Brunswick County Solid Waste & Recycling
and
Keep Brunswick County Beautiful
Brunswick County Solid Waste & Recycling and Keep Brunswick County Beautiful would like to thank everyone for their support and interest in our e-newsletter.  We hope that you find it informative and will continue to support us in our efforts to keep our community clean.
News and Announcements
Protecting Our Beaches
  
Summer is here and you know what that means, warm weather and outdoor activities!  The summer weather is amazing in North Carolina but it can also get very hot.  When the heat starts, our beaches get packed with people trying to cool down.  This includes our many visitors as well as our locals.  People simply love to go to the beach when it's nice outside.  There are people that like to look for shells, surf, run, read, build sand castles, play in the water, and the list goes on.  While our beaches provide so many recreational opportunities, they also provide habitats to different plants and animals.  Beaches also provide dunes, which protect beach residents from high winds and waves during large storms.  All of these features are important and we need to protect them as much as we can.  One way to protect our beach is to use the "Leave No Trace" approach and here are few tips that may help:
  

Stay on trails and boardwalks and avoid dunes

This will protect animal and plants and will reduce erosion.

Prevent litter and pollution

Dispose of your trash properly.  Bring an extra trash bag in case a receptacle is not available.

Reduce the amount of trash you create by using reusable food and beverage containers.

When fishing, collect and dispose of any broken or unused fishing lines.

If you smoke, carry a portable ashtray to the beach so you can dispose of your butts properly when you return home.

Do not feed the birds or other wildlife

This causes the animals to become accustomed to being fed at popular beach sites where they leave their waste behind.  This waste increases harmful microorganisms on the beach and water.  

Pick up after your animals

Collect and dispose of your animals waste properly.  Bacteria from the waste contributes to poor water quality and can pose a risk to swimmers.

Prevent pollution from boats

Pump out your boat sewage in onshore sanitary facilities instead of dumping it into the water.

  
 By following these simple steps, we can all help protect and preserve our beaches for future generations to enjoy. 

Southport Waterfront

Clean-Up

 

Have you been to the waterfront in Southport lately?  If so, you may have noticed less cigarette butts laying around.  A clean-up coordinated by Keep Brunswick County Beautiful board member Marilyn Graham took care of that problem.  Ms. Graham along with the Brunswick Community College baseball team, visited the waterfront park in Southport on April 17th where they picked up 1,489 cigarette butts off the ground.  The butts were then properly disposed of.  The project aided Ms. Graham in earning her North Carolina Environmental Educator's Certificate.  With approval from Southport Parks and Recreation, Ms. Graham and the team placed several stand-up and wall mount ash receptacles throughout the park and on the pier.  The receptacles were donated by Keep Brunswick County Beautiful and were purchased with funds received from the 2015 Cigarette Litter Prevention Program grant provided by Keep America Beautiful. 
Mosquito Season is here!!
  
You may have noticed from being outside that mosquitoes have returned to our coastal area.  These pesky little creatures invade our surroundings every year and make being outdoors almost unbearable.  While there is no way to rid us of these pests, there are a few steps we can take to reduce the number of mosquitoes around us. We know that mosquitoes require standing water to breed so here are some measures that can be taken to help reduce the amount of mosquito larva:
  • Gutters - make sure your gutters are clear of any debris and are draining properly.
  • Tires - tires can be disposed of for free at select locations (see our website).
  • Pools and ponds - keep up the maintenance on any water shed.
  • Boats and canoes  - turn boats and canoes upside down when not in use.
  • Plant pots and drainage dishes - empty draining dish after watering.
  • Bird baths - change water frequently.
  • Outdoor faucets - repair leaks.
  • Pet dishes - change water frequently.
  • Outdoor trash cans - tip cans to empty after rainfall.
  • Tree holes - plug any tree holes.

While this will not eliminate mosquitoes from our yards and parks, it will help reduce the population.  For more information on mosquito prevention, please visit:

Brunsbwick County Mosquito Control  
Volunteers Needed  
  
Have you ever wondered how you could make a difference in your community?  Do you want to help, but just don't know how?  Click the "I want to be a volunteer" tab be low and tell us about yourself, we would appreciate your help!
 

Updates 

Free Dump Week 

  

Each spring and fall, Brunswick County offers a Free Dump Week to all county residents and property owners. The event takes place on the week prior to the third Saturday in April and September. The event has always been successful and this year's spring event was no different. We do live in North Carolina so there were some rain showers, but we still had 3,567 residents from all over the county that took advantage of the event. We are so thankful for all of the residents that came out and participated in cleaning up our county. We would also like to thank our Solid Waste Team for all their hard week leading up to, during, and after Free Dump Week. Although the event lasted six days straight, with a continuous line of customers, and inclement weather, the Solid Waste Team pulled off another successful event!

 

Please check our website for future events.
Household Hazardous Waste Collection & Clothing Drive
  

On the third Saturday of April and September, the county offers a collection of household hazardous waste, along with a clothing drive.  On April 18th, we collected over 10,000 pounds of household hazardous waste from over 160 residents.  The data collected from the event was compiled and reported to the North Carolina Department of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resources.

The North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services were on site and collected 6 55-gallon drums of pesticides.  We also collected several large bins of used clothing that were donated to the Salvation Army. 

 

Please check our website for future events.
Earth Day School
Outreach Program
  
We were very happy to be invited to Oak Island's, first Annual Earth Day Event. Several local schools and home school programs attended the event.  We entertained the attendees with educational games, as well as, a quick lesson on the importance of recycling in our communities.

 

We were also invited to visit the first graders at Lincoln Elementary School in Leland.  The kids enjoyed a presentation on the recycling process and how new products are produced from recycled materials.  The kids also decorated grocery bags which were donated by the Piggly Wiggly in Leland.  On Earth Day, Piggly Wiggly used the decorated bags to bag customer's groceries. This was the kids way of spreading the message to their community about the meaning of Earth Day.
Shred Day
 
Each year on the Friday following Earth Day (April 22nd), the Solid Waste & Recycling Department offers a free shred event for all Brunswick County residents and property owners.  As always, we had a great turnout and we hope to see everyone again next
year.

 

We would like to apologize for any false information that was distributed concerning this event.  Please check with the Solid Waste & Recycling Department for confirmation of future events at (910)253-2520. 
Recycle for free at the Brunswick County Landfill:
 
Electronics
Fluorescent Bulbs & CFL's
Scrap Metal
Appliances
Propane Tanks
Oyster Shells
Tires (limit 5 per resident)
Used Cooking Oil
Latex Paint & Cans
 
Brunswick County Solid Waste & Recycling | Keep Brunswick County Beautiful
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