Green Pages April 2009
Trash IS Treasure!
GREEN TIPS:
We can recycle much more than we do with weekly curbside recycling. Why should we?
Each of us generates almost 5 pounds of solid waste DAILY. That’s over 250,000,000 TONS per year nationally. Residential construction and demolition alone accounts for around 60,000,000 tons annually. Reducing this amount will:
q Save natural resources: instead of dead-ending them as “garbage gridlock” in landfills.
q Save energy: the energy “embodied” in the original article, needed to transport it to landfills and manage it there, needed to replace it, or necessary to clean it up when it is improperly disposed of.
q Save money: Get paid for salvage, get a tax deduction for a donation, or pay fewer taxes for dealing with waste management.
q Save the planet: from the greenhouse gas methane, from pollution from incinerators, from toxic leakage into soil and water.
q Save someone: your donations make a difference in the lives of others, and recycling supports sustainable businesses and green jobs.
GREEN RESOURCES:
Government:
q
Scrap metal: appliances, metal furniture, doors, cabinets, shower stalls, garden sheds and more!
Tires: maximum four per visit
Textiles: sheets, towels, clothing, drapes. Please donate clean usable items first!
Automotive: batteries, antifreeze, motor oil
Construction materials
Computers, TVs and electronics
Learn more by visiting the Division of Solid Waste Services site: www.montgomerycountymd.gov/recycling
q The County’s “USE IT AGAIN” guide is a database where you can find organizations and businesses that accept donations, recycle, sell , repair, and/or pickup just about everything.
www.montgomerycountymd.gov/useitagain
community WEBsites for giveaways:
q Offer it on our own Townneighbors listserv!
q The Freecycle Community provides a very efficient electronic forum to recycle your unwanted items.
Bethesda/Chevy Chase has a very active group. Membership is free, and “takers” must pick up! www.freecycle.org
q Craigslist http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/
ORGANIZATIONS ACCEPTING DONATIONS:
(Many additional worthy organizations can be found on the County’s “Use it Again” guide (see above). Those listed here are nearby, or have an ongoing relationship with the Town.)
q
q Opportunity Shop,
q NAMI Thrift Store,
q Good Will, 4890 Boiling
q Interfaith
www.iworksmc.org/p-interfaith-clothing-centers.html
q Crossway Community,
q
q Salvation Army Thrift Stores: find the nearest ones at www.salvationarmyusa.org
Child/Baby Equipment, Toys, and Bikes:
q
q Bikes for the World reconditions bikes and sends them worldwide. http://www.bikesfortheworld.org/
q Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service's car seat program. Please contact the program manager, Emilie Crown at 240-777-2467
Books: (Books too worn/damaged to donate can go in curbside recycling—even hardbacks!)
q Friends of the Library at
q Montgomery Co. Public Schools:
q Audubon Naturalist Society bookshop (
q Montgomery County Thrift Shop (
q Montgomery County Historical Society (
q
q Books for America: Building and improving libraries in Washington, DC area schools, shelters, hospitals and more; supporting reading programs; and providing children in the Nation's Capital with their first take-home books! www.booksforamerica.org
Music and Movies-- DVD’s, and CD’s, (but not audio or video cassettes).
q Public Libraries
q
q Children’s Hospital
Construction or Garden Tools and Equipment
q Our House Youth Farm,
q Friends of the National Arboretum, collects garden tools for use in the
q Habitat For Humanity Re-Store:
q Rebuilding Together Montgomery, (limited storage, call first!) http://www.rebuildingtogethermc.org
Towels/Sheets, and animal equipment: (Call first, as some types are not needed.)
q
q
q
q List of Animal Rescue Organizations in
Shoes: Many charities do not accept shoes because Americans are reluctant to buy them. These organizations send them to other countries where having a pair of shoes is a luxury.
q Soles4Souls is a charity dedicated to donating shoes to the poor via shoe drive, shoe drop, giving shoes to children, disaster relief, shoe help. www.soles4souls.org
q Recycled Runners: collects old running shoes through stores and organizations including Nike Factory Stores in nearby outlet malls www.recycledrunners.com
CONSTRUCTION AND DEMOLITION MATERIALS RECYCLING
Doors, windows, lumber, trim, plumbing, electrical, flooring, cabinets, tile, drywall, paint, wallpaper, appliances and other scrap metal, stone and brick, hardware, insulation, landscape materials and more can be taken out of the waste stream, and much can be re-used. Donated materials are tax-deductible. Deconstruction (taking a building apart and recycling ) can be more economical than demolition (putting everything in a dumpster headed for landfill).
The following are organizations any homeowner can access. If undertaking a construction project, encourage your contractor to get the “Builder’s Guide to Reuse and Recycling” provided by the Metropolitan
q Materials donated via the Montgomery Co. drop-off program at the Transfer Station at
q Community Forklift: (
q Habitat for Humanity Re-Store,
q The Loading Dock, non-profit materials re-use center,
q The Brass Knob (
q Deconstruction Services: assists building owners with donating salvaged material to nonprofit organizations that sell it for drastically reduced prices to re-modelers, landlords, and homeowners of all income levels for renovation and economic development needs. www.DeconstructionServices.com
SELL YOUR STUFF: (NOT an exhaustive list, but focused on those found nearby)
Books and Music:
q Second Story Books, locations in
Furnishings and Home Decor Consignment:
Capitol Consignment: 4909 Cordell Ave.,
Gallery St. Elmo 4938
S & K Consignment,
Opportunity Shop,
Montgomery Co. Thrift Shop,
SAGE Consignment (consigns via website) www.sageconsignment.com
Clothing Consignment:
Designer Resale,
Mustard Seed,
Second Chance Boutique,
Sequels Consignment, 4115 Wisconsin Ave. NW DC
The Growing Years,
Online sales for just about ANYTHING:
q Ebay www.ebay.com
q Drop and Ship Ebay Consignment Store, 8020
q Craigslist http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/
RECYCLE E-WASTE both for reconditioning ,reclaiming valuable materials, and keeping toxins out of soil and water
q
q These and MORE can be recycled when the County also hosts monthy E-Cycling collections at area high schools. Visit this web page and select “electronics” to see what is accepted and location/time of next event: http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/apps/dep/solidwaste/collectionservices/index.asp
q Blair Connect is a volunteer organization at
q For other E-Cycling Businesses and Non-Profits (some of which offer data destruction services) http://www.mygreenelectronics.org/home.aspx
RECYCLE THESE SAFELY, TOO!
Rechargeable Batteries, antifreeze, motor oil, fluorescent light bulbs
q All the above can all be recycled at the Montgomery Co. Transfer Station, at 16101 Frederick Rd. (Route 355, south of Shady Grove Rd.)
q Regular flashlight and other disposable batteries no longer require recycling and can be put in regular trash. Take rechargeable batteries to retail recycler found here: www.rbrc.com
Styrofoam packing “peanuts”
GREENTALK:
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