North Bay Green Sheet

Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle

You know the 3 “R”s, now let’s put them in the right order!

1. First things first, let’s REDUCE the amount that we consume and shift our consumption practices. Purchasing well-designed products and services is the first step to revving up your waste reduction routine.


2. The second “R” is REUSE. Find practical uses for items before you toss them into the trash or the blue cart. Find quality items that someone else has used at second-hand stores, online bulletin boards or places like E-Bay. Many items we need can be purchased used, reducing the impact on natural resources.


3. Lastly, RECYCLE is diverting end-use materials from the trash to be broken down into their elements and reused in new products. Recycling is free with garbage service!

Click on any section to expand the content and learn more:

1. Recycling

Be True to the Blue

Know what you can and can’t recycle in the blue cart. Contamination and garbage create more work for our staff and increase handling costs! Click here for a downloadable poster with our recycling guidelines. You can also visit recyclenow.org for an online recycling directory. You can also find the Sonoma County Recycling Guide offline in the Sonoma County ATT Yellow Pages under R for Recycling.

Buy Recycled

The essence of recycling is the cyclical movement of materials through the system. This is what is meant by Closing the Loop. Using products and materials made from recycled content reduces the consumption of natural resources and creates a critical market for recycled content goods. Support recycling by feeding this loop: recycle, then buy recycled. Examples of new products made with percentages of recycled content materials are copy paper, clothing, carpet, tables, couches and other interior design products. Visit recyclenow.org for locations in Sonoma County to purchase recycled paper. Examples of other local businesses offering recycled content products are Davis Carpets offering carpeting (daviscarpets.com), Cartridge World offering ink refills, and Beyond Waste (beyondwaste.com) offering reclaimed lumber. Also visit ciwmb.ca.gov/rcp/ for a directory of recycled content products including appliances, flooring, playground equipment and clothing.

Compost your Greens

Composting is one of the simplest and most effective recycling methods. Both yard cuttings and your vegetative kitchen waste can be placed in your Green yard waste carts. Yard waste is hauled to Sonoma Compost at the Central Disposal Site, 500 Mecham Road, Petaluma, and is sold to landscapers, farmers and the public as premium quality compost. Wood is also available. Learn more at www.sonomacompost.com.

Consider a home compost pile or in-vessel container for creating your own rich, organic fertilizer. Visit the California Integrated Waste Management Board website for resources on composting ciwmb.ca.gov/FoodWaste or visit Master Gardeners at mastergardeners.org. If you don’t have a garden yourself, you can find neighbors or a community garden that can make use of your composted material. Live in an apartment? You can vermicompost with an indoor worm bin. Find out more at www.epa.gov/compost/vermi.htm.­ Find out how the Compost Club non-profit can assist businesses and schools with compost programs. Call (707) 922-5778 and read this article for more details.

Recycle your Robots

TV and computer monitors (also called CRTs) are prohibited from disposal in the garbage because of lead and other heavy metals. A typical computer monitor contains four pounds of lead. Other electronics including VCRs, computer printers and items with electronic circuitry or programmable features also require special handling. All Sonoma County Disposal sites accept all of these items for free recycling. Visit www.recyclenow.org/r_recycling.cgi for additional free CRT and electronics recycling options.

Ink jet cartridges and cell phones

These can be recycled. Visit www.konoctigirlscouts.org/recycle.htm to learn more.

Household batteries

Batteries are also considered a hazardous waste, but they CANNOT be placed in recycling or trash. What do I do with them??? It’s easy, just keep a zip lock bag near your penny jar at home and turn them in at no cost to the numerous collection locations listed below.

1. Some retailers in your city have household battery drop-offs (most Longs Drugs and Radio Shack locations, check out www.recyclenow.org/r_recycling.cgi for locations). Just bring them along the next time you go shopping!



2. The Household Toxics Facility is open Thursday through Saturday each week. The Facility is located at the Sonoma County Central Disposal Site at 500 Mecham Road in Petaluma. They are open from 7:30 am 3:30 pm. No appointment is necessary. See www.recyclenow.org/r_householdtoxics.html for more information.



3. Each week there is a Community Toxics Collection event in a different city in Sonoma County. Check out Sonoma County’s recycling resource for schedule and locations: http://www.recyclenow.org/r_householdtoxics.html.

2. Reusing

Your trash is another’s treasure

Having a house or neighborhood yard sale is a good way to pass on items you are considering throwing away and letting someone else make use of them. Check out web-based mediums like www.waccobb.net, www.craigslist.org, www.ebay.com, www.freecycle.org, and Sonoma County’s own www.sonomax.org to get rid of (or find!) useable items. If you have items that you would have a hard time reselling, or simply want to donate, many local charities will welcome your donations. Look for local thrift stores, non-profits, or housing shelters to reuse your materials, or Sonoma County’s Recycletown, a recycling/reuse center located at the Central Disposal Site, 500 Mecham Road, Petaluma. You can make a personal goal for yourself to give the community a chance at your unused items before sending them to waste.

Reuse and You Can’t Lose

Simple ideas for reuse include creating kitchen notepads from blank sides of used office paper, using empty tissue boxes to store plastic bags and making cleaning rags out of old clothing. Reuse extends the life of a product, reduces the amount of new things we buy, and keeps items out of the landfill. Take the next step and refinish those old wooden chairs. You may find yourself seeking out repairable items at flea markets and yard sales as your creative spirit is inspired. Get started by visiting these sites www.bringrecycling.org and www.ciwmb.ca.gov. Do a google search for even more innovative reuse ideas.

Plan on Washing instead of Tossing

Consider ideas like carrying refillable coffee mugs or water bottles when purchasing drinks instead of using the paper or plastic throwaway cups that drinks are typically served in (some places even discount when you bring in refillable cups). You can also carry a set of utensils in a zip-lock bag to use at your “away” meals. (Two metal spoons and you’ve even got an instrument to play on your knee!) Use a handkerchief to fend off Sonoma County allergies instead of tissue.

Encourage an Artist

Provide children with after school projects making art from recycled materials. Using paper towel tubes and egg cartons, computer parts and old CDs, grocery bags and drink cups—children can use their imagination to make wondrous creations. Try a Google search for “junk art” for creative ideas, or check out Generation Green’s Dumpster Diversion Art and Education Project. (www.generationgreen.com)

3. Reducing

Be an environmental shopper

The less we purchase, the less waste we generate. Choose to purchase products with the least amount of packaging. If products are excessively packaged, let the manufacturer know you would like to see their packaging reduced. When stuck with the dilemma of paper or plastic, solve the equation by bringing your own bags. Many stores sell canvas bags for reuse. See www.recyclenow.org/o_wastereduction.html for more ideas.

Become a Waste-Stream Analyst

What’s really in your trashcan? For one week, make it a point to monitor your “trash habit” and categorize each item into groups such as landfill waste, organic compost, recyclables, reusable materials, etc. Take a look at how you can divert more “stuff” away from the landfill. This is a great exercise to do with kids as well as businesses. (Whether or not going through the trash would fly with the boss at work, let them know that “green” also means money, and there are significant cost savings associated with waste reduction). Need to do a commercial audit? Visit www.wme.com.au. Want to do a school waste audit? Try www.oregongreenschools.org or www.recycleworks.org.

The Bottom Line

The smaller size garbage cart you sign up for, the cheaper your garbage bill will be. North Bay Corporation provides free residential and commercial recycling and yard waste service, not to mention many outreach needs you may have. We are here to work with you to reduce your waste, so take advantage of our services to serve the planet and your pocketbook!

Got Junk Mail?

Are you becoming frustrated with all the worthless "junk mail" you are receiving? Is your recycling can filling up with all these unwanted pieces of paper? Well there is something you can do to keep your letter box at a minimum and it involves these 5 steps:

1. Call the 800 number listed in catalogues and magazines and request that your name be removed from their mailing list.



2. Get off national mailing lists by going to www.stopjunkmail.org to learn about ways to remove your name. Download their "Stop Junk Mail Kit" for sample letters you can mail to several marketing organizations to request your name be removed from their lists. Stopjunkmail.org also has ideas for reducing junk faxes and spam email.



3. When you buy from catalogues or online, make sure to let the company know: "DO NOT SELL MY NAME and DO NOT SEND ME PROMOTIONAL MATERIAL."



4. Request charities to not distribute your information. When you make a donation to a charity or nonprofit group, enclose a note requesting that the organization not rent, sell or exchange your name with any other organization.



5. To stop receiving "pre-approved" credit card offers, call the credit bureaus at 1-888-567-8688.

By decreasing your junk mail, you are not only saving paper but saving your personal information as well. Who wants pieces of paper with their name and address floating around?