Mercury Matters. garbage collectors. ... to Tacoma residents and the environment. Holidays. haul-idays. are often. for. Thermometer Exchange

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1 City of Tacoma E Public Works E Environmental Services Winter 2002 Holidays are often haul-idays for garbage collectors In December, you can hear holiday music just about everywhere you go Twelve Days of Recycling, Reuse the Red-Nosed Reindeer, and Away in the Landfill. Okay, those aren t typical holiday songs, but it s time to sing a different tune since the holiday season produces massive amounts of waste. Gift wrap, boxes, packaging, and old electronics overflow garbage bins and add to our already overflowing landfills. Did you know Americans throw away more than 38,000 miles of ribbon each year? That s enough to tie a bow around the Earth! Here are some helpful tips to reduce your holiday waste: q Reuse wrapping paper, gift bags, gift boxes and bows. q Recycle unwanted boxes and torn or dirty wrapping paper (metallic and foil wrapping is not recyclable). q Recycle your tree. q Recycle packing peanuts at a mailing service store. q Give away unwanted toys, gifts and working electronics. Visit solidwaste for ways to recycle non-working electronics.... to Tacoma residents and the environment Cold, dark winter months mean turning up your thermostat, gauging feverish temperatures with your thermometer and leaving your lights on longer. So, what s the matter with that? Unfortunately, these highlyused items can contain mercury, a toxic metal that can cause health problems and harm the environment. Why should you care about mercury? How is it harmful? What can you do? Answers to these questions and more will be addressed through Environmental Services Mercury Matters campaign, aimed to educate residents, dentists, businesses and schools about mercury pollution, alternative products and safe disposal. Proper disposal To properly dispose of household items that contain mercury, bring them free of charge to the City of Tacoma s Household Hazardous Waste Facility, located at the Landfill (3510 S. Mullen St.), open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., seven days a week. If you have disposal questions, call continued on page 4 Mercury Matters Thermometer Exchange Hold on to your silver-bulb thermometers until these events, where every family to bring in a mercury thermometer will receive an electronic model for free. E Tacoma Dome Home Show Jan. 29-Feb. 2 Environmental Services booth E Participating retailers in Tacoma/Pierce County throughout the month of February. Watch your mailbox and visit mercurymatters for updated information about upcoming events, or call Solid Waste E Wastewater E Surface Water Enhancing your quality of life

2 Just say no to leaky cars Leaking oil falls from your car to the street a drop here, a drop there. C mon, how bad is that, really? Pretty bad. Rain washes the oil into storm drains where it flows untreated and undiluted into our waterways. One pint of oil can cause a slick the size of two football fields. And, it s estimated that more than two million gallons of used motor oil (enough to fill a mediumsized tanker) ends up in Puget Sound each year some of that comes from oil dribbled onto Tacoma s streets and parking lots. Got a spill? Spread cat litter on the oil and let it soak in. Sweep up the litter, put it in a plastic bag and place it in your garbage container. If you regularly change your car s oil at home, you can purchase absorbent pads for a nominal fee from auto supply stores. When you re done, place the used pads in your garbage container and then recycle the oil at the Household Hazardous Waste Facility, located at the Tacoma Landfill. Is your home green? We aren t talking about the paint color, but rather your home s earth-friendliness. Making your house an earth-friendly place is so easy that your children can do most of the work. Life is often too busy to worry about the little things, but these few key assessments can add up to savings for you while helping Tacoma s environment. Household hazardous waste Assessment Check under your sink. Common cleaners sold at the grocery store can be hazardous for your family, your pets and Tacoma s environment. Your cleaners are hazardous if the labels read: Caution, Warning, Danger, Poison, Harmful, Fatal, and Keep Out of Reach of Children. If you find harmful cleaners, don t throw them in the garbage or pour them down the sink. Instead, use them according to label directions and purchase safer cleaners next time. Consider using cleaners that say non-toxic or safe, or make your own cleaners out of such common ingredients as baking soda and lemon juice. See our website for earth-friendly cleaner recipes: Trash assessment Check in your garbage. Are you throwing away things that could be recycled? With a family of four, it s hard to keep track of what s going in the garbage. Have a house meeting and show everyone what goes in your big blue container. By decreasing the amount that goes in your garbage can, you could get a smaller container and save money on your garbage bill and save landfill space. Water assessment Your wastewater charges are directly related to how much fresh water you use. Check your sinks, tubs and toilets for leaks. Try using a low-flow showerhead or low-flush toilet. You ll be surprised how much water you can save by simply shutting the water off when brushing your teeth. These are just a few assessments that can be done in your home. Remember that it only takes a few minutes and every little bit counts. 2

3 Tacoma schools ḇecoming Enviro Cool Tacoma elementary students are going the extra mile to reduce the waste produced and the energy used at their schools. The City of Tacoma EnviroChallenger Program has introduced Green Teams, a new lesson where a classroom of kids ranging from 3 rd to 5 th grade complete a school waste assessment. The students are trained to teach other students about recycling. They make recycling bins out of recycled materials. And they oversee the waste reduction effort in their school. Areas such as the classroom and lunchroom produce the majority of school waste. Sue Keene s 5 th -grade class at Arlington Elementary was the first Green Team in the Tacoma School District. At the end of every school day, Keene goes through the garbage and the class tells her if the items should have been put into the recycle bin. After this, there is hardly anything left in the garbage. The kids really seem to enjoy it, Keene says of her 22 students. They are more conscientious about what they put into the garbage can. Especially if it could have been recycled and it has their name on it. Other schools to implement the Green Team program are Seabury and Whitman, with hopefully more following their lead. So, if your child is telling you about the new Green Team at school, it s not a club for green people, but rather a team of kids dedicated to making a difference in their schools and the environment. Rates inch up, but there are still ways to lower your bill The cost of your wastewater, surface water and solid waste services are inching up slightly in If you re a typical residential customer*, the combined increase means you ll pay about $3.34 more per month next year. That s just an average increase. Your actual bill may be higher or lower. With a little extra effort, there are ways you can save. Drop-a-size For example, switch from a 90- gallon garbage can to a 60-gallon can and save $ a year. Drop from a 60-gallon to a 30-gallon and save $ a year. Go from a 30-gallon to a 20-gallon and save $67.80 a year. At the same time, request a larger recycling bin and additional yard waste container there s no extra fee. Conserve water Residential wastewater charges** are based on the average of just four months of water consumption during the winter, which is a six-month period from October to March. Which four months your bill covers depends on your meter reading dates. If you want to lower your sewer bill, watch your water consumption this winter, and also look out for leaks and other household changes in usage that may result in higher charges. Call us with questions. Wastewater/Surface Water: , Solid Waste: *A typical customer has a 30-gallon garbage can, lives on a 7,000-square-foot lot and uses 800 cubic feet of fresh water from Tacoma Water each month. **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. 3

4 Did you get that new computer or DVD player you wanted for the holidays? The holidays are often a time of out with the old, in with the new, but don t throw those old electronics in the garbage. Instead, donate your useable electronics to friends, a local charity or school. If you have broken electronics that can t be donated, don t throw them away, recycle them instead. Many electronics contain hazardous chemicals that can leak into our landfill and cause damage. See our website for ways to recycle non-working electronics: Dead batteries go in the recycle bin Did you know you re not supposed to throw away dead batteries in your garbage can? Dead batteries may be all out of juice, but they still contain harmful chemicals that can hurt our environment. Put your batteries in a sealable plastic bag and place them in your small glass recycling bin to go out on your recycling day. After the batteries leave your curb, the City s hazardous waste facility removes the hazardous materials and sends them back to the manufacturer, where they are reused. Instead of buying disposable batteries and creating waste, consider getting rechargeable batteries they last longer and are better for the environment. Mercury Matters (continued from page 1) Here s how to take Mercury Matters into your own hands around your home: Products containing mercury Mercury-free alternatives Silver bulb thermometers... Red bulb (alcohol) and digital models Mechanical thermostats... Digital models Button batteries from watches,... None at this time. Recycle batteries cameras, thermometers, etc. curbside by sealing in a plastic bag and placing in your glass bin. Fluorescent light bulbs... None. Energy-efficient lighting is still a ( curly energy-saving bulbs good economic and environmental choice and long tubes) as long as bulbs are properly recycled. Dental amalgam... Ask your dentist about mercury-free fillings for your teeth alternatives. 7 am Remember: Set out your garbage and recycling by 7 a.m. on your collection day. To keep your neighborhood looking neat, remember to take your containers back in after we have emptied them. 4

5 Y S. J St. When is my recycling day? Mildred Park Ave. MOnday Tuesday N. 51 St. Pearl Ruston N. 49 St. Waterview Stevens N. 46 St. N. 37 St. Commencement Bay The Narrows N. 26 St. (Recycling Divider) Huson Madison Proctor N. 32 St. N. 31 St. Pacific Ave. E. D St. Port of Tacoma E. 23 E. L St. Puyallup Ave. Puyallup River Marine View Drive N. 21 St. N. 13 St. Delin 5 72 St. Alaska S. 15 St. Center St. S. 76 St. 96th St. S. 68 St. Park Ave. Please turn page for calendar. S. 19 St. Wednesday S. 43 St. McKinley Ave. 72 St. (Recycling Divider) McKinley Ave. Orchard E. 56 St. Park Ave. S. 43 St. McKinley Ave. East 56 St. QuestiOns? General Information Recycling Updates (24-hour recorded message only) Household Hazardous Waste Call-2-Haul Scalehouse Website: solidwaste@cityoftacoma.org All recycling and yard waste containers should be placed at your designated area by 7 a.m. on your pick up day. Call if you don t know where to put your container. You can visit the City of Tacoma s Landfill, Recycling Center and Household Hazardous Waste Facility at 3510 S. Mullen St. Facilities are open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day of the year except New Year s Day, Fourth of July, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Solid Waste Management s office hours are from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Thursday and Friday

6 Thursday Steele SR-16 S. 19 St. MLK Way S. 15 St. Sixth Ave. S. J St. Center St. Pacific S. Tacoma Way Dock St. McKinley Way Recycling and yard waste collection occurs every other week on your garbage day. Look at the map of your garbage day. Determine if you live in the shaded or unshaded area. If you live in the shaded area, we will pick up your recycling on the shaded weeks of the calendar. If you live in the unshaded area, we will pick up your recycling on the unshaded weeks of the calendar. My recycling week is: shaded unshaded Please check ( ) one. (Refer to maps to determine which weeks you recycle.) Orchard S. 36 St. Orchard S. 35 St. Huson S. Tacoma Way N. 13 St. Junett15th Sixth Ave. (Recycling Divider) S. 36 St. Union Ave. Stevens N. 21 St. N. 46 N. 37 Madison Proctor N. 32 N. 31 N. 30 St. Proctor S. 35 St. S. Tac. Way S. 38 St. S. 80 St. Union Washington Union N.15 N.13 Ruston Way N.18 N.9 Junett Cedar Alder S. 56 St. (Recycling Divider) S. 38 St. S. 72 St. 19th Steele Alaska Carr McCarver Starr G St. Yakima Steele Grant SR-16 SR-16 S. 76 St. N. 28 Tacoma N. 12 N. I N. J N. 8 S. 19 St. N.6 Borough Ainsworth Friday Residents living in this area have various garbage days. All have recycling pickup on the unshaded weeks. N. 6 MLK Way Park Ave. S. 68 St. N. 1 Schuster Parkway Division Sixth Ave. S. 15 St. January S M T W T F S February March April May June July S M T W T F S August September October November December Garbage, recycling and yard waste collection is one day late, due to the holiday.

7 Has eating turkey and ham with your fine silver got it looking a little dull? Well, before you use a hazardous cleaner to polish your best silver, listen to some advice from Bruno, the City s EnviroChallenger coordinator. He recommends you use an envirofriendly polish made from common household ingredients. Here s how Bruno makes it: Fill a container with 1 qt. warm water; add 1 tbsp. baking soda, a piece of aluminum foil and 1 tbsp. of salt. Immerse the silver in the solution until you see the tarnish disappear. After soaking, rinse and dry. For larger silver items, double or triple the recipe. The enviro-friendly polish will pull the tarnish off the silver and attach it to the aluminum foil. If your silver is extra tarnished, the solution may smell slightly like rotten eggs. If the foil gets dark, replace it with a new piece. Polish your silver the safe and non-toxic way before storing it away for the year. See other earth-friendly recipes on our website, solidwaste. Sign up for free environmental training Studies show people are more likely to change their behavior after direct contact with someone they know and trust, rather than hearing or reading about different ways of doing things. The City of Tacoma s Resource Conservation Stewardship Program capitalizes on this communitybased concept. For the second year, the program is offering free training in early spring to volunteers who will teach others about resource conservation and waste reduction. In exchange for 40 hours of free training in such topics as natural lawn care, home composting, waste reduction, recycling and household hazardous waste, graduates promise to spend 40 hours of their time teaching others those earth-friendly practices. Funded by the City s Environmental Services division and Tacoma Water, the program accepts enthusiastic volunteers 18 years or older. Volunteers must complete their 40 hours of volunteer work within Tacoma city limits. Periodically check our website, for updates on the upcoming training schedule or for general program information. Or, contact Recycling Supervisor Bill Smith, , or bsmith@cityoftacoma.org. Tacoma residents wasted no time sending in the correct answer to the Fall EnviroChallenge question. Answer: There are more than 500 miles of wastewater pipe in the City of Tacoma. Now for the new question: The EnviroChallenger program teaches eight lessons in Tacoma elementary schools list all eight lessons and describe briefly the focus of each lesson. Be one of the first five Tacoma residents to us at envirotalk@cityoftacoma.org with the correct answer to this issue s EnviroChallenge question and you will receive an Environmental Services fleece blanket, a must for our Northwest winter. 7

8 thisissueissue in G Make mercury matter... page 1 G How green is your home?... page 2 G New service rates... page 3 G Recycle your batteries... page 4 G Free training... page 7 Recycling Schedule and Calendar Stickers inside! City of Tacoma Public Works Environmental Services 747 Market Street, Room 420 Tacoma, Washington PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID TACOMA, WA PERMIT NO. 2 We welcome your feedback about EnviroTalk. Contact us by at envirotalk@cityoftacoma.org. zzzzzz PWK (11/02) a Wondering what to do with your Christmas tree after the holidays? Branch out andtree cycle Environmental Services will take it away for you free. If you re a residential garbage customer, we ll pick your tree up, along with your recycling and yard waste. All you need to do is: E Remove all trimmings E Take the tree out of the stand E Cut into lengths no longer than three feet and bundle with heavy twine E Place on the curb next to your yard waste container We do not accept flocked trees, because they can t be recycled. They must go in the garbage. If you want to dispose of a tree from an apartment, business or Pierce County home, you can bring your tree to the City of Tacoma Landfill until Jan. 20. We won t accept flocked trees or trees with decorations or a stand. The landfill is at 3510 South Mullen St. Please note that the landfill is closed New Year s Day. Apartment managers or owners who collect residents trees may drop them off all at once. Please call in advance.

Reduce, Reuse, Treecycle. Give experiences instead of stuff

Reduce, Reuse, Treecycle. Give experiences instead of stuff 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