Flip-Flop Brigade via Old Navy from April 22nd to May 21st , 2011

Recycle your waste with Old Navy®

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Every year millions of used flip-flops are needlessly discarded and end up in landfills. TerraCycle® is proud to partner with Old Navy® to create a second life for used flip-flops.

From April 22nd to May 21st Old Navy Stores within the continental US will collect used, dirty and broken flip-flops. Each store will have a box located near the entrance where you can drop off your flip-flops.

Old Navy will send these boxes back to TerraCycle once the program is finished. TerraCycle will repurpose the flip-flops into playgrounds that Old Navy will give away to a few lucky schools or community organizations that participate in TerraCycle Brigades.

Not only will you be keeping your flip-flops out of landfill, you’ll be helping to create a playground for a TerraCycle Brigade location!

Participation in the Flip-Flop Brigade is simple and it’s completely FREE. Simply bring your flip-flops to the Old Navy store near you and put them in the collection box at the front of the store. There is no purchase necessary to participate in this program and you do not need to sign up on the TerraCycle page to participate. Please note this program is not available in Old Navy stores located in Canada, Alaska, Hawaii or Puerto Rico.

If you would like more information or have any questions, please check out the Flip-Flop Brigade FAQ. Old Navy is proud of their partnership with TerraCycle and are committed to making a difference. Join our effort to reduce the impact of our manufacturing plants on the planet each year.

The following types of waste can be collected through the Flip Flop Brigade: Waste Accepted: foam flip flops, cloth, flip flops, foam deconstructed sandal, plastic flip flop, rubber flip flop.

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