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   August 2014
Collecting Litter Raises the Collective Consciousness: 
Summer of Service Camp

It didn't take long for the grumbling comments to start: "Who would throw this away?" The week that campers spent with City Environmental Services staff during Summer of Service Camp included a litter walk and a visit to both the Water Pollution Control Plant and the SMaRT Station, leaving an indelible impression about waste management and pollution prevention. As they walked along, students were guided in discussion of ways litter

By the end of the week, campers had low-waste lunches

happens--thrown purposefully, blown out of trash cans, washed down storm drains? In just over an hour, 240 lbs of litter had been collected by the 14 kids. Throughout the week the campers also reduced their lunch packaging waste from a 35 gallon cart's worth on Monday down to a handful by Friday. All these experiences are likely to stay with these youth the rest of their lives.

It's Official: No More Wasting Water!
City Asks Residents to Cut
Water Usage by 15% 

 

The following uses of drinking water are now prohibited by the Municipal Code:

  • Allowing leaking plumbing or irrigation.
  • Letting water flow into gutters, streets, storm drains.
  • Using a garden hose without an automatic shut-off nozzle.
  • Serving water without being asked to do so.

The Council also approved the following additional restrictions:

  • Limit watering hours:  6 p.m. to 9 a.m. only.
  • Limit water duration: 15 minutes maximum each station
If you see water being wasted, let us know through the City's web site or email directly to green@sunnyvale.ca.gov! 
Sell It, Don't Toss It!  Put your sale on the map for the
Citywide Garage Sale:  September 13, 2014
Register Now, Update Later, Search for Sales by Category
This year there is a new  online registration site! When you register, your address will appear in the advertised list of sale locations, show up on the sale location map, be searchable online by items for sale, and save you the trouble of posting any advertising on your own. Even if you don't want to register, September 13 will be a great day to have a sale because buyers will be out looking for deals. Register by August 25, 2014.
Bag Surveys Show . . .  "No Bag" is the Most Popular Choice

What bags are people using these days, several years into our plastic bag ban?Observational surveys conducted outside 21 stores during July and August show over 50% of the time items are just carried out of a store without a bag. 1195 people were observed carrying 1367 bags or items with no bags revealed 56% had un-bagged items. Only 17% of the time were carryout bags purchased from the stores. Given a choice, many people realize they can do without a bag at all.

Sustain Your Landscaping Business AND Customers' Landscape:  Santa Clara Valley Green Gardener Training


Green Gardener classes are back by popular demand for landscape maintenance professionals! Classes are offered in English or Spanish, both at the Sunnyvale-Cupertino Adult Community Education (ACE).


Training in English: Wednesdays, September 10 to Nov 12, 4 - 6 PM. 

Training in Spanish: Thursdays, September 11 to Nov 13, 4 - 6 PM.

 

Registration is now open for the 10-week classes. To sign up for a class, call ACE registration at (408) 522-2700. Visit the Green Gardener web page for more information. Cost:  $120 (Scholarships for up to $60 are available).

 

Native Horticultural Symposium September, 20 2014


Landscaping with California native plants is a proven technique for creating low-water use landscapes. Learn how at the Native Horticultural Symposium  "Saving Water, Creating Beauty with California Native Plants" on September 20, 2014 at Foothill College,12345 El Monte Road in Los Altos Hills.  Early registration available now, prices from $55 - $100 for the day-long event.

Time to Compare Notes:  Trash Geeks Gather at CRRA

 

Every summer brings an opportunity for Sunnyvale staff to share knowledge and learn from fellow recyclers all over the state at the California Resource Recovery Association (CRRA) annual conference. This year the Association partnered with the Northern California chapter of the Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) and presented an offering of 54 informational sessions over four days. More Sunnyvale staff were able to attend this year because of
 the location in San Jose, and Tuesday's lunchtime keynote welcome speech was given by our own Solid Waste Programs Division Manager and SWANA President Mark Bowers. Recycling Program Manager Karen Gissibl also presented results of the load-tarping program in Sunnyvale and coordinated a cooking demonstration using leftovers in the spirit of food waste prevention.
Choosing Renewables . . . as a Community

PG&E has two separate roles--selling gas and electricity to customers and delivering the gas and electricity through pipes and wires. For communities looking for a greener "energy portfolio" than PG&E might have, it is possible to purchase electricity from providers other than PG&E, and that usage would still appear on the same monthly bill folks are used to receiving. From the experience of other communities that have set this up, the rates for the renewable power can even be competitive with those of the big utility. Sunnyvale is involved in a formal study process about this possibility (called Community Choice Aggregation) as a way to make the biggest impact on our greenhouse gas reduction goals. The issue is planned to go before City Council in January 2015. 
 

Mercury Fever Thermometer Exchange & MedDrop Event

 
Wednesday 

September 17, 2014

11a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

Sunnyvale Senior Center, Sequoia Room

 

Mercury (used in some thermometers) and medications are both hazardous, so let us help you get rid of them safely:

 

Thermometer exchange: Turn in your mercury thermometer and get a free solar digital one! Supplies limited.

 

MedDrop: Residents can bring their unneeded prescription and over-the-counter medications, ointments and creams for proper disposal.

 

This program does not collect sharps or personal hygiene items.

 

Get all the details online or call (408) 730-7717 or email green@sunnyvale.ca.gov. 

Give It Away!  Sharing and Donating Resources Abound
Freecycle, Nextdoor, Rooster, Trash Nothing, ReStore and more: we have an updated list on our web site to help you reuse.

                           

Question or Comments?

Send an e-mail to recycling@sunnyvale.ca.gov

or call (408) 730-7262, TDD (408) 730-7501 

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endorsement by the City of Sunnyvale.
In This Issue
Service Camp
Cutting Water Usage
Garage Sale Day!
No Bag, Please!
Classes: Gardening in Drought
Conference Time!
CCA in Sunnyvale?
Med and Thermometer Drop
Give It Away!
Coastal Cleanup Day
Trash and the Economy
Who Knew? Raw Sewage
Multi-Family Recycling
Foam Foodware Ban Update

    Upcoming Events

Events Calendar

September 20
October 18

September 13

  Paper Shredding 

August 23

Water Pollution Prevention:

Mercury Fever Thermometer Exchange & MedDrop

September 17

Coastal Cleanup Day

September 20

Coastal Cleanup Day

Register Now!  

September 20, 2014 is  the 30th annual California Coastal Cleanup Day event!

 

Our local cleanup event will focus on Sunnyvale's West Channel waterway and part of the Guadalupe Slough. 

 

You can register three different ways! Online, or call (408) 730-7717 or e-mail green@sunnyvale.ca.gov.

Economic Recovery Doesn't Mean More Trash in California

 

A new report from CalRecycle shows that Californians kept their disposal rates down and diversion rates up in 2013 even as labor markets, real estate markets, and construction increased with the economic recovery. 

Who Knew?
Raw Sewage Used to Go Directly to the Bay
Sunnyvale's raw sewage was pumped directly into the Bay until 1956 when the Water Pollution Control Plant was built. Between the 1940s and the 1960s the population of Sunnyvale jumped from 10,000 to 50,000 and the massive "cannery flows" (waste from the canning processes in the city) presented problems for the south bay environment. We've been improving waste water treatment and caring for the bay ever since. 

Recycling in Multi-Family Communities: It's not just a good idea, it's the law

 

Not all apartment and town home complexes have had recycling carts and bins in the past, but that is all changing in the wake of Assembly Bill 341 which mandated recycling for multi-family communities with five or more units. Staff is working to roll out new carts, signage and help for communities that do not have service. If you are interested in recycling at your community, contact the multi-family recycling program at 

408-730-7262 or email recycling@sunnyvale.ca.gov.

Foam Foodware Ban Update
Staff collected EPS from restaurants with excess inventory
With over half of the food vendors in Sunnyvale audited, compliance is at 95% and a few restaurants have even turned over their foam foodware inventory to City staff for disposal. Newby Island Landfill will accept clean, dry expanded polystyrene for recycling.
So it turns out that . . .

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