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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASED
December 26, 2019
DES MOINES – The holiday season is a time for spending with family and friends and giving and receiving gifts. This is also the most waste-generated time of the year.
According to Standford University, Americans throw away 25% more trash from Thanksgiving to New Years, which adds an additional 1 million pounds of waste going to the landfill per week.
If every family reused just two feet of holiday ribbon, the 38,000 miles of ribbon saved could tie a bow around the planet. If every family wrapped three of the gifts they give in reusable materials like using the newspaper comics pages, magazines, etc., it would save enough paper to cover approximately 45,000 football fields.
According to the 2017 Iowa Statewide Waste Characterization Study, overall, cardboard was the fifth most landfilled material out of the 62 sort categories. The total amount of cardboard landfilled in Iowa was approximately 84,200 tons. Based on a current market value of $51 per ton of cardboard, that adds up to $4.3 million dollars.
Consider these holiday savings tips from the EPA and others:
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Consider the source.Choose recycled or sustainable sourced materials. Shop local to support area shops, makers, and artisans while reducing shipping costs and impacts.
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Rethink the wrap. Reuse maps, comics, newsprint, kid art, or posters as gift wrap. Wrap gifts in recycled paper or a reusable bag. Or skip the gift wrap, hide the gifts, and leave clues or trails for kids to follow. Believe it or not, despite Christmas paper being typically made of paper, most of the time you can’t actually recycle it. Forget the foil and glittery paper this Christmas and opt for a more subtle style.
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Keep it simple.For larger gatherings, choose recyclable or compostable service items. All food-soiled paper products are commercially compostable, unless plastic- or foil-coated.
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Reuse packing and shipping materials. Save ribbons, bows, boxes, bags, and décor for the next holiday.
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Recycle old electronics and batteries.
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Compost your food scraps.
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources wishes you and your family a very Happy New Year!
MEDIA CONTACT: Kelli Book, DNR, at 515-725-9572 or Kelli.Book@dnr.iowa.gov.
DES MOINES – DNR staff work with individuals, businesses and communities to help them protect our natural resources by complying with state and federal laws. This approach is very effective. In the few cases where compliance cannot be achieved, the DNR issues enforcement actions. The following list summarizes recent enforcement actions. Find the entire, original orders on DNR’s website at www.iowadnr.gov/EnforcementActions
Consent Orders A consent order is issued as an alternative to issuing an administrative order. A consent order indicates that the DNR has voluntarily entered into a legally enforceable agreement with the other party.
Buena Vista County
Duane Magnussen
Cease illegal open burning, dispose of any solid waste from the demolition at a licensed solid waste disposal facility, and pay a $3,156.00 administrative penalty.
MEDIA CONTACT: Lori Hanson, DNR, at 515-725-9525 or Lori.Hanson@dnr.iowa.gov for Title V permits; or Sarah Piziali, DNR, at 515-725-9549 or Sarah.Piziali@dnr.iowa.gov for construction permits.
DES MOINES – The DNR Air Quality Bureau has the following draft permits up for review. The permits help protect Iowans’ health and air quality. DNR’s permitting staff review each permit application to ensure facilities comply with state and federal air quality requirements. We encourage public comments on draft permits, providing help on how to make effective comments. Submit written comments to the assigned permit writer before 4:30 p.m. on the last day of the comment period. DNR considers public comments before finalizing the permits.
Construction Permits
DNR engineers review and issue construction permits to facilities before they build new or modify existing sources of air pollution. The public may review the following air quality construction permits available online at www.iowadnr.gov/airpermitsearch.
Black Hawk County John Deere Foundry – 2000 Westfield Ave, Waterloo. Project No. 18-179, Modifying capacity and BACT limits. The public comment period ends January 27, 2020.
Deere & Company – John Deere Product Engineering Center, 6725 Cedar Heights Drive, Cedar Falls
Project Number 19-408, Amended permits to allow the company to test larger engines. In addition, the company is accepting limits to become a minor stationary source for the Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) program. Public comment goes from December 27, 2019 – January 27, 2020 and requests for a public hearing must be submitted by January 10, 2020.
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