February 8 Meeting

Board of Supervisor Meetings

Some printer and toner cartridges can be refilled. To learn more about this option, contact:

Ribbon Recyclers:  185 Commerce St., Williston; (802) 660-8960

Vermont Toner Recharge:   400 Ave. D, Suite 30, Williston; (802) 864-7637

Always check to see if the new printer cartridge you purchase comes with an envelope to return the old one. A number of companies are providing this option.

Vendor Recycling Options

Ikon Toner Recycling provides free recycling of any brand of injet and toner cartridges. After registering on their website you can order a prepaid shipment box provided by IKON and Clover Environmental Solutions. Once the box is filled, you give it to your UPS resource (or other provider) to ship to the Ikon recycling center.

Best Buy has an inkjet cartridge recycling kiosk located just inside the front door of its store locations.

Staples will take any inkjet and toner cartridges, and will give you a $2 coupon in exchange.

Vermont Lions District 45 has established a recycling program for inkjet and laser toner cartridges to help raise funds for their Sight and Hearing programs.

Sharp Copier Toner Cartridge Program offers an easy way for Sharp customers to recycle their toner cartridges.

ISSUE DATE:   December 27, 2011

BID DUE DATE:   Friday, January 27, 2012, 4:00 p.m.

CONTACTS:    Teresa Kuczynski, District Manager OR Gary Hobbs, Transfer Station Supervisor, (802) 388-2333

Click here to download a copy of the complete RFB, or call the District at 802-388-2333. The bid must provide evidence that the company is licensed to haul waste in the State of Vermont and in any other state/province in which the bidder will be hauling the recyclables. 

Bids should be sent to:  ACSWMD, 1223 Route 7 South, Middlebury, VT 05753, or via email to teri@acswmd.org, or via fax to 802-388-0271. For more information, please contact Teresa Kuczynski, District Manager, or Gary Hobbs, Transfer Station Supervisor, at 802-388-2333.

Click on the links below for more details on each RFB.

SINGLE-STREAM RECYCLABLES HAULING & RECYCLING

USED YARD TRUCK

With the District’s Merry Mulch Program, your tree can become a part of something wonderful once the holidays are over. We chip your trees to make a fragrant wood-chip mulch, which you can collect for free in the spring to use all around your yard. 

Preparing Your Tree

Please put out only trees for collection (no wreaths!).  To prepare trees for collection or drop-off at the District Transfer Station, you must remove ALL decorations (including lights, wires, ornaments, hooks, tinsel, and garland) from trees.

Curbside Tree Pick-Up Schedule  (Middlebury & Vergennes Only)

Please consider putting your tree out on the day before the collection, since the crews of tireless volunteers start EARLY!

Vergennes Collection – Saturday, January 7.  Trees must be out on the curb by 7 AM!  Collection sponsored by the Lion’s Club.

Middlebury Collection – Saturday, January 7.  Trees must be out on the curb by 7 AM!  Collection sponsored by the Rotary Club.

Tree Drop-Off

You can drop off your tree at the District Transfer Station (1223 Route 7 South in Middlebury) any time during our normal hours of 7AM to 3PM (M-F) and 9AM to 1PM (Sat). Trees for Merry Mulch are accepted free of charge until January 31. After January, you can still bring your tree to the District Transfer Station as clean wood for a $2.50 fee (plus the scale fee of $1). In Vergennes, trees may be dropped off ONLY until January 31 at the lot adjacent to the Wastewater Treatment Plant on Canal Street, from 7:00 AM – 4:30 PM. Questions? Call us at 388-2333.

Before the Flood

Household Waste

Household garbage, including food waste, should be securely bagged and stored for proper disposal when conditions permit. Toilets and other plumbing fixtures should be used only if they drain properly.

Household Hazardous Waste

Household hazardous materials include solvents, paints, gasoline and similar fuels, electronics, pesticides, fertilizers, household chemicals, oil, lead-acid batteries, acids and bases (e.g., drain cleaners), mercury devices (fluorescent bulbs, thermostats), and explosive materials (e.g., ammunition). When a flood is forecast, it is best to remove these materials from homes or other structures to avoid contaminating the water or rendering the materials useless.

After the Flood

As a reminder, Vermont law bans a number of items from landfill disposal, and the bans apply to flood debris, also. Materials banned from the landfill are:

• Batteries – rechargeables, lead-acid
• Electronics – computers, monitors, TVs, printers, audio components, DVD players, video game consoles, phones…
• Hazardous Waste
• Liquid Waste
• Regulated Medical Waste
• Mercury-Added Products – fluorescent bulbs, thermostats, thermometers… Used oil
• Paint – oil based paints, stains, thinners, strippers, varnishes…
• Gas Cylinders – Propane, natural gas…
• Tires White Goods – refrigerators, stoves, washers, dryers…

Asbestos waste cannot be commingled with other wastes, cannot be collected at the curb, and cannot be brought to a transfer station or drop-off center. Disposal options are limited to direct hauling to an approved landfill, or management by a certified asbestos abatement contractor. Further information on asbestos removal may be obtained from the Vermont Department of Health, Division of Health Protection, 1-800-439-8550, http://www.healthvermont.gov/ . Further information on transportation and disposal of asbestos may be obtained from the Solid Waste Management Program, 802-241-3444.

Structures built before 1978 may be painted with Lead Based Paint (LBP). Federal Rules require that contractors disturbing LBP in homes, day care centers, and schools to be certified and follow specific work practices. LBP debris from certified contractors is to be “contained” at the jobsite before transporting. These rules do not apply to homeowners, or whole structure demolition. Debris coated with LBP is a normal solid waste and can be managed at any certified solid waste facility. Information on lead certification and lead management may be obtained from the Vermont Department of Health, Division of Health Protection, 1-800-439-8550, http://www.healthvermont.gov/ .

The ANR strongly encourages the segregation and proper management of Household Hazardous Waste (HHW); that is, common household products that contain hazardous constituents, such as garden chemicals, automotive and boating fluids, and many cleaning products. The Addison County Solid Waste Management District HazWaste Center collects household hazardous waste 6 days per week, year round, so disposing of these wastes with flood debris is unnecessary.

Scrap Metal of all types is recyclable, and metal salvage prices are at levels that foster segregation of almost any quantity. On the economic value alone, scrap metal from flood debris should not be disposed of.

Woody Debris will be a major component of the flood waste stream. This material will likely be contaminated with small quantities of non-wood or treated wood, and these contaminants must be carefully screened before the woody debris can be processed or beneficially used. The ANR encourages beneficial use of clean wood as mulch for landscaping or compost, or as biomass fuel, and discourages landfill disposal. Clean, untreated, unpainted wood may also be burned at locations approved by the Air Pollution Control Division, but the Agency believes that preferred management options exist.

Household Waste

Waste materials that quickly spoil should be separated from other waste or debris, contained in heavy-duty plastic bags and/or secure garbage cans, and placed in a designated area for separate collection. Containment prevents release of this waste to the environment and exposure to vectors (disease-carrying insects, rodents).

Food Wastes

Food may be unsafe because of damaged containers or because the refrigerator/freezer was without power.  Take these steps to dispose of food waste:

• Do not keep food that may be spoiled or contaminated, including food from refrigerators/freezers (e.g., condiments, pickles, jelly, meat, milk, juices).
• Dispose of damaged dried food packages.  
• Do not keep spoiled or contaminated medicines. 
• When in doubt, throw it out!

Appliances

Take the following steps to clean refrigerators and freezers:

• Remove everything from the refrigerator or freezer. 
• Use paper towels or rags to wipe up spills and leaks and dispose of them with the food waste. 
• Wash out the refrigerator or freezer with a strong bleach solution. Use 1½ cups of bleach in 1 gallon of water. (Note: Never mix bleach and ammonia.  The fumes are toxic.) Use latex or rubber gloves if you have sensitive skin. 
• Wash out the appliance with warm, soapy water.  To remove odors, wipe out the appliance with a mixture of water and baking soda, or place a box of baking soda inside. You also may want to air out appliances for a few days before restarting and using them.
• Secure doors in an open position to provide air flow, and keep children away. 
• Appliances that cannot be cleaned and repaired andother scrap metal materials should be recycled.

Household Hazardous Waste

If hazardous materials were not removed prior to flooding, an investigation should be conducted to locate any leaking or damaged containers. If materials within the property could be dangerous, the property owner or response personnel should cordon off the area until the site can be cleaned up.  Look for leaking or damaged containers of: 

• Cleaning products (oven, drain and toilet cleaners)
• Lawn and garden products (pesticides, fertilizers)
• Automotive products (oil; antifreeze; batteries; transmission, brake and starter fluids)
• Workshop/painting supplies (adhesives, glues, paint, stains, finishes, thinners, strippers, solvents)
• Flammable products (propane tanks, kerosene, heating oil, diesel fuel, gas/oil mixture)
• Other products (fluorescent lights, lead-acid batteries, mercury thermometers or thermostats)

If you have any materials of concern, take the following steps: 

• Place in more secure containers, if possible. 
• Absorb spilled materials with kitty litter and place in a plastic bag or durable container. 
• Label the containers with the following information:  (a) contents, (b) owner’s name and (c) condition of the contents. 
• Do not mix chemicals or products. (e.g., Do not mix latex paint with oil-based paint.) 
• Usable materials that are properly labeled, placed in a secure location and separated by waste type can be evaluated later for proper reuse. 
• Hazardous household waste materials can be taken to the District HazWaste Center.
• Do not burn the waste or pour any waste down the sanitary sewer or into a septic tank. 

Because electronics often contain metals such as lead, cadmium and chromium that can contaminate water and soil, they must be disposed of properly.  Click here for more information on disposal of electronic waste in the District.

Who can bring in E-waste for free?

Free collection of certain E-waste is available at the ACSWMD Transfer Station to all Vermont households, charities, school districts, municipalities, and businesses with up to 10 employees.  NOTE:  Under the new law, the free collection is available to the above-mentioned original generators of the E-waste ONLY.  Haulers transporting E-waste from other generators must still pay the standard recycling fees.

What E-waste will be accepted for free?

If you’re an eligible party as listed above, the following devices will be accepted at no charge:

• TVs
• Computers
• Computer Monitors
• Computer Peripherals (mouse, keyboard, speakers, scanner, external hard drive, etc.)
• Printers (including all-in-one machines that print/fax/scan)

What about the rest of my E-waste?

All other E-waste not listed above will still be accepted, but the regular recycling fees still apply.

Where can I learn more about Vermont’s new E-waste program, including items that are banned from disposal as trash?

Click here to access the website for Vermont’s E-waste Recycling Program, or click here to download a 2-page information sheet with lists of devices that are accepted for free under the law, as well as devices that are banned from disposal from the trash.

Open an interactive copy of the loan application here.

A copy of the promissary note and and security agreement may be viewed here (for informational purposes only – this is not part of the application).

Call the District (388-2333) with any questions.

• Direct Marketing Association
• DirectMail.com
• New American Dream
• Catalog Choice

You can also call the District at 388-2333 for a copy of the junk mail reduction form from the Direct Marketing Association. Most people recycle less than 1/3 of their junk mail. If you do get junk mail, please recycle it.

Catalogs that Care

How many catalogs do you regularly receive? You might be surprised to learn that many of them contain little or no recycled-content paper, even ones distributed by reputable companies that claim to have an environmental ethic.  Help close the loop. Call your favorite stores and let them know you want to see more recycled content in their catalogs. Use your power as a consumer to give recycling a boost. Buy only from companies that print catalogs on recycled paper.

If you don’t read the catalogs you receive, call to get off the mailing list. When you’re done with a catalog, recycle it!