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Tag Archives: solid waste

Fulton’s Household Hazardous Waste Collection Center is open

For those in the mood for some spring cleaning, the City of Fulton’s Household Hazardous Waste Collection Center is open at the new fire station, 151 W. Tennyson Road.

Residents should call 573-592-3150 to make an appointment to drop off hazardous materials between 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the second and fourth Saturday of each month. The city accepts household chemicals, pesticides, insecticides, used motor oil, antifreeze, acetone-based products, batteries, paint and paint thinners. Expired or unwanted medications will also be accepted. It is important to set up an appointment so that the prescriptions or materials are disposed of appropriately. When dropping off items do not block the garage at the front of the fire station.

The Household Hazardous Waste Collection Center was funded through a $38,207 grant from the Mid-Missouri Solid Waste Management District in 2011.

If you would like more information, visit the Solid Waste Management Program,  Schedule of Local Household Hazardous Waste Collection Events or   Household Hazardous Waste.

Posted on Mar 23, 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

Are you tired yet?

More than 16 million tires have been cleaned up in Missouri since we began cleaning up illegal tire dumps in 1990.

To put 16 million tires into perspective:

 

  • The average car tire is 25 inches wide.  If laid tread to tread, 16 million tires could outline the perimeter of the state of Missouri (1,487 miles) 4.25 times, or cross the United States 2.3 times.

 

  • The average car tire weighs 22.5 pounds, multiplied by 16 million means that 360,000,000 pounds or 180,000 tons of tires have been removed from Missouri’s environment.

 

  • If laid in rows along Interstate 70 from St. Louis to Kansas City, the tires would cover both lanes and shoulder of one direction 1.5 times.

 

  • One scrap tire per person per year is generated in Missouri, or approximately 6 million tires.

 

  • In 2009, 1.75 million tires were used as tire-derived-fuel in power plants and cement kilns.

 See scrap tires  or the Solid Waste Management Program for more information about the Scrap Tire program.

Posted on Feb 08, 2012

Construction permit issued for Scott County solid waste processing facility

The department issued a construction permit to RFJ Real Estate Holding, LLC to construct the I-55 Disposal & Recycling Transfer Station in Scott County. The transfer station will be used to transfer solid waste from collection vehicles to transport vehicles.

The site is to be located at 3200 Industrial Fuels Drive, east of Interstate 55 and County Road 302 in Scott City.

All applications submitted by cities, counties, and private owners are reviewed by the department to ensure that solid waste processing facilities are properly designed and constructed.  Other technical factors that protect Missouri’s environment are also examined.

Prior to acceptance of waste at the facility an operating permit must be issued. Questions and comments regarding the proposed transfer station or the department’s role in regulating solid waste processing facilities may be sent to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, Solid Waste Management Program, P.O. Box 176, Jefferson City, Mo. 65102-0176.  For more information visit permitted facilities or the Solid Waste Management Program.  

Posted on Jan 23, 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

Construction and Demolition Waste

As Missouri communities continue to grow, older buildings are being renovated or demolished.  Properly managing the waste during the demolition will prevent threats to human health and the environment.

The department regulates demolition and renovation projects for institutional, commercial, public and industrial structures.  The department also regulates residential structure projects such as apartment buildings with more than four units or two or more residential structures within 500 feet of each other.  Single residential structures containing four units or less are exempted from the demolition notification and inspection requirements.

All construction and demolition waste must be properly disposed of at a permitted transfer station or landfill regardless of whether it was generated from a regulated project or a non-regulated single residential structure.  Before a regulated renovation or demolition project begins, the business or entity requesting the work should make the waste disposal a part of the contract.  This will deflect liability if the waste is not properly managed and should be considered by the contractors during the bid process.

Demolition or renovation operations can create several different kinds of waste including clean fill, recovered materials, regulated wastes, hazardous waste and asbestos containing materials.  For more information on these wastes and its proper uses or disposal, call the department at 1-800-361-4827 or (573) 751-5401 or visit Construction and Demolition Waste. 

Posted on Jan 10, 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