R ECYC L E A u g u s ta - R i c h m o n d C o u n t y C E L E B R AT E , C H RO N I C L E & I N S P I R E A Q UA RT E R LY P U B L I CAT I O N P RO D U C E D b y R e c y c l i n g Pe r k s . c o m
ISSUE 5 P u b l i s h e d M a y 2 n d 20 1 6
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Illustration: Alex McCain, Volunteer Artist
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Mayday! Mayday for the Planet!
Recycle Augusta-Richmond County is produced by Recycling Perks. It is our goal to build awareness of recycling, encourage people to participate in recycling every day and every week by rewarding for recycling with discounts and freebies. YOUR AUGUSTA TEAM Suzie Vance | augusta@recyclingperks.com Bill Dempsey | bdempsey@recyclingperks.com
3 CITY SPOTLIGHT: NEVER MISS A GARBAGE DAY AGAIN
4 THE LANDFILL TRUTH / HOW LONG UNTIL IT’S GONE?
5 HOW TO DISPOSE OF FIREWORKS?
6 CITY INFORMATION: RECYCLING MADE EASY
7 WHY YOU SHOULD NOT PUT YOUR PLASTIC BAGS IN YOUR RECYCLING BIN 8 RECYCLING PERKS REWARDS PARTNERS
Are you looking for a list of all the other businesses on board? We’ve got it all right here.
10 RECYCLE FOR AMERICA RECYCLED CRAFTS TO DECORATE FOR THE HOLIDAYS 11 RECYCLING PERKS INFORMATION 12 LOCAL EVENTS 13 VOLUNTEER FOR THE PLANET 14 ADD THE ONES YOU LOVE TO YOUR ACCOUNT 15 MAYDAY: 4 TIPS TO ENCOURAGE OTHERS TO RECYCLE 16 RECYCLING COMICS
Never Miss a Garbage Day Again! WORDS: Becky Padgett, Augusta Environmental Services Contract Administrator
If you’ve ever lost track of garbage day or raced outside after hearing the garbage truck, you’re in luck: Augusta Richmond County residents can now access their pick up schedule online and sign up for a free customized reminder service called “ReCollect”. This new tool makes it easy for residents to access information about garbage, recycling, yard waste, and bulk waste pick up days and service updates. Available on the AugustaSolidWaste.com website, the ReCollect software can be used by those who can’t live without their smart phones to those who rarely use computers. Simply by typing in their address, residents can view their collection day and select how they would like to receive the reminder. ReCollect allows residents to set up a reminder by email, text message, phone call to a cell or home phone, or smartphone app reminder. Next, residents can choose when they want to receive their collection reminder. For example, 6pm the day
before collection day, or 7am the day of service. ReCollect allows residents to choose who they want to receive the reminders. They could choose the reminder to be sent to a son, daughter, or other family member’s phone to remind them to place the cart out for service!
ReCollect reminders, along with a quick and easy way to view collection schedules, can be found on the AugustaSolidWaste.com website. Click on “Find My Day of Service” to get started. Links are also available to download the free ReCollect smart phone app from the Apple Store or Google Play.
ReCollect not only provides reminders but a printable schedule calendar and a waste wizard too. Waste Wizard is a tool that provides information on how to properly recycle or dispose of waste using Environmental Services and facilities. The Waste Wizard will also direct customers on how to handle hazardous waste, construction material, and other items beyond daily household trash. Go ahead, give it a try! Augusta is always looking for innovative ways to be more responsive to our residents’ needs. The new ReCollect service will provide citizens with the ability to get information when, where, and how it is most convenient for them. 3
The landfill truth WORDS: Monique Webb, Recycling Perks
People often wonder why recycling is such a big deal to gung-ho recyclers. Well, let me be the first to tell give you the landfill truth about your so-called ‘trash.’ Garbage, as most people like to call it, takes time to break down and some of course, longer than others. This means that the big pile of trash that we generate, or the Landfill as most people know it, will continue to grow until some of the garbage in the bottom of the pile disintegrates making space for more trash to be piled on top. This means that we are wasting valuable land resources to house the one thing we put out to the curb on a regular basis, our trash. That pile continues to grow on a daily basis when it could be greatly reduced in size if more people simply reduced, reused and recycled. Take a closer look at your (recyclable and reusable) garbage. You might be surprised to know just how long those items you called trash will last in its Landfill home. There are many ways to reduce your consumption of packaged materials, recycle almost all of your household items and reuse items in creative ways in order to reduce the amount of waste you generate. Why don’t you donate your shoes and clothing to someone in need, use your scrap plywood to make a birdhouse, or the old fishing line to make a recycled win chime? Maybe because you never thought of ways to reuse trash, but there are loads of resources online that can help you turn that around. Check out sites like www.Instructables.com or even www.Pinterest.com for ideas and inspiration on reducing, reusing and recycling everything in your home.
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After the Show is Over, How to Dispose of Fireworks WORDS: Suzie Vance, Recycling Perks
Fireworks are a part of our annual Independence Day celebrations. We all enjoy watching the fireworks shows, and many of us have our own backyard shows as well. Fireworks are generally safe when handled properly. So, how do you safely dispose of them after the celebration is over? Are there things that you should NOT do with fireworks? If you’re going to participate in your own fireworks show, it’s important to remember a few safety rules. Anyone handling fireworks should wear gloves and protective eyewear. You should also have water on hand so that you can put out any fires that start. And then there are the duds that can be tricky to handle and dispose of. It’s important to remember that spent fireworks and duds remain hot after use. If you don’t handle them carefully, they can spark fires or cause serious injury. Even sparklers can reach temperatures in excess of 15 times that of boiling water. So, you’ve had your show, and now you face the task of cleaning up. After the fireworks show, you should pick up ALL debris. Pieces of material that fall to the ground may still be hot and can start a fire. The metals and chemicals in the explosives can also pollute the soil and water, so it’s important to collect them all. After you’ve collected the spent fireworks and duds, soak them in water before placing them in a sealed plastic bag. This will keep them moist so that they can’t accidentally ig-
nite. And, you should never try to re-light a dud—wait 20 minutes after the failed detonation, then soak the explosive in water. Now that you’ve picked up, soaked, and packaged all debris and duds, you’ll need to dispose of them. The compounds that are used to make the colorful explosions contain metals that can pollute the air, water, and surrounding ecosystem, so they can’t be recycled or composted. The proper place to dispose of them is in your regular trash receptacle. If you don’t have curb-side service you can bring them to your local solid waste center for disposal (make sure to tell the workers at the waste center that you are disposing of fireworks). If you don’t feel comfortable placing fireworks in the trash, contact your local fire department and ask if they can dispose of the fireworks for you. There are also a few things to remember NOT to do with fireworks. You should never put fireworks or fireworks debris in a bonfire or use them to start a fire. It’s also not safe to bury them or soak them in a natural body of water. You can safely soak them in a container or with a water hose before placing them in plastic bags for disposal. We love the spectacular fireworks displays, and with a little knowledge and preparation we can enjoy our own backyard fireworks shows as well. Remember to dispose of your spent fireworks responsibly, be safe, and enjoy the show!
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RECYCLING - MADE EASY -
Our single cart system makes recycling easier than ever! There’s no sorting or separating – just put all recyclable items in your recycling cart and we take care of the rest!
Household Recyclable Items
CANS & FOIL
PAPERS
PLASTIC
• Newspaper • Cardboard (flattened) • Junk mail
• Bottles and containers
• Books and phonebooks
• Plastic milk containers
• Frozen food packaging
• Detergent containers
• Recycle empty containers only • Rinse food residue from containers • All recyclables must be placed in the cart with the lid mostly closed • Only use the recycling cart provided by Augusta Solid Waste Department
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• If a customer service notice is received, make appropriate corrections prior to the next recycling collection day
Do not include the following in your recycling cart:
Glass
Cleaners
Plastic bags
Fluorescent lamps
Styrofoam
Electronics
Packing peanuts
Medical waste
Food contaminated paper Photos
ES
TIONS
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• Place your recycling cart at curbside 3 feet from other carts, cars and objects with the lid facing the street
recycling DONT’s
Automotive fluids Hazardous materials
CA
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recycling DO’s
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• Aluminum cans and foil • Tin, steel, metal cans • Aerosol cans (empty)
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Why you should not put your plastic bags in your blue bin WORDS:
T. Hungate, Volunteer Author
You may have heard that plastic bags are not supposed to go in your curbside recycling bin, but do you know why? There are a few reasons actually, and they may surprise you. Reason 1 – Most recycling centers’ first stage of sorting is done by hand, by hard working individuals at your local recycling station. They sort through tons of material an hour, and lose precious time if they have to untie or open a plastic bag. The workers cannot tell what is inside of a closed bag. It could be full of 100% recyclable material or it could be full of things like dirty diapers or food scraps and other contaminants. This also makes it unsafe for recycling center workers to open the bags, and in most cases they end up being thrown in the trash! Reason 2 – Plastic bags that do make it past the first sorting stage can interfere with the automatic sorting machines which use conveyor belts, rotating tunnels, spinning wheels, and magnets to sort items. Plastic bags can easily get caught in the belts and wheels causing them to jam. Your little plastic bag could bring an entire recycling sorting station to a dead stop. It could take workers hours to find the plastic culprit and remove it, thereby greatly reducing the efficiency of the recycling station. What should you do with your plastic bags if you can’t put them in the bin? There is good news for plastic bags when it comes to recycling. Over 18,000 retail store locations have added plastic bag recycling to their list of services offered. You may have even noticed these bins at the entrance to some of your favorite grocery stores or home improvement stores. The bins are typically labeled, easy to see and easy to use. Use this tool to find exact locations to dispose of your plastic bags, by zip code: http://www.plasticfilmrecycling.org.
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AUGUSTA, GEORGIA
RECYCLING PERKS ������ � Recycling «: "-= u REWARD PARTNERS �� t:��1a Perks Becoming a Recycling Perks Partner is Simple, Easy & FREE!
Just offer a "Unique Reward"to the residents in your community through the Recycling Perks program.
What is Recycling Perks?
Recycling Perks is an incentive and reward program that motivates people to recycle. Recycling Perks works to promote local businesses by offering great saving and exclusive deals to recyclers.
SHOP REWARDS
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Discover® card (Official)
Recycling Perks is looking to add local businesses, like yours, to join the growing list of partners wishing to encourage recycling within the communities they serve.
Why be a part of Recycling Perks? We invite you to become a Rewards Partner. Your reward will be distributed throughout the local community as a reward for recycling.
We want to help promote your business!
The promotion of your business starts with a dedicated webpage at Recycling Perks.com highlighting the following:
• Business description • Listings of all participating locations with maps and contact information for each • Listing of your Perks reward • Links to your company website
What's next?
Let us know what reward you would like to offer and we'll be ready to roll. Contact your local market representative.
Your Local Market Representative
RecyclingPerks.com
Suzie Vance augusta@recyclingperks.com 762-233-2410
BEAUTY & SPA
HOME & GARDEN
Allegiance Ink Tattoo ALtruistic Hair Design Ambience Hair Color Studio - Layton Chavis Avon Representative - Tonya Thomas Bohler Butch Palmer Salon Charlye & Friends Hair Salon Coco Michelle Beauty Essentials Dapper & Co. M.G.L. Dress Your Hair Dricka Hair GA Aesthetic Med Spa Good Tree Wellness Studio and Spa Kreative Kulture Hair Specialist Omar’s Barber Shop Relax Therapeutic Massage Studio Salon Thirty Seven Shay Blair Tease and Please Salon Unique Vision Hair Salon Wellness Massage Yankee Clippers Barbershop
Davis Appliance and Furniture Lucy’s Laundry
EVENTS & ACTIVITIES Adventure Crossing Augusta Fencers Club Ballroom in Motion Bites and Brushes Broadway Tackle Brunswick Zone Cole Watkins Tours Forest Hills Golf Club Go West Event Planning and Personal Chef Jump Ah Lotz Le Chat Noir Level Up Putt-Putt Golf and Games Wedges & Woods
FOOD & BEVEREAGE 1102 Abuela’s Seafood A Piece of Cake Bakery Belair Donuts Big Daddy’s Bar and Grill BirdDog Grille Bistro 855 Blue Sky Kitchen Carrabba’s Italian Grill Cater-To-Me Checkers El Alazan Fatman’s Mill Cafe Finch & Fifth Füse Restaurant Great American Cookies Augusta
SERVICES
Hildebrandt’s -- Augusta Humanitree House Hungry Howie’s Joe’s Underground Lanier’s Meat Market Laura’s Sweet Creations My Friend’s Place P.F. Chang’s Pink Frosting PoPpin’ Stop Rhinehart’s Roma’s Pizza Ryan’s Salsa’s Bar and Grill Sandwich City Sasserfrass Hill Bee Farm Sit A Spell Coffee House Soy Noodle House Steak-Out Sunshine Bakery The Bee’s Knees The Cotton Patch Cafe The Dog Shack Which Wich in Augusta
HEALTH & FITNESS CrossFit 4 Everyone Crossfit Hephzibah Dancing Dogs Yoga Dr. Tom Paris Essential Cleansing Center Fit Figure Fitness Georgia Chiropractic and Wellness Center Gracie Barra Halo Salon and Spa Martinez Wellness Center MyEyeDr Newman Tennis Center Oxygen Fitness Studio Rob Jones Fitness SEC Crossfit StrikeForce MMA The Warehouse Workout Ultimate Ride & Fitness UnderBox Crossfit
All Green Auto Spa Augusta Atomic Tech Augusta Professional Auto Detail Avail Accounting and Tax Services Bowman Bookkeeping & More, Inc. C & C Automotive Cater-To-Me Double O Sole Frame It Now Frank’s Tint & Graph-X Gadget Clinic Green Guys JNK Stylez Car Wash Jerry Brigham & Associates Jewelry Repair Services of Augusta Riverside Cycles Robbie’s Automotive Smith’s Tire Smitty’s Auto Stanley Steemer Carpet Cleaner Summit Green Solutions Sweeny’s Watch & Clock Repair The Augusta Music Box Top Notch Express Car Wash X-treme Audio Inc Yankee Clippers Barbershop
SHOPPING AGC Teacher Supply Amelia’s Buds & Blooms Florist Art and Soul Corner Curio Augusta Rug Works Baskets By JaVon Battery Warehouse Branum’s Sewing and Vacuum Etched Memory Frame It Now It Fitts You Consignment Shoppe Lavender Starlight Mem’ry Lane Mema Had One Moonlight Gems and Jewels Paws and Claws Pet Bakery RoMaLa Crochet Southern Made The Book Tavern The Gold Shop The Rebel Lion Den The Shoppe Tie Dye Rosie Video Game Heaven
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Recycle For America! http://thebasicsmagazine.com
WORDS: Monique Webb, Recycling Perks
Recycled craft article for holidays on May 25th (Memorial Day), June 14th (Flag Day) and July 4th (Independence Day).
Bottle Cap Wreath MATERIALS: - Bottle caps (in white, red and blue) - Circular wooden frame - White paint - Red paint - Blue paint - Industrial strength glue - White ribbon DIRECTIONS: 1. Paint your wooden frame with white. 2. Separate your bottle caps by color (if you do not have red, white and blue bottle caps, you can simply paint your bottle caps). 3. Glue a layer of white bottle caps to the frame. 4. Glue on the second layer of bottle caps. Be sure to center the bottle cap between the two 10
5. 6.
caps beneath it. Alternate your bottle caps between blue and red bottle caps. Add a few additional white caps on top of red and blue layer to your liking. Wrap ribbon around wreath and tie on top in a bow or use the ribbon to hang your wreath.
Tin Can Luminaries MATERIALS: - Empty steel cans, cleaned and labels removed - Water - Sand - Nail - Hammer
- Scrap paper - Tape - Red, white, and blue paint DIRECTIONS: 1. Place a handful of sand in y our cans, then, fill the can to the top with water. Place the cans in the freezer until the water is frozen solid. 2. Create stencils of your designs for your cans on scrap paper. 3. Once your cans of sand and water are frozen, remove them from the freezer and tape your stencil design onto the can. 4. Using a nail and hammer, gently punch out the design from your stencil. 5. Allow the ice in the can to melt so that you can dispose of water (keep your sand to reuse it later). Then dry the cans completely. 6. Paint your cans on the outside, and on the inside, with any red, white and blue pattern. 7. Once your paint is dry, you can simply add sand to weigh down the can and add a tea light candle to illuminate your design. See more on our Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/recyclingperks/
THANK YOU FOR RECYCLING!
R E T S I G E
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May
5/7 BLYTHE SENIOR &
PROGRAMMING YARD SALE 7 am, Blythe Recreation Center - FREE 5/7 GHOST HUNTING IS NOT
ROCKET SCIENCE 3 pm, Jeff Maxwell Library - FREE
Local Events
5/7 JAZZ @ THE G 7:30 pm, Augusta University, Summerville Campus - FREE
5/21 MAYFEST 9 am, May Park - FREE 5/21 WRDW FAMILY FAIR 10 am, Augusta Commons - FREE 5/21 GENEALOGY 101 10:30 am, Jeff Maxwell Library - FREE
5/10 WALTON FOUNDATION’S
5/23-31 ON YOUR MARK, GET SET, READ GAME 10 am, Appleby Branch Library - FREE
10am,The First Tee, 3165 Camascus Rd- FREE
5/28 AUGUSTA MUSIC FEST 10:30 pm, Augusta Commons - FREE
ADAPTIVE GOLF CLINIC
5/10 WHAT’S NEW IN SALEM? 5:30 pm, Jeff Maxwell Library - FREE
July
June
7/1
6//11-12 GRPA STATE CO-ED EQUALIZER
7/4
6/4 MUDBUGABEAUX N BREW FESTIVAL Augusta Commons - FREE
SOFTBALL TOURNAMENT
Daimond Lakes Regional Park - FREE
6/14 WALTON FOUNDATION’S
ADAPTIVE GOLF CLINIC
10am,The First Tee, 3165 Camascus Rd- FREE
GARDENS IN STONES 5:30 pm, Jeff Maxwell Library - FREE 6/16
FIRST FRIDAY
6 pm, Augusta Commons - FREE
INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATION 4 pm, Augusta Commons - FREE
7/11-16 GRPA STATE JUNIOR BOYS BASEBALL
TOURNAMENTL
Daimond Lakes Regional Park - FREE
7/12 WALTON FOUNDATION’S
ADAPTIVE GOLF CLINIC
10am,The First Tee, 3165 Camascus Rd- FREE 7/13-16 GRPA MIDGET GIRLS FAST PITCH
SUMMER CONCERT SERIES 7 pm, 8th Street River Stage - FREE
SOFTBALL TOURNAMENT
Daimond Lakes Regional Park - FREE
SPORTS TRIVIA FOR TEENS 10:30 am, Appleby Branch Library - FREE
7/15 AUGUSTA SOUTHERN NATIONALS
6/18 6/23
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5/20 COMMUNITY BLOCK PARTY 3 pm, MLK Blvd & Turpin Street - FREE
6//24-25 AUGUSTA PRIDE FESTIVAL Augusta Commons - FREE
NIGHT OF FIRE
5 pm, Augusta Commons - FREE 7/23 BACK TO SCHOOL BLAST 10 am, Mount Pleasant Baptist Church - FREE
Volunteer for the planet! Recycling Perks needs your help to promote recycling in Augusta.
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CONTACT US
INFORM
PROMOTE US
Anyone who has a few hours to give can contact us at info@recyclingperks.com.
We’ll tell you what needs we have at the moment. And you let us know if that works with you.
We mostly need help to get the word out about the program.
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Add the ones you love to your account Invite your spouse, child, roommate, co-worker, or anyone who helps you earning points.
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SAME ADDRESS
SEND INVITE
ENJOY
Anyone who recycles at the same address as yours, can be added to your account.
In your account, click on “Invite someone to your account”. Type in the name and email of the person you would like to share your points with. The new user will receive an invitation to create their account.
Everyone will be able to use the common earned points, in their own way. You might want to redeem a free yoga class, while they might want to go out for dinner...
www.recyclingperks.com
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4 tips to encourage
others to recycle
WORDS: Sandra Hungate, Recycling Perks
Mayday, mayday!! Our beautiful planet needs our attention. The world population is growing, and its waste along with it. There is only so much space to deposit our waste, and it takes many human lifetimes for some of the materials to decompose. Some of these materials will soon disappear due to intensive exploitation by mankind. Aluminum, at the current rate of use, is set to disappear by 2139. Even earlier, in 2021, silver will be completely exploited – so recycling will be the only way to maintain silver on our Earth! We need to encourage others to recycle! Try these 4 main tips: 1. Educate people about the importance of recycling. Many simply don’t know what it is about, or what it does; they consider the recycling bin as a second trash can. 2. Open people’s eyes and minds. Get the word out through your social groups, both online and off. Share the facts, numbers, and videos like the plastic bags in the oceans, etc. You can find lots of information on www.facebook.com/recyclingperks. 3. Consider having a recycling presentation at your neighborhood’s association meeting. Recycling Perks provides this as a free service. Or, you can present the facts yourself. 4. Rather than just telling people, you can also show them by taking them on a recycling plant tour. The Columbia MRF offers free 90 minute field-studies for groups of 15-30 K-Adults, Monday thru Friday 9-3.
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Comic strip: Hank Samuels, Volunteer Artist