Transcript
Green Team News
March 2010
POLK COUNTY SCHOOLS
Bartow Curbside Recycling Program I hope by now you have seen our new recycling totes provided by the City of Bartow. Now that we have them; what should we do with them? RECYCLE of course! Here is a list of things that can and can not go in these blue and yellow totes. Things that can go in are - Catalogs & Junk Mail, Newspapers & Magazines, Small pieces of Cardboard & Paper Bags, Glass Bottles, Aluminum & steel cans, Plastic Bottles with these codes,
Things you need to Know: NEED A PLACE TO RECYCLE PLASTIC BAGS, EGG CAR-
Things that can not are Plastic Bags, Soiled Food Containers, soiled Napkins, Tissues, Paper Towels, Food Waste, Cellophane, Plastic Bubble Wrap, Wrapping Paper, Empty Ink & Toner Cartridges, Paint Cans, & Hazardous Chemical Containers. With these new totes in place we are also continuing our co-op. with the Polk Life and Learning students and their recycling pick ups. Please continue to place the following items in the yellow tubs they collect for these students are learning valuable life skills. White or Pastel Colored Copy Paper Notebook or Steno Paper (No Metal), Letterhead, Envelopes with or without windows, Shredded Paper (can be bagged and set to the side), Paper with Paper Clips or Staples, Manila File Folders, Used Courier Envelopes.
TONS, OR FOAM TRAYS?
TRY PUBLIX SUPERMARKET OR WALMART
*Each department is welcome to bring a toter into their area for the week to make recycling more convenient. If you do, Please remember to put the toter back in the pick up spot Monday afternoon for pick up on Tuesday morning.
Inside this issue:
What To Do With Your Old Batteries . . . Is there a place to recycle your bat-
teries from your smoke alarms, cars, phones, tools, electronics, etc? Yes & No . . . Yes - Batteries Plus recycles these types of spent batteries: Lead acid (Pb) batteries used in cars, trucks, and emergency lighting. Nickel Cadmium (NiCd) batteries used in cordless phones, cordless tools and two way radios. Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) used in camcorders, bar code scan-
ners, and digital cameras Lithium Polymer (Li Poly) used in cell phones and laptops. NO - If they are solid lead acid batteries, such as AA, AAA, C, D, and 9 volt, you might as will just throw them away. If you do take the time to collect them and deliver them to the land fill or dump you will only be wasting you gas and time. They actually just wind up throwing them out anyways.
HAZARDOUS WASTE
2
NEED FREE PAINT? GREEN FOR GOLD
2 3
ENERGY MYTHS & FACTS
3
TERRACYLE
4
HAZARDOUS WASTE CON’T
4
WHAT TO LEARN MORE?
4
Hazardous Waste Disposal Information, Dates & Location Household chemical and electronic waste from Polk County residents is accepted free of charge at the North Central Landfill. Businesses, commercial enterprises, non-profit groups or anyone other than residential households are not eligible for this service. Contact Polk County Waste Resource Management Division directly at 863-284-4319 for information on commercial hazardous waste disposal options. Hours of Operation Monday - Friday Mobile Collection 7:15 A.M. - 4:45 P.M. Events for Household Saturday 7:45 A.M.- 3:45 P.M. Waste and Electronics Closed Sundays and the following holidays New Year's Day March 6, 2010 Memorial Day 9a.m.-1p.m. Independence Day Observed Saturday July 3 Haines City Public Works Labor Day Department Thanksgiving Day & Christmas Day 300 N 5th Street. Storage and Packing Guidelines Items should be stored in their original container with content clearly labeled. Do not mix chemicals. Do not put hazardous materials in garbage cans or storm drains. Individual containers in poor condition should be placed in a plastic bucket or bag. All items should be packed in a plastic container or sturdy box. Products that have words such as danger, warning, caution, poisonous, or flammable on the labels should be brought to the Hazardous Waste Collection Facility. For a list of Acceptable and Unacceptable Hazardous Waste Items go to page 4.
FREE PAINT? YOU BET! What do you do with the cans of left over paint that you no longer need? You take them to the Household Hazardous Waste Collection facility at the North Central Landfill. What do you do when you need some paint but don't want to spend $20.00 a gallon? You shop for paint at the Household Hazardous Waste Collection facility at the North Central Landfill. The facility is located on DeCastro Road which is at the intersection of Hwy 540 (Winter Lake Rd) and the Polk Parkway. That's right, whether you have old paint that you no longer need, or just need a couple of gallons to paint a room and are not too picky about the color, you can drop off or pick up paint at the North Central Landfill. The facility is open Monday thru Saturday from 7:45AM till 3:45PM. In order to help keep items such as paints, solvents, used oil, antifreeze, and any other chemical you would not want in your water out of the landfill, the Household Hazardous Waste Collection facility will gladly take these items from Polk County residential customers when you visit the landfill. Many of the paints they receive are still good, so before they are processed for recycling, they are offered FREE of charge to the general public on a first come first serve basis.
We are on the web! http://www.polk-fl.net/community/greeninitiatives/default.htm Page 2
Green Suggestions for the Gold Envelopes Does your department have an overflowing bin of empty courier envelopes? Or do you have the opposite problem and never seem to have enough envelopes and end up buying new ones? Well, here are a few tips and tidbits which will not only help to ensure your package arrives to its proper destination safe and sound, but will help to make sure that these envelopes are Reused to their best potential. Labeling: When mailing anything through the courier system, please put your To information on the left side of the package and the From information on the right side. This information should include the recipients name, facility it is going to, and route letter, if known. Make sure you cross out the addresses from the previous uses. Securing: When putting multiple
pages, or heavier items in the courier envelopes, it is recommended that you tape the lip of the envelope shut rather than relying on the metal tabs alone. After several uses, these tabs become brittle and can break off during transit or handling. Two inch packing tape is recommended. The recipient of the envelope can still cut the tape and reuse the envelope again. Reusing: When one side of the envelope is completely full of old addresses, turn it over and use the other side. Every time a courier envelope is reused, that is just one fewer that has to be purchased. Too Many ?: If your department receives more envelopes than you send out, you probably have a nice size pile that you keep tripping over. Simply put these excess envelopes in a mail tub and ask your courier to deliver them to the
Department of Waste and Recycling. The envelopes will then be sorted for size and condition, then sent out to departments that need them. Too Few ?: Need some envelopes? Just send an email to Scott Reeves in the Department of Waste and Recycling and note what size envelopes you need and how many. We have 4 common envelope sizes to choose from: 7x10”, 9x12”, 10X13”, and 12x15.5”. All Good Things Must Come To An End: If you have a courier envelope that looks like it has delivered it’s last letter, please make sure it finds its way to the recycling bin. All courier envelopes can be recycled in any of our District Recycling Programs.
Energy Facts & Myths MYTH: The room will get cooler faster if the thermostat is set lower (50-60 degrees). FACT: The room will cool down just as fast if the thermostat is set on 72 degrees. If the thermostat is set too low the unit will freeze up and will not cool at all. MYTH: Lights should be left on when leaving a room for a short period of time. FACT: It is more economical to turn incandescent and fluorescent lights off each time you leave the room. MYTH: Closing window shading devices has no direct effect on heat loss or gain within a building. FACT: Closing window shading devices (curtains, blinds, etc.) at the end of each day will help in reducing night heat loss in the winter and solar heat gain in the summer. MYTH: If the temperature is set back in a room or building during unoccupied times it takes more energy to return the room or building to its occupied temperature setting. FACT: Temperature setback during unoccupied times is always economically feasible as it requires less energy to recover the occupied setting than to maintain a constant 24 hour temperature setting.
Page 3
TURN UP THERMOSTAT ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU ARE NOT HOME – SAVES 5-7% FOR EACH DEGREE TURNED UP
Green Team News
March 2010
POLK COUNTY SCHOOLS
Hazardous Waste Disposal Information, Dates & Location Continued Acceptable Hazardous Waste Items: Paint
Florescent Lamps
Batteries
Automotive Fluids Mercury
Latex paints
Florescent tubes
NiCad
Gasoline
Thermometers
Oil based paints
ballasts
Lithium
Motor oil & filters
Thermostats
Weather sealer
Mercury
Antifreeze
Neon lights
Wood preservers
Metal hydride
Brake fluid
Corrosives
Flammables
Toxics
Reactive Materials
Pool chemicals
Paint thinners
Pesticides
Aerosol cans
Battery acid
Kerosene
Herbicides
Pool chlorine
Drain cleaner
Lighter fluids
Poisons
Strong fertilizers
Acids & bases
Propane cylinders
Photographic wastes
Cyanides/sulfides
Strong chemicals
adhesives
Paint strippers
Water reactives
Unacceptable Hazardous Waste Items: Ammunition
Asbestos - contact the landfill
Fireworks/explosives
Radioactive Materials
Biomedical/ infectious wastes
Want to Learn More?
Terra Cycle
Want to learn more about what the School Board of Polk County is doing to go a little greener? Check out our Green Initiatives website at http://www.polk-fl.net/community/ greeninitiatives/default.htm . Take time to visit each department on the site to see what they are doing to make a difference in our schools and communities. Be sure to take time and check out the educational links attached to each site. This is a great resource for our staff, students, and parents to use. If you feel that your department has the Green Touch, please let us know what you are doing and we can help you develop a Green Initiatives page for your department to highlight your efforts.
TerraCycle runs free national collection programs that pay non-profits and schools. TerraCycle has exclusive partnerships with major companies such as Kraft Foods & Frito Lay. The partnerships, called brigades, create free collection programs that pay schools and nonprofits nationwide to collect used packaging such as drink pouches, energy bar wrappers, yogurt cups, cookie wrappers, chip bags and more! The collected materials are up-cycled into products ranging from tote bags and purses to shower curtains and kites. In addition, by making products from these various waste streams, TerraCycle prevents 1000’s of tons of waste from going to landfills. To learn more about TerraCycle or to join a brigade visit www.terracycle.net
