12-18-2016

’Tis the season for holiday greetings, but as you send and receive cards this year, keep in mind that musical greeting cards may contain mercury in their batteries.

Mercury is a hazardous material, harmful to both people and the environment, so make sure you don’t toss a musical card into the trash or recycling. First, remove the electronic musical device. Dispose of this as hazardous waste. Even if the batteries inside do not contain mercury, they still contain other substances that are dangerous if not disposed of properly. Second, put the empty paper card in with your curbside recycling.

When picking out cards, save your friends and the environment the hassle, and use e-cards or old-fashioned paper cards instead.

12-11-2016

The winter holidays are full of our favorite things: the smell of pine trees and gingerbread cookies, the sight of twinkly lights and sparkling ornaments, the feeling of giving gifts to loved ones — the list goes on.

Unfortunately, the winter holidays can also generate a ton of waste — six million extra tons, to be precise. That’s why we’ve put together this easy guide to help make your celebrations a little more eco-friendly. It will help you recycle what can be recycled, reuse what can be reused, and limit what has to end up in the trash.

Christmas Trees

Real trees can be disposed of locally — find the information here. You can also choose to compost your tree at home. Either way, remember to remove all decorations first.

Artificial trees are a bit more tricky to dispose of. If they’re in good condition, they can be donated to secondhand stores or sold on Craigslist. If only certain branches are in good condition, remove them to repurpose as smaller green decorations, such as garlands or wreaths. If your tree is in rougher shape, you can recycle it by shipping it to Polygroup’s Christmas Recycling Program. Otherwise, it will need to be taken to the landfill.

Christmas Lights

Christmas lights cannot be thrown away or recycled curbside. Not only can they become dangerously tangled in recycling machinery, causing damage, but they also contain fragile glass and electronic materials that require proper disposal. You can recycle them at any Home Depot during their Christmas Light Recycling event, or trade them in for a discount on new lights with retailers such as Holiday LEDs or Christmas Light Source. If they’re in usable shape, donate them to a secondhand store. Learn more about recycling e-waste.

Bows, Ribbon and Tinsel

None of these items are typically recyclable, so reuse them as many times as you can. The pieces that are in good shape can be saved to wrap presents again, and the pieces that are slightly rougher can be saved for craft projects. When you are done reusing them, toss them in the trash. Read more.

Wrapping Paper and Tissue Paper

Wrapping paper can be recycled unless it is foil. If you’re not sure which it is, try scrunching it. If it stays scrunched, it’s paper. Remove all bows and ribbons before recycling it. A little bit of tape is OK. If it doesn’t stay scrunched, then it’s foil. Foil paper should be reused or thrown away.

Tissue paper is not recyclable because the fibers are too short. Try using other recyclable materials like newspaper or magazines to pack your gifts instead.

Also, when buying new wrapping paper, opt for products that have been made from recycled materials.

Candles

Candle wax itself cannot be recycled, but a lot of the containers that candles come in are recyclable glass or tin. Remove the wax and wicks before recycling these containers.

There are different methods to remove wax: 1. You can scrape it out with a spoon. 2. You can heat the candle enough to pour out the melted wax, and wipe out remaining residue with a paper towel. (Just don’t pour any wax down the drain.) 3. If there is only a tiny bit of wax residue left, you can also freeze the candle in order to get it out easily.

Candle containers can also be repurposed, and leftover candle wax can be combined to make new candles at home. Find out more.

Glass Ornaments

If you no longer want any of your glass ornaments, donate them to a secondhand store. Ornaments are fragile and likely to break, so skip the curbside recycling for these. If you have a glass ornament that does break, make sure to dispose of it as broken glass so that it doesn’t injure any sanitation workers.

12-4-2016

Whether your drink of choice is black, steamed or herbal, if you drink it from a paper cup, the cup has to be thrown away. Why? Because the cup isn’t only paper — it’s plastic, too.

Paper coffee cups are lined with a thin coating of polyethylene, which is how the cup is able to hold liquids without dissolving in your hand. When different materials are fused together like this, they are difficult to separate and reuse.

So even though you want to be nice to the environment and recycle your coffee cup, you can’t. Toss it in the trash, and try to use a mug or travel thermos next time. You might get a discount on your beverage while you’re at it.

11-27-2016

Did you know that plastic bags are actually recyclable? Yes, they are! While we do not accept plastic bags in the curbside program, many grocery stores collect them for recycling. A plastic bag recycled today can become tomorrow’s plastic lumber or even a new plastic bag. Remember, it’s better to recycle plastic bags than to throw them in the trash, because it’s easy for them to blow away at the landfill and become litter in the local environment and waterways.

Stores that often accept plastic bags for recycling include Raley’s, Safeway, Save Mart, Target, Walmart, WinCo and Whole Foods. You can find plastic bag recycling at the following places in Stockton (in order of zip code):

Safeway
2808 Country Club Blvd, Stockton, CA 95204 | (209) 461-5555
Map & Directions

Safeway
6445 Pacific Ave, Stockton, CA 95207 | (209) 472-8600
Map & Directions

Save Mart
7506 Pacific Ave, Stockton, CA 95207 | (209) 951-7285
Map & Directions

Target
4707 Pacific Ave, Stockton, CA 95207 | (209) 476-8081
Map & Directions

JCPenney
4915 Claremont Ave, Stockton, CA 95207 | (209) 951-1110
Map & Directions

Smart Foods
4725 Quail Lakes Dr, Stockton, CA 95207 | (800) 969-2020
Map & Directions

Save Mart
3233 West Hammer Ln, Stockton, CA 95209 | (209) 951-0273
Map & Directions

Raley’s
2323 West Hammer Ln, Stockton, CA 95209 | (209) 955-1495
Map & Directions

Wal-Mart
1189 East March Ln, Stockton, CA 95210 | (209) 235-2047
Map & Directions

Lowe’s
3645 E Hammer Ln, Stockton, CA 95212 | (209) 956-7200
Map & Directions

Wal-Mart
3223 E Hammer Ln, Stockton, CA 95212 | (209) 473-2796
Map & Directions

Wal-Mart
10355 Trinity Pkwy, Stockton, CA 95219 | (209) 235-0558
Map & Directions

Lowe’s
10342 Trinity Pkwy, Stockton, CA 95219 | (209) 513-9843
Map & Directions

Target
10424 Trinity Pkwy, Stockton, CA 95219 | (209) 235-0251
Map & Directions

Remember that plastic bags include:

• bread bags
• cereal box liners
• dry cleaning bags
• newspaper bags
• produce bags
• sandwich bags
• plastic packaging such as case wrap, diaper packaging and toilet paper wrap
• and more

Plastic bags should be clean, dry and completely empty before being recycled. If a bag tears or crinkles, it’s not recyclable. You can learn more about plastic bag recycling at abagslife.com.

11-20-2016

As we get closer to Thanksgiving and remember to be thankful for our bounties of food, it’s good to remember all the resources that go into producing it. There’s a lot of behind-the-scenes effort that contributes to full shelves at the grocery store and a full fridge or pantry at home. So even when one piece of fruit is left to mold and gets thrown away, it’s not just one piece of fruit that we’re wasting — it’s freshwater, soil nutrients, gasoline, manual labor — the list goes on.

This new video from the AdCouncil and NRDC shows the entire life of a little strawberry in a lapse of two minutes, from when it’s growing, to when it’s picked on a farm, to when it goes to the store, and finally, when it’s picked to go home with a family. It will make you see food waste from a whole new perspective.

To learn more about what you can do to prevent food waste, visit our food waste page or www.savethefood.com.

11-13-2016

With winter holidays and celebrations approaching, a lot of us are beginning to plan our favorite holiday meals and treats to share — breads, pies, turkeys, casseroles. While you do this, keep in mind that aluminum trays and pans are recyclable. Just make sure you wash or scrape the food off before tossing them in the recycling.

Aluminum trays and pans are also reusable — you can wash and reuse them for cooking or baking multiple times, or you can repurpose them to store crafting materials or garage items. They can also be used as a tray or saucer to catch water from a household plant.

Thinking long-term? A less wasteful option would be to invest in a reusable tray or pan that is easily transportable.

11-6-2016

Which devices and appliances consume the most energy in our homes? If you guessed lights and electronic devices such as TVs and computers, you’re not alone. Most people identify these as top household energy hogs, according to a new study published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology. But we’re misperceiving our energy use, the study’s authors say, by assuming that the items we interact with the most will consume the most energy. Meanwhile, we underestimate the true household energy gluttons: furnaces, water heaters and air conditioners.

Individuals incorrectly attribute the bulk of their energy use to electronics and lighting for much the same reason an individual might fear extremely rare shark attacks after watching the movie Jaws: a concept called “cognitive accessibility.” We think that the objects we use most — lights we’re constantly turning on and off, or computers we’re always working on — are sucking the most energy. Meanwhile, as the expression “out of sight, out of mind” predicts, we forget about the appliances we have running in the background.

Indeed, home heating is the single greatest consumer of energy within households, followed by water heating, air conditioning and then lighting, according to 2005 data.

So what do the findings of this study mean for the average household trying to save energy, reduce utility bills and help the environment? Should we stop being so vigilant about turning off lights and powering down computers when we’re not using them? Absolutely not; these habits are still essential ways to conserve energy. But this report reminds us that we also need to address our home’s hidden energy consumers: our furnaces, water heaters and air conditioners. For these to work efficiently, our home’s “building envelope” needs to be properly sealed. Visit Energy Upgrade California to learn more about saving energy at home and to get information on larger home retrofits, including home energy audits, rebates and other financial incentives.

10-30-2016

We all know that composting is the most eco-friendly way to get rid of leftover food scraps. But if you simply don’t have the space or time to maintain a household compost bin, you may be wondering what the next best way is—the trash can or your kitchen sink’s garbage disposal? Both disposal methods have their environmental drawbacks:

The Problem with the Garbage

It takes a lot of garbage trucks rumbling through neighborhoods to pick up the trash, spewing air pollution. Once the trucks dump your food scraps in a landfill, the scraps release methane—a particularly potent greenhouse gas—as they take decades to biodegrade in an oxygen-free environment.

The Problem with the Sink

It takes a lot of water to wash your leftovers from dinner down the drain through an in-sink garbage disposal, but it takes even more water to filter out food waste when it reaches a wastewater treatment facility. Clean water is valuable, and this process wastes a lot of it. Once the food scraps are separated, they’re generally shipped to the same place as garbage: the landfill. 

The Verdict: Toss It In the Trash

While neither disposal option is ideal, a vast amount of water is needed to process wastewater. Plus, waste removed from the water is often trucked to a landfill anyway, making garbage disposals a longer, more expensive route for food scraps than dumping them in the trash can. So if you can’t compost your food waste, use the trash.

What Else Can You Do? Reduce Your Food Waste

There’s something you can do in addition to choosing how to discard unwanted food: minimize the amount of food waste you create in the first place. If you find yourself scraping a lot of food off of plates, serve smaller portions. Consider making a meal plan each week to help you buy only the food you need, and use it before it spoils. Freeze leftovers and aging produce so they won’t go to waste, and challenge yourself to use them creatively. Learn more about food waste. 

10-23-2016

If everyone in the U.S. recycled their clothing and textiles for one year instead of throwing them away, it would save 30.6 million metric tons of carbon emissions, according to the business wire. That’s the same as taking all the cars in Los Angeles off the road for one year. So how can you keep clothes out of the landfill? Here are your best options:

Sell

Are your unwanted clothes still valuable? For-profit secondhand stores are a quick and easy way to cash in. In addition to selling locally, there are also national chains, including Buffalo Exchange, Plato’s Closet, Clothes Mentor and Once Upon a Child. There are also a host of websites and applications that will help you sell or swap your old threads with just a few clicks on your smartphone, including eBay, thredUP, swap.com, Poshmark and Tradesy.

Donate

If you think your clothes may not be new enough to sell, donating locally is an easy way to give your wardrobe future use. Check whether an organization takes only gently used items or items in any condition—they can easily be a one stop shop for all your old clothes. You have two choices when it comes to donating garments: Non-profit organizations raise money for charitable causes. Goodwill, for example, uses the revenue from sales of donated clothing to fund job training programs for seniors, veterans and people with disabilities. Another benefit of this option is that your donation may be tax deductible. Goodwill has a PDF guide to help you estimate the value of your donation. Other national charities that accept clothing donations include The Salvation Army, Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Vietnam Veterans of America and PlanetAid. If you want to know more about an organization before you donate, look it up on CharityWatch or Charity Navigator. For-profit companies may or may not donate a portion of their profits. Some clothing retailers such as H&M, Levi Strauss & Co. and The North Face encourage customers to bring back old clothes from any brand to their retail locations, so they can be reused or recycled. There are also companies that use clothing collection bins, such as USAgain. These recycling companies have stirred up some controversy because consumers often assume their donations will benefit the needy. However, the clothing is often sold internationally, and only a small portion of sales, if any, fund charitable causes. Other for-profit clothing collectors include Savers, Community Recycling and American Textile Recycling Service.

Recycle

If your unwanted garments aren’t in good enough condition to be worn again, you can still keep them out of the landfill by recycling them. Many organizations that accept clothing for resale will also recycle clothes that are torn, stained or worn. Some major clothing recyclers include Goodwill, The Salvation Army, Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Savers, Blue Jeans Go Green, American Textile Recycling Service and USAgain.

Remember to Reduce

Another way you can help keep clothes out of the landfill is to consider buying secondhand. Many times secondhand clothes are new and unworn. The more we reduce our consumption in the first place, the less material we’re responsible for recycling.