March 3, 2012: Electronics and household hazmat collection event

[Connecticut Avenue Pet Sitting]

Earlier today I saw a flyer for an electronics and household hazardous
materials collection day. I wasn't able to copy all the details because I
had my hands full with a dog. However, I wanted to at least share the
date, time, and location with people who may wish to attend:

Saturday, March 3, 2012
9:00-11:00am
All Souls Episcopal Church parking lot

A note about the location: There are two churches in the area that often
get mixed up because they're both named All Souls. This event is being
held outside the Episcopal All Souls, located on Cathedral Avenue a short
block east of Connecticut Avenue.

The flyer had a list of items that will NOT be accepted. The most
noteworthy was medicines.

I'll post additional details if I see the flyer again at a time when I'm
able to take better notes.

Jen

[Karen Davis and/or Clark Madigan]

I've been told that this "event" is for Woodley Park residents only,
i.e. that the people hosting it are actually going to be checking IDs
before they accept any items. I was really sorry to learn this.

Karen Davis
Macomb St.

On Feb 13, 9:57 pm, Connecticut Avenue Pet Sitting

[Connecticut Avenue Pet Sitting]

Sorry to have spread the word about the electronics and household hazmat
collection without mentioning the residency requirement. I didn't notice
that when skimming the flyer and taking notes.

I just wrote to the organizer to ask whether worshippers at All Souls
Episcopal (the church that is being used as the collection point) are
exempt from the residency requirement. If so, this may be a good time for
people of other faiths (or no faith) to convert to Episcopalianism. ;-) I
also asked whether a dog's ID tag with a Woodley address is sufficient
proof of residency. If it is, I may be able to help with dropping off
small items. I can't carry anything big, because I'll need one hand free
for the proof-of-residency dog, but a few more small items will be
manageable.

The Woodley Park Clean Out Day information is now online at
wpcaonline.org/docs/2012COD.pdf

Jen

[Connecticut Avenue Pet Sitting]

I asked one of the organizers of tomorrow's electronic waste and household
hazmat collection about the Woodley Park ID requirement. Apparently,
they're limited in the size of the truck they'll use to haul materials to
Fort Totten, and are concerned that if they open the collection to people
from all neighborhoods, they may run out of space. That said, the
impression I got was that they aren't going to be too fussy about whether
people live within the official boundaries of Woodley Park (wherever those
may be). I suspect that their attitude towards ID checking will be
influenced by how quickly the truck is filling up -- an empty truck would
mean less concern about ID. Also, I'm guessing that a person who walks in
with a single CFL light bulb will be of less concern than one who drives
up with a car full of bulky electronics.

My hope is that a lot of people will bring things tomorrow, even if that
means the truck filling up, because that will demonstrate the need for
this type of event. Fort Totten works well for people who have cars and
generate lots of waste, but it's a terrible option for people who either
don't have cars or don't produce enough waste to justify driving across
town with it. The irony here is that people who are the most eco-minded
are the least likely to find Fort Totten a practical option, due to either
their lack of a car or small quantity of waste.

Although Fort Totten is the only place in DC that accepts a wide range of
waste, we do have nearby businesses that accept certain items. Here are
details on two:

Dead batteries can be taken to Ace Hardware at 4500 Wisconsin Ave. The
store is just feet from the Tenleytown Metro, in the basement of the
building that also houses a Best Buy. (In addition to taking batteries,
Ace helps the environment by refilling many brands of ink cartridge. I
haven't yet used this service myself, but believe the prices are supposed
to be very reasonable.)

Dead CFL light bulbs can be given to Merge, the owner of Taste of India
restaurant, at 2621 Connecticut Avenue. (If Merge isn't there, ask one of
the staff to give him the bulb.) Taste of India has some great curries,
so I dine there whenever I have a CFL to get rid of. The restaurant has
both traditional favorites, like chana saag, and dishes not commonly found
in Indian restaurants, like tofu masala. Meals are huge, so I bring a
container to use for leftovers. I don't know what the staff think of my
practice of packing up my own leftovers, but they've never said anything
negative or insisted on putting the food in a polystyrene clamshell.

Am I missing anywhere?

Jen

[Virginia Johnson]

Thanks for this, Jen.

You are completely right that Fort Totten is not well-suited for the ecologically minded! The irony.

Last year, in an effort to get our local ANC in Adams Morgan to do more to facilitate recycling at Fort Totten, I suggested a shuttle from the neighborhood to the center, or at the least, from the Metro station (Brookland) to the center (this would still be the ideal thing to do). Well, that did not get very far. What was suggested instead was to increase our n'hood events like the one Woodley is/was doing from our usual two to four. I attended three or four ANC subcommittee meetings on this. There were noticeable pockets of resistance but there was also enthusiasm, especially from the chairman. Various things were tried to increase the frequency of the event, and failed. So, lack of enforceable laws among other things, means that recycling discussions in the most powerful nation on earth often comes down to two random people in two different DC neighborhoods talking on a listserver. To each other. 

Having said that, look to Earth Day (April 22, I think) for increased opportunities. Just a heads up.

For egg carton recycling, I go to the farmer's market at Adams Morgan - both stands take them. Perhaps there are grocery stores or other farmers' markets that take them, I don't know.  

Best Buy will take your old-fashioned TV in exchange for your buying a $10 gift card. I tried selling mine for a long time, no way! I could not even freecycle it. Oh, and I guess everyone here knows about freecycle DC?

I live in a condo. Recycling in condo buildings is hit or miss. Is office paper required to be recycled or not? I can't find out. Can we? I've been told that yes, we can put office paper in the newspaper bin. It's all very unclear. So one day I saw the 'recycling' truck in our parking lot and asked them about it, especially since I saw them co-mingling. "Oh, it's all separated out at the transfer station," I was told. That made me feel somewhat better (even though I think the CityPaper of a couple of years ago said that commercial recycling - that is, residential units of greater than four units - has an abysmal actual rate).

The cost of recycling/disposal should be built in to the cost of the item at purchase. Then, when you are finished with the item and wish to dispose of it, you should be able to return it to get a deposit back. I've tried to think of other ways to compel recycling/reusing, and I couldn't.

There was recently a recycling discussion on Diane Rehm, and last year a good one on Kojo. 

I'm fortunate, where I work will take back your small electronics. But I also find that some items can be resold on Craigslist.

Thanks for the tip about Ace hardware. This will be good to know.

Virginia

> Date: Fri, 2 Mar 2012 16:11:45 -0600
> From: pets...@silent.net
> To: green...@googlegroups.com
> Subject: Re: {Green CP Plus} Re: March 3, 2012: Electronics and household hazmat collection event

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