Answer to Recycling Question

[si_uk_lon_ok]

quote:Originally posted by recyclemichael


Tulsa has a food coop that allows subscribers to get regular fresh produce grown locally. It is an awesome service.

Go here...http://www.oklahomafood.coop/

Thanks that looks like an amazing service.

[PonderInc]

Another question for RecycleMichael...

I've heard about the trial that will offer once/week trash pickup and once/week recycling pickup.  I believe the residents would get a wheeled trashcan out of the deal.

My mom gets twice/week backyard trash service.  She doesn't generate much trash, but I don't think she'd like having to drag the trashcan out to the curb.  Is backyard service going the way of the milk man?

Also, whenever I trim her hedge or shrubs, etc, I can easily fill over a dozen 39 gallon trash bags with clippings. (Would love to compost them or use as mulch, but don't have a chipper/shredder that would make this possible.)

Would they provide bins to handle lots of yard waste?  (Which I've always thought should be separate from household trash anyway...)

[RecycleMichael]

There are no current plans in Tulsa to have a separate yard waste cart, but many cities are now doing that.

The cart that is being provided to the pilot area in east Tulsa is very easy to roll to the curb. We had the same issues when we went to cart service in Jenks, Glenpool and Collinsville in the last few years and we have very few complaints now.

There will probably be different levels of service offered, but the trend is to not go up to the house. There are so many security and mis-identity issues with city workers or contractors going up to homes or backyards.

Yard waste rules will not change with this pilot program. You will still be allowed to dispose of 12 bags or bundles of yard waste a week.

[Mike 01Hawk]

Instead of starting up a new thread I guess I'll dredge this one up (huh huh.. no pun intended).

Are there any plans for Curb Side Recycling for Broken Arrow?

I freaking LOVED curb side in Tulsa.  I saved SOOOO much space and hassle w/ not having to bag all my Beer Bottles and what not.  

Now out in BA I have to do a run once a month to the joint off what is it, 71st and 161st?  And it's a pain.

[NellieBly]

Broken Arrow has curbside through a company called Gentle Earth Recycling. Call 630-0841. I believe it is $9.50 for twice a month service.
gentleearthrecycling.com

[Mike 01Hawk]

Yikes! I was willing to pay the $2-3 for Tulsa... $9.50 is pushin it

Thanks for the link though.

[NellieBly]

Recycling at the M.e.t. is free!

[Mike 01Hawk]

True...

But Gas + Time to go there > Time it takes me to take stuff out to the curb

[NellieBly]

The key is not to make a special trip. You probably drive down Elm Street every now and then. Next time, remember to pack up the recyclables and take them with you. Wash your car at the carwash next door while you're there.

There is actually a lot of energy wasted by big trucks driving around picking up the curbside. It's more environmental to drop it off at a center on your way to somewhere else.

[pmcalk]

This is actually a composting question, but I lost track of the composting thread.  Can I throw tea bags into the compost pile?  With cold season, I have been drinking a lot of tea lately.

Also, with Christmas approaching, and the inevitable battery-powered toys, I have a battery question.  I take my used batteries to the MET--by the truck load--but I would like to invest in rechargables (we go through 100s of batteries a year).  Are rechargables more environmentally sound?  Also, some toys say not to use them.  Is that because they have stock in Duracel, or is there really a sound reason why you can't use rechargable batteries in certain devices?

[RecycleMichael]

Tea bags are excellent for the compost pile, especially if they are still moist.

Batteries are quite the issue. If you use hundreds a year, that is a lot. The average American uses about 17 a year or a family of four around 70.

Batteries are full of heavy metals and acids and the rechargable ones actually have more potential for environmental harm because the metals (Nickel, cadmium, lithium) are worse.

No matter what type of battery, don't throw it away. Bring it to any M.e.t. recycling depot seven days a week. I lose $10,000 a year collecting batteries, but every single battery is a victory, especially in a town that burns it's trash.

Rechargable batteries are dramatically improved in the last few years and some can be fully recharged in as little as a half hour and can be recharged hundreds of times. If you must have batteries, rechargables are better for most people and the planet strictly because they can replace dozens of the scary regular kind.

The rule for use is to buy rechargable batteries for anything that does not have a motor. An IPod, a fixed lens digital camera, a remote control, etc.

Devices like cassette players or remote control cars will perform better with traditional alkaline batteries. Many of them come with their own rechargable battery packs, so often that is not a choice.

My real answer is to avoid batteries at any cost. Children's toys used to be just cars or dolls, now they are cars and dolls that make noise or flash lights. The child's imagination and the environment both lose.

If it takes batteries, it is not a toy, it is an appliance. I used to hate those energizer bunny ads...in the words of Elmer J. Fudd, "Kill The Wabbit".

[pmcalk]

Wow, great information, but you just made me feel incredibly guilty.  Just to redeem myself, I should say that the 100s a year is probably an exaggeration.  I usually take my batteries to the MET once a year, so it seems like hundreds, but probably near the 70 average.  Still, I have three boys, who love all things electronic--games, trains, boats, cars, etc...  Then we have the parent's stuff, like cordless phones, cameras, etc...--it all adds up pretty quickly.  Sounds as though I should invest in rechargeable batteries.  Maybe Santa will leave some in the stockings this year.