Reduce, Reuse, Treecycle. Give experiences instead of stuff

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1 C i t y o f T a c o m a E P u b l i c W o r k s E E n v i r o n m e n t a l e r v i c e s Reduce, Reuse, Treecycle If you re a residential garbage customer, olid Waste Management will pick up your holiday tree for REE with your yard waste. Just make sure to: Remove all decorations (including tinsel) Take the tree out of the stand Cut into lengths no longer than three feet and bundle with twine Place on the curb next to your yard waste container We don t accept flocked trees or trees with decorations or stands. Dispose of flocked trees in the garbage or at the landfill. Trees from apartments and businesses may be brought to the Tacoma Landfill for free from Dec. 27 to Jan. 6. Apartment managers or landlords who collect tenants trees may drop them off all at once, free of charge. Please call 9- in advance. Tree-lot operators and nonprofit groups are charged for tree disposal. The Tacoma Landfill (0. Mullen t.) is open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. The landfill is closed Christmas Day and New Year s Day. Winter 200 Waste ree Holidays Give experiences instead of stuff Tacoma households typically throw away 2 percent more trash between Thanksgiving and New Year s Day. ood waste, shopping and gift bags, wrapping paper, product packaging, bows and ribbon unnecessarily use up valuable landfill space. How can you help reduce holiday waste? Give gifts of experiences instead of stuff through Waste ree Holidays, a program offering discounted tickets to many Tacoma and eattlearea attractions and events, such as museums, restaurants, the theater, sports games, concerts, zoos, massages, yoga and more. Tacoma is partnering with King County for Waste ree Holidays, providing more than 00 experience gift offers at discounts up to 0 percent on select tickets at participating organizations. Tickets must be purchased by Dec., but event dates extend into 200. Event dates and discounted offers vary. Waste ree Holidays tickets may be purchased only by contacting organizations directly. Check out more holiday waste reduction tips on page 7. Go to for a complete list of participants with discounted experience gift offers for: E Ballet/Dance E Restaurants E Museums/ E porting Events/ Visual Arts Recreation E Music E Theater E Rest and Relaxation o l i d W a s t e E W a s t e w a t e r E u r f a c e W a t e r E n h a n c i n g y o u r q u a l i t y o f l i f e

2 pruce up your home for the holidays The holidays often mean heavy traffic at home. Dazzle your friends, family and house guests with these earth-friendly, easyto-make cleaners. loor Cleaner and Polish Mix capful of baby oil into a half-bucket of water. Use a mop or cloth to polish vinyl or linoleum floor. Let the floor dry for about 0 minutes. You may need to use a dry cloth to wipe away the remaining water/ oil mixture. Carpet tain Remover Mix equal parts water and white vinegar in a spray bottle. pray on stain and let it sit for a few minutes. Dip the soft side of a sponge or a soft brush in warm soapy water and rub the stain firmly. Let the soap sit for a few minutes and then blot with plain warm water. All recipes tested by City staff; your results may vary. Test recipe on a small, out-of-the-way area before using on the entire floor. ee more earth-friendly recipes at greenercleaners. Take out your woods for winter practice at Tacoma irs Golf Center. The all-weather facility offers covered, heated and lit driving range stalls perfect for practicing your golf swing year-round. New gadgets on your holiday wish list? Don t trash your old technology. Recycle or donate yesterday s electronics. The golf center also features an 8-hole miniature golf course, natural-grass putting green and 0-yard short practice area. Tacoma irs Golf Center (0. Tyler t.) operates under a revenue-sharing agreement with the City. all and winter hours are 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. pecial offers and gift certificates available. ind more information at or B Electronics contain hazardous materials such as lead, mercury and cadmium, and they need to be handled properly to protect the environment. B Recycling the metals, plastics and glass in electronics conserves natural resources, saves energy and reduces or eliminates pollution created when these components are made from virgin materials. B Recycling creates jobs in our communities. Instead of throwing away your electronics, take them to recycling businesses or give them to charities. ind suggestions at electronicsrecycling.

3 If the sewers at your home or business are served by City of Tacoma Wastewater Management, you may be eligible to receive a special low-interest loan to help pay for up to 90 percent of the cost of sidesewer repair. Loans are also available for purchase of pollution control equipment at your business. or more information, call the Environmental ervices Conservation Loan Program, 9-88, or visit sewerloan. looding Tips During storms, the City s stormwater system may overload and low-lying areas may flood. If you live in a flood-prone area, follow these helpful tips: Keep the storm grates on your streets free of leaves and trash. The City needs your help maintaining more than 7,000 storm grates located on public streets. Use a rake, broom or blower to clear trash and leaves. Clogged storm drain basin? Call us! Under each storm drain grate is a basin that catches larger debris. ometimes the basin gets clogged and the area floods. Call us at 9-88 and we ll send a crew to fix it. Keep in mind our crews are extremely busy during storms, so notifying us of problems before the rains and flooding starts is helpful. Install a downspout extension or use splash blocks to direct water away from your foundation. A lot of pain and agony over water in your home could be avoided if rainwater is directed three to five feet away from the foundation by using inexpensive and easy-to-install materials from home improvement stores. or more information, visit flood or call 9-88.

4 The cost of your solid waste, wastewater and surface water services will rise in 200. If you re a typical residential customer*, the combined increase means you ll pay about $ more each month. That s just an average increase. Your actual bill may be higher or lower depending on your circumstances. With a little extra effort, there are ways you can save hundreds each year. Reduce your waste line Your solid waste rates are based on the size of your garbage can. The smaller the can, the less you pay. witching from a 90-gallon can to a 60-gallon can saves you more than $0 a year. Dropping from a 60 to a 0 saves more than $20 a year, and dropping from a 0 to a 20 saves nearly $80 a year. At the same time, request a larger recycling container there s no extra charge. Less water in, less water out The more fresh water that comes into your home, the more wastewater that goes out your sewer pipes. And, the more you use, the more you pay. In 200, wastewater rates for typical residential customers* will be $0.7 per month. If you want to lower your sewer bill, watch your water consumption during the most recent winter months**, since this is what your bill is based on. Also look out for leaks and other household changes in usage that may result in higher charges. Call us with questions. Wastewater/urface Water: , olid Waste: 9-. *A typical customer has a 0-gallon garbage can, lives on a 7,000-square-foot lot and uses 700 cubic feet of water from Tacoma Water each month. **Actual months vary depending on your account. Residents who haven t accumulated a full winter s worth of consumption, or residents who don t have Tacoma Water have their rates based on a citywide average Curbside garbage (per month) 20-gallon can... $ 8.0 $ 9. 0-gallon can... $ 2.20 $ gallon can... $.8 $ gallon can... $.8 $ 8.0 Landfill fees irst 00 lbs for City residents... $ $ 0 More than 00 lbs for City residents... $ 90/ton $ 2/ton irst 00 lbs for non-city residents... $ 90/ton $ 2/ton Wastewater charges (per month) Typical residential use... $ 0. $ 0.7 Based on 700 cubic feet of fresh water urface water charges (per month) Typical residential lot size of 7,000 square feet... $.9 $ 2.28 Environmental training makes a difference volunteer today Coordinating a creek monitoring program, writing a regular environmental magazine column and teaching your family and friends how to recycle are just a few ways volunteers are helping protect Tacoma s environment through the City s free resource conservation training program. Going into its fourth year, the Resource Conservation tewardship program, sponsored by City of Tacoma Environmental ervices, has graduated 2 people who have volunteered a combined,000 hours in teaching others about natural lawn care, home composting, waste reduction, water quality, recycling and household hazardous wastes. In exchange for 0 hours of free training, graduates promise to spend 0 hours of their time teaching others earth-friendly practices. ign up now for the next Resource Conservation tewardship class, beginning March, 200. The eightweek training includes evening classroom lectures and some aturday field trips. To apply*, visit envirosteward or call 7-2. Application deadline is eb. 22. *The program accepts enthusiastic volunteers 8 years or older. Volunteers must complete their 0 hours of volunteer work within the City of Tacoma limits.

5 When is my recycling day? Recycling and yard waste collection occurs every other week on your garbage day. Look at the map on the back that corresponds to your garbage day. If you live in a shaded area, your recycling will be picked up during the shaded weeks. If you live in an unshaded area, your recycling will be picked up during the unshaded weeks of the calendar. Please have all garbage, recycling and yard waste containers ready for pickup by 7 a.m. Holiday Collection chedule If your regular Your pickup day pickup day is... will be... Christmas Day 200 On schedule New Year s Day 200 On schedule ourth of July 200 Monday, July... Tuesday, July Tuesday, July... Wednesday, July 6 Wednesday, July 6... Thursday, July 7 Thursday, July 7... riday, July 8 riday, July 8... aturday, July 9 Thanksgiving 200 Thursday, Nov riday, Nov. 2 riday, Nov aturday, Nov. 26 Christmas Day 200 On schedule olid Waste Management 0. Mullen t. Tacoma, WA Administration 8 a.m- p.m., Monday-riday (closed all major City holidays) General Information Call-2-Haul Recycling Updates (2-hour recorded message only) Landfill ervices 8 a.m.-6 p.m., daily (closed p.m. Christmas Eve) Closed: New Year s Day, ourth of July, Thanksgiving, Christmas Day Household Hazardous Waste acility calehouse Please turn page for maps. My recycling week is: shaded unshaded Please check ( ) one. (Refer to maps to determine which weeks you recycle.) 200 Recycling and Yard Waste Calendar December 200 January ebruary April June August October December March May July eptember November Offices closed, landfill closed, no collection services. Offices closed, landfill open normal hours. ee Holiday Collection chedule at top left.

6 Mildred N. t. Park Ave. Pearl Ruston Tuesday Monday N. 9 t. Waterview The Narrows N. 26 t. (Recycling Divider) Huson tevens N. 6 t. N. 7 t. Madison N. 2 t. N. t. Orchard N. 2 t. N. t. Proctor. t. heridan. J t. Wednesday Park Ave.. t. McKinley Ave. E. 6 t. Commencement Bay Park Ave. Delin I- Pacific Ave. E. D t.. t. Port of Tacoma I- E. 2 McKinley Ave. E. L t. Puyallup Ave. East 6 t. Puyallup River Marine View Drive. 9 t. 72 t. Center t. Alaska heridan. 68 t. 72 t. (Recycling Divider) I-. 76 t. McKinley Ave.. 6 t. Thursday. t.. Tacoma Way Union Ave.. 8 t. teele R-6 Orchard Park Ave. I-. 9 t.. 6 t. (Recycling Divider) I- heridan MLK Way. t.. J t. ixth Ave. Center t. I- Pacific Way. Tacoma Dock t. I- McKinley Way 96th t. Huson Orchard tevens N. 2 t. N. t. N. 6 N. 7 Madison N. 2 N. N. 0 t. Proctor Proctor Washington Union riday Ruston Way N. N. N.8 N.9 Junett Cedar Alder 9th Junettth ixth Ave. (Recycling Divider) Residents living in this area have various garbage days. All have recycling pickup on the unshaded weeks. Carr McCarver G t. Yakima teele teele Grant R-6 tarr N. 28 Tacoma N. 2 N. I N. J N. 8 N.6 Borough N. 6 Ainsworth. 9 t. heridan N. chuster Parkway Division ixth Ave. MLK Way. t.. 80 t.. 72 t. I- Alaska heridan. 76 t.. 68 t.. 6 t.. t.. Tac. Way Union. 8 t. R-6 I-

7 Opening gifts usually means opening the garbage can as well. During the holiday season, parties, shopping and gift-giving add up to a lot of extra trash for our landfills. Here are tips for decreasing the amount of waste we produce: Gift wrapping Nationally, gift-giving and shopping bags produce million tons of trash. G Wrap in last year s wrapping paper, comics or old posters and maps G Use a reusable gift bag instead of buying gift wrap G ave bows, gift tags, ribbons, bags and boxes to use again next year G Use old holiday cards for gift tags G Reuse packing materials like peanuts and bubble wrap or drop them off at your nearest mailing specialty store for reuse General tips Packaging accounts for one-third of our waste stream about 72. million tons. G Buy products with less packaging G Give an experience gift such as tickets to a sporting event, museum or concert. Check out discounted gift offers at G Bring your own shopping bags instead of accepting paper or plastic bags at stores G end cards with recycled content or send e-cards to save paper Holiday recycling G Recycle your tree curbside from Dec. 27 to Jan. 6 G Recycle wrapping paper (no metallic or foil paper) 7 Congratulations to our last EnviroChallenge winners: Jeff Carlson, Paula Curtis, Bob Muntz, Tiffany Price, and Julie and Jordan Williams. They correctly named three of the many products that can be made from recycled cooking oil, such as pet food, poultry seed, soap, cosmetics, perfumes and more. Will you be cleaning out your house after the holidays? Or maybe making a New Year s resolution to get organized? Consider this issue s challenge: Name five items the City of Tacoma s Call-2-Haul program will collect curbside. your answer to envirotalk@cityoftacoma.org (no answers can be taken by phone). The first five Tacoma residents* to correctly answer the question will receive an Environmental ervices backpack/cooler. ind the answer at solidwaste. * Limit one winner per household, per calendar year. Corner Way to go Renton Gordon, Dustin Lowe, Tracey McGraw, Jake Roberts and Megan cheidt! They won our last EnviroKids Challenge by identifying several things you can make out of an old milk jug, such as a planter or a ball catcher. Here s the next challenge: Check out the EnviroKids Web site at and name one project you can make out of empty jars. The first five Tacoma kids* (ages -2) to correctly answer this question will win an awesome EnviroKids water bottle. your response to envirokids@cityoftacoma.org (no answers can be taken by phone). *Limit one winner per household, per calendar year.

8 thisissueissue in G Discounted experience gifts... page G Electronics recycling... page 2 G ewer repair loans... page G Rate increases... page G Holiday waste reduction tips... page 7 City of Tacoma Public Works Environmental ervices 77 Market treet, Room 20 Tacoma, Washington PRRT TD U.. POTAGE PAID TACOMA, WA PERMIT NO. 2 We welcome your feedback about EnviroTalk. Contact us by at envirotalk@cityoftacoma.org. PW a It s a common misperception that grease is too greasy to stick to your drain pipes. Wrong. Grease sticks to your pipes and builds up over time. Grease clogs cause nearly half the sewer backups in Tacoma. What can you do? Large amounts of cooking oil should be recycled and small amounts should go in the garbage. Lots of cooking oil Got lots of cooking oil left over from, say, deep-frying a turkey? Take it to Tacoma s Household Hazardous Waste acility. It s free! A little cooking oil If you have a couple of tablespoons of oil or grease leftover from your meals, collect those in a glass jar with a lid. When the jar is full, put the lid on and throw it in the garbage. The Household Hazardous Waste acility only accepts oil and grease from residential use, and it must be strained to remove large food particles. Oil and grease contaminated with toxic or hazardous material and/or stored in a container that held hazardous material will not be accepted. The facility, located at the Tacoma Landfill (0. Mullen t.) is open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. or more information, call 9-8 or visit