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A program of GrowNYC
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Recycling News & Tips
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Stop trashing the climate!
If helping the climate feels beyond your reach, look no further than the recycling bin.
A new report by zero waste advocates, Stop Trashing the Climate, documents “the link between climate change and unsustainable patterns of consumption and wasting”. It finds that a combination of composting, recycling and waste prevention can achieve reductions in US carbon emissions equivalent to closing 21% of the country’s 417 coal-fired power plants.
The report notes that for every ton of municipal trash about 71 tons of waste were created in the production of those discarded products (think mining, oil, agriculture, coal combustion, etc). The bottom line? Preventing waste and increasing recycling, reuse and composting are key strategies to combating climate change.
You can start today! First, make sure you know what can be recycled in NYC. Then, work to create less non-recyclable waste. Be a real recycling superstar--become a composter!
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Recycle more paper!
Think no one will notice if you chuck your cereal box in the trash? New Yorkers throw away 400,000 tons of paper each year. Watch the ReMIX video short and show your family and friends how it all adds up.
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Going green at the office?
Don't overlook the small steps.
Learn how to print double-sided on printers and copiers. By using twice the space on one sheet you'll use half the paper!
Don't forget to switch to 100% recycled-content paper while you're at it.
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Upcoming Recycling Events
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Freecycle New York City Back-to-School FreeMeet
Saturday, September 13, 11am – 4pm, Park Slope, Brooklyn
Free and enjoyable to all New Yorkers, this swap meet provides an opportunity to find new homes for excess (and portable) clutter or stock up on reusable items without adding waste to the landfill. No need to bring anything, though you’ll want to bring a bag to fill with free books, clothing and other freebies. Find the FreeMeet behind the Old Stone House in JJ Byrne Park, between 4th and 5th Aves and 3rd and 4th Streets. Click here for more details.
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NYC Department of Sanitation Electronics and Textiles Collections
Citywide, Fall 2008
Residents can drop off unwanted electronics and gently used textiles at one of these five collections. Please visit the DSNY website for more information on locations and what you can recycle.
BROOKLYN: Sunday, September 7, 8am - 2pm, Keyspan Park, Coney Island
MANHATTAN: Saturday, September 13, 8am - 2pm, Columbia University
STATEN ISLAND: Sunday, September 14, 8am - 2pm, Staten Island Mall
QUEENS: Saturday, September 20, 8am - 2pm, Forest Park
BRONX: Sunday, September 28, 8am - 2pm, Lehman College
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Compost Workshops and Givebacks
You dutifully raked and brown-bagged your leaves, now reap the benefits! The DSNY is giving away unlimited compost to residents this October at locations in Staten Island and the Bronx. You can also purchase a discounted compost bin so you can recycle your food scraps at home! Click here for more on the 2008 Compost Giveback events.
Learn how to compost by attending an upcoming workshop with the NYC Compost Project in your borough. Visit www.nyccompost.org for details and to register for workshops around the city.
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Featured Compost Workshops
Indoor Composting Workshop
Sunday, October 5, 1pm – 3pm, Riverside Park Volunteer House
Learn how to set up and maintain a worm bin in your apartment. Purchase a “worm condo” for $10. Registration required.
Hummus to Humus: Food Harvesting and Composting
Saturday, November 15, 11am - 1pm, Queens Botanical Garden
As the harvest season comes to an end, learn about the connections between plants, food production, and composting. Taste a delicious Mediterranean staple food and learn how to responsibly dispose of your cooking leftovers by composting them. This class covers the essentials of backyard composting and indoor composting with a worm bin. Registration is encouraged.
Make Compostable Decorations for Thanksgiving!
Saturday, November 1, 10am – 12pm, Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Garden (Staten Island)
Learn how to make beautiful Thanksgiving decorations for your dining room table and home using all-natural materials that can be composted once your guests have gone. Registration required.
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GrowNYC (GrowNYC) is a hands-on non-profit that has been improving New York City’s environment for over thirty years. GrowNYC’s dedicated staff green our neighborhoods, create the environmental leaders of the future, reinvigorate New Yorkers’ understanding of, and participation in, NYC’s recycling program, and run the largest farmers market program in the country. For more information: www.GrowNYC.org.
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THE OFFICE OF RECYCLING OUTREACH & EDUCATION (OROE) works to improve the City’s recycling rate by educating residents about recycling and waste prevention, and working with landlords to make sure building recycling programs are adequate. Our free services include apartment building recycling audits, trainings for tenants and supers, community events centered on education and special collection programs for textiles, electronics, and compost.
Our five borough-wide coordinators work on a community-by-community basis to identify and address the specific challenges to recycling within a Community District. OROE’s current intensive efforts target one-quarter of New York City’s residents in the neighborhoods of Washington Heights, Inwood, East Harlem, Central Harlem and Manhattan Public Housing; Williamsburg, Greenpoint, Bedford-Stuyvesant, Bushwick; Astoria, Long Island City, Jackson Heights, Corona, Jamaica; South Bronx; and all of Staten Island. For more information visit www.GrowNYC.org or call 212-788-7964.
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