What do you do with sandbox sand?

From our (e)mail bag:

We put out two containers of old sandbox sand this week but the trucks did not take them because they weighed over 45 pounds each.

The key to the answer is in the container weight. In Montgomery County, we ask that cans, containers, and bags weigh 45 pounds or less. This rule helps protect the backs of your collection crews.

In the situation here, repackage the sand into smaller amounts, and the containers should be whisked away with your next trash collection. Or, you may self-haul the sand directly to the Shady Grove Transfer Station. The Transfer Station does not have per-container weight limits. But, watch for the health of your back as you load and unload your vehicle!

Trash?! Yes, sand is disposed of as trash. Our yard trim collections are limited to grass, leaves, and brush.

What else can you do with "waste" sand? Consider putting it back into service in another way. One suggestion: mix it with compost and soil as you build a rain garden in your yard. More information about rain gardens.

Build or repair your home... from trash

Last Saturday, we attended the Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission's "Going Green at Home" Fair. We were delighted to share exhibit space with The Loading Dock, a non-profit building material recycler. The Loading Dock accepts the materials we receive in our "Don't Dump. Donate" program, located at the Shady Grove Transfer Station. Those building materials are then resold at The Loading Dock's Baltimore warehouse at a fraction of the retail price, saving customers money and keeping those items out of the waste stream.

We now have another option for buying reusable building supplies -- right in the middle of Montgomery County. The Habitat for Humanity Restore is open in Gaithersburg, and is also well on its way to finding new homes for new and used building materials.

Newsletter Helper: Tips for recycling during the summer

Beverage cans and bottles, plastic ice-cream containers, plastic strawberry and blueberry baskets, fencing, paint... all items we tend to generate for disposal over the summer months. What's recyclable and what's not? Find out in the May 2006 Newsletter Helper!

What other summer recyclables are puzzlers for you? Let us know, and look for answers in future posts...

International Compost Awareness Week

Next week, May 7 to 13, is International Compost Awareness Week. How to celebrate this? If you don't already have a compost pile in your yard, consider starting one. Montgomery County offers free compost bins at several locations around the County.