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An environmental health newsletter from Ramsey County. |
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Fix-It Clinic volunteers share memories of past clinics
 For five years, Fix-It Clinics helped residents fix their torn Star Wars socks, jammed sewing machines and shattered Santa Claus salt shakers (to name a few examples), for free. Volunteer “fixers” worked together with the residents to repair their items.
Fix-It Clinics are returning Saturday, Nov. 19, after a two-year hiatus, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
We asked some of our veteran fixers to share their favorite memories from previous clinics.
Read more.
 As the cooler months settle in, consider these relatively cost-effective ways to weatherize your home. Weatherizing helps a home maintain temperature, conserve energy and save money on energy bills.
Read more.
Ozone is an important naturally occurring gas that forms a protective screen between the earth and the sun - it helps regulate temperatures at the earth's surface and reduce the amount of harmful sun rays that reach us. However, as important as the functions of naturally occurring ozone are above the earth's surface, human generated ozone worsens the impacts of climate change at ground level.
Read more.
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Fix-It Clinics return
This fall, Fix-It Clinics are returning after a two-year hiatus, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The first event will be held on Saturday, Nov. 19 at the Ramsey County Library - Maplewood.
At Fix-It Clinics, residents bring in small household appliances, clothing, electronics and more to receive free guided assistance from volunteers with repair skills to disassemble, troubleshoot and fix items.
Learn how Fix-It Clinics work.
Find dates and locations for future Fix-It Clinics at RamseyRecycles.com/FixItClinics.
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Holiday food waste reduction tips
Hosting for the holidays? Help reduce food waste by adding the following tips to your planning:
- Use Save The Food’s Guest-imator tool to plan out how much food you actually need to make to feed all of your guests.
- Leave potato skins and other veggie peels on when cooking. If you do have any food scraps, collect them in a BPI certified compostable bag and bring them to a Ramsey County food scraps collection site afterwards for free food scraps recycling.
- If you make a mistake with a dish, try to revive it before tossing it out.
- If you can’t use up all the leftovers within the next few days, freeze some of them for future meals that don’t require any prep work!
- Don’t let your guests leave empty-handed. Have them bring reusable containers and send them on their way with leftovers.
In addition to reducing your own food waste, consider the connection between wasted food and food insecurity. Ramsey County residents experience higher rates of food insecurity (12%) than the Minnesota state average (10%). Help others in your community who might not have a stable food supply by donating unused food to your local food shelf, volunteering your time and/or giving a monetary donation. Learn more about food justice.
Get help finding or affording food.
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Ask EH: Holiday lights
Q: I’m starting to decorate for the holidays and a few of my string lights no longer work. Can I just put them in the trash?
A:String lights that do not have LED bulbs can be placed in the trash. However, LED string lights cannot go in the trash because they contain printed circuit boards and are considered hazardous. Bring LED string lights to a household hazardous waste collection site for free disposal. Never put any string lights in your household recycling bin.
Consider donating string lights in good, working condition to thrift stores.
Do you have a question about recycling and disposal and can’t find the answer in our A to Z Recycling & Disposal Guide? Call our Recycling & Disposal hotline at 651-633-3279 or send us a message.
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Nov. 15: America Recycles Day
November 15 is America Recycles Day. Recycling in the United States has increased from less than seven percent in 1960 to 32 percent today. In Ramsey County, the average recycling rate for 2021 was 44%. Thank you for helping keep recyclable goods out of the trash!
Did you know?
- Recycling supports about 36,000 jobs in Minnesota.
- Minnesota's waste management hierarchy ranks reduce and reuse as the most preferred methods of waste management, with recycling ranked behind them.
- Newspaper makes up the largest portion of curbside recycling in Ramsey County (17.3%) by weight, followed by cardboard (14.8%) and glass (11.6%).
- Plastic packaging has the biggest potential for recycling growth. Only about 20% of what is readily recyclable is making it into our recycling bins.
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Recipe round-up: Turkey bone and stuffing dumpling soup
This soup recipe from Save the Food uses up all of those Thanksgiving leftovers, including stuffing, turkey and mashed potatoes.
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News flash
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Ramsey County Recycling Ambassadors are available for volunteer opportunities. If you think Recycling Ambassadors could help at your event, organization, school or business, contact Mariah Quick.
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Deconstruction grants available. Deconstruction is taking apart a building so materials – like cabinets, light fixtures, doors and more – can be reused. Grants are available for residential and commercial properties. Learn more.
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Participate in our November incentive. Bring your household hazardous waste to our year-round collection site in Saint Paul between Nov. 5 and 19, and you can enter a drawing to win a $50 gift card of your choice to Cub Foods, El Burrito Mercado, Golden Harvest or Target! Eight winners will be drawn at random the week of Nov. 20 – 26. Winners will be contacted by Nov. 29.
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The household hazardous waste collection site will be closed on Nov. 24 and 25 for Thanksgiving.
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Ramsey County Master Gardeners present: Houseplant success
Thursday, Nov. 10
6:30 - 8 p.m.
Online event
Learn more
Fix-It Clinic
Back for the first time since 2020!
Saturday, Nov. 19
10:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Ramsey County Library – Maplewood
3025 Southlawn Dr.
Maplewood, MN 55109
Yard waste collection sites
Mondays: 11 a.m. - 7 p.m.
Tuesdays: Closed
Wednesdays: 11 a.m. - 7 p.m.
Thursdays: Closed
Fridays: 11 a.m. - 7 p.m.
Saturdays: 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Sundays: 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Locations
Household hazardous waste collection year-round site
Closed on Nov. 24 and 25
Tuesdays - Fridays: 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Saturdays: 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
5 Empire Drive
Saint Paul
(Bay West facility)
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A to Z Recycling & Disposal Guide
Use this guide to learn how to properly recycle or dispose of many items.
BizRecycling
BizRecycling helps businesses, non-profits, schools, apartment buildings and institutions in Ramsey and Washington counties reduce waste and recycle better.
Gardening and landscaping
Learn more about eco-friendly gardening and landscaping from a Ramsey County Master Gardener.
Parks and Recreation
Explore what Ramsey County has to offer for parks, trails and recreational activities year round.
Radon
Radon is a naturally-occurring, radioactive gas. Two in five homes in Minnesota have high radon levels that can impact health. Ramsey County offers $2 radon tests to residents. Learn more
Recycling containers for events
Ramsey County's event container lending program is suspended until further notice. Many cities and Saint Paul district councils continue to lend out containers. Find a pickup location
Soil and Water Conservation
The Soil & Water Conservation Division maintains and enhances natural resources in Ramsey County. Learn what programs are taking place in your neighborhood.
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Just for fun: Answer
Yes! Bones are accepted at food scraps collection sites.
(Trivia question found at the beginning of this newsletter)
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