Showing posts with label tips. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tips. Show all posts

CleanScapes Tip: Make next Friday 'Green Friday'

Sunday, December 4, 2011

Green Friday

We've lived through Black Friday.  Now try something different.

This Friday, make a different list to check twice: one that is filled with experiences instead of more stuff. Does anyone really need another scarf or steak knife set?

Giving experiences is a wonderful way to support the local economy, reduce waste and share something unique with the people you care about.

Gift certificates can be purchased for just about anything you can imagine:
Giving does not need to create waste. This holiday season give the landfill a break and save time, money and natural resources by giving experiences.


The Big Picture 

The US Environmental Protection Agency estimates that Americans throw away 25% more trash between Thanksgiving and New Year's than any other time of the year, which translates into an extra million tons of waste generated nationwide each week. 

Holiday waste is generated not just from the stuff we purchase, but from all of the packaging that comes with it (and around it), the fuel used to transport it, and all of the single-use wrapping paper and ribbons used to wrap everything up.

Reduce first. Reuse what you can, and then Recycle.

Reduce, Reuse and Win! Do you live in Seattle or Shoreline? Learn how you can help your community win a community project!

Do you have a great idea or community waste reduction project? Tell us your story! Email the CleanScapes waste reduction team.



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CleanScapes Tip: Sharing as Reuse

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Sharing as Reuse

End-of-year donations can take many forms, including giving away things you no longer use or need. Winter is a great time to take one last look in your garage, closets and cupboards for unwanted gently-used items and non-perishable foods.

Many non-profit organizations and businesses are collecting items for those less fortunate, from coats to cribs, bikes to toys, books to business suits, as well as electronics and food

This year the Shoreline PTA Council is collecting all kinds of items for teens and families in need. 

If you have something to donate, DonateSeattle can help connect Seattle-area donors with non-profit wish lists.

By sharing what you no longer want with those less fortunate, you are reducing, reusing and recycling while benefiting your community at the same time!

The Big Picture 

According to the US Environmental Protection Agency Americans generated approximately 243 million tons of waste in 2009. While 34% of this was recycled and composted, the rest – 161 million tons - was buried in landfills nationwide.

How much of what we throw away is actually garbage? Before throwing anything away, pause and think if your trash could be someone else’s treasure.
Reduce first. Reuse what you can, and then Recycle.
Reduce, Reuse and Win! 

Do you live in Seattle or Shoreline? Learn how you can help your community win a community project!

Shoreline's 2011/12 Neighborhood Rewards competition is underway! Is your neighborhood leading the way? Learn more 

Do you have a great idea or community waste reduction project? Tell us your story! Email the CleanScapes waste reduction team.


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CleanScapes Tip: Dumpster Diving at Home: A Primer

Monday, November 7, 2011

Dumpster Diving at Home: A Primer

Reduce waste, you say… but how? Like any journey, unless you know where you are going you may not reach your destination.

Use this Home Waste Audit Checklist to better understand how you can reduce waste at home.

Ready, set, sort! All you need to conduct a do-it-yourself archeological waste sort is a pen and paper, tarp, gloves and a dry place in your yard or garage. Camera is optional.

Create a Waste Inventory. Right before your next collection day, spread out your tarp and empty a week’s worth of household garbage and recycling. With gloves on make piles of common items.

Next make a list of all of the single-use items you find, such as:
    • Paper napkins, Paper towels, Paper plates
    • Plastic silverware
    • Water and beverage bottles
    • Pop cans
    • Paper or plastic to-go containers, Plastic food containers
    • Shipping packaging
    • Plastic bags, zip-top bags
    • Paper bags
    • Juice boxes
    • Junk mail and catalogs

Take note of which materials take up the most space in the garbage and recycling bin, and anything that could be replaced by reusable items.

Replace. Once you have completed your waste inventory, look for anything that could be replaced with a reusable item and anything that could be purchased in bulk.

If your recycle bin contains plastic water bottles, think about getting everyone their own reusable water bottle. Lots of paper towels? Move the paper towel roll out of sight and replace with kitchen towels and cloth napkins. Lots of plastic or paper bags? Stock up and bring your own bags everywhere you shop.

There are reusable alternatives for just about everything, including snack and sandwich bags.

Bulk Up, Go Local. Many of our food and household products come in some kind of packaging.

Reducing packing is easy:
    • Purchase local products
    • Purchase items in bulk
    • Shop at farmers markets
    • Use cloth grocery and produce bags
Rag Time. Eliminate the need for paper napkins and towels by stocking up on cloth napkins, kitchen towels and cloth rags. Rinse, wash, and repeat.

Paper Weight. Help your recycling shed some pounds by opting-out of phone books and taking your name off catalog, junk mail and credit card distribution lists.

Dine in Style. Whether you are serving snacks, party fare or dinner for two, setting the table with washable, reusable plates will help reduce the need for single-use paper plates. Mix and match your casual dining options with plates purchased at second-hand retailers.

Zero Waste Road Map. After a few weeks of trying out your new zero waste habits, conduct a second sort. You might be surprised by how much you have trimmed your household’s waste-line!

Resources: 
The Big Picture
There is us – me and you, and there is the US. Cup by cup, bag by bag and bottle by bottle, our individual actions add up to create approximately 243,000,000 tons of waste every year.

In the US we use:
    • 60,000 plastic shopping bags every 5 seconds
    • 2 million plastic beverage bottles used every 5 minutes
    • 410,000 paper coffee cups every fifteen minutes
    • 3.4 million tons of paper towels every year
    • 100 million trees for junk mail every year
    • 3 billion single-use batteries every year
    • 10 billion paper grocery bags every year
Small changes in everyday habits can make a big impact on the waste we create.

Reduce, Reuse and Win! Do you live in Seattle or Shoreline? Learn how you can help your community win a community project!

Do you have a great idea or community waste reduction project? Tell us your story! Email the CleanScapes waste reduction team.


Read more...

CleanScapes waste reduction tips: Moving and Cleaning

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Home Sweet Home
Whether you are a student making the summer transition off campus, or moving to a new neighborhood or city, there are many ways to reduce waste during the moving process.

As you sort through your stuff and setting aside items that are not moving with you, consider the new life all of those unwanted things could have.

Reusable clothing, shoes, toys, sports equipment, electronics, appliances and furniture can be sold or donated online, or dropped off at any of the available non-profit donation sites around the city. There are even organizations that are willing to pick-up items at your residence.

If you have broken electronics, old cell phones, dead batteries, unusable clothing or Styrofoam, local recyclers will help you keep these items out of the landfill.

Take unwanted hazardous products like pesticides, paint or cleaning products to household hazardous waste drop-off locations in Seattle or King County.

When the time comes to pack everything up, save money by reusing free boxes listed online, used cardboard boxes from liquor stores and wholesale shopping centers, or support green businesses and rent reusable plastic packing totes.

After your move, continue the reuse cycle and donate your boxes online.

Once everything’s packed and you are ready to clean, help reduce the accumulation of more household hazardous waste by purchasing or making environmentally friendly cleaning products!


The Big Picture 

The US Environmental Protection Agency reports that US residents and businesses sent 161,000,000 tons of material to landfills in 2009.

During the chaos of moving it may seem easier to trash the items you no longer want, but local businesses and non-profits have made it easy to find a new home for your unwanted items.

Instead of filling landfills, consider finding a new home or safe disposal for your unwanted stuff.

Reduce, Reuse and Win! Do you live in Seattle or Shoreline? Learn how you can help your community win the annual Neighborhood Waste Reduction Rewards competition!

Do you have a great idea or community waste reduction project? Tell us your story! Email the CleanScapes waste reduction team.



Read more...

CleanScapes Tip: Zero Waste Independence Day

Monday, July 4, 2011

Show your love for your country by minimizing the environmental impact of 4th of July festivities. Whether you are a host or a guest, this year challenge your friends and family to create a zero waste event!

From Farm to Grill. There is no better way to show your patriotism than to shop locally and support your community farmers and artisans for all of the supplies you will need for your event.

Buying from local producers decreases the greenhouse gas emissions that result from the long-distance transport of food. Seasonal farmers markets are open and stocked with everything you will need for the grill and picnic table. Click here for the Washington harvest schedule and learn what is in season.

Eco-Grilling. Whether you plan to grill local hot dogs or veggies, you can now decrease your environmental impact with Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified charcoal. A sample of FSC certified brands include Cowboy Charcoal, Original Charcoal, Lazzari Charcoal or Nature’s Own Chunk Charwood. The FSC certification ensures that no trees from endangered woodlands were cut to produce the charcoal.
Skip the charcoal altogether and decrease greenhouse gas emissions by using a propane or electric grill.
If you do plan to use charcoal, consider skipping the lighter fluid. Charcoal lighter fluid emits volatile organic compounds (VOCs) through evaporation and as the fluid-soaked charcoal burns. Electric charcoal starters and charcoal chimneys are a great alternative, inexpensive and can be reused over and over again.

Green Staging. Save money and natural resources by using reusable and washable plates, cups, silverware, napkins, table clothes and serving dishes. Short a few glasses or plates? It’s easy to stock up on gently-used durable serviceware at local second-hand retailers.

You can decrease packaging waste by buying in bulk and serving drinks in pitchers instead of individual serving containers.

Recycle Everywhere. No recycling bins at the park or playground? Bring a waterproof bag, tote or cardboard box to store and pack-out recyclables. You could even pack-out your leftover food using sealable to-go containers to bring back and compost at home.

The Big Picture

According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, nearly 113 billion disposable cups, 39 billion disposable eating utensils, and 29 billion disposable plates are used in the US each year(1).

The best environmental alternative is to use durable, reusable and washable serviceware. The energy used to manufacture reusables and the water and soaps used to wash them are minimal compared to the natural resources needed to manufacture, transport and dispose of single-use serviceware.

Why avoid lighter fluid? Approximately 14,500 tons of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are emitted from the 46,250 tons of lighter fluid used in the US every year(2). This is equivalent to the hydrocarbon emissions from 375,000 passenger cars!

VOCs affect air quality and contribute to the formation of ground-level ozone when they mix with other air pollutants in the presence of sunlight(3). Ground-level ozone (as opposed to the protective ozone layer) can cause health problems in people with lung and heart disease, active children, and adults who work or exercise outdoors.

Reduce first. Reuse what you can, and then Recycle.

Reduce, Reuse and Win! Do you live in Seattle or Shoreline? Learn how you can help your community win the annual Neighborhood Waste Reduction Rewards competition!

Shoreline's 2011/12 Neighborhood Rewards competition is underway! Do you know where your neighborhood ranks?

Do you have a great idea or community waste reduction project? Tell us your story! Email the CleanScapes waste reduction team.

Read more...

CleanScapes Tip: recycle plastic cards

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Gift Card Recycling

Gift cards are a popular way to give thanks and celebrate special occasions by giving the gift of choice. Retailer-specific, pre-paid “credit” cards are available from businesses large and small, from local cafés like Caffe Ladro to Amazon.com.

In most cases, this style of gift-giving greatly reduces the packaging waste associated with purchasing and wrapping an item. Great news! Well, almost. The main challenge has been what to do with gift cards once their value has been used.

In January 2008 one company launched a mail-in recycling program for plastic gift cards, as well as and other types of plastic cards. While plastic cards cannot be recycled in your curbside cart, you can recycle them by mailing them to Earthworks.

What’s in your wallet? If you have leftover, used or expired plastic cards, help keep them out of the landfill by mailing them to:

Earthworks
c/o Halprin Industries
25840 Miles Rd
Bedford, OH 44146

Interested in helping to start local collection stations? Organizations like DoSomethingGood are helping communities and students organize local plastic card collection for recycling.


The Big Picture

Plastic gift cards, retail membership cards and credit cards are made from PVC plastic, or polyvinyl chloride. The US Dept. of Health and Human Services has determined that vinyl chloride is a known carcinogen.

According to the International Card Manufacturing Association, 17 billion plastic cards, including gift, library, video rental and membership cards were produced in 2006.

As a result of continued popularity and increased demand for retail gift cards, between 75-100 million pounds of PVC material from plastic cards enters our waste stream each year.

Recycling plastic cards provides an alternative source of materials for manufacturers. Creating new cards from existing PVC plastic helps eliminate increased air and water pollution caused from manufacturing plastic cards from raw materials.


Reduce first. Reuse what you can, and then Recycle.

Reduce, Reuse and Win! Do you live in Shoreline? Learn how you can help your community win the 2010/2011 Neighborhood Waste Reduction Rewards competition.

Do you have a great idea or community waste reduction project? Tell us your story! Email the CleanScapes waste reduction team.

Read more...

CleanScapes tip: Greener St. Patrick’s Day

Thursday, March 17, 2011

This St. Patrick's Day, create a global table for an Irish feast from local farmers and producers.

If you missed your chance to shop at one of the year-round farmers markets in Ballard, the University District or West Seattle, you can still purchase local foods at grocery stores, or order directly from producers such as Olsen Farms, Full Circle Farms, Bill the Butcher, Bob’s Quality Meats or Rain Shadow Meats.

Cabbage, red potatoes and sustainably raised, grass-fed beef are in season and can be yours for a fraction of the environmental cost.

Looking to make green eggs and ham? Give Blue #1 and Yellow #5 a break and try a natural food dye from Nature’s Flavors or Seelect.


The Big Picture

Do you know the carbon footprint of your food?

Most produce grown in the United States travels an average of 1,500 miles before it gets sold(1). Purchase Chilean grapes or apples from New Zealand, and your food has traveled more than 6,000 miles from farm to table.

In addition to the energy and fuel used to transport our food, there is also the energy used during production. Approximately 23% of the energy used in our food production system comes from processing and packaging food(2). Every year, the US food system uses as much as France’s total annual energy consumption - 10 quadrillion Btu(3).

You can decrease the resources required to produce the food you consume by learning what is fresh in Washington State, plan meals around seasonal availability, and learn what is sold from local producers in grocery stores or farmers markets.

By supporting locally grown meals, you can help reduce packaging and fuel used to transport food from across the U.S. and around the world.

Reduce first. Reuse what you can, and then Recycle.

Reduce, Reuse and Win! Do you live in Shoreline? Learn how you can help your community win the 2010/2011 Neighborhood Waste Reduction Rewards competition,

Do you have a great idea or community waste reduction project? Tell us your story! Email the CleanScapes waste reduction team.

Read more...

CleanScapes Tip: Planning for SuperBowl Parties

Monday, January 31, 2011

Touchdown!

Whether you are attending or hosting a party for Super Bowl XLV, there are easy ways you can reduce waste as you prepare for the festivities.

Set the stage for success by using reusable and washable plates, platters, silverware, napkins, cups and mugs.

Keep packaging waste at bay by purchasing in bulk, bringing your own reusable shopping bags when you shop and serving drinks in pitchers instead of individual serving containers.

Green your grill and buffet by featuring local produce, meats and treats. Year-round farmers' markets in Ballard, the University District and West Seattle are plentiful with seasonal crops and meat from local farms. Local foods are also available at grocery stores like Central Market, PCC, and Ballinger Thriftway.

When it is time to clean up, encourage your guests to pitch in. Set out and clearly mark your recycling bins, and if you have food scraps and yard debris collection service, help guests keep food waste out of the garbage by using a collection container for food scraps.

Resources:

The Big Picture

According to the US EPA, nearly 113 billion disposable cups, 39 billion disposable eating utensils, and 29 billion disposable plates are used in the US each year.

The best environmental alternative is to use durable, reusable and washable serviceware, even when considering the energy used to manufacture reusables and the water and soaps used to wash them.

Read more...

CleanScapes Tip: Go Green for the Holidays

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

During the holiday season there are many opportunities to go green. The US Environmental Protection Agency estimates that Americans throw away 25% more trash between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day than any other time of year, which translates into an extra one million tons of waste generated nationwide each week. 
 


What can you do to reduce waste during the holidays? 
  • Give Experiences. Support the local economy by purchasing gift certificates for experiences.  Look no further than local restaurants, museums, sporting events, concert halls, theater shows, and classes for everything from yoga to guitar lessons for a unique and special gift for every interest and age group. Or, give the gift of a shared experience and make a date to do something special together. 
  • Shop Sustainably. With local and regional holiday craft fairs, it’s easy to support local artists, farmers and merchants. Other ways to shop green include purchasing items made from recycled content or items made from renewable resources, such as bamboo. And when you shop, don’t forget your reusable shopping bags.
  • Re-Gift - Make it a white (elephant) holiday. The easiest 'shopping' can be done at home. “Re-gift” things that have gone unused or unopened and find these items a new home.
  • Re-Charge. When you purchase gifts that require batteries, consider purchasing rechargeable batteries and a charger. Each rechargeable battery replaces up to 1,500 single-use batteries.
 
Give Homemade.
  • Get crafty! Save money this holiday season by making your own gifts and cards. No matter your skill level, the sky is the limit for do-it-yourself projects. 
 

  • Donate. Instead of a gift, donate to a charity in a friend or family member’s name.  Holiday donations are a great way to support local non-profits and help the community.
  • Reduce Packaging. While shopping for holiday meals, consider buying in bulk, or purchase items with the least amount of packaging.
  • Bring Your Own. It's easy to reduce waste when you bring your own travel mug to the coffee shop, take your refillable water bottle with you for on-the-go hydration, and stash your reusable shopping and grocery bags in the car to carry your holiday purchases. Reusable bags also make wonderful gift bags, and provide an eco-extra for your special someone.
  • Around the Table. Before stocking up on single-use plates and cups, save money by using reusable and washable plates, cups, silverware, napkins, table clothes and serving dishes. For larger parties and a festive table, combine resources by borrowing tableware from friends. If you are looking to save money, purchase gently-used durable serviceware at local second-hand retailers.
  • Holiday Recycling. Encourage your guests to pitch in. Set out and clearly mark your recycling bins, and if you have food scraps collection service, help guests keep food waste out of the garbage by using a collection container for food scraps.
Resources: 

Read more...

CleanScapes Tips: Bicycle Recycling

Saturday, November 13, 2010


There are many ways we can stop waste before it happens.  Every week, CleanScapes emails tips on how to reduce waste as part of the Neighborhood Waste Reduction Rewards program.  


Do you have unused, broken or unwanted bicycles or bike parts? You can recycle them. CleanScapes has partnered with Bike Works and Seattle’s transfer stations to create a new recycling opportunity.

At Seattle’s North transfer station bring your bikes and parts to CleanScapes “RE-CYCLING” dumpsters, which are painted bright green and decorated with bicycle decals. The station is located in the Fremont/Wallingford neighborhood at North 34th Street, near Carr Place North, 1350 North 34th Street.

All of the bikes and parts collected are taken to Bike Works where youth and adult volunteers of all skill levels help sort and repair broken bikes.

This program started in June.  Now in its sixth month, the program has consistently collected 10-50 bikes weekly for reuse, repair and recycling.

The bicycles and parts support Bike Works youth programs, the Bike Works community Bike Shop, as well as two bicycle aid programs that redistribute bicycles to Africa.

Bikes beyond repair are stripped down to the frame and the leftover scrap metal is delivered to Seattle Iron and Metals for recycling.

Reduce first. Reuse what you can, and then Recycle.

Read more...
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