DC Government Posts Hazardous Waste Disposal 2012 Calendar!

Hey Folks, the DC Government has posted Hazardous Waste/E-cycling disposal dates for 2012 at the Ft. Totten Transfer Station, 4900 John F. McCormack Road, NE.  You’ll (very likely) need a DC Driver’s License that does not have an apartment address to get into the facility.  Below, you’ll find a list of acceptable items and a calendar can be found below that.  Send an email out to friends and neighbors and take turns going up to the facility every month or so.  There’s usually not a long line and you’ll be in and out before you know it!  More information on the program can be found at: http://dc.gov/DC/DPW/Services+on+Your+Block/Recycling/Household+Hazardous+Waste+-+E-cycling-+Document+Shredding

Acceptable Hazardous Waste	Acceptable E-Cycling
Acids Aerosols Antifreeze Asbestos tile Batteries Cleaning chemicals Drain openers Fluorescent light bulbs Furniture stripper Stains Varnish Fertilizer Lighter fluid Mercury thermometers and mercury containing devices Moth balls Motor oil Paint Pesticides Poisons Roofing tar Solvents/thinners Transmission fluids Windshield wiper and Brake fluids Wood preservatives	Audio/visual equipment Audio cassettes Camcorders CD Rom drives CDs/DVDs Cell Phones Computers and monitors Connectors / Cords / Wire Copy machines Fax machines Floppy drives Hard drives Memory chips Network / Video / Sound cards Pagers Power supplies Printers Scrap computer plastic  Scrap computer metal Tape drives TVs VCRs VCR tapes Video games & Software

 

2012 DC Hazardous Waste/E-Cycling Dates
Thursdays(1pm-7pm) ·         January 5 ·         February 2 ·         March 1 ·         April 5 ·         May 3 ·         May 31 ·         July 5 ·         August 2 ·         August 31 ·         October 4 ·         November 1 ·         November 30 ·         January 3, 2013	Saturdays (8am-3pm) ·         January 7 ·         February 4 ·         March 3 ·         April 7 ·         May 5 ·         June 2 ·         July 7 ·         August 4 ·         September 1 ·         October 6 ·         November 3 ·         December 1 ·         January 5, 2013



I < 3 Capital Bikeshare

As someone who has 3 bikes (none with a motor) I’m not an obvious target audience for the Capital Bikeshare program.  Nevertheless, I’m a huge fan.  Here’s why…and why you might consider joining the program.

• There are currently 110 bikeshare stations around DC and Arlington...and more are on the way! Here's a map!
• The bikes are great to ride when you need to need to look good at your end destination.  The chains are covered, so you’re not going to get grease on your slacks cuff.  The seats are up right…and there’s no crossbar, so skirts and dresses don’t hike up as easily.  The pedals are flat…so they’re easy to ride – even in heels.
• I usually ride a bike to work, but when I go out afterwards with coworkers, I want to walk with them.  On those days, it’s great to hop a bikeshare bike to work, go out with my friends after work, and then hop a bikeshare home from where ever we end up.
• I don’t have to lug around a lock. (I do lug around my helmet). :)
• There's a cool app that you can easily download to your smartphone that will tell you where stations are located. This is great as there are new ones popping up all the time.
• The website has a great Capital Bikeshare 101 video.....even in Español, pues!
• If there’s not a bike when you want to pick up a bike, you can hit the “options” button at the kiosk to find where the nearest stations are…along with a real time status of how many bikes and free docks are available.
• It’s great when visitors come to town and you need that extra bike…but just for a couple of days. There are all sorts of memberships – ranging from 24 hours, to 5 days, to 30 days to a year...and the first 30 minutes are free!  You don't have to have a membership key for a 24 hour or 5 day membership.  Just walk up to any kiosk with your credit card handy and you can be biking in 2 minutes!
• The bikes are easily adjustable…and the seat stem is designed to adapt to a wide range of heights.
• The bikes are retro and HEAVY in that hippsta kinda way.  They aren’t designed for any speedster!  AND, they have that nifty bag holder right on the front of the bike!
• There’s a light built in to the bike..and your pedaling generates power for the light.  This is great for those late night rides home.
• If there’s free docking station at your preferred kiosk, just put in your key or credit card at the kiosk, and you’ll be given an extra 15 minutes and a real time update of nearby stations and the number of bikes and docking stations available.
• There’s now a nifty dashboard that will provide all of us biker geeks with all sorts of stats on ridership.
• Finally, consider joining just to support this great asset to our city!  Go bikes...and ride safely!

Prepping for a Trip to DC Residential Hazardous Waste Drop-Off – what you can take and what you need to get inside



Sample of goods you can
dispose of at Fort Totten
every 1st Saturday.

Next Saturday, April 2, 2011, is the first Saturday of the month, so it’s a good time to start rounding up goods for a trip to DC’s Fort Totten Transfer Station for their monthly Hazardous Waste Disposal Program.  There’s a fair amount of incorrect information floating out there ..so I thought I’d take a stab a setting the record straight.

Where to go?  The monthly event is held at the Fort Totten Transfer Station, 4900 John F. McCormack Road, NE, between 8 am and 3 pm.  I’ve never had to wait in line to get in more than 10 minutes…but I’ve heard stories of hour long waits.  Best to go early, I reckon.   There’s still information floating around out there that you can also go to the Benning Road Transfer Station..and that you can go every Saturday.  That information is incorrect.  

Who can go?  This gets dicey.  According to the person I spoke with, you need to have two forms of ID with your DC address on them – like a DC Drivers License and a utility bill.  You can only drop off goods at Fort Totten if you live in a residence has DC serviced garbage collection.  That means if you live in an apartment that has a contracted service for waste disposal, you can’t drop off goods at Fort Totten.  "But what if your address is an apartment, but it’s serviced by DC?  How could you prove that?"  I couldn’t get a clear answer.

What about your car?  Apparently, you need to have your car registration with you as well.  I asked, "But what if I don't have a car , and I borrow my friend’s car who lives in Maryland, but I show you my DC IDs.  Can I get in?"  The answer wasn’t clear.

What you can take? Once you get in, you drive to a series of stops depending on what you’re getting rid of. They take all sorts of electronics, paper to be shreded, non latex paint, poisons, pesticides, batteries, etc, etc.  There’s a list of what they will and won’t take as you scroll down on this link.  The website says that they provide free compost to DC residents.  If anyone can report back on this, I'd be grateful!

Other ideas:  When I know I’m heading up to Fort Totten, I send out an email to my neighbors early in the week and offer to take their disposables along as well.  And, why not make an event out of it and explore another part of DC while you’re at it?  Googling “coffee shops near Fort Totten, Washington, DC” gave me a long list of places.  Qualia looked very interesting. 

So, good luck on your Fort Totten outing next weekend!  I hope the stars align, and the ID and car registration gods smile favorably upon you! Send a note about your adventure to dcrecyclerdc@gmail.com.