Appliance recycling

If it's time to replace your old washer, dryer or refrigerator, the store you purchase you new appliance will usually recycle your old appliance, but what if you bought or acquired your new appliance from somewhere else?


If your old appliance is still in working order, consider using Twin Cities Free Market to give it a new home.


Otherwise, Rethink Recycling Twin Cities offers great tips and resources. Check out their information here.

The closest appliance recycling location to the neighborhood is A-Plus Appliance, on 760 Payne Avenue, St. Paul, 55130. Their phone number is (651) 771-0336.

Ramsey County Hazardous Waste drop-off sites

In spite of the April snow, you might still in spring cleaning mode, and are looking to find places to dispose of materials like old paint, Christmas lights, and certain kinds of cleaners.

Ramsey County offers hazardous waste disposal both year-round and on a seasonal basis. From April to October, on Fridays from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., you can go to these sites to drop off your items:


April | Maplewood | 1905 Van Dyke St, 55109 | Aldrich Arena parking lot

May | Arden Hills | 1352 Ben Franklin Dr, 55112

June | Roseville | 1725 Kent St, 55113

July | Arden Hills | 1352 Ben Franklin Dr, 55112
(closed July 4)
August | Saint Paul | 848 Pleasant Ave, 55102

September | Saint Paul | 1616 Como Ave, 55108 | State Fairgrounds

October | Maplewood | 1905 Van Dyke St, 55109 | Aldrich Arena parking lot


You can also take your items year-round to a place called Bay West, Inc., at 5 Empire Drive in St. Paul.


Their hours are as follows:


December - March
Friday | 11 am - 6 pm
Saturday | 9 am - 4 pm


April - October
Tuesday - Friday | 11 am - 6 pm
Saturday | 9 am - 4 pm


November
Thursday - Friday | 11 am - 6 pm
Saturday | 9 am - 4 pm


What to remember when going to any of the collection sites:

• Bring proof of residency, such as a driver's license.
• Open to residents of Ramsey, Washington, Hennepin, Anoka, Dakota and Carver Counties.
• Remain in your vehicle while a technician unloads your hazardous waste. 
• You may be asked to answer a short survey, your answers will help improve the household hazardous waste program.

A list of acceptable items for drop-off can be found here.


If you are looking to dispose of an item, but can't find it on the list, Ramsey County has also provided an A to Z disposal guide.

For questions on this program, please call (651) 633-EASY (3279) or e-mail them.


Are you a business in the Hamline-Midway neighborhood? Take a look here for some great ideas for how to reduce your organization's footprint.

Donating to Goodwill

It's that time of year for spring cleaning!

One great way to create reuse opportunities for clothes, furniture, household items and more is to donate to Goodwill. Not only are you not adding to landfills, you will be offering employment and opportunity to other neighbors in need.


Click here for items that Goodwill accepts, in good and usable condition. The link also explains items that Goodwill can't accept, whether it's mattresses or TVs. Mattresses can be recycled at PPL Industries, as explained in a previous post.

We want to make it clear that while Goodwill makes every effort to sell the items that are donated, we are aware that third parties are used for those items that don't sell in their stores. We could not verify what happens to the items after this point.

Hours for dropping off items at the Goodwill on Fairview Avenue:

Mon. – Fri. 9 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Sat. 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Sun. 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Address: 
553 Fairview Ave. N.
St. Paul, MN 55104

Phone: 651-379-5808

Recycling plastic bags

Minnesota Waste Wise is a nonprofit organization affiliated with the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce. Minnesota Waste Wise helps businesses save money through waste reduction, resource conservation and energy efficiency. Our mission is to help businesses and organizations implement environmentally sustainable business practices while saving money and protecting the environment.

It’s In the Bag is a recycling program  for plastic bags, stretch wrap and other plastic film material while providing employment opportunities for adults with disabilities, who collect and sort the plastic material in their respective communities. The material is then sold to Trex Company, who recycles it into composite lumber products in the United States.

From October 2003 to December 2009, the It’s in the Bag program recycled more than 5.5 million pounds of plastic bags and film just in the Twin Cities metro area. This amount equates to approximately 850,000 square feet of Trex Company, Inc. decking or 1,695 decks that are 500 square feet in size. These numbers rise daily, and with the continued participation of residents and businesses throughout the state, the It’s in the Bag program hopes to keep recycling more than ONE MILLION pounds of plastic bags and film annually.

In St. Paul, clean, dry, empty shopping bags can be recycled at Mississippi Market.
Visit the It's in the Bag website for a complete list of drop-off locations.

Do recycle:
Plastic grocery bags

Plastic retail bags (remove string ties & rigid plastic handles)
Plastic dry-cleaning bags

Plastic cereal bags (must be dry with ALL food residue removed)

Plastic bread bags (must be dry with ALL rood residue removed)

Plastic produce bags (must be dry with ALL food residue removed)

Plastic wrap from paper products (paper towels, etc.)

Plastic salt bags (remove rigid plastic handles)
Plastic zipper bags (remove top closing mechanism)

Plastic stretch/shrink wrap
6-pack holder rings 

Don't recycle:
Plastic bags with food residue
Frozen food bags
Plastic bags with strings
Plastic soil or mulch bags
Plastic zipper bags with rigid plastic closing mechanism
Plastic bubble wrap
Plastic food containers
Plastic bottles

Recycling old athletic shoes

One of our objectives of this blog is to point fellow neighbors to resources and places to recycle, reduce or reuse that are in or near the 'hood. However, we know that there are some items where it's still not possible to find "local" places. An example of that is athletic shoes. Once worn out, you can't really donate them for someone else to wear.

Nike, however, does have a recycling program that takes old shoes, separates them into their raw materials, like rubber, foam and fabric. These materials get turned into athletic surfaces like courts, tracks or even playground surfaces.

It looks like there are 2 Nike stores in Bloomington (one in the Mall of America) that accept shoe donations. Check out this website to find out where you can drop off your shoes if you prefer not to go to Bloomington.

Milk cartons and plastic containers accepted at Twin Cities Reptiles

Plastic containers of all sizes accepted!

Twin Cities Reptiles, located at 2363 University Avenue West, is looking for clean used milk cartons and plastic containers of all sizes, with lids. 


Hours: Monday - Friday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Sunday, 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.



Phone: (651) 647-4479

Recycling compact fluorescent light bulbs

We have all slowly been converting our traditional incandescent light bulbs to compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs), but what do we do when it's time to replace them?

Because CFLs contain mercury, they must be recycled. Not only is it dangerous for the environment if mercury is released, it is illegal to throw these bulbs in the trash, intact or otherwise.

Many places that sell CFLs also accept them for recycling, so be sure to check with retailers like hardware stores. Hamline Hardware Hank & Rental (755 North Snelling Avenue) (accepts all CFLs for recycling for a $1.00 fee ($2.00 if the light bulb is over 4 feet long). Menards on University Avenue and Creative Lighting will also take CFLs for free!

Here are the kinds of light bulbs that require recycling:

• Fluorescent bulbs of all shapes and sizes (CFLs, tubes, circles, U-shaped, bug "zappers", tanning lamps and black lights)
• High-intensity discharge (HID) lamps, typically used for exterior lighting (metal halide, mercury vapor and high-pressure sodium)
• Neon lights

Green Expo is coming May 7-8, 2011!

Spring is here, and that means that the 2011 Green Expo is coming!

The 2011 Green Expo is coming back to the State Fairgrounds on May 7 and 8, 2011. There will be workshops on worm bin and backyard composting and many other green living topics.

The 10th anniversary Green Expo is also a zero-waste event, courtesy of Eureka Recycling!


The event is open to the public, with a $2 suggested donation. For information on the workshops and the exhibitors who will be attending, visit the site.

Of course, while you're at the Green Expo, you have to stop by the fabulously popular Friends Plant Sale, only a few blocks away at the Stair Fair Grandstand. You can find out all about that here.

New Twin Cities organization - Urban Compost

Urban Compost is a new nonprofit organization whose aim is to offer composting options in 100% of Minneapolis' high-density buildings, such as apartments, condos, schools and businesses. They then provide this compost material to local urban farmers who are looking to grow high-quality foods.

Founded in 2010, they connect with urban dwellers, businesses and schools to spread the word of the benefits of composting, even for people who live in multi-unit dwellings like apartments and condos. They are working with the City of Minneapolis to facilitate better composting options for its residents and businesses.

We are very encouraged by this great new organization -- we hope they will think about working in St. Paul! If you are interested in reaching out to them, contact them by email or by phone at (952) 942-2081.

Check out their website or their Facebook page.

Sales on compost bins and rain barrels in St. Paul and Roseville

The City of St. Paul is selling compost bins and rain barrels. You will need to place your order here and pick up your bin or barrel at the Rock Tenn Paper Mill, 2250 Wabash Avenue, on April 30 and May 1. They are accepting orders until quantities run out. Compost bins are $55 and rain barrels are $69.

The City of Roseville is holding a 1-day sale on May 7 on compost bins and rain barrels. Compost bins will be $45 and rainbarrels $55. There will also be kitchen collector pails ($7) and compost turning tools ($15) available to purchase as well. For more information, visit the website here.

Compost bins are perfect for reducing organic waste and improving your gardens and yard landscaping. Pick up one at either of these sales!

Twin Cities Free Market

Twin Cities Free Market is an internet-based exchange program that allows users to search for free items they want to give or get as a way to reduce the amount of potential goods being thrown away.

It's a program sponsored by Eureka Recycling, and is a great way to reduce and reuse! It also diverts materials that are difficult to dispose of from entering the waste stream, like appliances and electronics.

All you have to do is be a resident of Carver, Hennepin, Ramsey or Washington County to use the Free Market.

Here's how it works:

If you're looking for an item, search the online "available" catalog or created a "wanted" listing, like this:

If you're looking to give away an item, you can also search the "wanted" catalog or create an "available" listing by clicking on "Give Items" on the left-hand side of the site.

For more information, you can read the Q & A page here.