Pierce County Celebrates 25 Years of Curbside Commitment

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Earth Matters April 2015 E N V I R O N M E N T A L N E W S F R O M P I E R

RECYCLING THE RIGHT THINGS THE RIGHT WAY Curbside recycling began in 1990.

5 billion pounds (750,000 tons) of material.

you. And because you and your neighbors make the commitment to recycle

That means the majority of the material collected is actually recycled into

MILESTONES: PAST AND PRESENT Pierce County was the first in Washington to

Customers separated glass, newspaper and metal cans into three bins.

Glass doesn t belong in your curbside cart, but there are 30+ dropoff sites

It s impressive that so much has been diverted from the landfill.

The quality of the recycling is high because our residents put the right

PIERCE COUNTY EXECUTIVE PAT MCCARTHY Our curbside program has grown

the types of plastic containers collected including plastic jars, tubs and

Your primary motivations center around the environment and a desire to

RECYCLE THE RIGHT THINGS, REDUCE THE REST For 25 years, Pierce County

But the reality is that recycling (and composting) will only get us so far

Although we can move more recyclables from the garbage can to the recycling

1 Earth Matters April 2015 E N V I R O N M E N T A L N E W S F R O M P I E R C E C O U N T Y Pierce County Celebrates 25 Years of Curbside Commitment RECYCLING THE RIGHT THINGS THE RIGHT WAY Curbside recycling began in Since then single family households have recycled about 1.5 billion pounds (750,000 tons) of material. Thank you for participating we wouldn t have a successful program without you. And because you and your neighbors make the commitment to recycle correctly, we see very little contamination. That means the majority of the material collected is actually recycled into something else. MILESTONES: PAST AND PRESENT Pierce County was the first in Washington to offer a countywide curbside recycling program. Customers separated glass, newspaper and metal cans into three bins. Mixed paper and cardboard could be set out next to the bins. Glass doesn t belong in your curbside cart, but there are 30+ dropoff sites for glass recycling in Pierce County. It s impressive that so much has been diverted from the landfill. But it isn t just about quantity. The quality of the recycling is high because our residents put the right things into the recycle bin. PIERCE COUNTY EXECUTIVE PAT MCCARTHY Our curbside program has grown significantly since 1990: 2005: Single cart recycling began 2012: Expanded the types of plastic containers collected including plastic jars, tubs and buckets Recycling may look different today but what hasn t changed is the reasons people recycle. Our recent customer survey asked, Why do you recycle? Your primary motivations center around the environment and a desire to conserve resources. RECYCLE THE RIGHT THINGS, REDUCE THE REST For 25 years, Pierce County residents have recycled the right things the right way. But the reality is that recycling (and composting) will only get us so far towards achieving our goals to reduce disposal. Although we can move more recyclables from the garbage can to the recycling cart, our and your next challenge is to reduce the amount of waste brought into our homes. WHAT CAN YOU DO? Think about opportunities to reduce waste. Get creative inspiration: piercecountywa.org/lesswaste. Printed on 30% post-consumer recycled paper and recyclable through Pierce County s curbside recycling program. Funds for printing and mailing this newsletter were provided by a grant from the Washington State Department of Ecology. Pierce County Executive: Pat McCarthy Pierce County Council: Dan Roach, Chair; Connie Ladenburg, Jim McCune, Joyce McDonald, Douglas Richardson, Rick Talbert, Derek Young

2 Connecting Community to Local Food Sources Early efforts to expand community gardening in Pierce County have evolved into HARVEST Pierce County. Since 2010, community gardens have grown from eight to 69. The program has expanded to include the Gleaning Project, Fruit Tree Stewardship, Share the Harvest and numerous educational projects in support of the growth of regional food systems that are healthy and just. The Tacoma/Pierce Community Garden Program, now part of the Pierce Conservation District, includes opportunities for gardeners, farmers and neighbors alike. Its new name, HARVEST Pierce County, reflects just that. HARVEST describes a community of abundance connected to local food systems through gardening, gleaning, sharing and education. HARVEST PROGRAMS Community Garden Are you interested in community gardens but don t know where to start? HARVEST Pierce County is a resource for planning and organizing a new garden, and sustaining existing gardens. Gleaning Project Harvest produce and fruit from local farmers and residential fruit tree owners that cannot be sold and would otherwise go to waste. Register your fruit tree or crop at: harvestpiercecounty.org. Fruit Tree Stewardship Learn how to care for your fruit trees and how to turn an orchard into a food forest with hands-on classes taught by arborists. Share the Harvest Grow produce to donate to food banks and other programs. Share the Harvest believes everyone deserves access to fresh, healthy and affordable produce. Get advice about what to grow and where to donate. In 2014, Pierce County Community Gardeners grew over 25,000 pounds of produce to feed the hungriest in their neighborhoods. HARVEST WORKSHOPS AND EVENTS Enjoy a day of gardening workshops at the 6th Annual Spring Summit on May 2 at Lincoln High School in Tacoma. Registration is free and lunch is provided. For program details, event registration and garden map visit: harvestpiercecounty.org. CHECK OUT UPCOMING EVENTS ON 2014: Gleaning Project volunteers harvested 90,000 POUNDS of fresh produce and fruit for local food banks, hot meal sites and community organizations.

3 FREE CLASSES Edible Gardens Workshop Series Explore the basics of successful vegetable gardening in the Pacific Northwest from seed to table. In this free series of monthly workshops you ll learn how to plan a garden, prepare the soil, plant seeds and harvest the food you ve grown. Each workshop helps beginning gardeners throughout the growing season by addressing what needs to be done in the garden that month. The classes combine presentations with hands-on activities. Classes are taught by educators from Pierce County Public Works, Pierce Conservation District s Harvest Pierce County program and Tacoma Public Utilities. Class locations: Puyallup, Lakewood, Parkland, Orting and Tacoma. CLASS LINEUP APRIL Garden Soil 101 MAY Planting and Maintaining Your Summer Vegetable Garden JUNE Garden Bugs, Plant Diseases & Non-Toxic Alternatives JULY Fall and Winter Gardening SEPTEMBER Composting Basics OCTOBER Putting the Garden to Bed for the Winter NOVEMBER Perennial Edible Gardens Register and view class schedule: piercecountywa.org/ediblegardens or (253) Composting Classes Discover how to produce your own compost out of yard debris or food scraps. Composting returns nutrients to the soil and reduces the amount of waste you set out at the curb. Classes are taught by compost experts from Pierce County Public Works. Optional food waste starter kit that includes a bin and worms ($30) must be purchased one week before class. CLASS FOOD SCHEDULES WASTE May 6, 6-8 p.m. Fox Island May 30, 10 a.m.-noon Puyallup June 23, 6-8 p.m. Orting YARD WASTE April 28, 6-8 p.m Orting May 20, 6-8 p.m. Puyallup May 27, 6-8 p.m. Fox Island FOOD & May 9, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Orting YARD WASTE May 16, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Graham Smart Recycling, Safe Disposal YOUR TOP 3 WEB PAGES FOR SAFETY AND DISPOSAL Spring cleaning? Preparing for a move? Find out what to do with leftover paint, old computer monitors or empty cans of oven cleaner. You have options for smart recycling and safe disposal; you just need to know where to look. To get started, check out the top-three visited pages in our online recycling menu: 1 Household Hazardous Waste (HHW): piercecountywa.org/hhw Household products that contain toxic ingredients require special disposal to avoid harmful effects on the environment and human health. There are three transfer stations in Pierce County where you can drop off HHW. Locations, hours and a complete list of accepted items are listed on our website. Not sure if it s toxic? Look for words like caution, harmful if swallowed and keep out of reach of children on the label. Trash Empty Containers If an empty container held household hazardous waste it should be thrown in the trash. Empty HHW containers don t belong in your recycling cart. Household Batteries Alkaline batteries (AA, AAA, C, D and 9-volt) can be disposed of in the trash. Latex Paint (Not considered HHW) Remove lids to let the paint dry up (you can mix in cat litter to speed the process). Once the paint has hardened throw away paint containers and lids. Special Treatment LightRecycle Washington (lightrecyclewa.org) Recycle fluorescent lights, CFLs and HIDs at no charge throughout Washington state. Rechargeable Batteries Rechargeable batteries and button batteries contain heavy metals and are hazardous. Take them to a HHW collection site. 2 E-Waste: piercecountywa.org/ewaste E-Cycle Washington (ecyclewashington.org) Free recycling of televisions, computers, monitors, e-readers and portable DVD players. 3 Appliances: piercecountywa.org/recyclemenu Recycling Menu Locations that recycle appliances, and a list of accepted types. Find many more recycling and reuse options at piercecountywa.org/recyclemenu. Register: piercecountywa.org/compost or (253)

4 CUT HERE WHEN IN DOUBT, THROW IT OUT Use this new list of accepted recyclables. Tear it off and put it on your fridge, in your garage, or wherever you post your recycling list. You may notice it only shows YES items. Look it over carefully if you don t see an item on the list, you shouldn t put it in your recycling cart. Request a handy 4 x 5 ½ magnet version of this list at piercecountywa.org/recycle.

5 Revised 1/15

6 4 5 2 Transfer Stations in Pierce County 1. Hidden Valley (253) Meridian E, Puyallup 7 days, 8 a.m. 5:45 p.m. HHW: Tues & Thurs 2. Purdy (253) th Ave, Gig Harbor 7 days, 9 a.m. 4:45 p.m. HHW: Four times per year (see website) 3. Prairie Ridge (253) Prairie Ridge Dr E, South Prairie 7 days, 9 a.m. 4:45 p.m. 4. Key Center (253) block Key Peninsula Hwy, Lakebay Wed Sun, 9 a.m. 4:45 p.m Anderson Island (253) Steffensen Rd, Anderson Island April 1 Sept 30: Sun & Mon 10 a.m. 6 p.m. 6. Tacoma* (253) S Mullen St, Tacoma 7 days, 8 a.m. 6 p.m. Recycling HHW: Daily HHW=Household hazardous waste * The City of Tacoma and JBLM are not part of Pierce County s solid waste system. For More Information: PIERCE COUNTY PUBLIC WORKS SUSTAINABLE RESOURCES Phone: (253) Website: piercecountywa.org/recycle pcrecycle@co.pierce.wa.us PIERCE COUNTY RESPONDS Phone: (253) Website: piercecountyresponds.org pcresponds@co.pierce.wa.us HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE & ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH INFO: TACOMA-PIERCE CO. HEALTH DEPT. Phone: Website: tpchd.org Recycling Reminders INSIDE! Curbside Collection Contact Info Murrey s Disposal American Disposal DM Disposal murreysdisposal.com (888) S. 42nd St., Ste. 201 Tacoma, WA PRESORTED STANDARD US POSTAGE PAID TACOMA WA PERMIT NO 820 LeMay Enterprises Lakewood Refuse Pierce County Refuse lemaypiercecountyrefuse.com (253) University Place Refuse Westside Disposal uprefuse.com (253) Contact your service provider to ask billing questions, request a smaller trash can and find out your collection schedule. ECRWSS POSTAL CUSTOMER

There s a better way to shred, and it s coming to a community near you: FREE SHRED EVENTS Bring your documents

There s a better way to shred, and it s coming to a community near you: FREE SHRED EVENTS Bring your documents APRIL 2017 A better shred ahead You d like to recycle as much as possible, but you also don t want to risk your personal information getting into the wrong hands. Shredded (contained in a bag) has been