INSIDE
Audit Your Waste pg.2 • Compost at the Movies pg.4
GreenWays
THE QUARTERLY RESIDENTIAL NEWSLETTER FROM GREENWASTE OF PALO ALTO SPRING 2013
CLEANING
It’s the time of year to sort through our garages and closets and
decide what we can keep and what we no longer have space
for. While you undertake this springtime task, remember that
your old “junk” doesn’t have to go in the garbage. First, think
about reuse. Can you repurpose any of your old items? If not,
functioning items can be sold or donated.
If there are things that you find that are no longer usable,
remember the annual Clean Up Day that is available to you.
GreenWaste will take away up to four bulky items (e.g.,
furniture, mattresses, and appliances) with a weight limit of 200
pounds each. And keep peace of mind that GreenWaste will
recycle as much of this material as we can.
YARD SALE
Need a little incentive to do some spring cleaning? How about
earning money AND helping the environment? Reusing – whether you
donate, buy, or sell – is one of the best ways to reduce waste and
keep usable stuff out of the landfill. So pull out, dust off and polish up
your old items for the Palo Alto Citywide Yard Sale on
Saturday, June 8!
Register online at www.PaloAltoOnline.com/yardsale or call
(650) 496-5910. The registration deadline is May 10, 2013. Your
address and sale merchandise will be included in a full-page map
that will be printed in the June 7, 2013 edition of the Palo Alto
Weekly, and online at www.cityofpaloalto.org/yardsale
For more information about the Yard Sale, visit
www.PaloAltoOnline.com/yardsale,
email [email protected] or call (650) 496-5910.
GreenWaste
Customer Service
(650) 493-4894
GREENLIGHT EARTH
DAY FILM FESTIVAL
AND ECO FASHION
SHOW
April 18th, 7pm - 9pm
Cubberley Theater
4000 Middlefield Road
COMPOST BASICS
WORKSHOP
April 20th, 10am - 12pm
Cubberley Community Center
4000 Middlefield Road, Rm H-1
REPAIR CAFE
April 21st, 11am - 3pm
Museum of American Heritage
351 Homer Avenue
CITYWIDE
Contact Information
EVENTS
SPRING
City of Palo Alto
Zero Waste
(650) 496-5910
DOCUMENT
SHREDDING EVENT
April 27th, 8am - 12pm
SMaRT Station
301 Carl Road (Sunnyvale)
GREAT RACE FOR
SAVING WATER
April 27th, 9am - 12pm
Baylands Nature Preserve
2775 Embarcadero Road
HAZARDOUS WASTE
DROP OFF
May 4th, 9am - 12pm
RWQCP
2501 Embarcadero Way
City of Palo Alto
Hazardous Waste
(650) 496-6980
SMaRT
Station
(408) 752-8530
2 GreenWays
Audit Your Waste
Landfill Materials
broken ceramics
Want to know how to green your waste stream? It’s time to dig in!
1 Lay out a tarp or old sheet so you can spread out your waste
without making too much of a mess
2 Bring all of your internal waste containers to the tarp sorting area
3 Sort waste by room so you can understand what is coming from
the kitchen, from the bathrooms, etc.
Example: Kitchen garbage
»» Pile 1: Place all the items that were sorted correctly (actual
garbage/landfill items such as granola bar wrappers, chip bags
and broken ceramics)
»» Pile 2: Place all the items that were sorted incorrectly (e.g.,
recyclable items such as bottles, cans, paper, boxes)
»» Discuss with the household the mis-sorted items (e.g., remind
everyone that the eggshells should go in the backyard compost
bin and the cake mix box should go in the recyclables container)
»» Assess the garbage items that were correctly sorted. How can
your household eliminate some of these items? Can juice boxes
be replaced with large plastic juice jugs?
4 Repeat step three (3) for the waste from all areas of the house.
Understanding where waste is coming from and how it is actually
being sorted will help educate your household as well as inform you
of products you are purchasing that involve wasteful packaging.
Have fun getting messy!
composite
materials
expanded
polystyrene
Recyclable Materials
paper
metal
glass
plastic
Debris Detective
Get the kids involved in the waste audit. As you are sorting through your home waste, ask your
kids to participate in the waste mystery!
1 Pick three items that were incorrectly sorted
into the garbage and should be recycled instead.
2 List the items you selected here:
5 Pick out three non-recyclable packaging
products that you found in the trash.
6 List the items you selected here:
3 With a bold marker, write the world
“RECYCLE” on the items you collected.
4 Use your detective skills to find the location in
your home where these items came from.
Leave the items in their original home (pantry or
shower for example) for a few days so everyone
can remember that they should be recycled.
7 Find out where in the house the items came
from and if there are any more of these items left.
8 Write down products with recyclable or less
wasteful packaging to replace these items.
*Cut this out and place it on the fridge so everyone can
remember the changes next time they go grocery shopping.
GreenWays 3
I’d Rather Get Caught
Cheating on My Taxes!
That’s how plenty of Americans feel
when compared with being caught
littering, according to a recent study
conducted by Shelton Group. In the
study, when respondents were asked
“How embarrassed would you be
if someone you knew found out that
you…” (followed by a list of undesirable
behaviors), 59% of respondents said
they’d be “very embarrassed” if caught
throwing trash out the car window.
Littering came before cheating on taxes
(at 57%) and smoking cigarettes
(at 36%).
There’s a reason why it is so
embarrassing to be caught littering littering not only prevents resources
from being recovered and recycled,
but it also has harmful consequences
on wildlife and our environment. Plastic
litter can bind animals’ limbs and fins,
and animals can mistake the material
for food. Additionally, harmful chemicals
from plastic litter can leach into our
water systems.
To avoid harming
our world (and
to avoid embarras
sment), be sure
to keep lids closed
on your outdoor
waste containers
. This may mean
you
need to call Green
Waste to adjust
service if your co
ntainers are over
full
and you are unab
le to close them.
We
are happy to wor
k with you to get
you
appropriate serv
ice and to keep ou
r
world clean.
Need an Extra Push?
44%
26%
Encouragement
from Friends
27%
Seeing Others You
Admire Change
30%
Encouragement from
Children
Learning about Benefits
38%
Learning about Dangers
45%
Monetary Reward/Incentive
Penalty/Fine
48%
Shelton Group also asked participants what would encourage
them to adopt eco-friendly behaviors more quickly. Below are
the respondents’answers. What would move you to green
your habits? Let us know what would help you change at
[email protected].
COMPOST What to do with
CDs
&
DVDs
AT THE
MOVIES
In 2010, Landmark Theaters
began using compostable popcorn
bags in honor of Earth Day. Now,
Landmark’s Aquarius Theater here
in Palo Alto has officially started a
compost program! Next time you
see a film at Aquarius, you will
see green receptacles that
you can toss popcorn
bags, coffee cups,
soiled napkins,
and extra food
into. Remember to
continue recycling
at Aquarius as welltake everything with
you out of the theater
after the film and sort
items into the correct
containers.
Maybe you aren’t listening to Hanson or Spice Girls anymore,
or maybe your toddler has scratched up your DVD collection.
Either way, you have some CDs and DVDs that you need to get
rid of. Unfortunately, CDs and DVDs are not accepted in the
curbside recycling program. You have many options other than
placing these in your garbage can, however.
REDUCE
What: Avoid creating the CD and DVD
waste in the first place
How: Download music and movies on
your computer instead of buying discs
REUSE
What: Donate to Friends of the
Palo Alto Library
Where: 4000 Middlefield Rd
Contact: [email protected]
RECYCLE
What: Recycle in the blue mixed media bin at the
Regional Water Quality Control Plant
Where: 2501 Embarcadero Way
Close the Loop at Home
Family
Dinner
Garden
Vegetables
Much of the waste we produce
at home is food waste. By
composting at home, you can
reduce your waste and produce
a nutrient rich soil amendment.
At home, you can compost grass
clippings, pine needles, leaves,
flowers, shredded paper, fruit
and vegetable scraps, coffee
grounds, and eggshells. Think
Backyard
Compost
about how much less waste
you’ll be putting out for service
every week if you throw these
items in your compost bin
instead. Compost workshops
are available in Palo Alto and
throughout Santa Clara County.
Learn more at
www.cityofpaloalto.org/workshops.