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Monthly Archives: April 2012

Closed rural landfills assessment completed

The department completed the work on a $216,133 grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, or USDA. The goal of the project was to assess the condition of some of Missouri’s older closed rural landfills that operated under less stringent standards than modern landfills are required to meet.

The assessment of 58 landfills began in November 2010 and was completed by May 2011. Following those assessments, results of the evaluations were compiled into informational reports that were sent to each landfill owner, along with guidance materials and historical documents regarding their landfill.  

The department also developed and provided guidance to county collectors for distribution to potential buyers in the event a landfill is sold at a tax sale.  The information each collector received included the locations of all landfills in their county and guidance on landfill maintenance, buying and selling landfills, and future use of landfill properties to ensure the landfills and surrounding water resources are protected.  The objective is to help ensure that all landfill buyers are aware of the requirements, responsibilities, and potential liabilities of owning such properties.

The grant, entitled the Missouri Closed Landfill Technical Assistance Project and funded through USDA’s Rural Development Utilities Program, was managed by the department’s Solid Waste Management Program. 

Posted on Apr 25, 2012

Sheltered Workshops receive state recycling grants

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources funded $300,000 in grants to four Missouri sheltered workshops currently providing recycling services within their regions and local communities. The grants were awarded in partnership with the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, who made and administered the grant awards to:

  •  NOCOMO Industries Inc., Maryville – $100,000.
  •  Boonslick Industries Inc., Boonville – $99,954.
  •  Cooperative Workshops Inc., Sedalia – $50,500.
  •  Oregon County Sheltered Workshop, Alton – $49,516.

 The departments believe these grants will strengthen recycling efforts in rural communities and assist in creating and retaining jobs for Missourians as well as divert additional marketable materials from landfills.

The Department of Natural Resources was able to provide these funds through a portion of the department’s share of the solid waste tonnage fees that are collected on each ton of solid waste entering a landfill or being transferred out of state through a transfer station.

For more information regarding grants and financial assistance, visit the Solid Waste Management Program Financial Assistance and Information section.  

Posted on Apr 23, 2012

Green Tips – Used Oil

Used oil from just one oil change can contaminate one million gallons of fresh water. It is estimated that do-it-yourselfers improperly dispose of 200 million gallons of used oil each year. If all the oil from the do-it-yourselfers were recycled, that would be enough oil for more than 50 million cars a year.

If you change your own oil, these tips may come in handy. Recycling used motor oil is easy:

 

  • Use drip pans to catch any fluids.
  • Do not dump or spill oil on the ground.
  • Put the used oil in a clean plastic container with a tight lid.
  • Do not mix the oil with anything else.
  • Do not pour oil down storm drains or place in the trash.
  • Take the used oil to a service station or an oil collection center for recycling.
  • Some big-box, auto-part and tractor supply stores will collect used oil from do-it-yourselfers.

 

Remember while you may have a local Household Hazardous Waste Collection event available to you, if we reduce the amount of waste materials by only buying what we need or finding a way to recycle them, we’re conserving resources and saving energy.

For more information about disposing of used oil, contact the Solid Waste Management Program at 573-751-5401.

For additional environmentally-friendly tips, please visit Green Tips or Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.

Posted on Apr 10, 2012

Green Tips – Gardening

 

Create a showcase for your plants by using a roller skate as a base for the plant container.  Plant summer grasses in galoshes or an old boot. An old child’s wagon or wheelbarrow makes a great mobile plant container, and a vintage bird cage can be planted and hung from a front porch for a wonderful old-fashioned look.

Buckets, soda bottles and plastic containers make excellent potting sources for small plants. Make sure the containers have proper drainage and adequate amounts of sunlight and water. Old wooden boxes, metal buckets, washtubs and hollowed-out gourds all make unique planters, and are a great way to reuse and recycle items. Cut into short pieces, metal and vinyl mini-blinds make great plant markers. Clean nylon hose is useful for tying plants to trellises or fences. Cut the bottom off a milk jug and use to protect small plants from frost.

Tires were banned from Missouri landfills in 1990. However, there are still thousands of tires that end up in illegal dumps – these dumps provide a breeding ground for mosquitoes and other vermin. One creative use for old tires is as planters in your garden. After very carefully cutting off one side wall on a large tire, gardeners can place the tire in their garden and fill it with soil, manure or compost. The tires retain a bit more heat to aid in growing, and when used as a raised bed they warm faster. Raised gardens can increase spring soil temperatures by 8 to 13° F over nearby soil temperatures at ground level.

Composting information can be found in the Solid Waste Management Program’s Homeowners’ Composting Guide. For additional environmentally-friendly tips, please visit Green Tips.

 

Posted on Apr 09, 2012