Use Rechargeable Batteries and Save! Email Rechargeable batteries have improved dramatically over the past few years. Now there are several different kinds to provide the best match for various types of uses. Save Money – While rechargeable batteries cost more initially, they can be reused hundreds of times and last for years. Even better, rechargeable batteries’ performance is superior to disposable batteries for many uses. Save Resources – Batteries contain corrosive materials and heavy metals so in California they cannot be disposed of in a landfill. They must be either recycled or handled as hazardous waste. Using rechargeable batteries greatly reduces the number of batteries that must be disposed of. Best Uses for Rechargeable Batteries – Rechargeable batteries are a great choice for most frequently-used devices such as wireless mice/ keyboards, toys, telephone headsets, cameras, calculators, remote controls, and regular flashlights. Rechargeable batteries are not a good choice for emergency equipment such as emergency flashlights and radios, and emergency medical devices because they keep a steady power level throughout their charge until depleted, then drop precipitously. Remember to match recharging equipment to the specific types of batteries used.
Habitat for Humanity Email We bring people together to build decent, affordable homes & empower families through home ownership! Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore sells new & gently used home improvement items to the public at 50-90% off retail. New inventory daily! Cabinets Windows Doors Hardware / tools Flooring Appliances Lighting fixtures Millwork / trim Plumbing fixtures Sporting goods Exercise equipment Home furnishings Seasonal and specialty items 90% of the proceeds from ReStore sales stay in our communities, helping to rehabilitate and build homes in Napa and Solano Counties. Have a donation? Call 863-0692 for free pickup. www.solanonapahabitat.org Remodeling Your Home or Office? Help people in need & send less to the landfill by taking advantage of Restore Deconstruction Services! To learn more about this exciting new program call 707-422-1948 After a FREE consultation to approve and schedule your deconstruction project, Habitat for Humanity crews carefully remove items such as kitchen cabinets, appliances, lighting fixtures, sinks, tubs, toilets, etc in your home or business before a remodel or tear down. All services are FREE. The items are sold at Habitat’s ReStore in Fairfield. Homeowner gets a tax deduction for the donation of materials Contractors reduce labor and disposal costs Everyone benefits because fewer resources are wasted in landfills and all proceeds support Habitat’s mission to build affordable homes & empower families through home ownership. www.solanonapahabitat.org ReStore volunteers are always welcome and those with skills that can support deconstruction projects are particularly needed. See the volunteer tab on the website.
Napa County Grand Jury / Gran Jurado Del Condado De Napa Email Napa Superior Court Seeking Applications for The Napa County Grand Jury Interested parties must apply to the court by April 30, 2020 For more information, qualifications, and/or to apply online: www.napa.courts.ca.gov If you are not qualified or unable to apply as a grand juror, please share this information with others that may be interested! Questions? Call the Napa Superior Court Executive Office (707) 299-1110 Esta Buscando Solicitudes Para El Gran Jurado Del Condado De Napa Las personas interesadas deben aplicar a la corte antes del 30 de Abril de 2020 Para más informacion, calificaciones y/o para aplicar en linea: www.napa.courts.ca.gov Si usted no califica para ser parte del Gran Jurado, por favor, comparta esta información con otras personas que pueden estar interesados! Questions? Call the Napa Superior Court Executive Office (707) 299-1110
Free Curbside Oil Recycling + Motor Oil & Filter Collection Sites Email You probably already know that the only legal way to dispose of used oil and oil filters is to recycle them…but did you know that they can be picked up for free? If you have residential curbside service you can request a free oil container and zip-lock filter bag from NRWS: 255-5200. Motor oil never wears out — it just gets dirty. It can be recycled over and over. Thanks for recycling your used motor oil! But you didn’t finish the job if you threw the filter away. Filters are made from steel that can be recycled too! Only motor oil is accepted in the curbside jug. Filters should be placed next to the jug in a tightly sealed leak-proof bag. Other automotive fluids must be kept separate and recycled at drop off locations – see below for a list of drop off sites.
Old Valentine’s Flowers Go in the Compost Email Ready to toss your Valentine’s Day flowers? Don’t throw them away! Toss them in your compost instead. When you put flowers and other yard waste and organic material in your compost, they’re used to create healthy new soil. Healthy soil plays a lot of important roles in our environment, including absorbing and filtering water, as well as transferring nutrients to new plant life. Want to Keep Your Flowers Longer? Take good care of the stems. First, give your flowers some type of sugar for nutrition. Put a little bit of sugar in the vase water, whether it’s the plant food packet that came with your flowers, a little granulated sugar from your cupboard, or some honey or maple syrup. Any amount between one teaspoon and two tablespoons will do. Second, change the water every other day, or anytime it begins to look cloudy, and trim the ends of the stems at the same time so they can continue to absorb the water and nutrients. Dry or press your blooms. Keep the memory of a special day alive by preserving your bouquet. To dry flowers naturally, hang them upside down in a dark, dry spot, such as an attic or closet. You can also dry flowers by pressing them. Place the blooms between heavy books, such as dictionaries or encyclopedias, with a paper or cardboard lining to absorb moisture. Check the flowers’ progress once a week, and change the liner each time. Both drying and pressing flowers takes roughly 2-4 weeks. Find more tips for creating beautiful dried flowers — without using chemicals or creating extra waste — from Wellness Mama. Buy potted flowers instead. Keep the Valentine’s Day vibe strong all year with a live plant. With proper care, not only can it brighten your home — and mood — for years, it can even clean the air for you. After all, what’s more romantic than watching your love grow?
National Battery Day: Did You Know It’s Dangerous to Throw Batteries Away? Email Batteries: A standardized and portable source of power that can bring electricity anywhere you want to go. From starting your car in the morning to powering a flashlight during an unexpected power outage, their convenience is undeniable. However, batteries can also be very dangerous if not disposed of properly. Here is what you need to know. Batteries, especially the lithium-ion rechargeable type that come in most portable electronics, pose a very serious fire risk when disposed of improperly. When batteries end up at a trash or recycling facility they often get punctured or crushed, which can damage the separation between the cathode and anode, causing them to catch fire or explode. Twice this fall, misplaced batteries have started fires at our Napa Recycling Facility. Luckily they were put out quickly, but these fires can have devastating consequences, such as the fire at San Mateo’s Materials Recovery Facility in 2016, which burned the entire plant to the ground. Batteries — and devices that contain them — need to be disposed of as e-waste or hazardous waste so they can be carefully handled to prevent these fires. In addition to the fire danger, batteries can also contain toxic chemicals, including lithium, cadmium, sulfuric acid and lead. If disposed of improperly, these toxic chemicals can leach into the soil and contaminate the groundwater. For these reasons, it is illegal to put batteries in the garbage or mix them in with the rest of your recycling. Luckily, recycling batteries is easy. Follow these links to our Recycling Guide to find out how to easily dispose of each type of battery. Single-Use Batteries Button Cell Batteries Rechargeable Batteries Car Batteries Cell Phones Tablets Other Battery-Powered Electronics When storing used batteries prior to recycling, please use caution to keep batteries from short-circuiting, overheating or sparking. You can either: Place each battery in a separate clear plastic bag, or; Use clear packing tape, electrical tape or duct tape to tape the ends of the batteries to prevent battery ends from touching one another or striking against metal surfaces, then place the batteries in a clear plastic bag. Avoid storing batteries in a metal container. Looking to save some money? Try using rechargeable batteries in place of single-use alkaline batteries. Rechargeable batteries will work in almost all the same applications, provide similar battery life, and can be recharged hundreds of times — making them far more cost-effective and eco-friendly than single-use batteries. Just make sure to use single-use batteries for emergency devices such as smoke detectors. Happy National Battery Day!
Ask the Experts: How to Recycle Peanut Butter Jars — A Sticky Subject Email Have a tough recycling question? We’re here to help! Ask the Experts » Q: How do I recycle my peanut butter jars? —Rita A: We’ve all been there. You’ve just spread the last scoop of peanut butter on your PB&J sandwich only to be confronted with a challenge: a recyclable container that is too dirty to recycle. Don’t stress — we’ve got you covered. Read over these three simple steps to get that sticky jar recycle-ready. 1. Scrape Using a spatula or other utensil, remove as much peanut butter from the jar as possible. Alternatively, if you have a dog, consider letting them lick the leftover peanut butter out of the jar in lieu of scraping it out. 2. Soak & Shake Fill the jar one-third of the way full with warm water and a drop of soap, then replace the cap and let it soak for five minutes. Shake vigorously for twenty seconds, drain and rinse. At this point, only a small amount of oily residue will be left in the jar. 3. Dry Set the jar upside down in a drying rack or on the edge of the sink to drip dry. Once the jar is dry, replace the cap and it is ready to recycle. If your peanut butter jar is made of glass, recycle the lid separately from the jar. Not a peanut butter person? These steps will also work for other nut and seed butter jars, as well as most other hard-to-clean jars.
Composting Workshops Email Sign up for a free composting workshop! Choose to take either a home compost lesson OR a worm compost lesson on 4 different dates this year. (See the schedule below.) Sign up for the worm compost lesson and assemble a free working worm bin to take home. Worm composting focuses on food scraps and is often the best option for those with limited space and minimal or no yard trimmings. OR Sign up for the home compost lesson and have a choice of the following: $20 Earth Machine bin for backyard composting — retail value $130, 10 cu. ft. capacity $20 Soil Saver bin for backyard composting — retail value $95, 11.5 cu. ft. capacity $30 mail-in rebate towards (select one): The purchase of a worm composting bin The purchase of a lawnmower retrofit The purchase of a mulching lawnmower Limit one bin or rebate per household (while supplies last) for Napa County residents only. Cash or checks only. 2020 Composting Workshops — Registration Is Required! Space is limited and workshops fill up quickly. Registration online is the surest way to reserve a space for your preferred workshop. Register for either one home compost OR one worm compost class on any workshop day. Workshops are approximately 2 hours. Some workshops are held outdoors, so please dress appropriately. Saturday, March 14 at 9:00am UC Coop Extension, Meeting Room, Napa Saturday, March 28 at 10:00am Boys & Girls Club, Calistoga Saturday, May 16 at 10:00am Senior Center, American Canyon Saturday, September 9 at 6:00pm Skyline Park Social Hall, Napa Also, come visit us at the Oxbow Commons on Earth Day to find out about composting, soils, and upcoming classes! Earth Day is Sunday, April 26, 11am – 4pm. Register online to immediately secure your space: www.cityofnapa.org/compost. No phone registrations are accepted. Confirmation & directions are sent when your registration is complete. The online registration system allows you to cancel if plans change. This helps us to free up space for others. If you want to register by mail, please send your name, address, primary phone number, choice of worm or home compost workshop, and desired first & second options for class dates to: City of Napa, Utilities Department Attn: Recycling / Materials Diversion Division P.O. Box 660 Napa, CA 94559-0660
Napa’s 5-Year Composting Stats Email Napa City and County residents threw out 9% less trash — and composted nearly 9,000 more tons — during the first 5 years of the food composting program. Thanks to all of you for helping reduce waste, decrease emissions and create local organic compost! Even so, we can do better. There are still thousands of tons of compostables going to the landfill. Join your neighbors and compost all your food scraps and soiled paper — check out naparecycling.com for all the details!
Cool Your Coals! Email Do not put hot coals or ashes in your carts! Hot ashes or coals can cause severe burns and fire damage to properties. Follow these safety measures when disposing of them: Use metal cans no more than 30 gallons in size with tight-fitting metal lids. Fill cans with hot ashes only halfway so they cool quickly and are light in weight. Secure metal lids on cans to prevent spread of sparks or embers. Check, stir, and water your ash cans for several days until completely cool. Avoid adding more hot coals on top of the cool coals by using a set of cans that can be used sequentially. Check to be sure that ashes are completely cool before placing them in your compost cart.
