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The Department of Public Works and Transportation, Recycling
Program, in conjunction with Capitol Recycling, Inc., is pleased to
announce the initiation of Electronic Equipment Recycling at
the six (6) Convenience Centers. The program began in November 2005
and is intended to provide residents of St. Mary’s County the
ability to dispose of the following items, free of charge, which
will be sorted accordingly:
·
Computer Monitors
·
Computers (a.k.a.
Central Processing Unit or CPU)
·
Support Devices:
Printers, Keyboards, Mouse and/or Wire(s)
·
Televisions,
Copiers,
·
Fluorescent
lamps/Bulbs & Ballasts
In addition,
citizens can continue to drop-off and recycle Cell Phones and
Rechargeable Batteries. Automotive batteries must continue to be
dropped off at the St. Andrews Landfill. Please look for the gray
storage container labeled “Electronic Recycling”.
Empty Pesticide Container Recycling
It is
estimated between 25 to 35 million empty pesticide containers are
sold annually in the
Before the empty
containers can be accepted for recycling they must be visually
inspected by
The "Bulb & Ballast
Recycling" Program, began in November 2005 and is designed to
collect used fluorescent lamps, high intensity discharge (HID)
bulbs, neon lamp tubing of all shapes and sizes, ballasts, boxes for
lamps and drums for ballasts, then picked up bi-weekly by a
certified recycler (Capitol Recycling). There is no additional cost
for this service at the convenience centers since the program is
part of our Electronics Recycling initiative.
The primary purpose
of the program is to reduce the amount of mercury entering the
environment; the various bulbs and lamps collected each contain
measurable amounts of this element. The secondary purpose is to
properly dispose of the PCB's contained in some older ballasts, and
to recycle the copper and other materials contained in all ballasts.
This program has
been implemented at all six (6) of the County’s Convenience Centers,
at the Building Services Division for maintenance of all County
buildings and facilities, and is also being implemented by the Board
of Education. Complete compliance with the law does not allow
handlers to throw fluorescent lamps or ballast into a landfill, but
required them to assure they are either being recycled or disposed
of in a permitted hazardous waste landfill.
By recycling the
fluorescent lamps and ballasts we are assuring no future liability
and that we are in complete compliance with the State of
What does the law say?
RCRA
regulations prohibit the disposal of waste lamps and light bulbs in
sanitary landfills if they contain levels of heavy metals (i.e.,
mercury) that exceed hazardous waste limits. The EPA has prepared a
fact sheet(PDF, 130K) to reduce the generation of mercury and
properly manage mercury-containing lamps.
Generators of spent
hazardous bulbs can choose to manage their bulbs as either hazardous
waste or universal waste. The Universal Waste Standards (40
CFR Part 273) are management standards that are less stringent
than hazardous waste requirements for large quantity generators -
those producing more than 2,200 pounds (1,000 kilograms) in any
calendar month. Small quantity generators - those producing between
200 pounds and 2,200 pounds (100-1,000 kilograms) of hazardous waste
per month may also find it advantageous to manage their waste as
universal waste. Conditionally Exempt Small Quantity Generators -
those producing less than 220 pounds (100 kilograms) of hazardous
waste per month may prefer to manage it as hazardous waste due to
the minimal requirements associated with the smaller waste volumes.
For specific RCRA generator requirements, refer to 40 CFR
261,
262 and
273.
The "Good to Go" Program is planned to be a voluntary
partnership being established in an effort to help clean up the
environment through prevention, reuse of materials and recycling.
This CHALLENGE is designed to give residents, small charitable
businesses and not-for profit organizations an opportunity to be
leaders in St. Mary’s County. For example, In November 2005, our
Bikes for Tykes program was
initiated at the St. Andrews Landfill - bicycles destined for
disposal are now salvaged by staff and made available for
restoration or distribution by volunteers and residents to those in
need in our community.
If you are
interested in volunteering or do you have any suggestions, please
contact our Solid Waste Manager at (301) 863-8400.
Why Compost at
Home?
·
Composting recycles
your wastes into a valuable soil amendment that can be used to
improve your soil and plantings.
·
Disposal of leaves,
grass, clipping and other yard waste is a problem for homeowners.
·
Yard and food waste
make up 30% of the solid waste stream in the
·
Composting is easy,
requiring minimal amounts of space and effort.
Ten Steps to Home
Composting
·
STEP 1:
Selecting a location
– You don’t need much space for this project, an area as small as 6’
by 6’ is plenty. If you plan to compost in the winter, choose a
sunny spot, otherwise a location with some shade will help to keep
the compost moist during the summer months.
·
STEP 2:
Bin design
– You can purchase a ready made bin or build one yourself out of
basic material(s). The simplest enclosure made of 3’ wide, 1” wire
mesh, formed into a 3’ diameter circle, securing the ends to one
another using wooden stakes for support. Another easy enclosure is
by reusing four old shipping pallets, secured side to side, making a
square box.
·
STEP 3:
Filling the bin – All organic matter, things that were once alive or
come from living things is compostable. This includes yard waste
such as leaves and grass clippings, kitchen wastes such as fruit and
vegetable leavings, coffee grounds, tea leaves, egg shells, etc. DO
NOT compost animal products such as meat, bones, fat, grease or pet
feces.
·
STEP 4:
Efficient composting – Any combination of organic materials will
eventually degrade. For a higher quality product, use a mixture of
compatible material. Rule-of-thumb, mix equal parts of BROWN (dry
leaves, straw, sawdust, etc.) with GREEN (grass clippings, garden
weeks, kitchen scraps) ingredients and shred or cut larger materials
for quick composting. Keep kitchen scraps on the inside of the pile
to decompose faster.
·
STEP 5:
Let’s get started – When combining your BROWN and GREEN ingredients,
you should add a shovel or two of soil, this will add microbes into
the mix to facilitate the decomposing process. Also, add a small
amount of water, you want the compost to be slightly moist, the
microbes work better in this environment.
·
STEP 6:
Heat – After a week, check to see if the pile is heating up. This is
part of the composting process. The center may get as hot as 150
degrees F. If the center isn’t warmer than the outside of the pile,
you may need to add more GREEN materials to get the process started.
·
STEP 7:
Turn the pile – Composting works best under oxygen-rich conditions.
The pile should be turned at least once a week with a shovel or
pitchfork. This will ensure that all the ingredients are thoroughly
mixed and will become completely broken down.
·
STEP 8:
Troubleshooting – Odors stem from two possible problems: too much
GREEN, or not enough oxygen. In either case, immediately turn the
pile to introduce more oxygen. If the problem is too much GREEN, add
more BROWN material(s). An overly wet pile may also cause bad odors,
if so, use less water.
·
STEP 9:
Compost – After three to ten weeks and many turnings, your compost
should be dark, moist, crumbly and ready to use.
·
STEP 10:
Using your compost – Technically, compost is not fertilizer, it is
an excellent soil amendment that improves the structure and quality
of your soil. Use your compost in garden beds to increase soil
porosity and aeration, around shrubs to keep weeds at a minimum and
help retain moisture.
Household Hazardous Waste Days
On May 13, 1997 the Board of County Commissioners approved the first
collection event which was co-hosted by the Department of Public
Works and the NAS Patuxent River Hazardous Material Control and
Management Program Office on June 14, 1997. Since that time, county
residents have been encouraged to clean out their barns and
basements, sheds and garages, under their kitchen sinks and in their
medicine cabinets and take advantage of the opportunity to properly
discard of potentially toxic/dangerous materials. Items that are
accepted include: pharmaceuticals; disinfectants; paint (all kinds);
stains and polish; solvents and thinners; caustic cleaners (for
toilets, tile, masonry, ovens, etc), pool chemicals, lawn care
chemicals, pet care chemicals; all pesticides, fungicides and
herbicides used in and around the home; batteries (all kinds);
thermometers, thermostats, fluorescent light bulbs (all contain
mercury); aerosol cans of anything; boat gas, kerosene and other
fuels (even old and mixed with water).
The Department
tries to hold several announced events during the late summer and
early fall each year. In
1999, approximately 1,815 gallons of materials were collected,
representing a 63% increase from 1997 figures. Each year since, more
than 3500 gallons is collected, more than double from when
the program began. The average overall program costs are roughly
$11-14 dollars a gallon for the collection, equipment,
transportation and disposal.
More information is
available by calling the County’s Solid Waste Manager at (301)
863-8400. The Chesapeake Bay Foundation has assembled a valuable and
free informational kit that is available from the "Save the Bay from
Toxins" Program at 1-800-SAVEBAY.
Recycling Programs continued on page 3 - Click Here |
