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.

SO, what is a CSA and why should you care…and join one?

Wikepedia defines Community-supported agriculture (CSA), as "a community of individuals who pledge support to (a most often local) farming operation where the growers and consumers share the risks and benefits of food production (eg, too much/little rain, bug infestations, etc). CSAs usually consist of a system of weekly delivery or pick-up of vegetables and fruit..and.. sometimes include dairy products and meat” (and even flowers and bread). This bundle of goods is called a “share”. There are some 3000-4000 CSAs in the US today.  Here is an interesting video showing how the CSA movement has grown and spread across the US from 1984-2010.

Back in 2009, the Washington Post did a story on CSAs.  The article includes a very comprehensive list of CSAs around DC, along with pricing and delivery options in/around town.  While I’m sure things have changed a bit since the story, it’s still a great reference point for finding a CSA in DC. 

CSAs usually involve a several month contract with a farm.  Many CSAs offer various share size options. If you’re going to be out of town for a week or so during your contract period, send out an email to friends/colleagues offering it for $X …and it’ll likely be snatched right up. You can also do your own bit of CSA exchanging once you get to know the community of shareholders.  I’m not a big fan of celery…but I’ll take all the fresh basil I can get.  I can usually find someone to swap with me.  Some farms offer a variety of delivery locations. On the Hill, there’s a CSA pick up spot on someone’s front porch, and there’s a stream of people stopping by to pick up bags of fresh veggies on Thursday afternoons on their way home from work.  

I’m a fan of CSAs as they provide me with fresh, local, and organic agriculture for five months of the year.  I’ve learned a lot by participating in one over the years…like that those really tasty local tomatoes aren’t going to be in my June share…but I’ll get tons later in the summer..and beet greens can be pretty tasty.  CSAs aren’t for everyone.  Buying local and organic can be pricey…and you get what’s ripe …when it’s ripe, and in June you're going to get mostly greens.   You’re never going to get an avocado in a local DC area CSA…and you’ll probably want to suplement your weekly share with other vegetables.  If you get too many tomatoes or basil, pass them along to me!

...and on to Composting...and what if you can't have a composter.

My Countertop Compost bin

My recent post on community gardening got me thinking about composting.  I <3 composting as it's reduced my contribution to the landfill significantly over the past few years.  It's still a mystery to me how all that organic matter can break down into such a small amount of stuff. I have a 5 gallon composting container on my counter.  It has a charcoal filter that absorbs smells.  (You can store scraps in any kind of container, the advantage of a bin is the charcoal filter). Once that's full, I empty it into my compost barrel that I keep out in the alley.  It's been there for years.  It's a closed container, and no, I've never seen a rodent around it (there's too much other low hanging fruit out there). My neighbors occasionally contribute to it.  I don't put any meat products in there...but paper towels, yard waste, banana peels, coffee filters all get thrown in.  Every couple of weeks or so, I'll pick up a bag of coffee grounds from the local coffee shop and throw that in along with a bucket of water.  The acid from the coffee seems to help break down the goods faster.  In the summer, I add more water. I stir my compost every couple of weeks (and am awed by the diversity of organisms I find breaking down my stuff), and in the spring and fall, I take out that rich, dark compost and throw it on my yard.   If I didn't use it on my own yard, I'm sure if I posted it on FreeCycle DC, someone would want it. 

But I know that a lot of folks live in apartments. What to do?  There are a couple of interesting options I've found.  COMPOST CAB says for $8 per week, they will supply you with a bin, pick it up and replace it with a new clean one.  They'll even bring compost back to you if you want it.  Fat Worm Compost seems to provide a similar service. You might stop by your community garden and see if you can drop off your scraps in their compost bin. My workplace has contracted a company to compost our (many) coffee grounds and tea bags.  It's great to get this organic material out of our landfills and back into our soil.

Community gardening is in the air!

Map of Community Gardens in DC

It's amazing how a switch to daylight savings time changes things my routine.  While I now have to drag myself out of bed in the dark in the morning (again - but only for a little while) it's great to have natural light later in the day.  Tonight's dog walk got me thinking about community gardening in DC...so I found a couple of resources I thought I'd share from DC's Field to Fork network.  The site includes this map (from 2009) and what seems to be a fairly complete listing of DC community gardens by neighborhood (from 2010) along with contact information to get a plot. Emailing your community list serv is another good way to learn of other community gardens in your neighborhood.  Community gardening is a great way to get to know your neighbors and to get rid of all that compost that you've got stirred up!  And there's nothing like the taste of those home grown tomatoes in July!!!

A Big Thanks!!

...to Johanna for creating this blog. I look forward to taking it on and sharing creative ways to recycle in Washington, DC!

Cathy

Opt out of Receiving the Yellow Pages

Finally! You can opt out of receiving a paper copy of the yellow pages: YellowPagesOptOut. How exciting!!

From Recycling Pal Cathy

Dear DC Recycler,

I love your blog, and I appreciate the list of places you mention that will recycle certain products. I hope that your blog will encourage readers to think outside the box a bit when it comes to recycling. For example, I've found that almost ANY UPS/Mailbox store will accept "used" styro peanuts AND those plastic inflated bags that now seem to be the mode as well as that "foamy like" paper stuff that's used. I recently swapped out my old wire coat hangers for nicer ones, so I dropped off my old ones at a local dry cleaner. THEN, I needed some extra coat hangers for a winter party, so I went back to a drycleaner and picked up some used wire hangers..and then dropped them back off after the party. I bought myself some lovely gerber daisies the other day..and after they lost their bloom, I dropped off the plastic stem sticks at a local florist. They were thrilled. Once I finish with my magazines, I take them to work and put them in the kitchen where they're gone in a minute. I'd love to hear other creative ideas for recycling from your readers!

Cathy

Basic Battery Recycling

We need an update on battery recycling in DC.

1) Choose rechargeable batteries. Rechargeable batteries have improved a lot, retain their charge much longer, and, according to Tree Hugger, are much less damaging than disposable batteries to the environment over the entire life of the battery. They are also a good price. It is essential that one gets the right batteries (most recommended: hybrid Nickel-Metal Hydride (Ni-MH) cells) and a good charger.

According to Metaefficient, here are the best rechargeable batteries:

• Eneloop Rechargeable Batteries by Sanyo
• Hybrio Rechargeable Batteries by Uniross

Here are the best chargers:

• LaCrosse Technology BC-900 Alpha Battery Charger
• Ansmann Deluxe “Energy 8″ Charger
• Maha PowerEx “Ultimate Professional” Charger

Remember that rechargeable batteries must be recycled, rather than dumped. Luckily, DC has many options for this: Radio Shack at Eastern Market and other locations found at Call2Recycle.

2) DC Government does collect batteries. One day each month (used to be weekly), you can bring your batteries and other items to Fort Totten transfer station for household hazardous waste/e-cycling/document shredding services. As I understand it, the city isn't actually recycling them, but rather they are keeping the batteries out of the landfills and the Fairfax incinerator. So, it is still better to use rechargeable batteries.

3) Car batteries can be recycled at most retailers of car batteries. AutoZone on H St NE should recycle car batteries and motor oil for free.

4) Other places collect batteries: the House office buildings, Best Buy. Or you can send them by mail (fee involved): Battery Solutions, Battery Mart, Big Green Box.

Greater Goods store

I was just up at Greater Goods store on U St. The owner is such a great resource. After thinking about ways to get rid of plastics, I decided to buy some corn garbage bags that fit my garbage can, which he sells too. He sells 50 bags for $5, which was a lot less than I was expecting to pay. If the bags end up in the landfill, they might decompose. If the bags end up in the Fairfax incinerator, they won't cause more air pollution. Greater Goods also has some great reusable sandwich bags (LunchSkins invented by some women in Bethesda and made in PA), water bottles (a big Kleen Kanteen shipment is coming in next week), natural cleaning sponges, water filtering systems, and a bunch of other great items. Thanks, Greater Goods!

Corks, Recycling, and You (Continued)

So, I've been collecting corks from Hayden's, friends, and neighbors (they suddenly appear on my doorstep!) for my journey by Metro to Whole Foods. I sorted through all the corks and removed the plastic ones, which you can see in the above picture. These plastic corks will all go in the garbage and to the landfill now. So, please don't buy wine with plastic corks. I've bought $3 and $4 wine with natural corks, so it isn't a matter of cost. It is a matter of saving the 100,000 jobs in the Mediterranean and the acres and acres of cork trees.

Below are the two very large shopping bags that I am bringing on the Metro to Whole Foods to their collection station, which is one floor down from the main floor right in front of the elevators. It would be sooooooo great if Schneider's and other wine stores would collect corks! There are great organizations to work with, such as:

• Cork ReHarvest (works with Whole Foods)
  
• Recork (works with Cork and Fork)
  
• Yemm & Hart
  

Let your local wine store know about these organizations. Maybe you can interest them in collecting corks too. Let me know if you find other businesses collecting corks, Brita water filters, etc. Thanks!

Corks, Recycling, and You

Can you help the DC Recycler? Schneider's on the Hill is all set to collect corks, but they haven't put out their collection box yet. They have a collection box and a recycling company to work with. They just need to find a spot in the store to place the box. In the meantime, I collect corks and take them over to Whole Foods by Metro (I don't have a car and actually don't shop at Whole Foods). It would be so great if Schneider's collected corks since I and many other Hillies are customers there!

Can you contact Schneider's either by phone (202.543.9300), email (customerservice@cellar.com), or in person and say something like, "I hear that you'll be collecting corks for recycling soon. When will this be? Thank you for doing this!" We love Schneider's, and cork collection there would make it even greater. Also, this would really help the DC Recycler out a lot. Thank you!

P.S. Remember that plastic corks are not recyclable and not sustainable environmentally or socially (natural corks maintain a regional economy in the Mediterranean for something like 100,000 workers), so choose wine with natural corks (or twist tops but they aren't recyclable). World Wildlife Fund recommends natural corks. Save the cork forests! Save jobs!

A great way to recycle your computer (and peripherals)

Project Reboot accepts computers, cleans/fixes them, and then sells them to non-profits for $10. What a great idea! They accept working or non-working computers, so long as they contain a Pentium III class processor or better. Here is a list of other items they accept. They are located in Rockville. Project Reboot is organized by the Capitol PC Users Group (CPCUG), a non-profit educational organization established in 1982, which provides a forum for sharing information, experience, and resources among computer users, from novice to advanced. They have great educational events! Get the word out about Project Reboot!

Stop using plastics today

“It’s safe to say that plastics with the resin code 3-7 are not recyclable and should be avoided by consumers,” says Mark Murray of Californians Against Waste.

#1 and #2 plastics can be downcycled into such things as picnic tables and decks. Preserve turns #5 yogurt cups into toothbrushes and razors. Basically, there is no domestic market for #3-#7 plastics or for plastic wrap. Equally important: DC and VA are burning garbage to create energy, which means that plastics (and batteries) are being burned and are polluting. Here are ten things one could do to stop using plastics, end the plastics market, and create new sustainable markets:

1) Avoid using plastic wrap.
Store leftovers in the refrigerator in bowls covered with a saucer or plate. Alternatively, use Pyrex glass storage containers, which are very sturdy and union made. For sandwiches, you can even make your own reusable sandwich bags.

2) Avoid plastic silverware, plates, and salad containers at lunch.
I'm the worst offender on this front. I have been trying for months to get around to doing this. My goal this semester is to bring some silverware (or bamboo To-Go Ware) to work. Also, I should just bring my lunch, since there are no bring-your-own plate options where I work (wish there were!). The House of Representatives' office buildings have corn silverware, which they have composted. You have to commercially compost corn silverware and other compostable products.

3) Avoid plastic yogurt containers.
See previous post on 12/31 on making your own yogurt (in a glass container). It's super easy.

4) Avoid plastic water bottles.
Yes, it is good to reuse plastic water bottles. However, it seems even better to get a stainless steel water bottle (such as Kleen Kanteen) or glass water bottle (such as Lifefactory discussed on another website).

5) Bring your own mug to the cafe.
Of course, great cafes have ceramic mugs. If your great cafe doesn't, you can avoid the plastic "adult sippy cup" lid by bringing your own mug. A few years back, I bought myself a ceramic travel mug with a lid.

6) Bring your own vegetable bags to the grocery store.
You can bring your previously used bags or purchase some reusable bags.

7) Buy in bulk.
Many coops (like Takoma Park-Silver Spring Coop) and other grocery stores (Yes! Market) have bulk bins with grains, dried fruit, spices, etc. Maybe you can bring in pre-weighed glass jars and containers, rather than using plastic bags?

8) Buy milk in glass bottles.
South Mountain Creamery delivers milk in glass bottles to your door in the District. P&C Market at Lincoln Park on the Hill sells delicious milk in returnable glass bottles, though it might be seen as expensive. Here's a list of dairies that use glass bottles.

9) Say goodbye to straws.
I know that many have revolted by this point... No, you can get a glass straw!

10) Say goodbye to plastic garbage bags?
Well, I made the brilliant decision to get a garbage can that uses plastic grocery bags right before DC implemented the 5 cent bag tax. I still use the various plastic grocery bags I come across. One could use bioplastic bags, such as BioBag or Bag-to-Nature bags. However, since a lot of us are noticing that we have very little garbage because there is so much that DC government recycles, we could just roll up our garbage in some newspaper and say goodbye to plastic garbage bags altogether.

After writing this, I found this great blog, Life Less Plastic, which has even more ideas. Do you have some other ideas about how to reduce our plastic footprint?

Shout out for Freecycle

Dear DC Recycler, I'm just writing to tout my great appreciation for the freecycle network and FreecycleDC. This site is amazing as it's allowed me to recycle things that I knew were still of use...but just needed that "special someone" to find it. In the last year, I've freecycled foamed rubber stuffing from a pillow that my dog chewed up, moving boxes, a lamp, plates, a (large and heavy) futon and frame, a small file cabinet, very cool art work I found in a trash can, old light fixtures, and a security gate for a back door. Sometimes I meet the people who pick up the goodies, but often I just leave the stuff on my front stoop. When I have met the folks, I've found them to be great people who are just interested in moving things along in the world. I hope you'll encourage folks to use this great service!

Recycler 123

P.S. When I joined the Yahoo Group for Freecycle DC I opted out of their emails and even their daily blog...so you can opt in...or out of the large amount of traffic on the site.

Create Markets: Choose to Buy Recycled Products

Some have said: If you’re not buying recycled, you’re not really recycling. Buying items made with recycled materials helps close the loop and create new markets for these goods. Here are some easy ways to do this:

1) Recycled Paper
Kinko's at Eastern Market sells 30% post-consumer waste (PCW) printer/copy paper. Greenline Paper sells 100% recycled/100% PCW wire-bound notebooks, copy paper, envelopes, file folders, and a wide variety of school supplies, including Eco-Writer pencils made from 100% recycled newsprint.

2) Recycled Plastic
Preserve toothbrushes, razors, plates, etc. made from recycled #5 plastics.

3) Recycled Cork: natural cork is an organically sustainable practice that provide 100,000 jobs in the Mediterranean; synthetic/plastic and screw caps are not.

• SOLE shoes organized by ReCork.
• Wine cork tiles from Yemm & Hart.
  
• Cork cheese boards from Corkologie.
• Cork flooring, furniture, and many other things at Jelinek Cork Group. I'm not sure how much of their stuff is actually recycled.
  

4) Recycled Glass
Uncommon Goods has glasses made from wine bottles.

5) Sustainable, non-petroleum materials

• Bamboo computer mouse and keyboard: bamboo instead of plastic.
• To-Go Ware: bamboo silverware.
  
• Burt's Bees: Lip balm and other items made from vegetable oils and beeswax, rather than petroleum, which is not a renewable resource and can be toxic.
  
• Jelinek Cork Group: Cork.
  
• Agave fibers (sisal), Coconut fibers (coir), flax, hemp, kapok, tampico used in pillows, bedding, and clothing.
  

Stop using plastic yogurt containers today

It is unbelievably easy to make your own yogurt. I made yogurt for the first time last week and now am wondering why I never tried before. There are directions all over the web. It is so easy:

• Heat milk to 180-185 degrees (use a candy or meat thermometer).
• Rinse a large glass jar (or a couple of jars) with boiling water.
• Let milk cool to 110 degrees.
• Stir in a couple of tablespoons of yogurt, pour into jar(s), and put on a lid.
  
• Wrap the jar(s) with towels and place in unheated oven. (I actually turned on the oven to 200 degrees very briefly before putting the yogurt in.)
• Let it sit for 7 hours (I actually started too late in the day, so I just let it sit until morning: 12 hours. If it went bad, you would quickly smell it.)
  
• If it is thickened, then place it in the refrigerator.
  

We also use local milk, so it is tasty and has less of a carbon footprint. Very easy, and no more plastic containers.

Recycle your dead or nearly dead computer (and peripherals)

Dell and Goodwill have partnered to create Reconnect, a residential computer recycling program. You can drop off any brand of used computer equipment in any condition at participating Goodwill donation centers. (From the Hill, the closest one is on South Dakota Ave, but there are many all over town.) From their list, they take: computers, monitors, printers, scanners (even with broken glass), hard drives (erase sensitive data), keyboards, mice, speakers, cords and cables, ink and toner cartridges, software (include license key), Xbox, Zune, and Webcams in any condition. It's free, and you'll get a receipt for tax purposes. Lifehacker has a great list of other groups that recycle old computer stuff. There is no good reason to throw computer stuff in landfills. Someone can use them right now!

Take Recycling to a New Stage (or two)

Every couple of weeks, I take the plastic bags from my Washington Post newspaper over to my neighbor's house. He uses them when he walks his dog. My other neighbor heard about this and connected with someone a block away, who also wanted plastic bags for dog walking. Another neighbor suggested that we also hang a plastic bag dispenser on one of our light poles, so that others could get free, reused bags. (There was one regularly used on 7th and A St SE for years, which many of us kept clean until it was removed when the pole was painted.). The Yahoo group DC-Dog also seems to share plastic bags.

How can we easily share things with others rather than throwing them away? A few weeks ago (see below in an earlier post), a potter on the Hill asked for boxes and bubble wrap to ship her fragile art pieces. I assume that she has received a big pile of these! Someone else on the Hill asked for pumpkins for her new compost pile. What other items could we share with others and keep out of landfills? One can use neighborhood listservs or websites to connect with others interested in your pile of rubber bands, can of crayons, or stack of moving boxes. The new Hill East is a very busy listserv, but DCist lists others all over town.

You can sell or give things away through Craigslist and Freecycle. It might be even easier to set up a freecycle system at work or in your apartment building. World Wildlife Fund in DC has its Junk Mail system, which is an internal listserv where people can post items they want to give away or acquire. Someone asked for old hairbrushes for her horses. Another person posted a new bottle of nail polish. Employees can opt-in or opt-out of the system. It is run by one employee and monitored by another. Once it is set up, it has a life of its own. World Wildlife Fund employees have also organized regular clothes swaps and book exchanges (just an open shelf; uninteresting books are quickly recycled leaving the interesting ones).

You can also ask a store to collect items that either you or the store would recycle. A wine store might collect and recycle wine corks; a hardware store might collect Brita water filters; a Radio Shack might collect batteries. This is how the DC Recycler started.

Or share your tools, appliances, bikes, and other items with your neighbors through NeighborGoods, ShareSomeSugar, or your own neighborhood database. Join the thousands in the Maker Movement ("On a basic level, the movement is about reusing and repairing objects, rather than discarding them to buy more. On a deeper level, it's also a philosophical idea about what ownership really is.") or open a Share Exchange and create new jobs. These days it's easy to take recycling to a new stage and think about how recycling can be a resource to create a new economy, a sustainable job-creating one, rather than bailing out the current waste-creating, non-job-making one.

Can you help the DC Recycler?

Schneider's on the Hill is all set to collect corks. They have a collection box and a recycling company to work with. They just need to find a spot in the store to place the box. In the meantime, I collect corks and take them over to Whole Foods by Metro (I don't have a car and actually don't shop at Whole Foods). It would be so great if Schneider's collected corks since I and many other Hillies are customers there! When you go to Schneider's next, can you say something like, "I hear that you'll be collecting corks for recycling soon. When will this be? Thank you for doing this!" This would really help the DC Recycler out a lot. Thank you!

P.S. Remember that plastic corks are not recyclable and not sustainable environmentally or socially (natural corks maintain a regional economy in the Mediterranean for something like 100,000 workers), so choose wine with natural corks (or twist tops but they aren't recyclable). World Wildlife Fund recommends natural corks. Save the cork forests! Save jobs!

How to get a second recycling bin

We often find that we have so much more recycling than garbage. I got a message about this very issue from Alex up in the Tenleytown area:

Hi.
I'm new to DC.

Our recycling bin seems to always fill up way faster than our
trash bin. It's one of those mini-supercans, or whatever....
much smaller than the trash can.

How do I get a bigger recycling bin /can? Or at least can I
get two of the small ones? Do I have to pay extra?

Thanks,
Alex

The DC Office of Recycling sent me this very helpful response:

The District provides 32 gallon blue carts, and your acquaintance can order a 2nd one, per available stock.

Rest assured our agency appreciates our community's interest in larger recycling receptacles. Both cost and uniformity of service (many homes cannot accommodate larger bins) will be factors in any future changes to the system.

District Residents in city-serviced homes (3 units or less), receiving curbside or alley way collection, can call The Mayor's Citywide Call Center, dialing 311 or 737-4404 (if not phoning from a 202 exchange).

There is no fee to receive an extra recycling bin at this time.

You can find this information on the Department of Public Works website.

Over here on Capitol Hill, we don't have much space for a bigger or second bin, so it might be great someday to have two recycling pick-ups per week and only one trash pick-up. We can always hope, no? Thanks to the DC Office of Recycling for this helpful information!