The budget cuts we are forced to make because of increased pension costs without new revenue are continuing and will affect garbage, recycling and yard waste in the Urban Services District (USD) next week.

Labor Day, Monday, September 2, will be the first "no collection-no delay" holiday in the USD. There will be no residential garbage, recycling or yard waste collection on Labor Day. Waste collection will occur normally the rest of the week. There will not be a one-day delay. Garbage, recycling and yard waste that is normally collected on Mondays in the USD will not be collected on Labor Day and those collections will resume on Monday, September 9. The rest of the week, households should set out garbage, recycling or yard waste on their normal collection day. 

This “no collection-no delay” holiday is a change from the traditional one-day delay during holiday weeks. The change is a cost saving measure due to citywide budget cuts that went into effect on July 1, 2019. This change will NOT affect all holidays. Use the Recycle Coach app to stay up-to-date on future changes. 

Garbage pickup in St. Matthews will be delayed one day during the rest of the week (e.g. Monday will move to Tuesday, and Tuesday will move to Wednesday, and so forth). Rumpke will return to its regular collection schedule the following week.

Other District 9 residents who rely on private haulers for garbage, recycling and yard waste collection should consult those haulers about holiday collection schedules.

Also, Jefferson County staffed recycling drop-off locations, hazardous waste (Haz Bin) and the Waste Reduction Center will be closed on Saturday, August 31 in recognition of the holiday and closed on Monday as usual.

The annual St. Leonard Catholic Church Picnic, 440 Zorn Avenue, is coming up next weekend, September 6 and 7. Hours are Friday from 6:00 - 11:00 p.m. and Saturday 4:00 - 11:00 p.m. Enjoy Texas Hold 'em Friday night, chicken dinner with sides on Saturday, and live music, inflatables, food and drink, game booths, and more! Please remember, parking is NOT allowed on the Zorn Avenue median. 

Work continues in the right-of-way, including sidewalks, on the south side of Frankfort Avenue.  Crews are installing fiber which will be used for Verizon telephone service (not residential Internet or television programming, unfortunately).

Beginning after Labor Day, crews will be replacing the temporary asphalt patches, by pulling out the entire slab of concrete and replacing it with a new concrete section.  That will mean temporary closures of multiple sections of the sidewalk for a two-three day period. It’s a big job and the process is likely to continue for at least several weeks.  

Thank you for your patience as the work continues!

As we reported in the March 28 eNews, Metro budget cuts have required us to discontinue funding for the Frankfort Avenue Trolley Hops this year.  There will still be some hops – funded by private sponsors – but there will be no trolleys on Friday, August 30, what would have been a last-Friday-of-the-month hop. WAVE-3 reported on this earlier this week:  https://www.wave3.com/2019/08/28/august-frankfort-avenue-trolley-hop-cancelled-due-lack-sponsor/.

There are cuts throughout Metro government, including the fact that we will have more than 40 fewer LMPD officers on our streets at the end of the year than we had at the beginning.  That’s not sustainable, but neither the Mayor nor any member of the Metro Council had a plan to avoid it, given our rapidly rising pension costs with no new revenue.  Unfortunately, the pensions costs go up again next year.

While there will be no trolleys Friday, let’s get out and walk to Frankfort Avenue businesses.  Small business are the lifeblood of the community.  Please support them.  

If you see a streetlight out in your neighborhood (or anywhere in Louisville), please note the address and report it to LG&E for repair. Click here to fill out the online form to report broken or malfunctioning streetlights. We always recommend adding your contact information to the request, so a technician who has questions can contact you. LG&E makes repairs during the day. Make sure you follow up if the streetlight hasn’t been repaired within seven (7) days.

There is a lot of information out there about recycling that can be confusing and even seem conflicting. Here are local answers to some of the most frequently asked questions: 

Where does our recycling go? 

To a Materials Recovery Facility (or MRF, pronounced “merf”). Jefferson County’s household recyclables go to one of two MRFs – WestRock Recycling or Rumpke Waste & Recycling. If yours is picked up by Rumpke trucks, then it goes to Rumpke. All the other trucks, including Louisville Metro’s, take recycling to WestRock. At the recycling facility, the items are sorted, baled, and sent to manufacturers for further processing. Our material stays in the USA.

What can I recycle in my curbside bin?

Generally speaking, you can recycle paper, cartons, cardboard, plastic containers, glass bottles and jars, and metal containers. WestRock and Rumpke have a few differences in their accepted items lists, though. If Rumpke trucks collect recycling in your neighborhood, follow their guidelines. Otherwise, use this flyer. For more details, use the Recycle Coach app. Review guidelines and use the What Goes Where? search tool. 

What should NOT go in my recycling bin? 

There are some items that just don't belong. The reasons vary: some unacceptable items are dangerous for the workers who handle the material, some can damage the equipment at the sorting facility, and some things (like food and liquids) can decrease the value of the accepted items. Never put these items in your curbside recycling bin or drop-off recycling dumpster:

1. Plastic grocery bags - take them to a grocery store to recycle. And it's best not to bag your recyclables. If you have an open top bin and need to contain your items, make sure the bag is see-through. But loose is always better!
2. Food or liquid - containers should be EMPTY. They don't have to be squeaky clean. Give containers a quick rinse if it's hard to get them empty. Some grease on pizza boxes is okay!
3. Styrofoam - we don't have the equipment necessary to recycle Styrofoam. Avoid Styrofoam takeout containers if you can!
4. Batteries or electronics - alkaline batteries are safe for trash disposal, rechargeable batteries should be recycled. 
5. Scrap metal - take to a metal recycling facility, like River Metals, 2045 River Road in D9.

Does the recycling symbol and number on the bottom of plastic containers mean they're recyclable?

No, the number indicates the type of plastic it is. Some facilities accept plastic based on their numbers and some facilities accept plastic based on their shape. WestRock accepts plastic #1-7 (but remember those Styrofoam containers and plastic grocery bags? They have a number and they're not accepted!) Rumpke is a bottle only program. They only want plastic bottles and jugs that have a small mouth and wider base. 

What about lids and labels?

Leave plastic lids on plastic containers and crush the container if you can. 

Remove metal lids from glass bottles and jars, then recycle separately.

Remove plastic lids from paper cartons before recycling. (The lids probably won't make it through the sorting process, so they can be trashed. Unless you know of a school saving them for the Bench for Caps program.) Just leave labels on plastic bottles, soup cans, etc. 

What if I have more questions? 

Check out the Recycle Coach app for more detailed information. Follow Karen Maynard's Know Waste Wednesday trivia posts on Nextdoor! You can see past questions and answers on this website. And you can always send her a message with your specific questions. 

We’d like to feature your sustainability story - a resident or business doing good things for the environment.  Riding the bus, bicycling, walking, gardening and more - our eNews will feature practices which can benefit all of us.  Send your story to Bill Hollander or Kyle Ethridge. 

Give For Good Louisville is on Thursday, September 12, 2019 from 12:00 a.m. – 11:59 p.m. This event is hosted by the Community Foundation of Louisville and is the community’s biggest day of local giving. For 24-hours, the community comes together with gifts big and small to give back to non-profits which are helping change the world around us. Please save the date and contribute to a D9 or Metro-wide organization!

The Big Table, a welcoming event aimed at bringing people together to share food and conversation, is returning to Iroquois Park on Sunday, September 15 from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m.

The third annual event is hosted by The Big Table, with major support from the Global Human Project and the Louisville Metro Office for Globalization. Each participant is asked to bring a dish, fruit, dessert or non-alcoholic drink to share with at least eight people. Participants are encouraged to bring a dish that reflects something about them, has a family story or personal significance, along with a recipe card. Tables, chairs, eating utensils and plates will be provided by event sponsors, but in case of an extra-large turnout, organizers encourage participants to bring a blanket and extra utensils.

Organizers are again hoping to break a world record, but this year’s event is most focused on encouraging conversation and meeting new people. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the largest potluck was attended by 3,264 people in India.

In an effort to foster more intimate conversation and depth of connection, participants will be organized into tables of eight. Table Host volunteers will help seat participants and work to ensure tables are made up of familiar and unfamiliar faces. Table Hosts will also facilitate conversation and storytelling during the event. Approximately 250 Table Host volunteers are needed for this event.

New this year, residents who play an instrument are invited to bring their instrument and join in a post-dinner global music jam. Pick-up music venues will be arranged along the event area to continue facilitating connections during event cleanup.

In case of inclement weather, organizers will announce a cancellation of the event by 1:00 p.m. on September 15 on social media and the event registration page.

Registration is strongly encouraged. For more information and event registration, visit www.thebigtable502.com or sign up on the Facebook event page, The Big Table 2019: The World’s Largest Potluck.

United Crescent Hill Ministries (UCHM) is seeking volunteers to help educate youth (K-8) by helping them with homework, mentoring and tutoring. Volunteers typically work during program hours from 3:30 – 6:00 p.m. If you are interested in learning more, please contact David Demanget at 893-0346 or email ddemanget@uchmlouky.org.

The St. Matthews Area Ministries (St. MAM) needs your help in stocking their shelves. Donations may be dropped off Monday – Friday between 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. The St. MAM entrance is under the carport on the backside of Beechwood Baptist Church, 201 Biltmore Road, next to the playground.

Early Essentials for Infants & Toddlers – baby wash, baby wipes, lotion, diaper cream, diapers (all sizes) and pull-ups.

Personal Hygiene & Nonfood Items – body soap, denture cleaner, Depends, household cleaning products, paper towels, shampoo, toilet paper, toothpaste and toothbrushes.

For more information on St. MAM and how to get involved, please click here.

Calling all local artists! Please submit your art to be showcased in City Hall. “Art in City Hall” works in partnership with the Commission on Public Art to use the public lobby areas and hallways of all three floors in the Historic City Hall as a display area to showcase visual arts. Interested artists should submit an application online at https://louisvilleky.gov/government/public-art. There is no entry fee. Each artist selected to exhibit their work will receive a $500 honorarium. The exhibit will take place over October 2019 to September 2020. The deadline for submission is September 8.

Questions, please contact Sarah Lindgren, Public Art Administrator at Sarah.Lindgren@louisvilleky.gov or 574-1554.

Save the Date for BowmanFest 2019 on Saturday, October 5 and Sunday, October 6 at Bowman Field Terminal Building, 2805 Taylorsville Road. Veterans and active military get in free, please bring military ID card.

At the event enjoy 30+ military and civilian airplanes, aircraft flyovers and air show maneuvers, vintage cars, motorcycles, re-enactors, historic exhibits, flightline rides, Four Roses Bourbon tastings, live music, bouncy field, food trucks, craft beers, local vendors and more. For more information on the festival, please click here.

New for 2019, BowmanFest IPA “5K on the Runway” Race on Saturday, October 5 at 9:00 a.m. The 5K Run/Walk is $33 for adults and $23 for 15 and under. For more information and to sign up, please click here.