11th Annual
Reduce Reuse Recycle
A PUBLICATION OF THE CHRONICLE & THE CHIEF IN HONOR OF EARTH DAY
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Reduce Reuse Recycle 2021
11th Annual
Reduce Reuse Recycle The Chronicle and The Chief are proud to partner with local businesses and agencies to present this 2021 Reduce Reuse Recycle special section. We have highlighted just a few of the ways we call can take part in helping make our communities and our planet sustainable and environmentally safe.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency states that recycling one ton of paper saves the equivalent of 17 trees and 7,000 gallons of water. A key element is helping our children understand the value of reducing, reusing and recycling. It is a simple strategy that each of us can use to ease the impact on our planet.
Jeremy C. Ruark Publisher/ Executive Editor Amy Trull Marketing Consultant James Yang Creative Director Kelli Nicholson Office Manager
Engage children in recycling JEREMY C. RUARK jruark@ountrymedia.net
There are a number of ways parents can help children learn how to recycle. The website earth911. com suggests parents could lead their children through a community park to collect litter; allowing children the opportunity to make decorated recyclable bins with pictures of what should be placed in the bins; explore rooms in your house; run a relay; and read bedtime stories to children about how recycling can help the planet. Naturespath.com suggests helping your child make a bird feeder from recyclable materials; through art, have your child paint a recyclable symbol
to help them identify public recycling bins; lead your children on a recycling scavenger hunt; and start a recycling club in your neighborhood or local school. Engaging and teaching children about recycling can be fun and rewarding, according to econandbeyond. com, which says encouraging children to recycle is a way of teaching them about sustainability. “Reusing and repurposing items can open kids eyes,” the website states. While it might be challenging for busy parents to teach children about recycling, by making it a part of everyday life, recycling could become second nature, econandbeyond.com states.
Parents can help their children learn and practice recycling.
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Reduce Reuse Recycle 2021
Home insulation used as the sole factor in determining the R-value of loose-fill insulation, particularly for attic insulation. Inspecting and Evaluating Your Insulation Check the attic, walls, and floors adjacent to an unheated space, like a garage or basement. The structural elements are usually exposed in these areas, which makes it easy to see what type of insulation you have and to measure its depth or thickness (inches). Courtesy photo from Columbia River PUD
Options are available to help homeowners insulate their houses and save on their electricity bills.
Insufficient insulation can contribute to uncomfortable temperatures in your home, according to Columbia River PUD. Attics often lack proper insulation, allowing heat to escape during the winter and allowing unwanted heat to enter during the summer. If you heat your home with electricity, you may be eligible for rebates for increasing your home’s insulation. Rebate amounts vary based on the type of home you live in and the type of insulation you currently have installed. Rebate amounts for insulation upgrades range from 30¢ per square foot to $2 per square foot. Contact Columbia River PUD to help keep your home comfortable year-round and save money on your energy bills. The PUD partners with Efficiency Services Group on its rebate program. Call Efficiency Services Group at 888-883-9879 or visit crpud. net/insulation to learn more. The U.S. Department of Energy offers information below about home insulation. Unless your home was specially constructed for energy efficiency, you can probably reduce your energy bills by adding more insulation. Many older homes have less insulation than homes
built today, but even adding insulation to a newer home can pay for itself within a few years. To determine whether you should add insulation, you first need to find out how much insulation you already have in your home and where it is. A qualified home energy auditor will include an insulation check as a routine part of a whole-house energy assessment. An energy assessment, also known as a home energy audit, will also help identify areas of your home that are in need of air sealing. Before you insulate, you should make sure that your home is properly air sealed. If you don’t want an energy assessment, you need to find out the following for yourself: • Where your home is and is not properly insulated • What type of insulation you have • The R-value and the thickness or depth (inches) of the insulation you have.* If you live in a newer house, you can probably get this information from the builder. If you live in an older house, you’ll have to inspect the insulation. *Thickness must not be
Inspect the exterior walls by using an electrical outlet: 1. Turn off the power to the outlet. 2. Remove the outlet cover and shine a flashlight into the crack around the outlet box. You should be able to see if there is insulation in the wall and possibly how thick it is. 3. Pull out a small amount of insulation if needed to help determine the type of insulation. 4. Check outlets on all floors as well as old and new parts of your house. Just because you find insulation in one wall doesn’t mean that it’s everywhere in the house. • Inspect and measure the thickness (inches) of any insulation in unfinished basement ceilings and walls, or above crawlspaces. If the crawlspace isn’t ventilated, it may have insulation in the perimeter wall. If your house is relatively new, it may have insulation outside the basement or foundation walls. If so, the insulation in these spaces won’t be visible. The builder or the original homeowner might be able to tell you if exterior insulation was used. • Once you’ve determined the type of insulation you have in these areas and its thickness (inches), see the U.S. Department of Energy’s online Insulation fact sheet to determine the R-values of insulation previously installed in your home.
Community Spring Clean Up Day Saturday, April 24th from 8AM - Noon
Drop Sites at 3 Convenient Locations: MCBRIDE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, SCAPPOOSE HIGH SCHOOL AND COLUMBIA CITY SCHOOL WE ACCEPT old appliances scrap metal yard debris old furniture unwanted items tires and more
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Yard Debris, Trees & Limbs Yard2 Debris, Trees Limbs First loads FREE of&CHARGE, First 2 loads loads FREE of additional $5CHARGE, each. additional loads $5 each.
SPONSORS: HUDSON GARAGE SERVICE, WASTE MANAGEMENT, BEAVER BARK, CITY OF COLUMBIA CITY, CITY OF SCAPPOOSE, CITY OF ST. HELENS, COLUMBIA COUNTY ROTARY CLUB, COLUMBIA COUNTY TRANSFER STATION, HUDSON PORTABLE TOILET SEVICE, LES SCHWAB TIRE CENTER - ST. HELENS, LES SCHWAB TIRE CENTER - SCAPPOOSE, SCAPPOOSE COMMUNITY CLUB, SCAPPOOSE SCHOOL DISTRICT, ST. HELENS SCHOOL DISTRICT, STAN’S REFRIGERATION, DRAKE’S TOWING & RECOVERY
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Reduce Reuse Recycle 2021
What you need to know about air conditioning It’s the right time of year to think about how to stay cool this summer. There are a few low-cost and no-cost cooling strategies, such as using ceiling fans to keep air moving, turning off unused electrical devices and appliances, and blocking direct sunlight with window coverings. With our cool summer evenings, you can let cool air in late at night or early in the morning, then seal up the home to keep that air from leaking out during the day as the temperatures rise. If that’s not enough, you could install air conditioning. Let’s look at a few common options for home cooling, including approximate cost estimates. Please be aware that costs vary. Window/Portable Cooling Window and portable air-conditioning units are
Choosing the right air conditioning options for your home will keep you cool and save money.
the lowest-cost approach. Portable units can be moved from room to room and come equipped with a length of duct to exhaust hot air out a nearby window. Window units are mounted
in a window opening and cool one room. The efficiency of portable and window units has improved, but none of them are as efficient as most central air-conditioning
units or a mini-split heat pump. Window units have been around for a while, but there are also portable options. Whatever option you choose, make sure it is rated for the size of the space you
Go Green with Paperless Billing Help eliminate paper waste this Earth Day. Enroll in Paperless Billing. crpud.net/paperless • Pole hedge trimmer • Tractors • Thatchers • Lawn mowers • Chain saws • Excavators • Loaders • Manlifts • Power washers
are cooling. Portable and window units cost $149 to $1,000 each, depending on how many square feet you would like to cool. Ductless mini-splits are a good choice for homes without forced-air ducting systems, or with leaky or undersized ductwork. A ductless mini-split heat pump has a compressor outside the home connected to air handler units in as many as four rooms. Each room’s temperature can be controlled separately. Heat pumps can also be a supplemental source of heat in the winter. Heat pumps cost on average between $3,000 to $12,000, including installation.
tioner or heat pump unit. This is a good option if the ductwork is sized properly and doesn’t leak, and if ducts are in unheated attics or crawlspaces that are insulated. Central air-conditioning units cost between $3,000 to $7,000, not including repairs to ductwork. A great energy efficiency tip to remember: By cleaning your air conditioner’s filter, you can lower your energy consumption by between 5 and 15 percent during the cooling season. As always, you can save energy and money by buying Energy Star-rated appliances and collecting a few quotes from licensed contractors.
Central Cooling
This article was contributed by Sarah Johnson at Clatskaine PUD. The utility may be reached at 503-3084592.
If your home has forcedair heating ductwork, it can be used for an air condi-
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Reduce Reuse Recycle 2021
Community recycling partnership currently offering recycling programs and are there plans to expand the system? Tumlinson: Hudson Garbage collects recycling in all areas we service. This includes St Helens, Columbia City, Rainier, and Clatskanie. We also collect recycling in the unincorporated areas of Columbia County such as Warren, Deer Island, and Goble. The Chronicle / The Chief: Of the major cities in Columbia County, which recycles the most, and why? Tumlinson: The majority of our recycling comes from the city of St Helens, this is due to the population and the continued growth we see each year. Courtesy photo from Hudson Garbage
Hudson Garbage serves the area with garbage collection and recycling programs. This photo was taken during the company’s Bike Build community event. JEREMY C. RUARK jruark@ountrymedia.net
Columbia County residents have stepped up recycling efforts over the past year, according to Hudson Garbage Site Manager Kanale Tumlinson. In the following conversation, Tumlinson provides details into how the company has partnered with the region’s recycling efforts. The Chronicle / The Chief: What is the current community participation in your company’s recycling programs, is it up or down over the past two years and what has been the impact from the COVID-19 pandemic?
“The ultimate test of a man’s conscience may be his willingness to sacrifice something today for future generations whose words of thanks will not be heard.” - SENATOR GAYLORD NELSON, FOUNDER OF EARTH DAY
Kanale Tumlinson: In Columbia County we have seen an increase with the recycling efforts on the residential side due to the pandemic with most people working from home, including online school. However, with the pandemic in 2020 our commercial business has seen a decrease. The Chronicle / The Chief: What areas are you
The Chronicle /The Chief: How does your home recycling pickup system work, what type of materials do you collect and what materials are not collected? Tumlinson: At Hudson Garbage we provide 65 & 95 gallon roll carts to our customers across Columbia County, in St. Helens we offer weekly pick up of recycling, in the other areas of Columbia County we service recycling every other week. Items that are acceptable in the roll cart are – paper, cardboard, plastic bottles & tubs, and metal. Items that are not accepted are – NO plastic bags, styrofoam, glass, food items such as pizza boxes, and clamshells. The Chronicle / The Chief: What are the costs for the home, businesses and commercial recycling services? Tumlinson: In St. Helens city limits recycling and yard debris service is included in our residential garbage service which is $55.88 every other month. Commercial comingle service is $8.97 per cart per month. The Chronicle / The Chief: What happens to the
recyclable materials your company collects. Tumlinson: The customer sorts their recycling (commingle) at home that is then picked up on a specific service date. Our trucks bring the materiel to the Columbia County Transfer Station, we then load commingle into 48 foot trailers that is sent to a materiel recovery facility (MRF), this is then sorted on a sort line by automated robots and workers, the sorted product is baled then sent to several plants to be reused. The Chronicle / The Chief: How much recyclable materials are collected in Columbia County during an average year? Tumlinson: In 2020 between Hudson Garbage Service and Waste Management in Scappoose, and Vernonia we collected 2,972.110 tons of commingle recycling, we also collected 882.860 tons of cardboard. The Chronicle / The Chief: Give your insight for homeowners and business operators about why recycling is necessary. Tumlinson: It is important for us to recycle at our homes and business as we help to keep tons of recycling material out of the landfills each year. Recycling also helps to reduce our carbon footprint, the material can be reused in everyday items. It is also important we clean certain items before we recycle, such as mayonnaise and ketchup bottles. Food contaminated items such as pizza boxes, is not recycling due to the food residue left on the cardboard. The Chronicle / The Chief: What’s the best contact phone and email we might publish for folks who have questions about recycling? Tumlinson: Hudson Garbage’s main office can answer all recycling questions by phone at 503-397-1534.
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Reduce Reuse Recycle 2021
How to recycle in Oregon Oregonians have a strong recycling ethic, and by recycling right, we’re able to reduce the amount of energy required to make new products, reduce pollution and creates jobs. In Oregon, we recycled 1.4 million tons in 2016, which yielded a reduction of 2.9 million metric tons of CO2 equivalent emissions, which is comparable to taking 690,000 cars or their tailpipe emissions of the road! To protect the environment and reduce waste, it’s important to learn how to recycle right. With so many items to sort, it can be confusing to know what is and isn’t recyclable. If you recycle at home, check the list below to make sure you’re recycling right. It won’t take long, but it will make a difference for the environment! Know before you throw. Always keep these five items out of your household recycling bin.
1. Plastic bags and plastic wrap Plastic bags, produce bags, plastic wrap (e.g., cling wrap, dry cleaner bags and the plastic packaging for toilet paper and paper towels) Why it doesn’t belong Plastic bags and wrap are not recycled when you put them in your curbside bin, and they can also cause other recyclable materials to get thrown out. Plastic bags and plastic wrap get wound up in the machinery at the recycling center and can cause severe, expensive damage. The best place to put them is in the garbage. What else can I do? • Bring reusable bags when shopping, and keep them in a place where they’ll get used, like your car or your kitchen.
• You can help reduce waste by reusing plastic bags you already have. If you reuse them even once, you’ll end up using half as many. • When possible, buy items with little or no plastic packaging and buy bulk foods 2. Batteries All batteries—rechargeable and single-use, batteries in electronics and musical greeting cards Why it doesn’t belong Batteries can cause fires, burns, and other environmental damage when not disposed of properly. Take them to a hazardous waste facility, a collection event or call 1-800-732-9253 to find other disposal options. Never place batteries in the recycling bin. What else can I do?
• Buy rechargeable batteries or consider alternatives to battery-operated products. • Explore options to recycle batteries, by visiting Call2Recycle’s website. 3. Clothing, textiles and fabric Clothing and curtains Why it doesn’t belong Clothing does not belong in your recycling bin, and will be thrown away if it arrives at a recycling facility. Textiles are commonly made by combining many different materials, which makes them challenging to separate and recycle. The best place to take clothing that is still wearable is a donation center, such as a thrift store. If it’s no longer usable, the best place is in the garbage (or check your local thrift store for recycling options).
What else can I do? Choose quality clothes that save money, last longer and reduce waste. Poorly made clothes wear out quickly, clutter closets and end up in landfills. Learn more from our Make Every Thread Count campaign. • Create a thoughtful closet by buying long-lasting and timeless pieces. Mend your clothes to extend their life, and use donation programs to dispose of unwanted items. • Check with your local thrift store to see if they can accept your clothing, shoes, and other wardrobe items for recycling.
accepted in curbside recycling programs, because they are difficult to sort from other materials and often break into small pieces, ending up as litter in our open spaces, rivers and oceans. The best place to put Styrofoam is in the garbage. What else can I do? • Some businesses collect Styrofoam for reuse and recycling. Contact your local government to see if there are any recycling options in your area.
4. Styrofoam(TM) Packing peanuts, blocks, to-go boxes and containers
5. Frozen food boxes Ice cream boxes, butter boxes and microwavable meals Why it doesn’t belong
Why it doesn’t belong Styrofoam products are not
Frozen food boxes and other paper packaging in-
Continues on Page 7
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Reduce Reuse Recycle 2021 From Page 6 tended for the refrigerator or freezer (like butter boxes and ice cream containers) often have a plastic coating, which keeps them from falling apart (which is a good thing), but makes them unrecyclable at a paper mill. The best place for frozen food boxes, and other coated paperboards that go in the refrigerator or freezer, is in the garbage. Other items that are commonly found at Oregon recycling facilities that don’t belong include food residue, liquids and any item that’s accepted for recycling in your area that still contains food or liquids Why it doesn’t belong Put only empty, clean and dry items in your recycling bin. When containers with food or liquid residue are placed in a recycling bin, they can ruin an entire truckload of otherwise good paper and cardboard that could have been recycled.
What else can I do?
What else can I do?
• Recyclable items don’t have to be dishwasher clean. Empty them out, give it a quick rinse, shake off the water and voila! You are good to go! • Use a spoon, spatula or paper towel to scrape food waste into your compost bucket or trash. Then save the container until you are done with the dishes and use your dirty dishwater. A quick swish or rinse with cold water will usually do the trick. After you rinse it out, shake off the water so other items won’t get wet and throw them in your bin.
• To find a scrap metal recycling facility in your area, check https://iscrapapp.com/. • Extend the life of your hose by investing in a rubber one – they are more resistant to kinks and holes. • If you live in an area subject to harsh winters, bring your hose inside before snowfall to preserve its life. Cups, to-go containers Coffee cups and restaurant take-out boxes Why it doesn’t belong To-go coffee cups and other to-go food containers are not accepted in recycling programs, because they are coated with plastic or wax that makes it difficult to separate from paper in the recycling process. These items should be put in the garbage. What else can I do?
Hoses, wires, chains, electric cords Items that can “tangle” machinery Why it doesn’t belong Hoses, wires, chains and electric cords can tangle themselves around other materials and machinery, which can cause extensive damage. Do not put these items in your recycling bin.
• Reusable coffee mugs and water bottles are a great, low-waste option for on-thego.
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Glass Bottles and jars Why it doesn’t belong
Recycle glass in a separate container. Never mix glass with paper, plastic or metal recyclables. Glass mixed with other items can break and contaminate other recyclables, making them difficult or impossible to recycle. What else can I do? • You can return an assortment of empty drink containers, including glass, to stores and redemption centers and receive the 10-cent refund value for each container returned.
Padded, plastic shipping envelopes Envelopes with bubble wrap inside Why it doesn’t belong
Padded and plastic shipping envelopes cannot be recycled at home. These items are made from multiple
materials, which are difficult and labor-intensive to separate. The best place for padded and plastics shipping envelopes is in the trash (unless you can reuse them!). What else can I do? • To avoid receiving more shipping envelopes, see if you can reuse, repair or borrow what you are looking for. Look into local shopping options before ordering online. • If you’re sending something, try reusing any envelopes you may already have before buying a new one. Want to know what you can recycle at home? Check out your city, county or recycling service provider’s website to see what items belong in your curbside collection service. Recycling law Under Oregon law, all cities with at least 4,000 people must provide recycling services. Oregon’s recycling laws require local govern-
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ments to implement recycling programs and, in some jurisdictions, waste prevention and reuse programs. Oregon’s base recycling law is the Opportunity to Recycle Act (Oregon Revised Statute 459A), which the Oregon Legislature most recently amended in 2015. The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) elaborates on the Opportunity to Recycle Act in the agency’s Recycling and Waste Reduction administrative rules. DEQ also regulates local governments’ recycling, waste prevention, and reuse programs according to Materials Management in Oregon: 2050 Vision and Framework for Action, Oregon’s State Integrated Resource and Solid Waste Management Plan. The 2050 Vision guides statewide policy for managing materials throughout their full life cycles, including recovery, reduction, reuse and recycling.
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