3-5-2017

March 12 is the beginning of Daylight Saving Time, which means we have to move the clocks forward an hour. But Daylight Saving Time is also the perfect time to check your smoke detectors and change the batteries! When it comes to fire safety, it’s always better safe than sorry.

When you change your batteries, remember to recycle your old ones. Never throw batteries in the trash — they contain dangerous metals and corrosive chemicals that can leach into the environment. Find out how to recycle batteries here.

2-26-2017

When we think about saving energy, we tend to think about electronics, heat, and gasoline. But running water uses energy, too. According to Energy Upgrade California, running hot water for just 5 minutes uses as much electricity as leaving a 60-watt lightbulb on for more than 14 hours. This adds up quickly. Home Water Works reports that 15 percent of all household energy is spent heating water.

So the next time you’re brushing your teeth, washing dishes or taking a hot shower, be conscious of what water you really need, and what water you don’t. When we run tap water, it’s not only the water we’re consuming. It’s also all the resources that are needed to pump the water to our homes, heat it, and sanitize it afterwards. Simply being aware of this can help you strategize how to use less.

For additional water conservation information, please visit the Municipal Utilities Department Water Conservation page. For tips on saving water, check out the EPA’s WaterSense or eartheasy.com. Read more about your home’s biggest energy hogs here.

2-19-2017

Ready to toss out that jar of spaghetti sauce because it’s past the “use by” date? Not so fast: Those “use by,” “sell by” and “best before” dates on food products actually have nothing to do with food safety, and do not mean that you should discard the food once the date has passed.

These labels merely indicate the manufacturer’s suggestion for when the food is at its peak quality. In fact, there are no federal standards regulating food dating labels except in the case of infant formula. So, unless you see visible signs of spoilage, that canned corn or box of cereal is safe to eat days, months or even years after their use-by date — though the food products may not taste or look as good as they would have before that date.

Because many consumers throw out food they think is expired, use-by labels contribute to the country’s growing food waste problem, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). Americans trash up to 40 percent of our food supply — worth about $165 billion — each year, the NRDC found.

But there are simple ways consumers can keep usable food — and all that money we spend on groceries — out of the trash can.

• Find out how long food products last using the Food Marketing Institute’s FoodKeeper, through their online directory or mobile app. For example, canned beans can last 2-5 years unopened in the pantry. Eggs, if kept refrigerated, are still fresh 3-5 weeks after you buy them. You’ll need to be more careful about following dates on refrigerated meat products: Use them within a few days of purchase, or freeze meats to keep them fresh for months.
• Storage temperature is the main factor affecting food safety, not the amount of time passed since the food was made. Keep your fridge’s temperature below 40 degrees Fahrenheit to best preserve food.

To find out more about how you can cut down on food waste — including best practices for storing food in the fridge — visit our food waste page here.

2-12-2017

Paper towels might have “paper” in their name, but don’t be fooled — they’re not recyclable. Like toilet paper and facial tissue, their fibers are too short to be recycled. Also, paper towels are usually soiled with food, grease or other liquids, which can contaminate paper that is recyclable.

Brown, unbleached paper towels can be composted, except if you use them to wipe up any chemicals. Toss bleached or chemical-soiled paper towels in the trash.

Keep in mind: You can reduce paper towel waste by grabbing a cloth towel or rag the next time you need to clean up something around the house.

2-4-2017

A recent study revealed that men might not recycle as much because “going green” is considered unmanly. But according to a national survey, women are more attracted to men who recycle. And women aren’t the only ones. In a study about first impressions, recycling ranked higher than a host of other characteristics, including having a graduate degree or a prestigious job. Why is that? It shows consideration — for the environment and future generations.

So if you have a date this Valentine’s Day, or are hoping to stumble into a potential sweetheart before it rolls around, remember that recycling makes a good impression!

Here are some tips so you don’t forget:

• If you bring roses to your special someone, remember that the plastic wrapping can be recycled with plastic bags.
• Once you’re done with the flowers, they can be recycled in your compost.
• Greeting cards can be recycled with paper.
• Candy wrappers can’t be recycled, so remember to toss them in the trash.

1-29-2017

Wear your seat belt. Obey the speed limit. Remember to change your car’s oil every 3,000 miles (or every three months). This is some of the standard advice you hear when you get your first car or driver’s license.

But it turns out this recommendation about oil changes is outdated. Very outdated. Advances in motor oil and car engines now make it possible to wait much longer until your next oil change — 7,500 to 10,000 miles for most vehicles under normal driving conditions. This means that a lot of people are changing their oil two to three times more often than they need to. That’s a ton of motor oil that’s being needlessly discarded.

Used motor oil is one of the largest hazardous waste streams in California by volume, according to the California Department of Resources, Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle). Nearly 115 million gallons of motor oil is sold in the Golden State each year. While 70 percent of used motor oil is collected for recycling or other disposal, 30 percent of the oil is improperly disposed of — poured down the storm drain or into the trash. This poses a serious threat environmental and public health. Because it doesn’t dissolve in water, just one gallon of motor oil can spoil the taste of one million gallons of water. Motor oil also contains heavy metals and toxic chemicals that can harm aquatic wildlife if it ends up in oceans or other bodies of water.

This issue is so critical that SB 778 was proposed: A mandate that would prevent automotive repair shops from recommending early, unnecessary oil changes. Though passed by the legislature, the governor vetoed it this past September.

So what can you do to keep motor oil out of our waterways? It’s simple: look up your car’s manufacturer-recommended oil change frequency. You can find it in your car’s user manual, or use CalRecycle’s CheckYourNumber.org widget to find the recommended oil change interval for vehicles with model years 2000 and newer.

Keep in mind that if you take your car to a quick-lube shop, the workers may just slap a standard sticker on your windshield recommending an oil change at the next 3,000 miles. Ask the workers to write the correct service mileage for your vehicle on the sticker, or get out a marker and fill it in yourself. Otherwise, you might mistakenly change your car’s oil too early.

Changing your oil less frequently will not only benefit the environment, it will also save you time and money. And, if you change your own motor oil, remember to recycle the oil afterwards.

1-22-2017

Frozen food boxes are made of cardboard, so a lot of people think they are recyclable. What a lot of folks don’t know is that the cardboard you find in the freezer aisle is coated with plastic in order to preserve its contents. This protects the food from getting wet or freezer burned, but it also makes the boxes impossible to recycle. Make sure they end up in the trash — not in your recycling.

1-15-2017

CFL light bulbs are great for saving energy, but they also contain small amounts of mercury, which makes them a precarious mess to clean up if one happens to break. Here are the EPA-recommended steps to take if and when you have a broken CFL on your hands:

Right after it breaks:

1. Have all people (pets included) leave the room.
2. Open a door or window, and air out the room for 5-10 minutes.
3. Shut off the heating or air conditioning system, if one is running.
4. Collect the following items for cleanup: stiff paper or cardboard, sticky tape (such as duct tape), damp paper towels or disposable wet wipes, and a glass jar with a metal lid or a resealable plastic bag.

To perform the clean-up:

1. Do not vacuum. Vacuuming may spread mercury-containing powder or vapor.
2. Scoop glass shards and powder into your jar or bag using the stiff paper or cardboard. Then use tape to pick up remaining fragments and powder. Be thorough.
3. When finished, place all cleanup materials into your jar or bag, and seal it.

Afterwards:

1. Immediately place all cleanup materials and debris outdoors in a trash receptacle or protected area.
2. When ready, dispose of these materials as hazardous waste.
3. If practical, continue to air out the room where the bulb was broken and leave the heating or air conditioning system shut off for several hours.

For more detailed cleanup instructions, visit the EPA’s website.

1-8-2017

On November 8, California voted yes on Proposition 67. The referendum upholds Senate Bill 270, originally passed in 2014, which was designed to create a statewide plastic bag ban. The bill did not go into effect earlier due to petition signatures collected in protest by the American Progressive Bag Alliance. Now that the referendum has passed, however, the law is effective immediately. So what does the plastic bag ban mean for you?

Grocery and other retail stores will no longer provide single-use plastic bags. They may choose to offer reusable totes or paper bags, but are now required to charge a minimum of 10 cents per bag. So remember to pack your reusable tote bags when you head out shopping, or keep some in your car at all times, just in case.

Find out more about Proposition 67 here.

1-1-2017

Every time a new year rolls around, we’re asked to make resolutions that will help us become better individuals. However, year after year, a lot of us bite off more than we can chew. From vowing to go to the gym every day, to eating only organic food, to never buying anything plastic ever again — they’re great goals, but for a lot of folks, they’re just not always realistic.

So, for those of us who wish we were eco-warriors, but resemble something more like eco-weaklings, here are some green resolutions that don’t require heavy lifting:

1. Cut back on bottled water.

Reusable water bottles are in these days — pick one up if you don’t have one, or, if you do, commit to making that bottle your sidekick. Bottled water isn’t necessarily cleaner or better-tasting than the tap (learn more from this video by The Story of Stuff Project). Also, it’s far more expensive for both you and the planet. A reusable bottle won’t only save you money, it’ll also give you that hip, eco-conscious air you’ve secretly been wanting to cultivate.

2. Remember your reusable shopping bags.

We’ve all been there — on our way into a store, passing through the doors and oh-so-excited to tackle our list, when we realize we forgot something — our reliable canvas tote. Bags at the store now cost at least 10 cents a piece, so bringing your own just makes good business sense. Make a habit of keeping one or two in your car at all times so they’re ready to go when you’re on your way home from work, or decide to skip the gym in favor of a shopping trip.

3. Drive less.

We’re not saying, “Stop driving.” It’s not like we live in Manhattan. But driving a little less isn’t that hard. Ask around to see if your friends know anyone who takes the same route to work as you do, and see if you can merge schedules enough to carpool a couple times a week. Fill the air in your bike tires and have it ready to go (short distances, that is) on good weather days. Take the bus when it’s direct and you have a good book or podcast at hand. And group your errands so that you don’t have to make several trips, several times a week — one bulk run to one area is far more economical.

4. Buy less stuff.

Similar to the above sentiment, we don’t advocate fashioning everything you own from fallen tree branches or junkyard scraps. At the same time, it doesn’t hurt to simplify your lifestyle. Take some healthy space from “fast fashion,” which encourages compulsive overspending. Try to repair items before deeming them truly broken. And consider the lifespan of an item before making a purchasing decision — you don’t want to be bogged down by unnecessary replacement shopping. After all, an uncluttered life leads to an uncluttered mind, right?

5. Recycle more.

Now this one is easy. Not sure if something can be recycled, or how? Look it up in our recycling guide. Then, subscribe to our weekly collection reminders to make sure you never forget recycling day, and you’ll get weekly recycling tips, too. Just keep in mind that reducing and reusing come first — recycling is a last resort.

Now, wasn’t that easy? Remember: Every little bit helps. You don’t have to be an eco-warrior to make a difference.