Home › Forums › Open Discussion › new yard/kitchen waste recycling rules
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March 17, 2009 at 5:04 pm #590112
WSMomParticipantI’d like to brainstorm a better way to manage my kitchen waste. In our household, we use a small countertop stainless steel container for non-greasy/meaty kitchen waste that goes out to the worms; a wicker laundry hamper for dry paper, bottle & plastic recycling; under the sink garbage can for everything else. Now with the new rules, what exactly can’t be recycled? What must goes into the garbage can? Can we put paper coffee cup lids in the recycle? What about bathroom waste that doesn’t go down the toilet?
March 17, 2009 at 5:11 pm #660851
JoBParticipanti think anything that may have touched any kind of human excretion needs to go into the garbage…
but a lot of clean paper product ends up in my bathroom waste receptacles and i have been moving that to recycle…
March 17, 2009 at 5:36 pm #660852
flowerpetalMemberI believe you are correct JoB. I was curious about dog hair and people hair. I know I brush and comb out a lot of fur from my pup. I’m thinking it should be compostable, but maybe not. I wonder what barbers and salons do with the hair they sweep up from the floor.
Granted, its not going to change the amount of stuff in landfills; but disposing of it differently can help to change mind-sets.
March 19, 2009 at 4:21 am #660853
rockergirlMemberThe information on the City of Seattle website is pretty clear about what can be recycled and composted. You should have also received a mailer with info. recently.
http://www.ci.seattle.wa.us/util/Services/Yard/Yard_Waste_Collection/WhatsAccepted/index.htm
http://www.cityofseattle.net/html/CITIZEN/recycling.htm
Kitchen Scrap Container Tips
Here are some tips for kitchen containers from enthusiastic SPU customers. No plastic is allowed in the cart so plastic bags must go into the garbage. Plastic cartons can be washed and reused or recycled if appropriate:
• Reusable plastic containers with snug lids, such as large margarine or potato salad tubs.
• A classic juice pitcher with the swivel top and a handle – easy to store and carry.
• Small, swing top garbage can under the sink, lined with a plastic bag. The food scraps are dumped in the yard & food waste cart and the plastic bag goes in the trash.
• Small, swing top garbage can under the sink, lined with a plastic or approved compostable bag. Dump the food scraps in the yard and food waste cart. Plastic bags must go in the garbage.
• Approved compostable bag for the kitchen that fits in a small compost pail (with a lid). See http://www.seattle.gov/util/Services/Yard/Yard_Waste_Collection/Tips/ApprovedCompostableBags/index.htm to buy compostable bags.
• Plastic gallon milk jug with the handle intact but top cut off (using a serrated steak knife). Dump the waste into the cart. Rinse, re-use and then recycle the jug.
• Plain cereal boxes – no inner bag lining allowed
• Stainless steel canister: air-tight, water-tight, rust-free, dishwasher safe.
• Used Ziploc or produce plastic bags. (The plastic bag cannot go into the cart.)
March 19, 2009 at 4:50 pm #660854
KenParticipantI recycle my grocery bags as compost containers. I get paper in plastic at the store and keep one on the counter (One of my dogs can open most latches so I can’t put it under a counter). The paper goes in with the compost and the plastic goes into a larger plastic bag to be tied and dumped in the recycle bin when full.
I also have a dog poo pickup device that uses plastic grocery bags as the container and so double the recycling of some of the bags.
March 19, 2009 at 4:55 pm #660855
flowerpetalMemberThose must be big dogs Ken!
March 19, 2009 at 11:13 pm #660856
HomerParticipantTurns out you can throw your paper towels or tissues right into your compost now. With all of these ways to greatly reduce our garbage, do we still need garbage to be picked up weekly? Seems a bit odd…..
March 20, 2009 at 3:14 pm #660857
rockergirlMemberhttp://www.ci.seattle.wa.us/util/Services/Yard/Yard_Waste_Collection/WhatsAccepted/index.htm
NOT In Your Food and Yard Waste Cart – PUT IN YOUR
Garbage container:
Styrofoam containers
Coated paper cups & plates
Grease and fats (in lidded container)
Facial or toilet tissue
Diapers
Pet waste and litter
Household trash/litter
March 20, 2009 at 4:00 pm #660858
WSMomParticipantrockergirl: Thanks so much for the tips! You’re advice is just what I was looking for.
Regarding pet hair and dryer lint, I’ve read that you can put these items in a worm bin. I started a “pet poo” worm bin to see if I could make that work. Not too successful so far, the worms keep disappearing (!). I plan to re-worm the poo bin this spring and see if warmer weather may do the trick. I have two big poopers in my house and I hate putting it in my garbage can.
March 24, 2009 at 5:47 pm #660859
rockergirlMemberWSMom – Pet Waste Disposal
Clean water tips
How can you get rid of pet waste and help keep our waters clean?
• Scoop it up and flush it down the toilet. That’s best because then your community sewage treatment plant or your septic system treats the pet waste
• Animal Excrement
Double-bag animal excrement and tie securely before throwing away. Or, seal it in a leak-proof container before throwing away. Seal the waste in a plastic bag and throw it in the garbage.
• Bury small quantities in your yard where it can decompose slowly. Dig a hole one foot deep. Put three to four inches of waste at the bottom of the hole. Cover the waste with at least eight inches of soil. Bury the waste in several different locations in your yard and keep it away from vegetable gardens.
• Use commercially available compost or make your own using garden waste. Mixing compost with your soil means your plants will need less chemical fertilizer and puts your waste to good use. Commercial compost and soil amendments may be available from your solid waste or wastewater utility as well as your local garden store.
• To find out more about the problems of pet waste and what you can do to prevent water pollution, call the number of your local community listed below.
What’s the problem with pet waste?
It’s a health risk to pets and people, especially children. It’s a nuisance in our neighborhoods.
Pet waste is full of bacteria that can make people sick. If it’s washed into the storm drain and ends up in a lake, stream or marine water, the bacteria ends up in shellfish. People who eat those shellfish can get very sick.
The waste produced by Seattle’s dogs and cats is about what a city the size of Renton or Kennewick, about 50,000 people, would produce. Unless people take care of it, the waste enters our water with no treatment.
March 24, 2009 at 5:54 pm #660860
rockergirlMemberWSMom and all – as for kitchen scraps and waste – I found a link to a coupon for EcoSafe Kitchen Catcher Kit – $3.00 off kit – looks like a reasonable container – check it out.
http://www.seattle.gov/UTIL/Services/Recycling/Recycle_at_Your_House/SPU01_004259.asp
• Seattle residents and businesses will be able to reduce, reuse, and recycle more than ever before! Seattle businesses are offering discount coupons to help you reduce, recycle and compost. Printable coupons (PDF).
http://www.gogreenscene.com/EcoSafe_Kitchen_Catcher_Kit-details.aspx
March 24, 2009 at 5:56 pm #660861
rs261MemberCat feces is not always considered safe to flush by the way…California recommends not flushing it because it can transmit to marine mammals.
March 24, 2009 at 6:47 pm #660862
MargLMemberThe process used to treat human waste doesn’t sanitize things enough to kill whatever is in pet waste?
March 24, 2009 at 7:07 pm #660863
rs261MemberI dont know about Seattle, but as far as california goes…
This is one of many warnings about flushing kitty litter and/or feces down the toilet:
According to Dr. Melissa Miller of the California Department of Fish and Game, cat feces can contain Toxoplasma gondii, a parasite that gets into feline systems from the eating of infected rodents, birds or other small animals. When cats later expel these parasites in their droppings — sometimes hundreds of millions at a time — each can survive in soil for over a year and also contaminate drinking water.
Most municipal sewage treatment systems are not designed to filter out Toxoplasma, and so the parasites also get into storm drains and sewage outflows that carry them out to near-shore ocean waters. Here, researchers have found, sea otters prey on mussels, crabs and other filter feeders that can concentrate Toxoplasma. Hundreds of sea otters have been found dead on California beaches in recent years with no obvious external injuries, and Miller and other scientists think that Toxoplasma may be the cause.
Also this link explains a little more
http://www.nwf.org/nationalwildlife/article.cfm?issueID=70&articleID=1000
March 28, 2009 at 10:55 am #660864
alki_2008ParticipantAnyone ever tried one of these ‘mini septic tank’ type things for dog waste?
Seems like an interesting concept…although it would work more for folks whose dogs poop in their own yards, or else you’d have to just empty the poop bag into the product (which can sometimes be tough to do without making a mess). ;)
Maybe dog parks should install these…with scoopers nearby and accessible?
March 29, 2009 at 3:11 am #660865
HomerParticipantSo, with all our new ways to reduce our “garbage” now mandated, should we be allowed to schedule once a month pickup of our trash? Seems to be the next logical step. You can still have weekly for those that want it but offer an incentive to those that really try to recycle and compost. Places like Maple Valley already do this which makes it all the more odd that a progressive city like Seattle isn’t. No more resources to offer a once a month pickup, trucks would still be coming by once a week for all the others. My two cents…
April 2, 2009 at 7:30 pm #660866
WS4funMemberI’m looking at all the literature I’ve received on this topic but I don’t see where kleenex goes! (I know…kleenex is the name brand of a facial tissue, but you know what I mean!) Someone on here says tissue is in the recycle bin and then another says toilet and facial tissue is in the garbage. Is the “tissue” above the wrapping kind? There are no pictures or words that address this on my handy refrigerator poster!
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