Success Story:
Reducing Waste and Teaching Reuse in the
Classroom
Before kids break for summer vacation, their lockers and
desks need to be cleaned out. Too often, usable markers, notebooks and pencils
end up the trash. Highland Catholic School, with an enrollment of 420 students
in grades K through 8, wanted to change that. Instead of tossing good school
supplies in the trash, the students separated out the usable items. They filled
27 grocery bags and donated these supplies to charity! It was a valuable lesson
in reducing trash and learning about reuse.
BizRecycling works with interested schools and
businesses of all sizes in Ramsey and Washington counties to start or improve
their recycling or organics programs. To find out more about the BizRecycling
program, visit BizRecycling.com,
or call 651-266-1199.
News You Can Use:
Visit the Ramsey County Fair and Recycle While
You’re There
It's Ramsey County fair time! Experience
a small-town fair with fun for all ages, including farm animals, carnival
rides, tasty food, fireworks and more! While you’re enjoying the sites and
sounds of the fair, check out the Master Gardeners' booth and learn about
gardening, composting and organics recycling. And remember to recycle! For your
convenience, two types of recycling containers will be onsite. The blue bins
are for cans, bottles and plastic cups. The green organics recycling bins are
for food waste, corn dog sticks and napkins. The fair runs July 11-15.
Admission is free.
Make Your Next Trip to the
Farmer’s Market a Green One
During the summer, farmer’s markets are a regular
weekend attraction in Ramsey County. Before you head to one to
stock up on healthy, locally grown food, read these tips for making your trip greener.
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Plan ahead. Before you go to the market, plan out what foods you need to avoid buying too much and letting it go to waste. Need help? Check out Save the Food’s GUEST-imator.
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Use reusable containers. If you can, swap out plastic bags for reusable produce bags, a basket or reusable containers.
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Recycle plastic bags. If you get plastic bags from the market, recycle them at a local drop-off. Don’t put plastic bags in your curbside recycling cart! Find locations at PlasticFilmRecycling.org.
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Store food correctly. To ensure both food safety and longevity, make sure to store those yummy farm fresh foods correctly. Use Save the Food’s Storage Tips. [stock image]
Never been to a farmer’s market? Find one near you!
Feeling the Heat? Protect Yourself from Extreme Heat with 4 Easy Tips
Now that summer is in full swing, extreme
heat can threaten human health. To prepare for extreme heat, follow these
simple guidelines:
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Stay hydrated. Drink fluids throughout the day. Avoid alcohol and drinks high in sugar and caffeine.
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Stay cool. Seek out air-conditioned spaces (view all public cooling spaces in Ramsey County). Limit outdoor activity, especially in the middle of the day. Wear light-colored clothing.
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Stay informed. Tune into the local news or follow Ramsey County on social media. Be aware of the forecast. Know the symptoms of heat-related illness and be prepared to prevent it.
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Help others beat the heat. Check on relatives, neighbors, older adults and other vulnerable community members to ensure they are staying cool and hydrated. Those at highest risk include people 65 and older, children younger than two, and people with chronic diseases or metal illness.
Learn
more about extreme heat and how to protect yourself from it at RamseyCounty.us.
How to Keep Food Safe to Eat While
Camping
Summer is the perfect time to get outdoors and enjoy nature!
If you like to camp, here are some tips for keeping your food safe to eat:
- Bring camping-friendly food that requires little
or no cooking.
- Use a cooler with gel ice packs to keep
perishable foods cool.
- Test meats and fish with a food thermometer
before serving, making sure they reach safe minimum cooking temperatures.
- Use bottled water or purification tablets if
safe water is not available for drinking and cooking.
If you use a gas grill, remember to bring your used propane canisters to a Ramsey
County household hazardous waste collection site. For more food
safety tips, visit FoodSafety.gov.
Did you know?
Did you know that plastic film can be recycled into products
like composite lumber for making decks, benches and playground sets? It can
also be made into new bags and other plastic items.
Plastic film is soft, flexible plastic packaging that
includes shopping bags, as well as those produce, bread, zip-top and dry cleaning
bags. It’s also the wrap around many products like paper towels, toilet paper
and diapers.
It’s important that you bring clean and dry plastic bags and
wrap to a drop-off site like Target, Cub and Lunds
& Byerlys. Do not put them in with your curbside recycling. They interfere
with the automatic sorting machines at recycling centers.
At these centers, conveyor belts feed recycling into
rotating tunnels, onto spinning wheels, and past magnets and eddy currents to
separate out the plastic, glass, paper and metal items. Plastic bags cannot be
sorted from other materials by existing machinery. Instead, they get caught in
the conveyor belts and jam spinning wheels, bringing the entire sorting station
to a halt. These bags have to be removed by hand, which is dangerous and
time-consuming.
So recycle those plastic bags, but do it the
right way!
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