|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Today, the
Where Does It Go?
All newspaper and magazines collected in this program are hauled to a
processing facility, baled and sent to mills where it is pulped and made
into new paper for a variety of uses. Old newspapers are also recycled
into paperboard, cereal boxes, egg cartons, pencil barrels, grocery
bags, cellulose insulation materials, tissue paper, bedding for farm
animals, and many more diverse products.
Helpful Hints
Newspaper and magazines do not need to be baled with string. It
is okay if the newspaper and magazines are placed in plastic or paper
bags.
Inserts and the plastic wrappers are acceptable.
SINGLE STREAM RECYCLING
IS
SINGLE STREAM RECYCLING
IS
During the Program’s first year (1996) 23.84 tons of office paper was
collected. On April 2000, in conjunction with Earth Day, the County
participated in the Annual National Clean Out Your Files Day. The event
made it possible for office workers to purge their workplace of a
variety of paper products including computer paper, letterhead, white
ledger paper, cards and envelopes. This event is held each year
nationwide. Due to the success of the program, containers are now
provided for the collection of mixed paper, cardboard and co-mingled
beverage containers at selected facilities.
SINGLE STREAM
RECYCLING
IS
The County began this seasonal collection effort in January 1994. The
program runs for approximately six (6) months between the months of
October and March and coincides with the distribution cycle for new
directories. Approximately 15 tons were collected from the residential
program each year. During this time phone books are accepted at all six
Convenience Centers and at certain central receiving areas in
County-maintained buildings.
Old phone books can be made into ceiling tiles, pizza cartons, comic
books and more new phone books. Each new directory offers complete
information about other county recycling opportunities and programs.
The Department
maintains a current listing of businesses and organizations that accept
items for reuse. To obtain a copy of the Directory, or if you know of a
business or group that should be listed, or if you would like to be
listed, contact our Recycling Coordinator by phone; (301) 863-8400 or by
fax; (301) 863-8810.
The Mission Statement of the St. Mary’s County Recycling Division is "To
promote Reuse, Recycle, and Reduction programs through effective
communication, public education and example." To achieve the goal of
waste reduction, the Department of Public Works has adopted the
following hierarchy of the "4 R’s" - Reduction, Reuse, Recycling and
Recovery.
Wherever possible, waste REDUCTION is the preferable option-it is
best to produce as little waste as possible. If
waste is produced, every effort should be made to REUSE it if at
all practical. Reusing also means that the product doesn’t end up in a
landfill. How to reuse it-find products you need
and share your excess products with others at a cost savings to
everyone.
RECYCLING
is the third option in the waste management hierarchy. Although
recycling does help to conserve resources and reduce wastes, it is
important to remember that there are economic and environmental costs
associated with the waste collection and recycling processes. For this
reason, recycling should really be considered for waste which cannot be
reduced or reused. How to recycle it-place it in
the right container to save money
Finally, it may be possible to RECOVER materials or energy from
waste which cannot be reduced, reused or recycled. Practicing the first
2 R’s of waste management can be as simple as changing household habits
or as complex as altering industrial processes. We
have RETHOUGHT, REVISED
and are RESPONDING with four (4) new
programs to usher in the new millennium and further our consistency with
the County’s Policy, Goals and Objectives as specified in the approved
Comprehensive Solid Waste Management Plan:
Since July 1993 scrap
metal and "white goods" (used appliances) have been collected at the St.
Andrews Landfill. The County has a contract with the Maryland
Environmental Service to purge all air conditioners, freezers and
refrigeration units of Class I (CFC’s) and Class II (
Effective December 2006, residents using the six (6) Convenience
Centers will no longer need to sort your recyclable items. You
can mix your newspaper, magazines, catalogs, cereal boxes, mixed paper
(printer paper, copier paper, mail, etc.) phone books, plastics, glass,
aluminum, and steel containers into the same recycling container(s).
“The development of this program represents a major step forward in our
long term waste resource management strategy,” says George Erichsen, the
County’s Director of Public Works & Transportation. In partnering with
Waste Management, residents will no longer need to sort materials and
manage multiple recycling containers at home – all you need is a single
container! Effective November 10, 2008, items such as aerosol cans,
aluminum foil and pans, aseptic packaging/gable top milk/juice cartons,
bagged plastic film such as grocery bags, stretch film and shrink wrap
are acceptable as part of the single stream recycling. Old corrugated
cardboard will continue to be sorted separately.
Why are we doing this? We
are certain that this customer service improvement will make it more
convenient for our residents and businesses to recycle larger quantities
of materials, improve our recycling rate and reduce the amount of
material we have to pay for to place into landfills.
What Will Happen to Your Recyclables?
Once your recyclable items are collected, they are transported to the
largest single stream recycling facility in the nation, located in
Elkridge In
1995 the Department of Public Works made staff available for sixth grade
bus and walking tours of the St. Andrew’s Landfill and Convenience
Center Facilities. The physical, environmental and functional aspects of
the facilities are described to the children and informational material
is provided to them as they return to their respective schools or homes.
For the safety of the children they remain in the bus when at the
working face of the landfill. These educational tours can be used as an
integral component of the Environment Education and Student Service
Learning Programs. If you would like a tour, please contact our Solid
Waste Manager at (301) 863-8400.
As
of January 1, 1994, with the approval of House Bill 1202, scrap tires
are no longer permitted to be disposed of in landfills. Although there
is a ban on the disposal, the Department continues to accept tires at
the St. Andrews Landfill Facility in accordance with its Secondary Scrap
Tire Collection Facility License issued by the Maryland Department of
the Environment which allows the accumulation of up to 1,500 tires to be
located on the premises. The current permit, 2008-
COMAR 26.04.08.10B(10) requires the Department prepare Semi-annual
reports for submission to the State to monitor tire disposal and storage
activities. On April 25, 1998 the Maryland Environmental Service
assisted the County in the 1st annual Scrap Tire Amnesty Day
which was funded (both publicity and disposal) from the State’s Used
Tire Cleanup and Recycling Fund (created from the $1.00 fee on the sale
of each new tire-reduced in 1999, to $0.50 and subsequently increased to
$0.80 in 2005). The fifteen (15) Maryland Counties participating in the
event collected a total of 1,642.29 tons of scrap tires which were
transported and disposed of by the State at a cost of $241,408.25. St
Mary’s County collection efforts at the St. Andrews Landfill Facility
yielded 2,085 tires (43.86 tons) with a corresponding disposal cost of
$4,853. St. Mary’s County continues to host Tire Amnesty Day events as
funding is made available by the State
The 2004 event resulted in the collection of 1,011 tires
(32.13 tons), the 2006 event collected 1,498 tires (69.91 tons)
and the 2008 event collected
3,677 tires (80.93 tons). The next Tire Amnesty Day is scheduled for
April 18, 2009 at the St. Andrews Landfill. In the interim. In the
meantime, residents may continue to recycle up to five (5) tires per
trip at the St. Andrews Landfill year-round for passenger and light
truck tires. Bulky/oversize
scrap tires and loads in excess of five (5) tires will be assessed a fee
of $158.00 per ton.
The County does accept
trailers at the
The Department of
Public Works & Transportation recently landscaped the grounds of it’s
administrative building (the
For additional information on
TreadSpread®, please contact the Maryland Environmental Service at
(410) 729-8200 or visit their website at http://www.treadspread.com/.
For additional information on the County’s Recycling programs, you may
contact the Department of Public Works & Transportation at (301)
863-8400 or visit their website at
http://www.co.saint-marys.md.us/dpw/ .
Used
Cooking Oil and Kitchen Grease Recycling In
November 2005, the County's Recycling Program, in conjunction with
Valley Proteins, Inc. announced the initiation of Used Cooking Oil
and Kitchen Grease Recycling at the six (6) Convenience Centers. The
program is intended to provide residents of St. Mary’s County the
ability to dispose of cooking oil and kitchen grease and provide the raw
materials necessary to produce “Biodiesel”, an alternative fuel to be
used in diesel powered equipment. Recycling used cooking oil and kitchen
can prevent clogged drain pipes, disrupting the biological degradation
process in septic tanks and prevent clogging drain fields. Please look
for the brown containers labeled “Waste Kitchen Grease Only”.
The County began its
waste oil collection program in June 1989 at the Ridge, Valley Lee,
A
Joint Services Agreement was executed on July 13, 1993 between Calvert
and St. Mary’s Counties for the cost-sharing of tub grinding and windrow
turning equipment used in the processing of yard waste. The Department
also took advantage of an MES grant and received reimbursement for the
construction of a paved yard waste composting site at the St. Andrews
Landfill. The Agreement represented a regional solution to the planned
October 1, 1994 State-wide ban on source separated yard wastes from
land-filling. In August 1996, with the initiation of a State-wide mobile
tub grinder services contract offered to participating Counties by the
Maryland Environmental Service, the Joint Services Agreement was
terminated.
The Department currently grinds the collected material at a cost of
about $10 per ton and stockpiles it on-site for future use. In
1997, almost 216 tons of mulch was produced – the Program effort
resulted in an increase to 533.8 tons in 1999 and in 2007,
over 4,900 tons was generated!.
U-LOAD-U-HAUL!
Mulch is available for pick-up by residents, community and civic groups
(elementary schools, technical centers and colleges) at no charge;
Although the Department makes reasonable effort to assure that the
product is free of foreign material, we make no guarantees and ask
residents to sign a disclaimer. The majority of material is used; to
mulch around County-maintained buildings, as topsoil for roadside
maintenance and repair work, and the construction of nature trails. The
Department plans to expand services to include grass and leaves |
