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Tag Archives: Recycle

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

Pot recycling resumes

When it comes to recycling plastic pots, the Missouri Botanical Garden helps lead the way. In 2011, the Garden’s Plastic Pot Recycling program collected a record 140,000 pounds of horticultural waste and since the program’s inception has saved more than 1 million pounds of plastic garden pots, cell packs and trays from landfills. A significant portion of this program is funded by the Department of Natural Resources and Regionl L, St. Louis-Jefferson Solid Waste Management District.

The main collection site will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., April through October at the Monsanto Center, Missouri Botanical Garden, 4500 Shaw Blvd., St. Louis, MO. Recycling plastic garden pots, polystyrene cell packs and trays at the Garden and other locations throughout St. Louis City and County will help reduce the amount of waste going to landfills.

  1. Household plastic, food plastic, clay pots and plastic bags are not accepted.
  2. Hanging baskets, cell packs, trays and pots of all sizes are accepted, as long as they are made of plastic.
  3. Sort the plastic gardening containers into cell packs, pots, and trays. Remove metal hangers, rings or other materials. Please shake rocks and soil from the containers.
  4. Bring the pots and trays to the Garden’s Monsanto Center or contact local nursery and garden centers in St. Louis County to see if they accept pots for recycling.
  5. The Botanical Garden grinds up the pots and markets the chips to manufacturers who produce plastic lumber, retaining wall ties, or other recycled products.
  6. Plastic timbers are water and pest resistant. The timber can be cut and drilled similar to wooden lumber. Plastic timber outlasts traditional wooden railroad ties that have a life span of only ten to 15 years. For ordering information, visit Landscape Timbers.

For more information, visit Solid Waste Management Districts, Reduce, Reuse and Recycle, Green Tips  or Homeowners’ Composting Guide.

Posted on Mar 21, 2012

Green Tips – St. Patrick’s Day

You don’t have to be Irish to enjoy St. Patrick’s Day, which is traditionally the “greenest” day of the year. For a truly green St. Patrick’s Day gift, give friends and family a potted shamrock. They make a wonderful indoor houseplant and are believed to bring good luck. 

Missourians planning to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with a party can leave a green stamp on their event by purchasing reusable decorations, rather than ones that are designed to be thrown away at the end of the day. If planning a traditional meal of corned beef and cabbage and a steaming bowl of potatoes, be sure to compost the leftover cabbage and potato peels and purchase locally grown and packaged beef when possible. For more information about composting and recycling, visit Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.

If you prefer to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day at one of the many parades or events held throughout Missouri, consider walking or bicycling if nearby, taking a bus or picking up friends along the way.  Carpooling and using mass transit are great ways to go green by reducing energy use and saving green in your wallet.

For additional environmentally-friendly tips, please visit the department’s Green Tips.  

Posted on Mar 16, 2012

Green Tips – Used Tires

Every year millions of tires find reuse in playground materials and are burned as fuel yet every year there are still thousands of tires that end up in illegal dumps.

Scrap tires are a breeding ground for mosquitoes, snakes, rats and other vermin.  

If you change your own tires, these tips may come in handy. 

Leave used tires with the dealer when buying replacement tires. Dealers are required to accept them on a one-to-one basis for a small fee.

 

Tires may be hauled to a tire processor, scrap tire site or tire hauler. Tires can only be taken to a landfill if they are cut, chipped or shredded. Rather than dumping or placing in a landfill, tires can be recycled.

There are places to legally take scrap tires in Missouri. They usually charge a fee per tire and can accept whole tires. Call 1-800-361-4827 or check Scrap Tire Processors in Missouri for a list of processors. 

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.  

Each year, one scrap tire per person is generated in Missouri or approximately 6 million tires. More than 16 million tires have been cleaned up in Missouri since the department began the scrap tire cleanup program.  Please help us protect our natural resources by recycling tires in Missouri. 

For more information about disposing of used tires, contact us at 800-361-4827 or 573-751-5401.  Visit the Solid Waste Management Program, Scrap Tires and Illegal Dumping or Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.  

 

Posted on Mar 14, 2012

Green Tips for Green Meetings

A typical five day conference with 2,500 attendees uses 62,500 plates, 87,500 napkins, 75,000 cups/glasses and 90,000 cans and bottles. Green meetings are a good way to save money. What makes a meeting Green?

  • Incorporating environmental considerations throughout the planning and implementation process to minimize the negative impact on the environment.

Creating a green meeting:

  • Provide recycling bins in public areas and private rooms.
  • Use cloth napkins and tablecloths.
  • Use glass or ceramic coffee mugs instead of Styrofoam or paper.
  • Use water coolers instead of bottled water. 
  • Donate extra food and refreshments to local shelters or food banks.
  • Serve locally grown or organic food if possible. (Locally grown is usually within 100 mile radius.)
  • Use online invitations or registration.
  • Collect and reuse plastic nametag holders.
  • Use reusable or recyclable signage.
  • Place exhibitor information on CD or online to cut down on handouts.

Transportation

  • Minimize travel requirements.  A shorter distance equals less environmental impact.
  • Encourage public transportation when possible, and provide incentives to guests in the form of free passes for buses, light rail, etc.
  • Schedule activities within walking distance of each other.

 

For additional environmentally-friendly tips, please visit the department’s Green Tips.

 

Posted on Jan 12, 2012

Green Tips – Workouts

Missouri has many parks and trails that offer options for taking a jog or ride to burn a few calories and get some fresh air.  More than 50 Missouri State Parks offer walking or hiking trails, and 21 offer some type of biking path including the Katy Trail.  Check with your community for walking and biking trails that are well lit after dark.  Be sure to dress appropriately for the weather and take all safety precautions.

If it’s just too cold to exercise outside, create your own home gym.  Swap workout DVDs with friends, or borrow them from the library to get a workout in your living room. This saves the plastic waste in buying new videos, and can keep your routine from getting boring.  If you want to purchase home gym equipment, look for used treadmills and other cardio equipment, or look for energy efficient models, or those that don’t use any electricity.

Try to purchase a reusable water bottle instead of plastic water bottles that end up in landfills.  Workout gear can be recycled by some companies and made into new clothing.  Try to buy sweats made of natural fibers that are easier to recycle, or find clothing and fleece made from recycled plastic.

You can’t get anywhere without the shoes on your feet, so look for a good quality, well-fitting pair of athletic shoes.  When they are worn out, consider recycling your athletic shoes through the Nike Grind project, which accepts athletic shoes from any company, and grinds them into rubber chips.  This rubber, much like shredded tires, can then be used in tracks, playgrounds and tennis courts.

 For additional environmentally-friendly tips, please visit the department’s Green Tips.

 

Posted on Jan 03, 2012

How to Safely Dispose of Christmas Trees

The holidays are over and now you face the chore of putting away the decora­tions and disposing of your cut Christmas tree. Disposing of the tree is no longer the simple task of dragging it to the curb and having it hauled away with the trash. On Jan. 1, 1992, it became illegal for Missouri landfills to accept yard wastes or Christmas trees.*

Christmas tree disposal does not need to be a problem. Several environmentally sound disposal methods for Christmas trees are available.

One way of disposing of a tree in an environmentally sound way is to use a chipping machine to chip it up for landscaping mulch.

Many municipalities provide their residents chipping service to assist with recycling Christmas trees.  You may want to check with your local public works department.

If you have a fishing pond, Christmas trees can be used to improve fish habitat. It is easy to prepare your Christmas tree for use as fish habitat. Tie a cement block securely to the stump end of the tree with quarter-inch nylon rope. If you have a boat, you can drop your tree any place you wish in your private lake or pond. Make sure that the water is the correct depth to cover the top of the tree by no more than four to six feet.

More tips are available in the How to Dispose of Christmas Trees fact sheet.

 

For more information, please visit the Solid Waste Management Program Website.  

 

*The Columbia Sanitary Landfill (CSLF) is the one notable exception to the yard waste rule.  CSLF is permitted as a bioreactor and by statute are allowed to accept yard waste.

 

 

Posted on Dec 29, 2011

Recycling competitions promote waste reduction

Recycling competitions promote waste reduction, reuse and recycling services

Recently, the city of Parkville bet the city of Riverside that their community could get the most residents to participate in collection events for electronics waste, household hazardous waste and paper shredding. Parkville won and Riverside Mayor Kathy Rose attended a Parkville Board of Aldermen meeting to cheer the greatness of Parkville.

 

This year, the Mid-America Regional Council Solid Waste Management District — Region E, organized contests between local governments as part of their Recycling Rivalry to encourage waste reduction and recycling.

Currently, Palmer Recycling and Lake of the Ozarks Solid Waste Management District — Region T is sponsoring a recycling drive pitting Mack’s Creek elementary students against each other to see who recycles the most paper, magazines, phonebooks, aluminum cans and cardboard. Local businesses, such as Thompson’s Country Store, CMC Recycling of Springfield and the Old Time Café, are participating by providing prizes for the winners.

On Nov. 18, Lee’s Summit held an internal Clean Out Your Files Day. Sugar Creek held a similar event on Nov. 22–23. Many organizations and local governments hold file-cleanout events as a way to responsibly recycle paper.

 

If you would like more information, please visit the Solid Waste Management Program Website. 

For additional information, visit: 

Schedule of Local Household Hazardous Waste Collection Events

 Reduce. Reuse, Recycle
 
e-cycle Missouri

Scrap Tires and Illegal Dumping

Household Hazardous Waste

 

Posted on Dec 29, 2011

Prescription drug collection boxes installed

 

New drug collection boxes were recently installed in police stations in cities across Franklin County.

Residents can now drop expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs into the secure, metal boxes located at the police stations 24 hours a day. Providing individuals with a secure and convenient way to dispose of prescription drugs will help prevent diversion and abuse and demonstrates sound environmental stewardship.

The Proper Disposal of Household Pharmaceutical Waste brochure has more information regarding drug disposal.  

If you would like more information regarding solid waste, please visit the Solid Waste Management Program website.

 

Or click for more information regarding:

 

Schedule of Local Household Hazardous Waste Collection Events; Household Hazardous Waste ; Permitted Facilities; Scrap Tires and Illegal Dumping; e-cycle Missouri or Reduce. Reuse, Recycle. 

Posted on Nov 30, 2011

Thanksgiving – No Time for Waste

The idea around Thanksgiving is to take a pause from our normal routines, give thanks for our bounty and share with others. Consider giving canned goods, fresh produce, or a turkey to a homeless shelter or other local kitchen helping to prepare meals for those less fortunate during this holiday season.  Make plates of leftovers and take some to elderly neighbors who will appreciate your thoughtfulness. Perhaps there is a family near you struggling to make ends meet who would be happy to receive some extra food.

 

Many of us prepare too much and end up wasting and throwing away food. Half of the food we make on Thanksgiving ends up in the garbage, according to Green Living Ideas. Roughly one third of the world’s food supply approximately 1.3 billion tons produced for human consumption annually, is wasted or lost, according to a study commissioned by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

 

There are ways to either use Thanksgiving leftovers or save them for a later date. Turkey and mashed potatoes may be frozen. Use cranberries to make muffins or a spread for sandwiches. Leftover rolls can be frozen and used to make croutons, breadcrumbs or stuffing for other recipes. Throw a turkey carcass into a stew pot and make some stock for soup and freeze for use on another day. Turkey, green beans and corn are great ingredients for a turkey pot pie. Look for a new, sweet potato-turkey hash recipe.

 

Enjoy the day and share the bounty with those around you. Happy Thanksgiving from the Solid Waste Management Program!   

 

 

Posted on Nov 22, 2011