Methow Recycles helps you focus your waste awareness. | |
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In this enews you will find more on these stories:
-The Tool Library has a new name and more inventory!
-How to sign up for residential composting
-Next Repair Cafe on June 17th at The Cove
-Camp ReMake kicks off-- we need your recyclables!
-See us at Kids Fishing Day!
-A new, super informative food storage guide from Seattle Public Works
-The Battery Bill is signed into law!
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Even more ways to reduce waste! | |
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Hello Sarah,
We've got so much fun stuff to tell you about this month, we could hardly fit it all in this newsletter!
You may have been gathering over the past several years that we're trying to shift our community's perception of waste reduction beyond just recycling. Recycling will always be an important part of the solution, but generating less waste is where we need to start. This can be incredibly difficult to do! Our lives are busy, and we've been conditioned to, more often than not, go for the most convenient option, not necessarily the one that is more waste-friendly. We live in a remote, rural area with little access to the waste services available in more urban places.
That is why for the past 5 years we've been offering programs that make it easier for you to repair, share, reuse, reduce, and now, rot. These programs, in addition to recycling, will really help you make a difference in what you send to the landfill.
So read on about why we've expanded and renamed our Tool Library, how you can sign up for residential composting, where to find the next free repair event, how vermiculture can help you, and how our summer camp kids are re-thinking waste.
We truly hope that these offerings make you and your family feel good about your impact on our planet. As our fearless leader Sarah Jo says, "You gotta scale down to scale up. Making one small change at a time will soon have made a real impact".
Methow Recycles Staff
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What's happening at Methow Recycles? | |
Re-introducing... the SHARE LIBRARY!!! | |
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Since opening up the Tool Library over five years ago, it has become a beloved staple in the community. Residents can firewise their properties, build a tiny home, finish a deck, and much more without having to own or store the tools necessary to complete those jobs.
Now, we can add food preservation and poultry processing to that list. We've heard loud and clear from many of you that it would be helpful to rent items beyond tools, items that you may only use once or twice a year. The most requested items include homesteading equipment and electronic tools.
Through a grant from the Department of Ecology, we were able to purchase the following items for the Share Library:
- Commercial food dehydrator
- Pressure canning set
- Chicken processing equipment
- Electric tools, including a string trimmer and
- A leaf mulcher
- Two new additional firewise kits
These items are on their way as you read this and will be available to rent later this month. Keep an eye out on our social media accounts for up-to-date information.
How do you get access to these items?
Become a member! Memberships allow you to rent up to 5 items at a time, for a week at a time (tools can be renewed if not reserved). Memberships are free, we just ask for a credit card on file. You can sign up for a membership here and brows our tool inventory here.
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For months, we've been teasing about a residential compost program and now, we're finally ready to kick off a pilot program starting in mid-July.
Want to be a part of it? Here is how it will work.
1) Attend one of two training sessions
- Monday, July 10th 6-8pm in Twisp at The Grange OR
- Tuesday, July 11th 6-8pm in Winthrop (location TBD)
We'll go over the specifics of the program, where and when you can empty your compost bin, what can and can't go into your compost bin, how your food scraps will get turned into fertilizer, how to prevent food waste, and how you can have access to the fertilizer. At the training events, we'll have sign-ups and you can take home your very own compost pail to start diverting food waste.
2) The pilot program will run until the end of August. We'll be asking for feedback on the program and then officially open it up to the rest of the community in September.
If you are interested in composting but can't make the training sessions, please make sure someone in your household will be in attendance. Concerted outreach and direct education is how we can ensure this program is a success from the very start. If no one in your household is available to attend, please sign up in September when we officially launch the program.
We can't tell you enough how excited we are to offer this program! It's been years of planning and finding the right partnerships to make it all work. Thank you for your patience and your enthusiasm! We are looking forward to seeing you at the training events!
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Camp ReMake Kicks Off June 19th | |
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We've been busy preparing for our second summer of camp and this year, imaginations will run wild as each camper will get to design and model their very own trashion outfit. Each week will feature a different theme and kids will get to learn about and work with a different material to make their creations.
Week one will be focused on plastic, week 2 on metal, and week 3 on paper. We'll be running camp out of the ILC building on the TwispWorks campus (BIG thank you to the Methow Valley School District for offering us space!) and will be heading to the Twisp Park for lunch and outside activities. Stay tuned for next month's enews for some pictures and highlight of the festivities!
Materials Drive for Camp
You may have noticed some collection bins at the recycling center for materials for camp activities. If you have any paper towel tubes, pie plates, bubble wrap, plastic mesh, egg cartons, colorful cardboard, or random bits of metal like old keys and insulated wire, please bring them to the center by the end of June. Our campers will be upcycling an assortment of items into unique outfits and crafts. Keep your eye out for photo...maybe you'll spy one of your items!
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Highlights from repair day at the Winthrop Library | |
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We had a great time last month visiting with the makers club at the Winthrop Library. A few of our incredible fixers from the repair cafe volunteered to share repair knowledge with the students. Skills were learned, teddys were fixed, curiosity was sparked!
This won't be the last opportunity for students to explore the world of repair! Keep your eyes on our social media accounts and future newsletters for upcoming events.
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Come see us at Kids Fishing Day on June 10th from 10-2 | |
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Come see us at our booth this Saturday at Kids Fishing Day at the Winthrop National Fish Hatchery and learn all about the importance of conserving water! We've been participating in fishing day for over a decade and it is one of the highlights of the year for us!
If you've never been to kids fishing day, it's a great community event that promotes responsible outdoor recreation and features hands-on, educational activities for the whole family. Plus, kids get to try their hand at catching a fish!
Kick off summer with us this Saturday from 10-2 at the fish hatchery. It'll be a hoot!
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Worm castings now for sale from Methow Vermiculture Products | |
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Pep up your house plants and give your tomatoes a little boost before the heat settles in with some fresh worm castings! What makes worm castings such a special fertilizer? Worm castings are essentially worm poop that has beneficial microbes from the intestines of the worms. Similar to how microbes from fermented foods like yogurt and sauerkraut work in our bodies, microbes found in worm castings help plants become more resistant to disease and help with overall health and vigor.
Darlene Salee of Methow Vermiculture Products offers this incredible fertilizer as well as home worm composting kits so you can get your own worm castings straight from the source!
We are excited to be selling Darlene's worm casting at the recycling center! Worm castings come in a 2-pound bag and are $18 each. Just ask staff at the front kiosk :)
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We are looking for summer help in the warehouse! | |
We are looking for an additional person to work with the recycling team to process recyclables during our busy summer season. This position has the potential to become year-round with the right candidate. Must be able to work mornings and some Saturdays, no previous experience required. Position starts at $19 per hour. Please email inquiries to sheah@methowrecycles.org | |
Monthly Waste Tip: Keep your produce fresh and out of the trash! | |
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As the growing season showers its abundance onto our counter tops and refrigerator shelves, lets make sure sure that abundance ends up feeding our families and not the landfill (almost 25% of it does, nationwide!).
Seattle Public Utilities has put together a super informative fruit and vegetable storage guide with great tips and a comprehensive alphabetized list of how to store common herbs and produce. Did you know that stone fruit like apricots, nectarines, and peaches should ripen on the counter then stored in the fridge? Or that herbs like parsley, cilantro, chives, and dill will keep fresh longer if stored in the fridge in a glass of water with a plastic bag over the top?
Access the full guide here.
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The Methow Valley is known statewide as a top notch recycling community and there are many factors that contribute to our ability to divert waste. Here are some exciting developments happening within the world of waste beyond our region: | |
The Battery Bill is now state law: what it means for you | |
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Last year, we had to raise our battery recycling rate to $2/lb to cover the cost of recycling them. Proper disposal of batteries is crucial; they can and have started catastrophic fires at waste collection sites across the country, compromising worker safety and costing waste and recycling operators 1.2 billion dollars annually.1 And battery manufacturers pay nothing to ensure that their product is disposed of responsibly.
Senate Bill 5144 (the "Battery Bill") was signed into law earlier last month and seeks to flip this conundrum. Like other EPR (Extended Producer Responsibility) bills for paint, mercury-containing lights, and electronics, the Battery Bill holds manufacturers accountable for the entire lifecycle of their product. Unlike paint, where the recycling is covered by a small fee at the point of sale, battery recycling will be funded by battery manufacturers and brands. The recycling itself will be managed by a battery stewardship organization. We currently recycle our batteries with one such organization called Call2Recycle.
So, what does this mean for our community?
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Starting January 1st, 2027, battery recycling will be FREE!2
- Recycling will be easier with more battery drop-off sites throughout the state
- The program will begin with small portable rechargeable and disposable batteries like AA, watch, and power tool batteries, and by 2029, will include medium-sized batteries (batteries weighing more than 4.4 pounds but less than 25 pounds)
We are so thrilled that this piece of legislation was passed! It takes a significant burden off us and you, our customer. Plus, it incentivizes manufacturers to make a better product so they don't have to pay to recycle so many batteries. As Senator Derek Stanford says, "Used batteries often contain rare metals and chemicals that can be reused in new products while reducing extractive mining...and by requiring producers to be responsible, we will encourage them to design longer-lasting batteries and move us one step closer to a circular economy."3
Sources
1.https://www.waste360.com/business/li-ion-battery-fires-unfairly-cost-waste-recycling-and-scrap-operators-over-12-billion
2.https://wasteadvantagemag.com/governor-jay-inslee-signs-ground-breaking-washington-state-battery-recycling-bill/
3.https://www.chronline.com/stories/washington-senate-passes-bill-to-create-battery-recycling-program,315634
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Join us in creating a low-waste future for the Methow Valley! | | | | |
