Today in the Park Cities…
The University Park City Council is meeting with city staff this afternoon to discuss ways to make the city’s operations more “green.” I’m sure our loyal Overheardians will have plenty of suggestions for them.
19 Comments to “Today in the Park Cities…”
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Ban leaf blower use by all UP Parks lawn maintenance workers.
Give us bigger recycling containers that match the required 32-gallons we already have and will fit neatly into our racks. My bin has already been pulverized by the neighbors across the alley. They back their SUVs right up against my fence in order to exit their garages.
We need the bigger recycling bins in HP too! I have noticed a lot of extra trash in the alley since we got the new trash and recycling bins. I have noticed that the stuff blowing around is out of those way too small, open recycling bins. Our household trash is equally divided between recycling and trash with a tendency to actually have more for the recycling bin. What were they thinking ordering those tiny bins?
Recycle plastic bags from Tom Thumb, Central Market, Target, etc. Until we got the bins with instructions, I didn’t realize that the city only recycles plastic jugs and bottles; bags aren’t included on the list.
I’m with Kersten. This is a great opportunity to ban leaf blowers.
I’m still putting everything in a blue bag and stuffing it in the bin. Also when the bin is full (after one bag), I can keep piling the bags on top of each other.
The council could have saved so much money if they had surveyed us about our recycling instead of spending the money on the too-small bins. It’s almost a cue-cat.
UPMom, The city just doesn’t know how to write copy. They WILL recycle your grocery bags if they are numbers 1 thru 7, with the exception of 6. Most grocery and restaurant bags are 2, HDPE.
Gadfly, I was momentarily elated but thought I should double-check. I just called the very helpful lady at the recycling desk to inquire. She said UP does not recycle the plastic bags because they get stuck in the machinery they use for sorting at the recycling center.
This should be on the list of green initiatives. I hate to think of the number of plastic bags that I thought were going to be recycled but are instead in a landfill somewhere.
Wait the blue bags that we use for recycling aren’t being recycled? This is so stupid. And I am so pleased with our alley being littered with things that have blown out of the blue boxes.
UPMom, thanks for the info. This is crazy. I don’t see anywhere in their instructions online “NO plastic bags”. So I called (like you) and they DID ADMIT that they need to revise their instructions and make this very clear. I feel terrible that I have gunked up their equipment with my bags. The next time I grocery shop, I will purchase those reusable green totes that I see folks using. I wish all grocery stores were like Central Market and offer the paper bags with handles.
Tom thumb has black bags available.
Just like the central market green.
Those totes are nice but they don’t hold as much as paper sacks. When buying for a large family, I have sometimes 7 or 8 full paper sacks of groceries. I do however refuse the plastic ones because they would probably use 25 of them for the same amount of packing.
I picked up some cool Target totes that are made from recycled Target plastic bags, and a great Whole Foods tote that is roomier than my smaller canvas totes. I’m getting so much better about remembering to take them with me when I shop that I am almost completely out of plastic grocery bags. Then I’ll have to purchase plastic bags to put my newspapers in before placing them in the tiny blue bin.
Now, I may be a bit slow here, but am I to understand that recyclables put in blue plastic bags are not being recycled? And that recyclables must be put in the blue plastic crates, unbagged?
Charles, you can still use the recycle blue bags. What they DON’T want is your plastic grocery/drugstore/restaurant bags. The lady told me that most folks are beginners at this. The bin is there for them to fill up with loose stuff. It’s kind of like POTTY TRAINING. Start with the little pee pee pot, and then when you’ve outgrown it, move to the next level–which is using the blue bags in addition to the potty.
Ah, okay, Gadfly, thanks for the clarification.
I noticed that the plastic bags that the newspaper comes in has a number 4. Can these be recycled?
I still use the bags because of the mess that would happen if the bin were tipped over. A week’s worth of DMN, WSJ, mags and mail just about fills the tub. Also, I am loath to put the cardboard under the tub since it would likely end up in the alley, too.
We need larger blue containers for our recycled items. We need lids to keep the items from blowing away and getting wet from rain and sprinklers.
Interesting posts - two things to add: 1) UP guide that came with the blue bins specifically calls for paper products to be put in plastic bags to keep them from getting wet, and 2) Almost all Tom Thumb stores in the area have a bin you can bring back your plastic grocery bags to. I recently read a study (don’t be critical if it was funded by the plastic bag Mfg of America) that the environmemtal impact of paper bags is greater than plastic HDPE (High Density Polyethylene) bags.