NewsFlash
February 2015
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CSWD issues cabin fever advisory
CSWD has issued a cabin fever advisory for the greater Chittenden County region.
Residents are urged to be on the lookout for symptoms of cabin fever, including the urge to radically redecorate the interiors of their homes. CSWD urges caution and restraint for the duration of this outbreak, and has issued the following official advisory: “Don’t do anything we wouldn’t do.”
What would we do? We’d look around and decide to brighten up the walls instead of climbing them while we’re cooped up inside. We’d choose one or two shades from the 30-color roster of Local Color paint and congratulate ourselves for being practical Yankees: – It’s a frugal way to add color to a blustery winter day: 2 gallons for under $20 bucks!
– We’re using premium-quality paint carefully selected and processed by the paint experts at CSWD’s Environmental Depot. Businesses and residents bring us their leftover paint, our experts examine and test it for quality. Paint has to pass their very picky scrutiny before it ends up in a bucket of Local Color paint.
– The only time you really want to put on an extra coat is when you’re heading out to bring in more firewood. Local Color paint is nice and thick and known for its excellent coverage. No need for unnecessary extra coats to get the job done!
Find Local Color at these fine locations:
CSWD’s Environmental Depot: 1011 Airport Parkway, South Burlington; 802-863-0480; Wed-Fri 8-2; Sat 8-3:30
ReSOURCE Building Materials Center: 339 Pine St., Burlington; 802-846-4015; Mon-Fri 8-5, Sat 9-5
Habitat for Humanity ReStore: 528 Essex Rd., Williston; 802-857-5296; Wed-Sat 9-5
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On the cutting edge: GMC studies compostable cutlery
Compostable food service items have been steadily growing in popularity in recent years as businesses and individuals look for ways to reduce waste. An array of certifiedcompostable food ware, such as cups, plates, take-out containers, and cutlery is readily available to enable businesses, schools, events, and, well, everyone, to keep them out of the landfill by sending them to a compost facility instead. Unfortunately, some products that claim to be compostable — or some variation on “biodegradable” — are not very good “microbe food,” and so aren’t broken down by those microscopic critters into actual compost. Or they take too long to break down, with still-identifiable pieces remaining in finished compost. Utensils present the greatest challenge. It’s difficult to produce a utensil that will stand up to the heat of a bowl of soup andsuccessfully disappear in the heat of a composting system.
For this reason, GMC had banned all utensils to prevent contamination by those that did not live up to their compostability promise  s. But a nine-month study by GMC verified that utensils certified by the Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI) do, indeed, disappear during the composting process. The ban is still in place for all conventional products — regardless of their claims — that are not certified by BPI or Cedar Grove. An in-depth article on GMC’s testing process can be found in the December 2014 issue of BioCycle Magazine. Unfortunately, confusion remains about what is compostable and what isn’t in the world of food service items. Better labeling, product differentiation, and education by manufacturers is sorely needed if GMC and other composters are to continue accepting these products.
If you’re interested in purchasing compostable food service items but not sure how to cut through the fog of information, remember to always look for the words “Certified Compostable” on the packaging and check out GMC’s purchasing guidelines. Finally, feel free to contact GMC at compost@greenmountaincompost.com with any questions you may have. We’re here to help!
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CSWD holds public hearings on new Solid Waste Implementation Plan
The Chittenden Solid Waste District has rewritten its Solid Waste Implementation Plan(SWIP) to comply with the State of Vermont’s Materials Management Plan (MMP). The MMP contains performance standards, including those focused on implementing Act 148(Vermont’s universal recycling and composting law), that each solid waste entity must meet to achieve the following goals:
– Prevent waste from being generated.
– Promote sustainable materials management, with a preference for highest and best uses.
– Minimize reliance on waste disposal (landfilling and incineration).
– Conserve resources, minimize energy consumption, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other adverse environmental impacts.
CSWD’s plan includes information on how various waste streams are managed in Chittenden County; how members are and will be educated on waste prevention, reduction, and proper disposal; and how CSWD will meet the performance standards in the MMP.
Before the SWIP is finalized, we would like to get feedback on the plan from members of the Chittenden Solid Waste District: Chittenden County residents, businesses, and stakeholders.
The proposed Solid Waste Implementation Plan can be found on the SWIP page on our website.
Here’s how you can weigh in on the new Solid Waste Implementation Plan:
Submit your comments in writing. Comments will be accepted until 4 p.m., March 13, 2015.
Email: plan@cswd.net
Snail mail: Plan c/o CSWD, 1021 Redmond Rd., Williston, VT 05495
Attend a public hearing.There will be two public hearings. Please feel free to attend either one:
WHEN: Thursday, February 19, 2015 at 5:30 p.m.
WHERE: Essex Police Department Conference Room, 145 Maple St., Essex Junction
or
WHEN: Wednesday, March 11, 2015 at 5:30 p.m.
WHERE: Williston Police Station Community Room, 7928 Williston Rd., Williston
If you have questions, please call Nancy Plunkett, CSWD Waste Reduction Manager, at(802) 872-8100 ext. 222.
Thank you in advance for your help in keeping your District in the forefront of sustainable waste management!
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Waste Warrior training meeting rescheduled
The first Waste Warrior meeting that was scheduled for Monday, February 2, was cancelled due to the amazing snowfall — but the Warriors will not be deterred! They are rescheduling the meeting, so you still have time to sign on to join the team!
New date: Thursday, February 26, 5:30-6:30 p.m.
Same location: Contois Auditorium, City Hall, Church Street, Burlington
If you haven’t already signed up, please preregister at the Waste Warrior page. What are Waste Warriors? Good question!! It’s a team of volunteers who receive training from CSWD to attend events to help participants do the right thing when it comes to deciding what goes in the recycling, composting, or trash bin. It’s a great opportunity to put your passion for diverting as much as possible from the landfill into practice, and help others understand how just a little bit of attentiveness goes a long way towards making sure as little as possible is wasted. It’s good, ol’ Yankee practicality at work, wherever you go!
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Worm Wrangling 101
Rhonda Mace wants to give you worms. Red wrigglers, to be exact. As CSWD’s resident worm-wrangler (and CSWD’s School & Youth Outreach Coordinator), she knows her stuff.
At this year’s Winter NOFA Conference ( February 14-16 at the Davis Center at the University of Vermont in Burlington), Rhonda and her wiggling worm friends will be offering a workshop on “vermicomposting,” to show you how worms can be used to break down food scraps, and the castings produced by those worms can be used to give plants a nutrient-rich boost. Participants will have a chance to win a small worm farm to begin composting at home. Learn all about how worms break down food scraps to produce a nutritious food source for house plants, vegetables and flowers, and recycle food scraps in your kitchen with little maintenance. |
Late Bloomer learns about garden bliss
by Clare Innes
“A 3-foot-square raised bed?! Forget it. You need at least a 4-footer,” harrumphed a friend in response to my very public New Year’s resolution in the January edition of the NewsFlash. I vowed to get into gardening for the first time in years, and to stay out of the three traps that have stymied me in the past: Not enough time, not enough space, not enough know-how.
Another friend agreed with the 4-foot square. And another. Granted, all three are prodigious gardeners, so a 4-foot square plot is just an appetizer for them. I plotted out 3 square feet on the floor just to see for myself. Hmm. Their story checks out: It’s a pretty small space. I’m officially revising to 4 square feet. If I get intimidated by all that square footage, I can always set up an encampment of garden gnomes and pink flamingos.
My yard is currently snoozing under a thick blanket of snow. So what do I do in the month of February to get ready for my garden? Isn’t there something I should be doing? I don’t want to fall behind — Punxutawney Phil may have predicted six more weeks of winter, but that goes by in a flash, right??
Maybe. Maybe not. Either way, it turns out that most of the avid gardeners I quizzed are, indeed, thinking about their gardens; but they all seem to be in a kind of blissful dream state, fantasizing over seed catalogs and vaguely sketching out mental rough drafts of what this year’s plots will hold.
Michele Morris, CSWD’s Business Outreach Coordinator is mainly thinking about being careful about where she piles the snow that she rakes from her roof and shovels out of her walkway. She doesn’t want lingering piles of snow to stymie the appearance of early-spring daffodils.
Jen Holliday, CSWD’s Compliance Program and Product Stewardship Manager, is warming up for gardening season by pre-gardening: growing sprouts for salads and coaxing amaryllis bulbs and freshly-snipped forsythia stems to blossom, introducing growth and color and a hint of spring-to-come into her house.
Dan Goossen, General Manager of Green Mountain Compost is awash in seed catalogs, choosing which varieties will get the nod, so he’ll be ready to start some of the seeds by late March. Tom Moreau, CSWD’s General Manager, likes to grow flowers that are difficult to find in flower shops and garden centers. This year, he’ll be putting in an order for pyrethrum, gomphrena, gaillardia, and other tongue-twistial blossoms.
Alrighty then. I’ll spend the month of February in a blissful dream state, deciding what I want to grow and whether I want to start some seeds in late March. By leaning on the expertise of my gardening co-workers, the soil and garden gurus at Green Mountain Compost (CSWD’s composting facility across the street from me in Williston), and other local experts, I’ll have plenty of know-how on tap — and I’ll share what I find out with you! |
Vermont adds a little green to your tax form
With two feet of snow on the ground, it may be a bit of a stretch to think about Green Up Day — unless you’re doing your taxes. Check out Line 29b on your tax form. Go ahead. We’ll wait.
. . . . .
Did you see it? There’s a box there where you can choose Green Up Day as a charitable contribution. It’s an easy way to help make sure Green Up Day, Vermont’s big, green, labor of love continues well into the future.
You may be asking “What the heck is Green Up Day? It sounds fabulous!!” You’re right! It is a fabulous event, held on the first Saturday in May, where Vermonters turn out in droves to pick up litter from the roadsides, stream beds, and wherever else it may be.
Green Up Vermont is an independent, not-for-profit organization that depends on donations, sponsors, and participants to survive. Many groups organizations throughout the state band together to cover as much territory as possible on Green Up Day. Some groups hold a fun party afterwards so you’ll be able to high-five all the new friends you met along the way. Check out the Green Up Day website and contact a coordinator in your town to let them know you’re interested in learning more about participating. |
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Local chandler turns your glass jars into candles
What’s a chandler? That’s the traditional name for someone who makes candles. Christine Richards is a chandler and she is has her eye on your recycling bin.
Many of us have washed out nice, big jars to reuse in our kitchens and workshops, and drop the rest into our recycling bins (after giving them a good rinse, of course!). Christine is offering another brilliant way to reuse those jars: For $1 an ounce, she’ll make soy candles out of them and have them back in your hands by the next day. Pretty neat!
Christine uses essential oils to add fragrance, including eucalyptus, peppermint, lavender, ylang-ylang, spruce, sandalwood, rosemary, or any combo — or none at all. I’m tempted to order ylang-ylang just because I’m curious about what it smells like!
Christine can usually turn your order around in 24 hours, and you’ll have in your hands a naturally scented, long-burning candle that can help take the edge off cabin fever — and enable you a small way to opt to reuse rather than recycle some glass jars.
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CSWD Calendar
Holiday schedule for CSWD and partner facilities:
Monday, February 16:
– All CSWD facilities, including Drop-Off Centers, are closed in observance of Presidents Day.
– CSWD’s Materials Recovery Facility will be open regular hours (6 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.) for large haulers.
Other facilities:
Casella Transfer Station Open regular hours, 7-4:15
Burlington Area Transfer Station Open regular hours, 6:30-4
Burlington residential recycling will be picked up on Presidents Day (barring inclement weather — check the Burlington Public Works website for information)
All facilities are open regular hours the days before and after the holiday.
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Wise resource management
for a greener Vermont.
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Find Local Color at these fine locations:CSWD’s Environmental Depot: 1011 Airport Parkway, South Burlington; 802-863-0480; Wed-Fri 8-2; Sat 8-3:30ReSOURCE Building Materials Center: 339 Pine St., Burlington; 802-846-4015; Mon-Fri 8-5, Sat 9-5Habitat for Humanity ReStore: 528 Essex Rd., Williston; 802-857-5296; Wed-Sat 9-5Find locations outside of Chittenden County on theLocal Color web page!
