Wednesday, November 02, 2011

Blue Bin New-November 2011 St. Louis City Residential Recycling e Newsletter Issue 42

  St. Louis City Residential Recycling e Newsletter
Issue 42

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

IN THIS ISSUE:
*Fall has Fallen
*Symbol Meanings
*Pumpkin Recycling
*America Recycles Day
*Recycled Product of the Month
*Decomposition, How Long does it Take?
*Residential Recommendations
*Upcoming Events
****************************************************************************************

"We do not inherit the world from our ancestors we borrow it from our
children."
Native American Proverb

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

Fall Has Fallen
Fall is a beautiful time of year, with lots of colorful scenery and
what some would call "perfect" weather. With the change of weather comes
a blanket of leaves that tend to fall on perfectly manicured lawns
across the city; however don't let this bother you, as there is a
solution to this problem that will help to make your lawns healthy and
green come spring.
There are several different options for those leaves of yours, instead
of adding to the 18 million tons of leaves that end up in landfills
every year.
* The first option is to mow them into your lawn. Your grass will thank
you for all the added nutrients. You may want to make sure that there
are not too many leaves in one spot.
* Second you could take a large pile of leaves and spread them around
the base of trees and shrubs. These piles can be 3-6 inches deep as the
trees and shrubs will need more nutrients than the grass.
* Third you could use those leaves to make compost. Though it may be a
time consuming process to compost, it will be well worth the wait come
spring when you are ready to start those gardens!! For more info on
composting with leaves or composting in general please visit:
http://stlouis-mo.gov/goverment/departments/street/refuse/recycle/composting.cfm

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

Symbol Meanings
Welcome to the 2nd installment of our symbol meanings article.  This
month we will focus on plastics #3 & #4. The St. Louis City Recycling
Program recycles 6 of the 7 symbols
#3 PVC-Polyvinyl Chloride
PVC is a tough plastic that weathers well. It is made from chlorine so
its manufacturers release highly toxic dioxins into the environment. It
is used to make siding, piping, shampoo & cooking oil bottles, as well
as medical equipment. It can be recycled into decks, paneling, speed
bumps, mudflaps and flooring.
#4LDPE- Low Density Polyethylene
LDPE is a very flexible plastic with a variety of applications. It can
be found in squeezable bottles, clothing, tote bags, as well as frozen
food and bread bags. It can be recycled into floor tiles, trash bags and
cans, shipping envelopes and lumber.
Both 3 & 4 are accepted in the STL City recycling program.
****************************************************************************************

Don't throw your pumpkins away.
RECYCLE THEM!!!
Make a pumpkin pie or centerpiece, compost them, or place in your yard
waste bin.
****************************************************************************************

America Recycles Day began in 1997 as a campaign to get Americans to
begin recycling and purchasing recycled products. The mission of ARD is
to get Americans to sign personal pledges that they will start a
continuous lifestyle of change.
We all know how important recycling is to our health, economy, and
environment. So this year the City of St. Louis Recycling Program
encourages you to be the change that our environment needs. Sign your
own personal pledge and get involved in any way that you can to help
reduce waste, reuse products, and recycle resources.           
Visit www.americarecyclesday.org
****************************************************************************************

Recycled Product of the Month

Paloma Pottery offers a wide selection of original yet trendy pieces
that can be used to decorate any space of your home. The piece featured
this month is a recycled glass infused pottery wall hook and was found
in the $20 and under section of the website and comes in a variety of
shapes, sizes, and colors. Check Paloma out today you won’t be
disappointed!!
   
www.palomapottery.com
****************************************************************************************

Decomposition, How Long does it Take?

Plastic container......50 years-never
Glass bottle.......500-1 million years
Nylon Clothing.....30-40 years
Plastic Carrying bags......15-1000 years
Leather Shoes......25-40 years
Aluminum Cans.....80-100 years
Paper Carrying bags.....2-5 months

Just goes to show you how important Reducing, Reusing, and Recycling is
to our environment.

The decomposition rates above vary depending on oxygen levels,
temperature, moisture level, etc.
****************************************************************************************

Residential Recommendations
What innovative ways do you reuse household items (e.g., turning coffee
cans into planters)? Have any upcoming events to share or something else
related to residential waste management? If so please feel free to email
us at the email address listed in the lower left hand box. We welcome
any and all comments and suggestions.
****************************************************************************************

Upcoming November 2011 Events

November 5, 2011 (Saturday), 10am-12:30pm: Eco-Friendly Refinishing
www.perennialstl.org
November 8, 2011 (Tuesday) 6pm: Young Literati Free Book Exchange
www.slplfoundation.org/about/events
November 10, 2011 (Thursday), 6:00-8pm: Eco-Crafting; Trendy Trivets
www.perennialstl.org
November 22, 2011 (Tuesday), 6:30-9pm: Green Drinks Monthly Meeting
www.stlgreendrinks.org

No comments: