Blue Bin News - January 2011

 Blue Bin News - January 2011

St. Louis City Residential Recycling e-Newsletter
Issue #37
IN THIS ISSUE:
*  WELCOME TO OUR NEW WEBSITE
*  REVERSE VENDING MACHINE (RVM)
*  JANUARY 2011 UPCOMING EVENTS
*  SWEEPING UP CASH
*  NON-TOXIC OVEN CLEANING
*  ARCHIVED ISSUES, READER SUBMISSIONS WELCOME, TO SUBSCRIBE

*****************************************************************************************

WELCOME TO OUR NEW WEBSITE

On January 1, 2011, the City of St. Louis launched its new website,
http://stlouis-mo.gov.  This new website will replace the City’s
current website, http://stlouis.missouri.org.  Although the new website
is up and running, it is still a work in progress.

The migration to the new site will be phased in over the next few
months, aiming for completion by May 1, 2011.  During this transition
period, we hope our visitors take time to familiarize themselves with
our new website and offer feedback that could improve our webpages.

The Recycling Program is still in the process of moving each of its
webpages from the old site to the new site.  When a recycling page has
been successfully converted to the new site, we will remove information
posted on the corresponding page of the old website and provide a link
to the new page.  The Recycling Program’s new URL is
http://stlouis-mo.gov/government/departments/street/refuse/recycle.
Please feel free to browse our new webpages and submit any feedback via
the comment box posted at the bottom of each webpage.

****************************************************************************************

REVERSE VENDING MACHINE (RVM)

Coca-Cola Recycling is hoping to get residents in the greater
Dallas-Fort Worth area that lack curbside pickup of their recyclables to
“Reimagine” recycling.  The company recently announced the launch of
a reverse vending machine with a small automated materials recovery
facility attached.

The machines accept aluminum and PET plastic beverage containers,
regardless of brand.  Consumers simply dump their unsorted beverage
containers into an intake tray and the containers are then optically
sorted and crushed.  The bins can hold up to 65,000 aluminum beverage
containers and up to 18,000 plastic beverage containers.  Non-PET or
-aluminum items are rejected by the sorting systems.  The machines are
designed for residents and organizations that lack easy access to
recycling.  Users can earn points for every bottle and can they recycle,
which may be used towards sweepstakes contests or donated to local
schools.  The first Reimagine machine was unveiled in a shopping center
in Arlington, Texas on November 30, 2010.  Coca-Cola Recycling hopes to
bring the machines to more shopping centers by working in conjunction
with grocery-chain Kroger.  Sometime during the first half of 2011, the
company will take a look at how the RVMs are performing, and evaluate
where to go next.  For more information, please visit
www.reimaginerecycling.com.

*****************************************************************************************

JANUARY 2011 UPCOMING EVENTS

January 1 through January 31 - Time varies by location
Holiday Light Recycling Drive - People are encouraged to recycle
non-working holiday lights and extension cords.
www.stlouisgreen.com/lightrecyclingdrive.php

January 2 through January 31 - During Store Hours
Return of the Poinsettia - Compost your poinsettia at Bowood Farms for
10 percent of the houseplant of your choice.   www.bowoodfarms.com

January 22 - 1pm-230pm
Creative Reuse Workshop:  Transform a Picture Frame into a Dry Erase
Board.  www.perennialstl.org

*******************************************************************************************

SWEEPING UP CASH

Employees in MoDOT’s Sixth District (St. Louis Area) do a great job
of keeping highways safe for motorists, but now they’re helping the
environment and saving the department money, too.  Thanks to a dedicated
sweeping crew and a new mobile screening unit, MoDOT has the potential
to substantially reduce what goes in our urban landfills, while at the
same time producing usable fill and saving taxpayers thousands of
dollars.

Debris that accumulates on roadways is an eyesore, and can be unsafe
for motorists.  Larger items, like pieces of automobiles, can be a
hurdle for vehicles to drive around or over, and smaller debris can clog
drainage holes and create slick spots.  That’s why MoDOT crews have
been sweeping its roadways for many years.  However, until now, most of
what was swept up was sent to the landfill, costing taxpayers thousands
of dollars each year.  With the help of MoDOT’s new mobile screening
unit, that is changing.

Becky Allmeroth, District 6 Maintenance Engineer, reported that most of
what is swept off the roadways can now be reused or recycled.  Debris
collected from the roadway is emptied from the sweeper and screened by
the mobile unit.  The metals are separated out to be recycled and the
remaining debris consists mostly of dirt, gravel, and grit, which can be
used for fill.  Now, instead of going to the landfill, up to 90 percent
of what MoDOT sweeps up can be recycled or reused as fill in various
road operations.  This combination is saving the department hundreds of
thousands of dollars in landfill costs alone.  One cubic yard of
sweepings weighs over one ton.  Each year, thousands of cubic yards of
sweepings are sent to landfills.  Area landfills charge up to $45 per
ton to dispose of sweeping debris.  From March to November 2010, night
sweeping crews alone collected 2,224 cubic yards of road debris.  To
haul this straight to the landfill would have cost more than $131,000.
By filtering the debris and reusing or recycling the cleaned sweepings,
the disposal cost was reduced to under $20,000.  Night crews represent
only a fraction of the debris swept up in the St. Louis area.  During
the day, routine maintenance crews sweep up debris from other major
roads, which is also screened by the mobile unit.

“This is a fantastic opportunity...” Allmeroth said.  “We don’t
even know yet how much impact this could have, but hopefully it’s
something we can use statewide and potentially even promote to other
states.”  Adapted from “MoDOT Sweeping Up Dirt and Turning It Into
Clean Cash” by  Melissa Black (www.modot.org).

********************************************************************************

NON-TOXIC OVEN CLEANING

If you did any baking during  the holiday season, your oven may be
marked with grease, oil, sugar, etc.  While you may still be recovering
from the frenzy of the holidays, waiting until Spring to clean up those
splatters and spills could make their removal more difficult.  The
sooner you can attack baked-on food, the easier it will be to clean your
oven.

To clean your oven without hazardous chemicals, fill a large, ovenproof
dish with water and fresh lemon juice.  Place the dish in the oven.  Set
the heat to 350 degrees and “bake” for 30-40 minutes.  This will
steam your oven and help loosen anything caked on.  Turn off the heat
and allow the oven to cool.  You can then easily wipe the oven with a
clean cloth.  If you have stubborn areas, try mixing baking soda and
water to make a paste, and scrub.

********************************************************************************

ARCHIVED ISSUES, READER SUBMISSIONS WELCOME, TO SUBSCRIBE

Blue Bin News is distributed in electronic format to conserve natural
resources and minimize costs.  Archived issues are available at
http://stlouis.missouri.org/citygov/recycle/residentialnewsletter.html.

Reader submissions are welcome.  Share your waste management related
questions, activities, "how to" tips, calendar items, etc. by e-mailing
us at recycle@stlouiscity.com.

Would you or anyone you know like to receive Blue Bin News?  Contact us
at recycle@stlouiscity.com to be added to our e-mailing list.