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Article I: Holiday Recycling Naughty & Nice List
Article II: Know What to Throw Recycling Video Coming January 2020
Article III: Salt Smarter for a Healthier Environment
Article IV: Holiday Waste Reduction Tips
Article V: Resolve to Waste Less Food in 2020
Article VI: Disposal Discussion: Christmas Trees
Holiday Recycling Naughty & Nice List
Stay on Santa's nice list this holiday season by making sure your holiday waste goes to the proper place.
Know What to Throw January 2020
Did you know that plastic bags tangle the equipment at the facilities that sort our recyclables? Or that lithium and rechargeable batteries should be treated as hazardous waste?
We know that recycling can be complicated, so we have assembled an all-star cast to give you nine tips, to help you recycle right! Follow our Facebook page for the release of this video in January 2020.
Salt Smarter for a Healthier Environment
As we acclimate ourselves to another season of winter weather, many will use rock salt to keep driveways and sidewalks free of ice and compacted snow. And while rock salt is great at keeping roadways clear, melt-water eventually carries it to lakes, rivers, and groundwater where it becomes a pollutant.
In an effort to reduce salt use, City of Rochester & Olmsted County snowplows pretreat roads with a salt brine. This process helps keep roads clear and has the potential to reduce the need for total salt by approximately 30%.
Homeowners can reduce salt's impact on the environment with these simple steps:
- Shovel or plow before applying salt.
- Read product labels to see if there are temperature constraints; 15°F and below is too cold for salt to be an effective deicer.
- Apply product only in areas needed, such as slopes and high traffic areas.
- Sweep up excess salt; you will prevent it from being washed down the storm drain.
Visit the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency's site for more information.
Holiday Waste Reduction Tips
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the volume of household waste in the United States increases approximately 25% between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day. The following tips can help you bring that percentage down in your household:
1. Americans buy approximately 1.5 billion greeting cards during the holiday season. Try sending your Christmas card electronically instead of on paper.
2. Try any one of these 15 alternatives to holiday gift wrap.
3. Gift an experience:
- Lessons
- Museum passes or membership to a community center or park
- Tickets to a play
- Teach someone the secrets behind your special talents
- Cook or clean for them
4. Avoid single-use plates and cutlery when possible. The Recycling Partnership has compiled additional tips to help you plan a "green" holiday party.
5. You can save water by scraping plates into the garbage instead of rinsing them at the sink.
Find more tips on holiday waste reduction by visiting the MPCA's website.
Resolve to Waste Less Food in 2020
The United States Department of Agriculture estimates that 30% - 40% of our nation's food supply is wasted each year. This amounts to billions of dollars in wasted food.
When you begin to think about the land, water, energy, and labor resources required to get that food from some distant field to the bottom of your refrigerator, it doesn't seem so harmless to let that food go to waste.
As we approach the new year, make a resolution to cut food waste and your grocery bill at the same time. Websites like www.stilltasty.com can help you determine how long to keep food before you throw it out. For more information, check out this list of tips to reduce food waste at home - via Minnesota Public Radio News.
Disposal Discussion: Christmas Trees
Through March, Christmas trees can be dropped off at the Olmsted County Compost Site any day of the week during daylight hours. There is no disposal fee, but remember to remove the stand, ornaments, and lights.
Wreaths, swags, boughs, and other evergreen decorations should be placed in a bag and thrown in your garbage to prevent the spread of an invasive species known as the Elongate Hemlock Scale—a pest that feeds on conifer trees. Do not compost.
 Christmas trees piled up at the Olmsted County Compost Site; photo credit: Anthony Wittmer
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