Community Meetings on County Solid Waste Plan Set

SUISUN CITY - Solano County will hold a series of community meetings to gather public input on proposed changes to the Countywide Siting Element of the Countywide Integrated Waste Management Plan.

The Siting Element describes the solid waste disposal facilities used by all Solano County cities and the County itself, and demonstrates the minimum 15-year disposal capacity required by State law.

Copies of the Siting Element are available at the Solano County Department of Resource Management, 675 Texas Street, Suite 5500, Fairfield, CA 94533.

The community meetings will be held at the following times and locations:

December 1, 2010 6 p.m.	December 6, 2010 6 p.m.	December 7, 2010 6 p.m.
Solano County Govt Center 675 Texas St., Fairfield	John Kennedy Library 505 Santa Clara St, Vallejo	Elmira Firehouse 6080 A St., Elmira
1st Floor Multi-Purpose Rooms 1600-1610	Joseph Room

In addition to the above public meetings, written comments may be submitted to Narcisa Untal Solano County Department of Resource Management, 675 Texas Street, Suite 5500, Fairfield, CA 94533 or by email.

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How to Make Your Christmas Tree Work for the Earth

SUISUN CITY - Now that Christmas is officially over, a lot of people want to get their live tree out of the house. If it is tender dry and dropping its needles, you need to get it out of your home to eliminate a fire hazard.

Rather than have the tree hauled to the landfill, here is how to make sure your tree is converted in reusable mulch for use in landscaping and other beneficial uses that eventually returns it to the soil.

First, remove all the decorations, nails and spikes from the tree.

Once you have a bare tree, you may cut it up into branches and sections that fit into your green waste cart. Make sure your cart lid closes. Solano Garbage will pick it up on your next regular refuse collection day. For more info, call Solano Garbage at 707-437-8900.

Another option is to call the Boy Scouts to schedule a special collection pickup on January 2 or January 9. They ask for a donation of $5 for trees under 6 feet, $10 for taller trees, and $10 for flocked or tinseled trees. Call the Boy Scouts at 707-421-5308.

For more information on household recycling, visit www.recycle-guide.com.

Free E-Waste Event at Dan O. Root II Elementary

DISPOSE OF ALL ELECTRONICS FREE JAN. 24 & 25

Dan O. Root II Elementary School is hosting a free electronic waste collection event open to all businesses and residents of California. The event will run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday Jan. 24 and Sunday Jan. 25, rain or shine.

Root Elementary is located at 820 Harrier Dr., Suisun City, 94585. Click for map>>

The event is being co-sponsored by Root Elementary, City of Suisun City, Solano County and Universal Waste Management, Inc.

To better serve the community Universal Waste is combining their E-waste drop-off events with a Food Drive & Coat Drive. So while you are cleaning out your garage of your old TV’s and computer monitors, grab a couple of non-perishable food items to donate to your food bank and a clean old coat you do not use to donate to one warm coat.

The state approved collector and recycler will take your old televisions, monitors, computers, VCRs, DVD players, fax, printing & copy machines. They will also accept cables, power cords, toner cartridges, cell phones, keyboards, mice, audio, visual and telephone equipment for 100% environmentally friendly recycling.

Large household appliances, batteries and fluorescent light bulbs will not be acceptable; however microwave ovens can be dropped off for a $5.00 recycling fee.

This event is a fund-raiser for Dan O Root Elementary School,so although not required, donations will be accepted and greatly appreciated.

It cannot be more convenient to do the right thing and dispose of these old electronic items correctly! Drive through the parking lot, pop your trunk, the UnWaste team will lift the old electronic equipment out, and you drive on your way. You don’t even have to get out of your car!

It is free, convenient, and the right thing to do. So come on out and help us save the planet, feed some people in need give free warm coats to families across the country and raise money for a great cause. We hope to see you there because together “Yes we Can” make a difference!

For detail’s about this event or an event near you visit www.unwaste.com or call (888) 832-9839.

City Council Approves New Recycling Containers

COMMINGLED RECYCLING CARTS COMING THIS SPRING

Get ready to say good-bye to your orange recycling tub, and hello to a rolling cart large enough to handle all your household recycling needs.

On Tuesday, the Suisun City Council amended the solid waste contract with Solano Garbage Company to provides 65-gallon recycling carts for each single-family home in the City with no increase in garbage rates.

Solano Garbage also will assist the Code Enforcement Division with four community clean-up events each year, double the two events they help with now.

The agreement allows regular rate increases using the same formula currently in place.

The larger containers, which would replace the 14-gallon orange tubs residents now use, allow easier handling of recyclables, as well as the ability to commingle recyclables. For example, newspaper, bottles and cans could all be placed together in one container for collection.

This service level would be similar to what is available in Fairfield and other communities in the area.

Over the next several months, Solano Garbage and City staff will meet to discuss how the new containers will be distributed, and how residents will be more fully educated about the new service. We expect the new carts to be put into service sometime this spring.

For some time, residents have asked for larger containers with some type of lid to allow them to recycle more items and keep them from being blown around their neighborhoods by Suisun City's trademark winds.

Stay tuned for more details.

Out with the Old Electronics

HOW TO GET RID OF THE OLD TV, COMPUTER, STEREO OR MP3 PLAYER

Did you get a new stereo or computer for Christmas? Get a new TV for the upcoming digital broadcasting conversion? How about a new cell phone?

New electronic gadgets are tons of fun, but your can be left with a perennial question: What do I do with the old one?

In California, electronic equipment cannot be thrown out with the regular garage because there's toxic waste built right into their components.

The Solano County Recycle Guide (www.recycle-guide.com) has an excellent list of local organizations that specialize in electronic items. Here's a brief rundown:

• Goodwill (1819 North Texas, Fairfield): Open seven days a week. Accepts TVs, computers, microwaves and other small appliances free. 707-429-2338
• PG&E and JACO Enironmental: Will pay you to come by and take away your old refrigerator or freezer. Call 800-299-7573 for information and to schedule pickup.
  
• Potrero Hills Landfill (Highway 12 east of Suisun City): Open seven days a week, but charges to take items ($25 for each TV or computer monitor; call for other prices). 707-429-9600
• Freon Free (409-D Railroad Ave., Suisun City): Open weekdays, but charges to accept items. Will come and haul away refrigerators and other large appliances. 707-429-9013
  

If you are a Costco member, click here to learn about their free mail-in electronics recycling program.

If your items are still usable, you may want to look into the Freecycle program, which matches useful items with people who can use them. >>Click for more information on reuse options.>>

Dumping unwanted TVs, refrigerators, and other electronics and appliances along roadways, on vacant lots or in waterways is illegal and damages the environment. Violators will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

Treecycle the Christmas Tree

HERE'S HOW TO GET RID OF THE TANNENBAUM

With the Christmas holiday winding down, it's time to think about removing live cut Christmas trees from your house before it becomes a fire hazard.

In Suisun City, you can get rid of your live cut tree this way:

• Call the Boy Scouts at 707-421-5308 to schedule a whole tree pick up for January 6, 13 or 20. The Scouts ask for a $5 donation for trees under 6 feet tall, and $10 for larger trees or those that are flocked or tinseled.
• Cut your tree to fit inside your green waste toter for regular curbside collection. The toter lid must close. For more information, call Solano Garbage Company at 707-437-8900.

For either method, please remove all ornaments, nails, tinsel, stands and metal spikes from the tree to prevent injury to collection staff or grinding equipment.

Alas, artificial Christmas trees are not recyclable. Please dispose of them in your regular garbage toter.

>>Check out the Treecycling Fact Sheet at Earth911.com>>

Drug Drop-Off Days - Oct 6-10, 2008

The days of dumping your old prescription drugs into the toilet to get rid of them are officially over in California.

Today, you can only get rid of expired or unused pharmaceuticals through special drop-off events coordinated through a local law enforcement agency.

Suisun City is teaming up with the Fairfield-Suisun Sewer District and our Solano County Local Task Force for Integrated Waste Managementpartners to present Pharmaceutical Drop-Off Week from Oct. 6-10 at the Sheriff's Coroner's Office at 520 Clay Street, Fairfield. You can go by the office anytime from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday next week to drop off your old prescriptions.

>>Click here for all the details>>

This is being coordinated as part of a statewide effort called "No Drugs Down the Drain" to educate the public about how to properly dispose of old pharmaceuticals. Research has shown that pharmaceutical waste cannot be removed from wastewater before it is released into state waterways, and that it is evident in concentrations in fish and other wildlife.

The California Integrated Waste Management Board in coordination with local task forces are working on a more permanent solution to this disposal challenge. But until that's in place, hold onto your expired or unused prescriptions and use one of these periodic events.