Environmental Stewardship

According to the E.P.A., Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle is very beneficial to our environment. Some of the benefits include saving energy, saving money, reducing the amount of waste sent to our landfills, and allowing products to be used to their fullest extent.

What you may be surprised to learn is that items such as pencils, counter-tops, bicycles, cookware, jackets, carpeting, bridges, and textiles can be made from recycled items.

Ever wonder what happens to your recycled items after they are picked up by the waste management company? Go to www.countyofkane.org and then click on the Recycling tab under the Featured Links heading. Then you need to click once more on the link titled “What Happens to your Recycling after it is picked up?” Here there is a 13 ½ minute video, that explains the process. You can go directly to this video by copying the following web address into your web browser. http://www.countyofkane.org/Pages/commDisp.aspx?focusID=88

Using reusable shopping bags makes a difference too – and – can save you a little bit of money. Stores including Ultra Food and Target will give you 5 cents when you use a reusable bag. If a store you shop at frequently does not offer this service, suggest it to the manager.

Recycling makes a difference. If you need assistance finding a place to take your recyclable items visit www.earth911.org

Your participation in Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle, makes a difference!

Remote controls, radios, clocks, children toys and now even in touchless faucets and keyboards; alkaline batteries (AA, AAA, C, D) have been and will continue to be commonplace in our society. The next time you’re using your remote control to change the channel, stop and think a little about how these batteries work. Using metals and chemical reactions, batteries convert chemical energy to electrical energy to provide power to our electronic devices. But where do these chemicals and metals come from? Where will they go when you’re done with them?

Metals used in batteries are mined from the earth, with steel and zinc being the main metallic components of alkaline batteries. In 1996 the Mercury Containing and Rechargeable Battery Management Act passed in the United States that phased out the use of mercury in alkaline batteries. With this and other developments over the past few decades, proven cost effective and environmentally safe recycling processes are not yet universally available for alkaline batteries. Except in the state of California, alkaline batteries are currently considered “safe” for general refuse and can go directly from your trash can to a landfill. Many of us take advantage of this and dispose of our A, AA, C, and D batteries from devices around our house routinely in the trash can.

The next time you go to dispose of an alkaline battery in the trash can, please think of this: alkaline batteries account for 80% of the manufacturer batteries in the US and over 10 billion individual units produced worldwide. Add up the disposal of all of these batteries to our landfills over the years and think of the natural resources (steel, zinc, etc.) that can be saved. Think of the potential unreacted chemicals being put into our landfills, into the ground, and into our waterways.

All of this got me thinking: what can I do to make a difference? I noticed my work had recycling options for many battery types, such as batteries used in cell phones or laptops, but not for alkaline batteries. Due to this, a few years ago I started collecting the alkaline batteries my co-workers and I used at work and the batteries my family used at home. As my battery stockpile exceeded a few hundred I searched for places to take these batteries to for recycling and kept getting the same answer: “You can just put those in the trash”. Recently, I found what I was looking for: The Naperville household hazardous waste drop-off facility is a regional drop off location approved by the IEPA and DuPage County for many hazardous materials, including alkaline batteries. It is open every Saturday and Sunday from 9am-2pm, excluding holidays. http://www.naperville.il.us/hhw.aspx

Consider collecting alkaline batteries at your house, along with other hazardous items, to take to this facility for recycling or see if the hazardous waste drop off area in your village will take alkaline batteries. Every little bit each of us can do will make a difference!

Q: Why would I want to Compose?

A: There are many good reasons to start composting. It is very beneficial from an agricultural and environmental standpoint. Most significant benefits are:

1. Improves soil structure, benefits root growth and water retention.
2. Provides a source of slow-release organic fertilizer for your plants, helps fight diseases.
3. Reduces 20-40% of the waste that ends up in the landfill. This ALONE is a fantastic reason for composting - why would you throw this organic material in a landfill?
4. It’s fun and satisfying to know you’re doing your part to conserve earth’s resources

Q: I want to compost, but is it hard and how would I get started?

A: It’s really quite easy and it won’t take you a lot of time to get started. You’ll need a compost bin or an area in your yard for a compost heap, ideally in a sunny or partly sunny spot. You want it easily accessible all year long.

Q: OK, so what do I put in the compost bin?

A: The two main categories of ingredients are “greens and browns.” You will need both of these materials plus water to make compost.

• Green - Vegetable and fruit scraps, coffee grounds/filters, tea leaves/bags, garden waste, fresh weeds without seeds, fresh grass clippings.
• Brown - Dry leaves, dry straw and hay, sawdust, woodchips from untreated wood, twigs, dried grass clippings, shredded paper, napkins, newspaper (no petroleum ink, Soy ink is OK)
• Other - Eggshells (crushed), plain rice, bread, hair, wool, cotton, lint
• Do not compost - Meats, fish, eggs, dairy products, grease, bones, pet and human waste, glass, plastic/petroleum products, metals, synthetic materials, large branches and wood chunks, wood ashes, lime

Q: Is that all I need to know to get started?

A: A few other things you need to know about the food you feed your compost:

• Start your pile with a generous layer of browns on the bottom.
• Alternate the layers of greens and browns: 2 parts green and 1 part brown material.
• The smaller the material the faster it will break down.
• If you don’t have leaves you can use sawdust, straw or even shredded newspaper for browns.
• Add water and turn the materials periodically. Moisture and oxygen are required components in composting. You can use a pitch fork or place your materials into a tumbler to artificially aid the aeration of your pile. You want to do this about every 3-5 days.
• You can also add a shovel-full of soil at any stage. This will introduce soil organisms into your pile or bin and will act as an accelerator.

Q: Is it Finished Yet?

A: The composting process can take anywhere from 3 – 8 months depending on the mix of materials, moisture and air. Generally, it is ready to use when it is dark brown, smells like earth and crumbles in your hand.

Q: Where can I find more information?

A: Types of bins: http://greenactioncentre.ca/content/compost-bin-options/

How to Compost Video: http://greenactioncentre.ca/content/how-to-compost-video/

Composting basics: http://www.compostguy.com/composting-basics/#getting-started

Composting basics: http://www.howtocompost.org/info/info_composting.asp