Pharmaceutical Waste Collection Days

Rochester is accepting medicines for recycling at it's Monroe County Operations Center, 444 East Henrietta Rd on Saturday January 24th and March 7th; both from 8am to 1pm.

Please consider making the trip. Unwanted medicines are making their way into our waterways and into our drinking water.

So much going on!

I haven't blogged here in some time. Lots going on. For one thing, I am setting up to become a CD and DVD recycling drop off location. Please check back here for more info soon! Or at www.FundamentalGREEN.com

Thinking outside the (blue) box

Some items you may not have known you can recycle:
(for a growing list see www.RochesterRecycling.blogspot.com)
crocs!
http://www.solesunited.com/index.html

wine corks!
http://www.yemmhart.com/news+/winecorkrecycling.htm

glue bottles!
http://www.elmersgluecrew.com/how.asp

beer bottle caps!!! http://www.free-news-release.com/New-Beer-Cap-Recycling-Program-Detail_613.html

plastic bottle caps can be recycled!
Aveda will accept most caps at store locations

Styrofoam packing materials!
http://www.epspackaging.org/info.html

sneakers!
Drop off barrels just inside the front door of …
Waste Management, East Henrietta Rd, Rochester
Balance Acupuncture, Commercial St, East Rochester

check back, I'm determined to find more!

Please, not the beer!

Or…another reason I’m against ethanol as an alternative fuel.

Apparently the beer brewing industry is facing rising costs from increased prices of fuel, aluminum, glass, and not at all least...hops, barley and other grains. The cost of hops and other grains have jumped as farmers are dropping those crops to plant corn to meet the increasing demand for ethanol.

As a result of the increased cost of hops and barley and the cost and availability of corn, some brewers are using corn instead. This is a real health bummer because conventionally grown corn is treated with copious amounts of pesticide and beer bottlers aren’t required to print an ingredient list on their bottles, so we may not know which are which.

As far as growing corn for ethanol production, not only are farms across America foregoing other crops to plant moneymaking crops like corn, but I suspected the inevitability of a bunch of poor starving rainforest farmers cutting down trees to plant money making corn crops. Alas, it’s already happening! See http://news.mongabay.com/2007/0516-ethanol_amazon.html

Corn is not only genetically modified and highly sprayed, it has other drawbacks. Corn is also a huge consumer of nitrogen, leaving the soil depleted of this important nutrient. Corn is an open-pollinating crop; wind and insects can carry the pollen up to several miles. This means that conventional corn can and does infiltrate organic corn crops.

Uggh.

Plastic Recycling Misconceptions

I came across these today, points that are so valid. So I wanted to post it .

Misconception #1: Any plastic container you put in your blue bin will be recycled. This is ABSOLUTELY not the case in Monroe County. For example, the only #1 and #2 plastics recycled are those that have a long neck, bottles that is. Any other shaped #1 or #2 and all #3, #4, #5, #6,and #7 plastics will be separated at the recycling center and diverted to the landfill

Misconception # 2: Plastics that go into a curbside bin get recycled. Not necessarily. Collecting plastic containers at curbside fosters the belief that, like aluminum and glass, the recovered material is converted into new containers. Many are made into new secondary products such as textiles, parking lot bumpers, or plastic lumber – all unrecyclable products.

Misconception # 3: Curbside collection will reduce the amount of plastic landfilled. Not necessarily. If collection makes plastic seem more environmentally friendly, people may feel comfortable buying more.

Misconception # 4: A chasing arrows symbol means a plastic container is recyclable. The arrows are meaningless. Every plastic container is marked with the chasing arrows symbol.

Misconception # 5: Our choice is limited to recycling or wasting. Reducing our purchases of plastic is preferable and isn’t difficult. Opportunities include using refillable containers, buying in bulk, buying things that don’t need much packaging, and buying things in recyclable and recycled packages.

This is excerpted from http://www.ecologycenter.org/ptf/misconceptions.html

Compact Fluorescent Light Bulb (CFL) Safety!

One of the simplest ways to make your home more green and energy efficient is to replace your incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs). They can last 10 times longer and use 70% less energy.

It is important, however, to be aware that these bulbs contain mercury vapor. While no mercury is released when they are in use, it is vital to know how to dispose of them properly and the steps to take if one breaks.


What to do with your burned-out CFLs

Since CFLs do contain mercury, it is important that you do not throw them in your garbage can! Place it in a sealed plastic bag and then…
If you live near an IKEA store, bring it there
Check earth911.org for local disposal options
Place the sealed plastic bag in the trash


How to respond when there is a broken CFL

EPA recommends the following clean-up and disposal guidelines (http://www.epa.gov/mercury/spills/index.htm#flourescent):

In brief, open a window and leave the area for 15 minutes. Them carefully pack themup in a jar. Dispose of the jar with a metal lid, put this in a plastic bag and dispose outside. Wash your hands.

Before Clean-up: Ventilate the Room
1. Have people and pets leave the room, and don't let anyone walk through the breakage area on their way out.
2. Open a window and leave the room for 15 minutes or more. 3. Shut off the central forced-air heating/air conditioning system, if you have one.

Clean-Up Steps for Hard Surfaces
4. Carefully scoop up glass fragments and powder using stiff paper or cardboard and place them in a glass jar with metal lid (such as a canning jar) or in a sealed plastic bag.
5. Use sticky tape, such as duct tape, to pick up any remaining small glass fragments and powder.
6. Wipe the area clean with damp paper towels or disposable wet wipes and place them in the glass jar or plastic bag.
7. Do not use a vacuum or broom to clean up the broken bulb on hard surfaces.

Clean-up Steps for Carpeting or Rug
4. Carefully pick up glass fragments and place them in a glass jar with metal lid (such as a canning jar) or in a sealed plastic bag.
5. Use sticky tape, such as duct tape, to pick up any remaining small glass fragments and powder.
6. If vacuuming is needed after all visible materials are removed, vacuum the area where the bulb was broken.
7. Remove the vacuum bag (or empty and wipe the canister), and put the bag or vacuum debris in a sealed plastic bag.

Disposal of Clean-up Materials
8. Immediately place all cleanup materials outside the building in a trash container or outdoor protected area for the next normal trash.
9. Wash your hands after disposing of the jars or plastic bags containing clean-up materials.
10. Check with your local or state government about disposal requirements in your specific area. Some states prohibit such trash disposal and require that broken and unbroken mercury-containing bulbs be taken to a local recycling center.

Future Cleaning of Carpeting or Rug: Ventilate the Room During and After Vacuuming
11. The next several times you vacuum, shut off the central forced-air heating/air conditioning system and open a window prior to vacuuming.
12. Keep the central heating/air conditioning system shut off and the window open for at least 15 minutes after vacuuming is completed.

A printable postable guide to green

A Greener Home in Simple Steps

www.FundamentalGREEN.com

Reduce electricity use
·Use compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs). They can last 10 times longer and use 75% less energy.
·Unplug appliances. TVs, computers, appliances use 75% of their electricity while turned off.
·Purchase major appliances with an Energy Star rating.
·Wash clothes in cold water. 90% of energy to wash is used to heat the water.
·Skip the dryer and hang dry clothes.

Green your cleaning
·Chlorine bleach production releases dioxins, known carcinogens and hormone disruptors. Diluted white vinegar can be used for all general cleaning (vinegar has an 80 to 99 percent kill rate for viruses and bacteria).
·Laundry and dishwashing detergents are a major source of water pollution and contain chemicals that can cause health problems. Dryer sheets can contain several ingredients which appear on the environmental protection agency’s (EPA’s) hazardous waste list. Use natural soaps and detergents. They can be more expensive, but watch for sales and stock up. You can also make your own from a few simple ingredients. Many spray stain removers have harmful chemicals and should be replaced with more natural products.

Minimize water usage
·Showerhead - Replacing a 4.5 GPM showerhead with a 2.5 GPM head may save a 2 person home 10,000 gal/yr.
·Shorten your shower time – each minute amounts to 170 lbs of CO2.
·Toilet – New toilets are 1.6 gallons per flush. A brick or weighted bottle in the tank will limit the flush of a larger toilet.
·Faucets- Turn water off while shaving & tooth brushing. Install aerators on faucets to reduce water flow.
·Run dishwasher full and refrain from prewashing dishes.

Limit your plastics
·Choose plastics labeled #1, #2, #4, and #5 and avoid those labeled #3, #6, and #7 which have been shown to leach harmful chemicals into food and beverages.
·Carry a refillable bottle or mug for beverages on the go, and bring reusable cloth bags to stores.
·Avoid vinyl shower curtains which release chemicals. Natural fiber curtains can be washed and reused for years.

Reduce paper use
·Stop junk mail - Each year, 100 million trees are cut down and turned into junk mail, with Americans receiving 400 million tons of it per year. Cutting out junk mail is one of the most effective things people can do to reduce pollution.
·Replace paper napkins and paper towels with cloth napkins for the table and dishtowels or rags for cleanups.
·Limit printing from your computer, print on both sides of the page, reuse paper for hand-written notes before recycling.

Use rechargeable batteries
·Batteries contain mercury and that can leach into the soil in a landfill. Even if your local waste management company doesn’t recycle batteries (disposable or rechargeable), look for places that do. Some Lowes, Home Depot, and Best Buy stores have receptacles for old batteries.

Eliminate antibacterial products
·According to a 2000 World Health Organization report, antibacterial soaps are helping to promote growth of resistant bacteria. They encourage the rise of drug-resistant bacteria. Triclosan, a commonly used antibacterial, also carries concerns of contamination from chloroform and dioxin.

Compost
·Composting is one of the simplest and most effective recycling methods. Both your garden cuttings and your green kitchen waste can go into an outdoor or indoor compost bin. If you don't have a garden yourself, find neighbors or a community garden that can make use of your soil. Composting food scraps will mean your regular kitchen wastebasket fills up more slowly and also won’t smell.

Recycle useable items
·Don’t put usable clothes and household items curbside. Get your unwanted items into the hands of people who can use them. Offer them up on your local Freecycle.org or Craigslist.org. Goodwill and Salvation Army are also good options.