Veterans Day 2013 - modified recycling and trash collection schedule

Sign up for our Holiday Reminder email and text messages

Monday, November 11, 2013 - Veterans Day - is a recycling and trash collection holiday. After the holiday, all County-provided recycling and trash collections will slide, and be one day later than normal.

If your collection day is	Your collection day this week is
Monday	Tuesday, November 12, 2013
Tuesday	Wednesday, November 13, 2013
Wednesday	Thursday, November 14, 2013
Thursday	Friday, November 15, 2013
Friday	Saturday, November 16, 2013

If you have questions or concerns about your County-provided collection, please call the Montgomery County Customer Service Center (MC311) at 311 (out-of-County: 240-777-0311, TTY: 301-251-4850).

If you (or your community) have a private contract for your trash collection, or if you live in a municipality, our schedule announcements may not apply to your trash service -- check with your hauler or community manager.

To add our recycling/trash collection schedule changes directly to your electronic calendar, subscribe to this link.

Shady Grove Processing Facility and Transfer Station

Transfer Station location, hours and other details

• Saturday, November 9, 2013: Open with normal hours.
• Sunday, November 10, 2013: Open with normal hours.
• Monday, November 11, 2013: Facility open with normal hours. Administrative offices closed.

Poolesville Beauty Spot

Beauty Spot location, hours and other details

• Saturday, November 9, 2013: Open with normal hours.
• Sunday, November 10, 2013: Open with normal hours.

Get compost bins to help with your autumn leaves.

Start or expand your backyard composting this autumn, and turn your leaves and grass into "black gold" for your garden. Find the bin pickup location most convenient for you, and come by to get bins at no additional charge.

Come to our paper shredding and household items donation event.

See list of accepted paper materials and household items
Saturday, November 9, 2013, 10:00 am - 2:00 pm - add this event to your calendar
Northwest High School
13501 Richter Farm Road,
Germantown, MD 20874
get directions via Google Maps

Monday Map: Where can I pick up a compost bin?

Today’s Monday Map features our compost bin pickup locations. Our bins are available to residents and businesses at no additional charge.

We had an existing webpage with a text version of the various locations. Next to each address was a map link for that particular site.

However, what if you weren't sure which site was most convenient? You had to click through to each map.  And, on our end, we had 18 map links to maintain.

Our GIS specialist, Angie, had a better solution! In honor of International Compost Awareness Week, she put all of the location information into one file. We uploaded that to our website. Then, we used Google Maps to display that information on one map, giving you a better overview.

The map markers on our first version were hard to see, so Angie changed those to more visible red dots.  She also refined the address and phone number display which pops up for each location.

How else can we improve our online maps for you?

Visit our compost bin pickup location page
View a larger version of the map

-- Susanne Wiggins

Reuse Coffee Grounds and Reduce Your Trash

Nothing like a cuppa joe to...

... make the flowers grow!

Well, I love my cup of coffee in the morning. One of my co-workers suggested that I share my coffee grounds with plants -- especially acid-loving plants like roses, azaleas, blueberry bushes, tomatoes and more! Using coffee or tea grounds is an easy way to compost, and to keep those soil critters happy.

Coffee grounds add minerals, vitamins and nitrogen to the soil. What's the benefit? Vegetables, for example, are then stockier and less prone to insect infestation.

After successfully putting your coffee grounds to beneficial use, you may want to learn more about composting. Read our composting tips, pick up a compost bins at no additional charge, and help your lawn and garden flourish.

It’s nice to know that you can keep sharing a cup of coffee or tea with your friends close to the earth.

-- Jessica Fusillo, Collections Communications

Fun find in the compost pile

Found in one of my compost piles:

Some years ago, I came across the perfect white cotton t-shirt. The fabric was soft and comfortable, the fit was great, and I wore it often. Over time, holes developed. I mended what I could.

The day came when I had to declare the shirt ready for the rag pile. Reluctantly, I pulled out the scissors, and cut my t-shirt into a number of cloth wipes. The wipes served us well, helping us to clean dishes and mop up spills.

Even wipes wear out. When the holes got too big, I added the pieces of cloth to a compost pile in the backyard.

As I turned the pile this spring, the item in the picture got caught up in my pitchfork. I'm used to finding all sorts of hidden treasures in with the composting yard trim, but what was this?!

Thread... a tag... Of course! These were the remains of my t-shirt. At least, what I had in my hands was what was left of the shoulder seam: while the t-shirt fabric was 100% cotton - and had completely decomposed - the thread and tag were apparently not!

Happy composting, and... discovering!

Read more about how to get started with composting yard trim (not necessarily t-shirts, though they do count as a carbon-rich ingredient!).

Need a compost bin? Visit our list of compost bin pickup locations, newly updated for Spring 2010.

We gave a composting presentation, and learned just as much

Yesterday, my colleague, Ana, and I gave a composting presentation to the Darne Bloomers Garden Club in Darnestown.

No sooner did we enter the meeting room, I whipped out my camera, and started snapping away! Never mind the composting presentation -- we were in waste-reduction paradise!

The meeting invitations were printed on the inside of brown paper bags. Their last line read: "Please compost this announcement".

The tables were covered with brown paper (also compostable!), each sporting a different garden-related quotation. The table decorations were arrangements of fruits and vegetables.

Delightfully-decorated "fruits" and "vegetables" -- tiny cakes! -- were among the goodies served. These were presented on cabbage leaves, in cookie crumb "soil".

There were no plastic utentils or other disposables here! The cutlery was wrapped in a cloth napkin package, easy to pick up and take back to one's seat.

Three labeled containers awaited the end of the meeting, and the return of silverware; dishes; and cups, glasses, and bowls (from left to right).

Congratulations on the thoughtfully prepared meeting, and on the negligible amount of material which went out as trash!

Do you have a meeting coming up? Benefit from the zero-waste meeting lessons learned by a US EPA employee, and check out the EPA's Green Meetings resources.

A summer morning at our Compost Facility

During the week, our Compost Facility bustles with activity. It receives deliveries of the yard trim you've set out at the curb for collection, and workers are busy turning and processing leaves and grass in various stages of becoming LeafGro.

But, early in the morning, before the Facility's workday begins, things are much quieter. Here's a photo taken by a colleague on her way to an assignment:

In addition to the beautiful compost-in-progress within the Compost Facility itself, staff and visitors are greeted by a cheerful patch of wildflowers near the entrance, complete with industriously buzzing bees:

Will your compost bin fit in my car?

Are you interested in picking up one of our compost bins, but concerned about how you'll get it home?

When set up for use, the bins are roughly 2.5 feet tall, and the same in diameter (the diameter is adjustable).

However, the bins come packaged as tight rolls of approximately 2.5 feet long, and 4 inches in diameter.

So, the roll fits easily into the truck, foot well, or seat of your car.

And, if you're using public transportation? Carrying one bin is no problem. Carrying multiple bins... well, that can get interesting, especially during the rush hour -- I've attempted it! And, while you're on the bus or Metro, you'll find your bin to be a good conversation starter.

Regardless of how you get your bin to your home, happy composting!

Please share your omposting success stories! And, what questions do you have about composting? We'd love to address them in future blog posts!

We celebrate compost every week

Last week, a colleague reminded me that May 3 through May 9, 2009 was International Compost Awareness Week. 

Oops!  Is this post a week late, then?  Not really: just as "Earth Day is every day," "Compost Awareness Week is every week" for us.

• We have compost bins available to you -- Montgomery County residents and businesses -- at no charge throughout the year, and our pickup locations are ready for your visit this Spring.
• The leaves and grass you set out for curbside recycling are composted year-round at our Compost Facility.
• The Compost Facility produces Leafgro and Compro, available for purchase at local home and garden centers. 

Do you compost?  Please share your success stories!  And, what questions do you have about composting?  We'd love to address them in future blog posts!

New compost bin pickup site... with weekend hours!

Given the snow that swirled around this morning, your thoughts may not yet have returned to gardening and composting. But, when they do, we're ready with a new pickup point for compost bins.

We just added the Habitat for Humanity ReStore in Gaithersburg to our list of distribution sites. What's more, the ReStore is open Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.!

Our compost bins are available to County residents and businesses at no charge.

Compost bin pickup locations, and bin details

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

Compost bins now available on weekends

Need a compost bin for your yard? We have a new pickup location which is open on weekends!

The Audubon Sanctary Shop is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays, and from Noon to 5 p.m. on Sundays, and offers our compost bins to you at no charge.

Audubon Sanctuary Shop
Woodend Nature Sanctuary
8940 Jones Mill Road
Chevy Chase, MD 20815
301-652-3606
bookshop@audubonnaturalist.org

Complete list of compost bin pickup locations

Why shouldn't I locate my compost pile near my fence?

We recently mailed a flyer titled "Compost Happens" to single-family home residents. This mailing has generated lots of phone calls and emails from you to us. Thank you!

Having raked up lots and lots of leaves in and around my own yard over the past two days -- yes, they are finally falling! -- I want to address some of the questions I have fielded from you by phone and email as a result of our mailing.

Your flyer says that compost piles should be located "at least one foot away
from any fence". Why?

Following this recommendation can be a challenge, especially in a small yard. But, it's an important recommendation to heed. See, the industrious decomposers in your compost pile are not terribly picky. To them, a piece of dead wood is a piece of dead wood. Whether the wood is question is a twig you've raked up into the compost pile, or a fence post is of little consequence to them. Keeping a little distance between (wooden) fences and compost piles is therefore good practice. For this reason, it is also wise to avoid siting your compost pile right next to your house, garage, or shed.

Now, if your fence or structure is made from a non-decomposing material (recycled plastic, for example!), then there is no problem in putting your compost pile close to it.

Montgomery County leaf vacuuming begins today

Leaf vacuuming in Montgomery County kicks off today.

While we - the Division of Solid Waste Services - provide weekly curbside yard trim collection, the leaf vacuuming is provided by a sister agency, the County's Highway Maintenance.

Whether or not you have leaf vacuuming service in your neighborhood...
Autumn is a great time to start composting, with fallen leaves as a key ingredient. And, we offer compost bins at no charge to help get you started!

Montgomery County leaf vacuuming begins today

Leaf vacuuming in Montgomery County kicks off today.

While we - the Division of Solid Waste Services - provide weekly curbside yard trim collection, the leaf vacuuming is provided by a sister agency, the County's Highway Maintenance Section.

Whether or not you have leaf vacuuming service in your neighborhood...

Autumn is a great time to start composting, with fallen leaves as a key ingredient. And, we offer compost bins at no charge to help get you started!

How you do turn your compost pile?

How do you turn your compost pile? A pitchfork works splendidly for backyard composting. But, when you have 77,000 tons of leaves and grass to process, you need a tool that is a bit more robust.

The folks at our Yard Trim Composting Facility in Dickerson, MD, are delighted with their new tool, this bright blue Backhus compost turner. Compared to the turner it replaced, the Backhus is easier to maintain, because it has fewer moving parts. It is also more energy-efficient. And, it cost less money.

Not only does the new machine use less fuel, but it runs on biodiesel.

Don't your paper shreds fly out of your compost pile?

So, if you add shredded paper to your compost pile, don't the shreds fly around?

Great question! Yes, they could. If the bin isn't full to the top, I've found that the shreds tend to stay inside. Sprinkling a little water on top of the shreds [using water from your rain barrel, of course :-) ] helps to keep fly-away shreds in place as well.

Composting = another way to recycle shredded paper

We've covered taking your personal papers to a Community Shred event and how to prepare documents you shred at home for curbside recycling collection. Now, let's take that even closer to home: your backyard!

What is paper but another carbon source for the bacteria and other decomposer-critters in your compost pile? Let paper shreds be another part of their well-rounded diet!

Once the shreds decompose, your personal information -- be it your Social Security number, your bank or brokerage account numbers, your name, address, and phone number and more -- will all be indistinguishable from the rich, dark compost.

The shreds are a nice balance to the "greens" (nitrogen-rich material) you put into your compost pile, like the winter weeds you may be pulling on these warm Spring days. And, there's a certain satisfaction in knowing that bills, financial statements, and the like will find additional use in nurturing the soil in your garden.

Shipping pallets: Free for the taking

Shipping pallets are all you’ll need to build a large, wonderful, and effective compost bin.

To learn more about building a compost bin from pallets, see the Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection's publication Composting With Pallets [pdf] or its Composting Homepage.

Update: Sorry, we no longer have pallets available. But, you may often find pallets by speaking to folks staffing loading docks.