Compact fluorescent bulb recycling is now easier

Yesterday, I received this blog comment:

You should never throw your cfl bulbs in the regular trash because it contains mercury. It takes just one teaspoon of mercury to contaminate a 20 acre lake forever. It is also illegal to throw them into the trash in many states.

Were you writing in response to this blog entry about compact fluorescent light disposal? In the year that has passed since that entry was posted, our CFL recycling opportunities have expanded.

We have identified eight local retail stores which accept residents' CFLs for recycling. That's in addition to the Hazardous Waste drop-off at our Solid Waste Transfer Station and our community Household Hazardous Waste collection events. (Our community events have ended for 2008; we'll post our 2009 schedule as soon as it's announced in the Spring.)

We'll continue to update our map of local CFL recycling locations, and other CFL disposal tips as this information evolves.

Thanksgiving Day Holiday 2008 - modified schedule

Thursday, November 27, 2008 - Thanksgiving Day - is a recycling and trash collection holiday. All County-provided recycling and trash collections normally made on Thursday or Friday will be made one day later this week.
If you have any questions or concerns about your County-provided collection, please contact our Customer Service staff online or call 240-777-6410.
Note: if you (or your community) have a private contract for your trash collection, or if you live in a municipality, these schedule announcements may not apply to your trash service -- check with your hauler or community manager.

Solid Waste Transfer Station Holiday Closings

Solid Waste Transfer Station hours and other details

• Wednesday, November 26, 2008: will close at 5 p.m.
• Thursday, November 27, 2008: closed
• Friday, November 28, 2008: will reopen with normal hours

Beauty Spot Holiday Closings

Beauty Spot locations, hours and other details

• Saturday and Sunday, November 29 and 30, 2008: open

Recycling Center Tips: Only metal cans and foil products in your blue bins, please

Another installment of learnings from my trip to our Recycling Center...

Remember that metal conduit? Unfortunately, it is often in the company of other metal items that poke and prod the equipment at our Recycling Center. Here are some examples:

A metal roasting pan and metal piece with sharp edges (the round item at the top left is a tea kettle, also in the "thanks, but no" category for blue bin curbside collection)

Here is a piece of what looked like part of a metal frame (plus that tea kettle again!)"

The thing is that our sorting process and machinery are set up for accepting metal only in the form of cans and foil products. Oversize items can jam up the works. And, those sharp edges and pointy bits can damage the machinery (more on that later...).

Tip: We provide curbside scrap metal collection for large items at no charge. And, we set up a handy shortcut for details about this popular service: www.montgomerycountymd.gov/scrapmetal. If you have smaller amounts of scrap metal, or prefer to transport the metal yourself, use the scrap metal recycling area at our Solid Waste Transfer Station, also at no charge.

Compost bins are available; Leaf vacuuming is underway for 2008

The leaves are falling from trees in full force! My household had an industrious weekend of raking. The casualties included a snapped rake and some sore muscles. But, we're delighted that our "Vintage 2008" batch of compost is in progress.

If you need a compost bin for your yard, stop in at one of our bin pick-up locations. We've made sure that they are well-stocked for your visit.

Leaf vacuuming collection began on November 3, 2008, and will continue for several weeks. Our colleagues in Highway Services are posting updates on their crews' leaf pickup progress. Also, check out the do's and don'ts that will help keep your neighborhood safe while your leaves await collection, and enable crews to work more efficiently.

We've gathered the links for grasscycling, composting, compost bin locations, and leaf collection in one handy place for you: www.montgomerycountymd.gov/yardtrim

Our November 2008 TRRAC Newsletter is available

TRRAC is our program for recycling and waste reduction at apartment and condominium properties.

The November 2008 issue covers:

• Recycling Seminar: Training, Tips, and Tricks
  (register online)
  
• America Recycles Day: November 15 (event details)
  
• Montgomery County Expands its Plastics Recycling Program
• Recycling Enforcement
• Recycling in the Mailroom

Interested in reading back issues? Visit our TRRAC Newsletter Archive.