NewsletterSpring 2020

Holiday Schedule

Customer Spotlight:

If your pickup day falls on a weekday on or after any of the holidays listed below, your pickup will be delayed by one day during that week.Friday collections will take place on Saturday. The following holidays are observed by Western Disposal:Memorial Day — May 25, 2020

Independence Day — July 4, 2020

Labor Day — Sept. 7, 2020

Thanksgiving Day — Nov. 26, 2020

Christmas Day — Dec. 25, 2020

New Year’s Day — Jan. 1, 2021

For holidays not listed above, your residential collection service will not be affected. For questions give us a call at 303-444-2037 or refer to your collection calendar.

Spring is finally here and the sight of our yards, trees, and flowers awakening inspires many of us to think about digging in our gardens or visiting our local farmer’s markets to buy fresh, locally grown fruits and vegetables. In this spirit, Western Disposal wanted to recognize a local non-profit focused on creating connections to our land and the food that we grow: Growing Gardens.

Founded in 1998 by Ramona Clark, Growing Gardens operates on the Long Family Farm in Boulder, which is the last piece of agriculturally zoned property in the City of Boulder. Growing Gardens began as effort to manage the community gardens established by the City of Boulder that enabled residents to have a place to grow their own food. Since then, Growing Gardens has grown significantly and now offers a wide range of programs and events focused on sustainable urban agriculture. In 2019, Growing Gardens served over 34,000 people and over 62% of these community members were low income. In addition, they donated over 24,000 lbs. of food, 30,000 plant starts and 3,400 seed packets to low income families and gardeners.

Some of the programs include:

1. Community Gardens. Growing Gardens manages eight community gardens located around Boulder County. These gardens provide over 1,000 residents with an opportunity to garden.

Longmont Sustainable Business Program

Inclusive. Equitable. Connected. Restorative. These are a few of the words the City of Longmont uses to describe their vision of a sustainable business. By focusing on the principles of a “triple bottom line” strategy (people, planet, profit), businesses develop resiliency and ultimately prosper long-term by making a positive impact on the environment, demonstrating social responsibility and contributing to a thriving community. Longmont’s 2016 Sustainability Plan embraces these values and the City is encouraging local businesses to do the same through participation in its Sustainable Business Program, which was officially launched in 2019 and honored 18 participant businesses in its inaugural year.

Along with its experts on staff, the City has partnered with the Longmont Chamber of Commerce, Downtown Longmont, Boulder County and Boulder County Partners for a Clean Environment (PACE) to deliver

(continued on page 2)

(continued on page 3)

2

Can I Recycle...?

Tips for recycling in the bathroom Many types of packaging used for bathroom products are recyclable, but as a recycling opportunity the bathroom is frequently overlooked. Follow these simple guidlelines for recycling right in the bathroom.

• A dedicated container in the area adds convenience and makes recycling more practical. Add a small bin under the sink for recyclables.

• Labels do not need to be removed from containers before recycling.

• Plastic containers along with their rigid lids (shampoo, mouthwash, etc.) are recyclable. They should be rinsed but don’t worry about removing every last drop.

• Lotion and other bottles with pump lids can be recycled, but the pump lids themselves must go in the trash.

• Squeeze tubes such as toothpaste and ointments go in the trash.

• Empty prescription bottles are recyclable but remove the labels to protect your privacy.

• Small plastic containers (lip balm, cosmetics), loose lids/caps and any plastic containers smaller than 2” can’t be sorted effectively and should be put in the trash.

• Recycle glass vitamin and supplement bottles but remove and toss their plastic lids.

• Thermoformed packaging used for toothbrushes, hair pins, cosmetics, nail clippers, etc. should go in the trash but the paperboard backing for these products can be recycled. Be sure to recycle the toilet paper rolls as well!

• Plastic wrap around toilet paper and paper towels cannot be put in your single stream but are typically accepted at grocery store drop off locations.

• Toothbrushes & dental floss containers: if you’re willing to put in some extra effort to recycle by mailing in or dropping them off, check out the Preserve® Products Gimme 5 recycling program at: preserveproducts.com/recycle.

•Don’t forget paper towels can be composted!

programs that take a practical and actionable approach, aiming to support businesses by providing guidance and resources through free opportunity assessments, financial assistance, education, technical assistance and rebates. Delivering on its core value of inclusivity, the program is bi-lingual.

Areas of emphasis and project examples include:Energy and Water Efficiency: Technical support is provided to identify energy efficiency and water conservation opportunities that reduce operating costs and environmental impacts by analyzing existing building systems and equipment. Rebates are available for select equipment upgrades and interior and exterior water conservation measures.

Waste Reduction: Businesses are encouraged to increase their diversion rate by subscribing to recycle and composting services. Rebates for interior bins to separate recyclables and compostables are available. Through a Boulder County incentive program, Western Disposal can provide coupons to offset initial costs of composting service.

Transportation: The City provides educational resources to encourage alternatives to single-occupancy vehicle commuting including public transportation, car/van pooling and cycling. Free bike racks are available to businesses through a cooperative program provided by Boulder County and Bicycle Colorado.

Social Responsibility: Encouraging inclusive company policies in hiring a diverse workforce and ADA accommodation, healthy living measures such as smoking cessation, movement, breastfeeding spaces, work/life balance, and offering opportunities for personal/professional growth.

Economic Vitality: Guidance on mentoring and loan programs and services for small businesses, information on tax incentives, education on sustainable purchasing, local sourcing, employing underemployed groups such as seniors and the disabled.

Participating businesses are recognized with Gold, Silver and Bronze achievement levels and are celebrated at an annual event hosted by the Mayor of Longmont and members of City Council. They also receive decals reflecting their achievement level and recognition on the City’s website.

The Longmont Sustainable Business Program is the first of its kind in the nation and has been David Tenzer selected to host the Green Business Engagement National Network Summit in October 2020.

The City is currently accepting applications for the 2020 Program. To learn more or to register, visit: bit.ly/sbp-longmont.

Longmont Sustainable Business Program

(continued from page 1)

3

BACKYARD COMPOSTING WORKSHOPS

Compost Corner

Spring has sprung and Boulder County’s backyard composting workshops are back! Learn tips and tricks specific to our region from a Master Composter. Space is limited and registration is required: bit.ly/2PiNvzV.

Boulder: Monday, April 6 (6-8 p.m.): Boulder County Recycling Center, Education Room, 1901 63rd Street, Boulder

Longmont: Monday, April 13 (6-8 p.m.): Longmont Parks & Open Space, Prairie Room, 5201 Saint Vrain Road, Longmont

Louisville: Thursday, April 23 (5:30-7:30 p.m.): Louisville Public Library, First Floor Meeting Room, 951 Spruce Street, Louisville

Lyons: Thursday, May 7 (6-8 p.m.): Lyons Town Hall, Board Room, 432 5th Ave., Lyons

Broomfield: Monday, May 11 (6-8 p.m.): Goodhue Farmhouse, 2005 S. 112th Street, Broomfield

Lafayette: Thursday, May 14 (5:30-7:30 p.m.): Lafayette Public Library, Lower Level Meeting Room, 775 W. Baseline Road, Lafayette

2. Growing Garden Food Project. This program provides food for those in need through direct donations from its Longmont Food Project Farm. In addition, plant starts and seed packets are donated to help low income residents grow their own food.

3. Cultiva Youth Project. This program teaches teens aged 12 -19 about sustainable agriculture, leadership and job skills. These students also manage the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program operating on Growing Garden’s two-acre farm.

4. Children’s Programs. Children’s Peace Garden programs are designed to reconnect children ages 5-11 with the earth. Through summer camps, field trips, and family classes, Growing Gardens teach children about the source of the food they eat, organic gardening, and the importance of biodiversity and community.

5. Community Classes and Events. Growing Gardens hosts classes Gary Macpherson at their property on everything from cooking to beekeeping.

One of Growing Gardens most important fundraisers is their Community Plant Sale which happens every spring for the first 3 weekends in May on Saturdays and Sundays (May 2nd & 3rd, 9th and 10th, 16th & 17th 2020). There are thousands of organically grown and bee-safe tomato, veggie and herb starts, as well as perennials, annuals and even fruit trees that are grown locally in their greenhouses for sale. The sale is held at their facility at 1630 Hawthorn in Boulder.

Western Disposal supports Growing Gardens with their waste diversion efforts and is proud to recognize their efforts in our community to keep our food production local and support those in need. For more information about Growing Gardens, please visit their website at www.growinggardens.com

Customer Spotlight: (continued from page 1)

4

TIPS FOR KEEPING BEARS AT BAYBears that find food sources in town are likely to stay in town, increasing the likelihood of human encounters and losing a natural fear of people, which rarely has a happy ending. Jim Baily. The City of Boulder mandates bear-resistant containers west of Broadway and south of Sumac Avenue, but bear activity often extends well beyond the regulated “bear zone”. Following these simple tips will help protect you, your family and our community’s bear population:

• If trash and compost are put out the night before pickup, it MUST be secured in an approved bear-resistant container (this is per city ordinance and applies city-wide).

• Ideally, store your trash and compost in a house, garage, shed or other enclosed structure until the morning of collection.

• Livestock attracts bears. Keep goats, chickens and bees in bear-secure enclosures or *install electric fencing (*city permit required).

•Harvest ripe fruit. Collect and compost fruit that has fallen to the ground.• Feed birds in winter months only.

Western Disposal is committed to keeping our customers compliant with the city ordinance AND to protecting people and bears. If your bear-resistant cart is in need of repair or replacement, please call customer service at 303-444-2037. We can generally accommodate your request within 24 hours.

CONVENIENT CLEAN UP SOLUTIONS FOR SMALL PROJECTSDid you know Western Disposal provides over-sized containers for temporary use? Our 2-, 4-, and 6-yard containers are available for clean-up and small construction or home improvement projects. Unlike our offering of larger roll-off containers (12, 20, & 30-yard boxes) the smaller containers require less space and can fit in areas not accessible with traditional roll-off containers.The service is designed for clean-up of accumulated, large trash items or building scraps like wood, drywall & light demolition materials. Due to weight limits, no dirt, brick, rock, concrete, sod or other heavy items are allowed.

Win One MonthFree Trash Service

Trash & Recycle Center

Several lucky residential customers will receive one month of free trash service for finding their names in this newsletter!

If you find your name, call our Customer Service Department at 303-444-2037 to receive credit on your account for one month of free service.

Sorry, names mentioned as part of the stories are not eligible.

Locally Owned and Operated Since 1970

5880 Butte Mill Rd. • P.O. Box 9100 Boulder, Colorado 80301

Phone: (303) 444-2037 Fax: (303) 444-7509

contact@westerndisposal.com westerndisposal.com

Hours of Operation beginning April 4, 2020Monday – Saturday 7 AM – 5 PMPhone: 303-444-5794

SHRED EVENTS - 2020 SCHEDULE Free to Western Residential Customers• Western’s Trash & Recycle Center, 5880 Butte Mill Rd, Boulder• Sunday, June 7th, Sunday, August 2nd, Sunday, October 4th • 9:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m.• For details visit: westerndisposal.com/blog/2020-shred-events• To sign up for e-minder notifications visit: westerndisposal.com/contact-us

Paperless Billing

Sign up for paperless billing and receive your newsletter electronically! Visit westerndisposal.com and sign in or sign up under “my account”.

Call customer service at 303-444-2037 for rates and more information. We are ready for all your springtime cleaning and home improvement disposal needs.