December 2013 Newsflash

1. Creative ReUse Showcase call for entries
2.Seven ways to keep your holiday spirit out of the landfill
3. It’s beginning to look a lot like …. compost!
4. Want a waste-free school? We can help with that.
5. Vermont unveils new recycling, composting, and trash symbols
6. Check out CSWD’s video library!

See the details below…****************************************************************

1. Creative ReUse Showcase call for entries
Ink it in: December 16 through January 10 is the registration window for the 18th Annual CSWD Creative ReUse Art Showcase! It’s the trash-to-treasure art event of the year for Chittenden County high school students. This contest invites participants — and those who view the art — to see that there is still plenty of use and beauty in materials we typically toss in the trash can.

Choose from seven entry categories, plus you’ll have a shot at People’s Choice, a “Strongest  (written) Statement” award chosen by the judges from all entries, plus Best In Show — that’s TEN chances to win a fabulous array of cash and prizes from your favorite local sponsors. Category winners and other select artists will also earn the awesome experience of having their art displayed at Frog Hollow Gallery in Burlington for the month of March.
Here are the category choices:
* 2-D Awesome Art
* 3-D Awesome Art
* Fabulous Fashion
* Perfectly Practical
* Techno Totems
* True Trash
* And our newest category: Interactive Inventions
Please, spread the word! This competition is for any Chittenden County student, grades 9-12, and not just those in an art class. Check out some of the past entries for inspiration, talk to your teachers and friends, and start collecting materials for your reuse art!
Got questions? Contact Johnny Powell: jpowell@cswd.net or 872-8100 ext. 211.
Please let our sponsors know how much you appreciate them for helping make this event possible: Frog Hollow, Renewable NRG Systems, Adams Farm Market, Advance Music Center, Bolton Valley Resort, Boutilier’s Art Center, Burlington City Arts, Outdoor Gear Exchange, Battery Street Jeans, Casella, and ReSource!

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2.Seven ways to keep your holiday spirit out of the landfill

1. Say NO! to artificial Christmas trees. Here’s why:
— The average artificial tree lasts 6 to 9 years but will remain in a landfill for centuries.
— Think a real tree poses a greater fire hazard? Think again. Artificial trees are made with polyvinyl chloride, which often uses lead as a stabilizer, making it toxic to inhale if there is a fire.
— Every acre of Christmas trees produces enough daily oxygen for 18 people. There are about 500,000 acres of Christmas trees growing in the U.S.
— Because of their hardiness, trees are usually planted where few other plants can grow, increasing soil stability and providing a refuge for wildlife.
— North American Christmas tree farms employ more than 100,000 local people; 80% of artificial trees worldwide are manufactured in China.
— Make a day of it and go to a local tree farm where you can cut your own, or purchase a potted tree and plant it in your yard after the holidays. You’ll also take home some sweet memories.

2. Declare your tree a tinsel-free zone — and just say NO to spray-on snow!
Tinsel and spray-on snow are big no-nos when it comes time to say goodbye to your tree. It’s nearly impossible to get it all off, and we can accept natural trees for free recycling only if they are completely free of anything Mother Nature herself didn’t install! Otherwise, those nasty additives make that tree fit only for the landfill, at a fee of $1 per foot in height at CSWD Drop-Off Centers.

3. Use recyclable or reusable wrapping paper.
In Chittenden County, wrapping paper is recyclable UNLESS it is printed with metallic inks or made of foil or plastic. The best material to use for wrap is something your recipient can reuse, such as a bandanna, a tea towel, a reusable cloth gift or shopping bag … the possibilities are endless.
If you still want to use wrapping paper, complete the recycling loop by purchasing wrap made with recycled paper. Let your favorite retailer know you’re looking for it and they’ll know that there’s a demand for it.
Recycling tip: Speedy recycling starts on your living-room floor on the Big Day: Sort recyclable paper into your recycling bin (NOT in a plastic bag). Put trash — ribbons, plastic and metallic paper and wrappings — in a trash bag, and you’ll get ‘er done as you go!

4. Use recyclable, reusable, or biodegradable gift decorations.
Ribbons and bows are big no-nos. Most are made of plastic and cannot be recycled. A better option would be to tie on an ornament that can be used on your tree, a knick-knack that will be enjoyed for years, or pinecones that can be composted or returned to the forest after use.

5. Regift!
Save gifts that aren’t quite what you need for someone who will appreciate them. If you can’t think of anyone you can pass it on to, bring it to a local charity or resale store, or a ReUse Zone at a CSWD Drop-Off Center and someone else will be glad to make use of it.

6. Don’t scrap your food scraps.
After your big meal, keep your plate scrapings and prep scraps out of the trash and stash them instead in a FREE food scrap bucket available at all CSWD Drop-Off Centers and Green Mountain Compost. When the bucket is full, bring it back in and we’ll use your scraps to make compost. We accept all types of food scraps: meat and bones, veggies, dairy products, egg and seafood shells — anything edible. And it’s FREE! Toss in greasy take-out pizza boxes as well. Stop on by any Drop-Off Center or Green Mountain Compost and we’ll give you a kitchen counter-top pail to peel your carrots into, and a 4-gallon bucket for bringing it to a Drop-Off Center or Green Mountain Compost — all for free!

7. Remember: “The best things in life aren’t things.”
Instead of giving an object, give an experience, such as a horseback-riding jaunt, skateboard lessons, movie tickets, or a promise to spend time together doing something you know your recipient loves to do. An online tool called sokindregistry.org offers fun ways to make gifts more personal and timeless.

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There’s something really satisfying about having a compost bin in your backyard — even in the wintertime. Every bucket of food scraps you pour into it is transformed into rich, dark compost by your very own herd of hard-working microbes, all year ’round. Every bucket of food scraps you keep out of the landfill has the potential to help build your own soil’s resilience through the wild weather we have here in Vermont.

We want to share that satisfaction with as many Chittenden County residents as possible, so in addition to our Drop-Off Composting program, we offer  SoilSaver backyard composting bins, year-round, at a great discount. And just in time for the holidays, we’re offering a great deal for those who come to Green Mountain Compost to buy a bin.

THE DEAL (starts Monday, December 9): Buy a SoilSaver for $49 at Green Mountain Compost and you’ll receive a coupon for your choice of:
– 25% off up to 2 yards of compost, or
– 25% off one delivery in Chittenden County, or
– 25% off one bag-yer-own purchase (10-bag limit)
THE DETAILS: Coupons available with purchase of a SoilSaver compost bin from Green Mountain Compost beginning Monday, December 9, 2013, through April 30, 2014. Bulk compost will be available for sale at Green Mountain Compost by April 1, 2014. Coupon expiration date: December 31, 2014. Limit one coupon per visit. May not be combined with any other offers.

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4. Want a waste-free school? We can help with that.
Did you know that the average school wastes up to 48% of its food? Did you know the average student uses around 600 pounds of paper every year? No wonder that backpack is so heavy!

There are alternatives to all this waste. Some schools are already well down the pathway to saving resources (and money!) by setting up recycling and composting systems, or making the ones they have run more efficiently. There’s no time like the new year to resolve to schedule assemblies, classroom visits, and sustainability assessment appointments with CSWD’s School Outreach Coordinator, Johnny Powell.

Johnny will help you start second semester off right by helping you evaluate how much waste your school is creating. With fresh minds coming back from break, students and teachers will be excited to dive into new challenges, such as figuring out how to increase the amount of material their school recycles and composts, learning about landfills, and finding solutions that they will carry with them long after they toss their mortarboard into the air. Contact Johnny at jpowell@cswd.net to set up a time to explore the possibilities.

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Last year, the Vermont Legislature passed Act 148, which phases in recycling and bans food scraps from the landfill as the law of the land. In mid-November, state officials celebrated America Recycles Day by unveiling a set of symbols that will be used throughout the state to help businesses, residents, and visitors alike know what goes where when it comes to disposing of recyclables, compostables, and trash — no matter where you are in the state.

Main Street Middle School in Montpelier served as the backdrop for the event, with enthusiastic kids from the Green Team on hand to cheer on the process. The school has run a successful composting program for 10 years.

“We are excited to unveil these universal symbols in time for America Recycles day,” said Cathy Jamieson, Agency of Natural Resources Solid Waste Program Manager. “They’re designed to be used everywhere: in public places, schools, businesses, curbside containers, even dumpsters.” Jamieson hopes this will contribute towards consistent messaging nationally as several major cities have adopted the same color scheme.

The state formed a team to come up with the symbols, drawing from the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources, several of Vermont’s solid waste management entities, Highfields Center for Composting, Casella Resource Solutions, Myers Container Service, and other interested parties.

“We’re glad to have a new set of tools to help the system work as the new recycling and food-scrap diversion mandates are phased in throughout the state,” noted Tom Moreau, General Manager of the  Chittenden Solid Waste District. “Recycling is already mandatory in Chittenden County and these symbols will help our businesses and residents gear up for a successful transition to keeping food scraps out of the landfill by 2020.”

The new law requires statewide recycling by July 2015, and phases in a ban on food scraps from landfills through July 2020. Once fully implemented, the law is expected to increase Vermont’s recycling and composting rate from 30% to 60%.

“The Universal Recycling law is great for Vermont. It will create jobs as we build the infrastructure, develop new products, and start new businesses to help us manage our waste as a resource. It will also keep us from having to use costly landfill space for materials that still have value,” said ANR Secretary Deb Markowitz. “Managing our waste as a resource will also reduce Vermont’s greenhouse gas emissions by keeping organic materials out of the landfill.”

More information on Act 148 and the symbols are available for download at ANR’s Waste Management program website and on CSWD’s Act 148 webpage. Solid waste haulers, transfer stations and drop-off centers, towns, businesses, schools, and the general public are encouraged to use the symbols to label their recycling, composting, and trash containers.

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Trashed: In this new docu-feature, Jeremy Irons sets out to discover the extent and effects of the global waste problem as he travels around the world to beautiful destinations tainted by pollution. This investigative journey takes Irons (and us) from skepticism to sorrow and from horror to hope.

Dirt! The Movie:

Bag It: Is Your Life too Plastic?: Try going a day without plastic. Plastic is everywhere and infiltrates our lives in surprising and sometimes even frighten­ing ways. In this touching and funny film, we follow Jeb Berrier, a guy making a resolution to no longer use plastic bags. The story evolves into a wholesale investigation into plastic and its affect on our waterways, oceans, and even our own bodies. We see how our crazy-for-plastic world has finally caught up to us and what we can do about it. Today. Right now.

The Story of Stuff: Originally released in 2007 by Annie Leonard and Free Range Studios, “The Story of Stuff” is a 20-minute, fast-paced, fact-filled look at the underside of our production and consumption patterns. “The Story of Stuff” exposes the connections between a huge number of environmental and social issues, and calls us together to create a more sustainable and just world. It’ll teach you something, it’ll make you laugh, it’ll help you see your part in the solution.

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