NewsFlash
August 2016
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Meet CSWD’s new General Manager!
On August 8, Sarah Reeves will take the helm as General Manager of the Chittenden Solid Waste District. Tom Moreau retired from the position after 21 years of leadership.
Sarah Reeves was born and raised in Rhode Island. While she can launch into her alma mater’s fight song at the slightest provocation, she and her family are looking forward to settling into their new home in Vermont. Here’s a quick question-and-answer sketch to help you get to know CSWD’s new General Manager:
What inspired your interest in being CSWD’s General Manager? One thing was the great timing: My husband was looking for a job in higher education and found a position teaching social work and directing the field work program at Castleton University, so I started looking for opportunities in Vermont. When I found out about this position, it seemed similar to what I do now, yet had elements to it that I couldn’t do in my current position. Vermont is about 10 years ahead of Rhode Island in terms of addressing waste disposal — the organics piece in particular. Act 148 is such a long-range look ahead. It really impressed me that they were looking beyond a 2-year election cycle and working toward addressing the important challenges that will come at us in the next decade. It was an opportunity to take the next step up.
What in your background uniquely prepares you to lead CSWD? I’ve worked for a nonprofit at the grass-roots level (the Sierra Club), served as the Recycling Coordinator for the Town of Smithfield, Rhode Island, and most recently served as Director of Public Policy, Programs, and Planning for the Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation. I understand how important it is to listen to residents and businesses, and to be responsive to what they expect from the public service side. Working for a state-wide agency helped me grasp the itty-bitty details and the bigger picture. I can see people’s points from different places and that has served me well.
Businesses are concerned about being over-legislated, with rules and regulations coming at them from all directions. What are your thoughts on finding a middle ground? It’s a universal concern for businesses of all sizes. Good businesses want good regulation to level the playing field. But it can be overdone, particularly when agencies overlap and services are splintered among agencies. Before we create a new regulation, we have to consider the burden we’re placing on them, and whether it will be a welcome and well-designed tool. There definitely has to be a balance.
Tell us about your family:
My husband and I were married in 2014. Between us we have four children from our previous marriages, a boy and a girl each, ranging in age from 13 to 23. Three are away in school studying counseling, psychology/criminal justice, and biology. The youngest loves football, baseball, and hockey. Our dog is a Yorkie mix. He may soon be joined by a cat. I vacationed in Vermont on and off over the past 20 years and loved it more and more each time. Luckily, my husband loves it as much as I did and it made the decision to move here an easy one. Our youngest is happy that we’re staying in New England, as he is a big Patriots, Red Sox, and Bruins fan!
Favorite literary character: Winnie the Pooh. Each time I read The House at Pooh Corner to my daughter as she was growing up, I appreciated how the author, A. A. Milne, brilliantly wove life lessons about friendship, courage, life, love, contentment, and acceptance throughout the narrative.
Hobbies: Knitting, painting, traveling, baking, and anything creative and hands-on. Walking, reading, hiking, finding a spot and just sitting and being and enjoying the space. Finding treasures, like an out-of-the-way restaurant, ice-cream place, or waterfall.
My other car is a __________? Constitution Class Starship
What else do you want the community to know about you? They can be free to tell me what they’re thinking. It may mean that they tell me some things that are uncomfortable to hear, but that’s okay. I’m looking for practical solutions to problems — where we can find workable solutions that make environmental sense and business sense — and I want to work with them on that. Too often, the two greens — the environment and money — don’t work well together. But when they do, you’ve got a home run every time.
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From the staff at CSWD, we offer Tom Moreau our gratitude for his 21 years of inspired leadership … and we’re looking forward to working with Sarah as we begin a new chapter for the District!
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Recycle Right: Black plastic is no longer recyclable in Chittenden County
Black plastic is pretty easy to identify. It’s plastic, and it’s black. And in Chittenden County, it no longer belongs in your recycling bin. Other dark colors, such as brown and green, are still recyclable.
“But why?!” you may be asking. “It’s
plastic! Plastic is recyclable … right?”
Well, yes. And no. Just because something is plastic — or paper or metal, or glass, for that matter — doesn’t mean we can recycle it. Until there is a consequence or cost for manufacturers who design unrecyclable products out of recyclable materials, they are free to continue pumping out unrecyclable products, and they will do so as long as people continue to buy them.
And going by the number stamped on the bottom no longer helps determine whether or not something is recyclable because not everything with a number is recyclable … and not everything without a number isn’t recyclable. So please — pay no attention to the numbers when recycling in Chittenden County.
You still with me? Good! Click here for a great web page on what is recyclable, and keep reading below for a little background on why we can no longer accept black plastic for recycling:
The markets – For recycling to work, we need to be able to sell the recyclables we collect to manufacturers who will use that material to make new products. The money we make selling recyclables pays for the recycling program, including operating and maintaining CSWD’s Materials Recovery Facility (MRF), paying the people who work there, and providing blue recycling bins at no charge to residents and businesses. Recycling is definitely not without cost.
Lately, viable markets for black plastic have dried up because it’s more difficult and expensive for companies to recycle it into new products. We’ve spent a lot of time looking at how to change the way we process black plastics to keep up with the declining markets. After all, it’s CSWD’s mission to reduce the amount of waste sent to the landfill.
After feedback from the plastic buyers, we found that by taking black plastic out of the mix, we once again had access to consistent, viable markets for the rest of our plastics. We’re now able to move recyclable material to markets that are able and willing to recycle it.
Does this mean that recycling is broken? Actually, it means just the opposite. Recent local and national news stories have spotlighted recycling centers that were forced to shut down because they just weren’t profitable. As a municipality, CSWD doesn’t run its recycling center for profit. Instead, our goal is to keep as much out of the landfill as possible. We can do that only by carefully watching the recycling markets, and making decisions that ensure the long-term sustainability of our recycling facility.
Will this mean a new black, plastic mountain at the landfill? No. Fortunately, black plastic makes up only one half of one percent (0.05%) of all the materials we process for recycling. So while it frustrates us to have to turn it away from our MRF, we have to weigh the benefits and costs of refusing certain material to enable us to more effectively and efficiently wrangle the remaining 99.95% of recyclable materials.
Your choices matter. Your purchasing decisions matter. Shop with your household waste footprint in mind and choose items that have been minimally packaged – or thoughtfully packaged for easy recycling – to keep your landfill legacy to a minimum. Manufacturers pay attention when you vote with your wallet!
Thank you for your attention to this change. Please contact info@cswd.netif you have any questions.
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Garden. Click. Prize!
How would you like to harvest some prizes along with the fruits (and vegetables) of your labors?
The Third Annual Green Mountain Compost Show Us Your Bounty Contest is just around the corner! Start snapping photos of your garden bounty now and get ready to enter them in our “Show Your Bounty” photo contest coming up in September. You don’t have to be a professional photographer or a master gardener. Get creative! Make us laugh! Fill us with wonder! Elicit an awwwwww! There will great prizes in several categories.
Find out more about the contest on the Show Us Your Bounty page — and get ready to show us your snaps (and we don’t just mean your peas)!
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New summer hours for Green Mountain Compost
Green Mountain Compost varies its hours according to the seasons. We recommend calling ahead to confirm these hours during the beginning and end of the seasonal period. We extend our schedule to coincide closely with the gardening season, to make sure our staff is available when demand for our soils is at its peak, and pull it back in when business is slow so we can focus on making beautiful compost that will be ready and waiting for you and your garden in the spring.
Through July: Monday- Saturday 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Aug. 1 – Sept. 30: Monday – Friday 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.; CLOSED SATURDAYS
Saturday drop-off is available year round for household food scraps and leaf and yard debris at all CSWD Drop-Off Centers (DOCs) from 8 a.m. – 3:30 p.m., including our Williston Drop-off Center, located just a half mile past Green Mountain Compost on Redmond Road. Visit our DOC page to find hours and locations that work with your schedule. CSWD’s Drop-Off Centers accept food scraps, leaves and yard trimmings, as well as trash and recycling and many other items. You can purchase bags of our most popular Green Mountain Compost products at our Drop-Off Centers, including Complete Compost, Premium Topsoil, and Premium Potting Soil.
Got questions? Contact Green Mountain Compost:
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The Rover is on the move!
The Rover is the mobile household hazardous waste collection unit that hibernates at CSWD’s Environmental Depot, our hazardous waste collection facility in South Burlington. The Depot takes hazardous materials all year long from Chittenden County residents and businesses. During the summer, the Rover stops once in each town and accepts household hazardous wastes from residents (material from businesses is not accepted at Rover events).
The Rover accepts household hazardous wastes such as paints and stains, automotive fluids, hobby supplies, pesticides, fertilizers, household cleaners, and similar items with the words “Danger,” “Caution,” “Warning,” or “Poison” on the label. You might be surprised at some of the items considered hazardous on this list of household hazardous waste items. (NOTE: The Rover is available at no charge to Chittenden County households. Fees apply to residents from other towns.)
The Rover Schedule:
July 30: Hinesburg CSWD Drop-Off Center, 8-3:30
August 6: Charlotte Central School, 9-1
August 13:Shelburne Highway Garage, 9-1
August 27: Underhill Town Garage 9:00 – 1:00
September 3: Jericho Highway Garage 9:00 – 1:00
September 10: Richmond CSWD Drop-Off Center 8:00 – 3:30
September 24: Huntington Center Fire Station 9:00 – 1:00
October 1: Williston CSWD Drop-Off Center 8:00 – 3:30
October 8: St. George Town Center 9:00 – 1:00
October 15: Bolton Fire Station 9:00 – 1:00
Need more info? Call our Hotline at 872-8111 or visit cswd.net
Can’t make it to the Rover on any of these dates? If you are a Chittenden County household, bring it to the Environmental Depot any time of year–free of charge!
1011 Airport Parkway, South Burlington.
Wednesday-Friday 8-2; Saturday 8-3:30.
The fine print: The Environmental Depot is available free to Chittenden County residents. Some fees apply for businesses and out-of-District residents.
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Part-time CSWD Drop-Off Center Operator job opening
We’re looking for an on-call Saturday Drop-Off Center Operator — and you may be exactly who we’re looking for. Once you’re trained, we’d likely contact you for work an average of two Saturdays per month. Here are the qualities that make you a great Operator, and some of the duties you’ll fulfill:
– Great people skills, fabulous customer service instincts.
– Answer the same questions every day – and lots of unique questions, too! – with friendliness and clarity.
– Juggle several tasks at once, with the two most important things at the top of your mind: 1) Safety, and 2) Customer satisfaction.
– Kindly deliver information the customer may not want to hear — and help them understand that we have to follow rules, regulations, and the laws of physics.
– Have access to reliable transportation. This position floats among our seven Drop-Off Centers (click here for locations) and occasional staff meeting at various locations in Chittenden County.
– Help maintain a clean and safe facility every day.
– Process customer transactions on a cash register and assist them with disposal when needed.
– Be knowledgeable about what is and isn’t recyclable – don’t worry, we’ll train you!
– Be interested in soaking up lots of information about all the other materials we accept.
Want to learn more abut the job and how to apply? Check out our jobs page!
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My, how recycling has changed!
We get lots of questions, criticisms, and witticisms from callers on our Hotline and visitors to our Drop-Off Centers. One recent Hotline caller had received his CSWD Chuck It Guide and was surprised to read that bundling cardboard, newspapers, jugs, etc. with string is a recycling no-no. He had been doing this for many years. String is not recyclable, though, and can get tangled up in the machinery that separates true recyclables.
Back in the early days of recycling, bundling recyclables with string was a common practice. Recycling has changed a lot since then. So STOP tying recyclables together and take a gander at what else has changed over the years:
– “We used to have to remove labels from jars and cans,” recalls one CSWD staffer. “I can’t get my mother to stop doing this!” Thankfully, the days of soaking the labels off jars are long gone. Recycling processes have changed for the better, and those labels are now dealt with in the recycling process, making it alot easier for all of us!
– Remember having to separate not only cans from bottles, but different types of paper and cardboard, different colors of glass, and different types of plastic? In Chittenden County, you can just toss it all together into your blue bin or cart and be done with it. It’s called “single stream” recycling, and it all goes to our giantMaterials Recovery Facility (MRF), where it is separated and prepared to be sold in the global commodities market.
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Don’t crush your cans!
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– A lot of people still crush their metal cans — definitely a holdover from the old days! Our current machinery relies on an un-squashed can’s shape to separate it from flatter paper. A flattened can often acts more like paper than a can, resulting in those flat cans getting mixed up in the paper stream. So please find another feat of strength to use to impress your buddies!
– About that string-bound bundle of papers: Please don’t tie together your papers, milk jugs, or any recyclables — especially with non-recyclable things like string or plastic bags. Only blue-bin recyclables belong in your bin. When string of any kind or filmy plastic (like bags, tarps, wrappings, etc.) make it into our MRF, they can get tangled up in the system and can cause the whole thing to be shut down while we untangle or repair the damage. We process about a blue bin and a half per second. That’s a lot of fast-moving, whirling machinery! There’s not a special staff person there to patiently untie your bundle. It all gets dumped from the truck to the conveyor belt and away it goes on its Willy Wonka journey of recycling.
– “I still don’t know what to do with the darn plastic bottle caps,” says another staffer. “Leave ’em on or take ’em off??” One reason for the confusion is that the companies that buy the recyclables that we collect at our MRF have changed this rule over time. Current protocol for plastic bottle caps in Chittenden County: Take ’em off. If they’re under 2 inches wide, throw them in the trash. If they’re over 2 inches wide, add them to the recycling bin. The main reason for taking them off is that they’re so small they literally fall through the cracks in the system and get mixed in with another material, such as paper. When one recyclable gets mixed in with another recyclable, it becomes a contaminant in that load. Metal caps and jar lids should always come off and DO NOT belong in the recycling bin. You can recycle them as scrap metal in the special bin at any CSWD Drop-Off Center. Help keep the recycling stream clean and pure and do the right thing with the caps and lids!
Got a favorite recycling memory, or a recycling habit you just can break? Drop us a line! E-mail info@cswd.net or call (802) 872-8111.
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Become a Vermont Master Composter
Registration is now open for a class to help those who want to take their composting know-how to the next level. This convenient, online class is available through the University of Vermont.
Composting is practical, convenient and inexpensive. Learn how you can turn food scraps and yard trimmings into compost for healthier, nutrient rich soil for your garden, lawn, trees and even houseplants. The University of Vermont Extension Service is offering a 4-session online study of backyard composting.This course will highlight: – the biology of composting
– worm composting
– recipe design
– compost use for disease control
– site and container selection
– Act 148, Vermont’s Universal Recycling & Composting Law
– managing the compost process
– troubleshooting
– educational outreach and partnerships
This is a live, interactive, online class, with the option to stream a non-interactive, online video of the class at your convenience.
Course: Vermont Master Composter
Dates: Thursdays, Sept. 22 – Oct 13, 2016, 6:15 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Cost: $50 ($15 extra if you want the printed version of course materials) |
CSWD Calendar
Tuesday, August 16 – Bennington Battle Day
CSWD: All facilities will be open.
Burlington: Recycling will be picked up on that day in Burlington.
Trash/recycling haulers: To find out if your hauler will be taking Bennington Battle Day off, please call them directly. You can find contact numbers on our website’s hauler info page.
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