fuel. Anyone with elementary school math could figure these costs out with a simple calculation or two, but as Americans we like gadgets that talk to us immediately. Here is a link: http://www.fuelefficiencycenters.com/fuel_efficiency_adviser.php

If you get one of these gadgets, let us all know if it works and if you changed your driving habits to save some dough!

Free T.V./Computer Recycling - Sat. Apr. 25th

Come join me and 1,400 of your neighbors at our T.V. and computer recycling drop-off event Saturday, April 25th, 2009 from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00p.m. at the Brooklyn Park Operations & Maintenance facility, 8300 Noble Ave N. Did I mention it is free for residents of Brooklyn Park, Brooklyn Center, Crystal and New Hope? Try and find anything free nowadays! We recycle many other things for free such as cell phones, radios, monitors, oil, oil filters, antifreeze, bicycles, scrap metal, and vehicle/household batteries.

We also recycle appliances for less than anywhere in town. Appliances are $10/unit and air conditioners are$15/unit. Car tires cost $1/tire and pickup truck tires are $2/unit and up depending on if you're bringing in tires from the farm tractor for recycling. A more comprehensive list of acceptable items is on our website. See you in April!

Top ten reasons your recycling wasn't picked up?

10. The recycling cart was not set out before the truck went by (should be out by 6:30 a.m.)

9. The recycling cart grew arms and rolled itself to Florida for the winter.

8. The cart had unacceptable items in it such as clothes, leaves, wood, t.v.'s, or an album of
Bing Crosby's greatest hits (the cover would have been okay).

7. The cart had aspirations to be a magician and perfected the disappearing act (please contact us for another cart).

6. It was out on the wrong day, recycling is only collected once every other week.

5. It was your significant other's turn to take out the recycling (they may have told you they did it, but they really forgot)

4. One of six holidays (New Years Day, Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas) fell somewhere between Monday and Friday and pushed back your collection by one day

3. Oops!

2. The cart was pulled in before the truck made it through the route (the truck broke down and by the time it was fixed they barely finished the route by 6:30 p.m. to avoid getting fined by the city.

1. Gremlins, they still exist, and they attacked the driver and stole the truck right before they got to your street.

Superbowl Boosts Recycling

100 million people (give or take a few) and I watched the Superbowl last night. If they were like me they helped boost recycling with the number of cans and bottles collected for recycling this week. Let's do the math together. To simplify my experiment, say everyone consumes an extra 2 cans of their preferred beverage, which is a conservative estimate for many people that watch the game. Yes, some live it up a bit more with bottled beverages and wine, but let's talk aluminum cans.

100,000,000 people * 2 extra cans/person = 200,000,000 cans. "WikiAnswers" says about 28 empty cans equals a pound. 200,000,000 cans divided by 28 cans/lb. gives us 7.14 million pounds of extra recyclable cans from the Superbowl. Converted to money, at $0.60/lb. that's over $4.28 million dollars in aluminum! Wow, the Superbowl really does boost recycling!

What's your impact?

In my tangled "green" network I received a link to an interesting website. It has many environmental and home improvement tips, and a calculator that measures your environmental impact. If you would like to try it go to http://www.lowimpactliving.com and click on the "Impact" tab. I gave it a try and found out that I'm about "average" (it hurts to be reminded how average I am). Anyway, I'm taking that as a challenge and plan to use a few of the website tips to save energy such as using power strips to shut off electronics (T.V., stereo, etc.) that use energy even when they are turned off, and try some water conservation tips. In the grand scheme of things I'm not too concerned about my score (by the way it was 104), but I'm looking to improve it. Give it a try and let me know what your score is!!!

2009 Calendars

Is it me or have you noticed the lack of 2009 calendars this year? The economy has cut back on businesses sending me the usual 5 or 6 calendars that I used to get. This is not a bad thing, though, cheers to waste reduction! If you are looking for a 2009 calendar, you should have received one from me.

Our 2009 Brooklyn Park Recycling Calendar was mailed to all residents at the end of December. Residents of Brooklyn Center, Crystal, and New Hope also were sent the 2009 HRG Recycling Calendar. They were redesigned to color coordinate the recycling collection map with recycling collection days. For example, if you live in southwestern Brooklyn Park your recycling day is every other Monday and it is highlighted in orange to match the orange recycling zone on the map. If you live in the southwest part of Crystal/New Hope your recycling day is every other Tuesday and it is highlighted in yellow to match the yellow recycling zone on the map.

If you did not receive the calendar and want one sent to you, please give us a call at 763-493-8007 and we can mail one out. If you are still looking for a "regular" 2009 calendar, try Fleet Farm.