Plastic Recycling

You’ve probably noticed on most plastic recycling products a recycling symbol with 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7 along with a series of letters.  These are the SPI (Society of the Plastics Industry) resin identification coding system placed on plastics to identify the polymer type.  The symbols can be very helpful to you when deciding what products can or cannot be recycled.  (Currently in Wauconda, we can recycle plastics with the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 on them)  For more information on these codes go to wikipedia.org and search ‘Plastic Recycling Codes’.  There you can find out what the symbols mean and what materials from your everyday use can and cannot be recycled.

To decrease the amount of plastic in landfills, we need to cut down on the amount of plastic bottles that we use, looking at more eco-friendly products.  In 2006, the amount of plastic bottles recycled reached 2,220,000,000 pounds.  This includes an increase of 102 million pounds of PET (soft drink bottles) and 928 million pounds of HDPE (milk and juice bottles) compared to 2005.

Source:  http://www.examiner.com/x-17027-Louisville-Green-Living-Examiner

Green Quiz

Take the quiz and test your knowledge of green trivia.  Hopefully you will learn something new as well.

1. How many times can the newspaper you read today be recycled?
2. How much energy can you save by recycling one aluminum can every day for a month? 
3. An obsolete CRT television monitor contains three to eight pounds of which hazardous compound? 
4. Which clean alternative energy source is created by landfills? 
5. How much can one compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) save in electricity costs over its lifetime? 
6. What term refers to an organization’s ability to use resources at a rate at which they can be replenished?
7. Which U.S. President set aside millions of acres of timberland as public domain?
8. What single innovation is causing more people to recycle more products than ever? 

To learn more about these topics, visit our  source website:  www.thinkgreen.com. 

Answers:  1. 7, 2. Enough to watch 29 movies, 3. Lead, 4. Methane gas, 5. $30, 6. Sustainability, 7. Theodore Roosevelt, 8. Single strain recycling

FEATURED GROUP

The Village of Wauconda Green Initiatives

Over the past several years, the Village of Wauconda has made numerous efforts to operate in a more environmentally friendly manner.  Efforts include:

• Conversion to brine system to aid in snow and ice fighting thus reducing the Village’s use of road salt by up to 60%.
• Collecting unwanted electronics for recycling.  On average, 3,000-4,000 lbs per month are processed through the Public Works Department.
• Regularly cleaning the streets using the street sweeper to remove debris before it enters the storm sewer system.  This helps protect Bangs Lake and area wetlands.  Over 1000 cubic yards of debris (200 dump trucks) are removed on an annual basis.
• Regularly cleaning the storm sewer system with the vacuum truck to remove debris.   
• Passing of a water conservation ordinance that restricts outdoor watering to help protect this valuable natural resource for generations to come.
• Upgrading at the wastewater treatment facility included a conversion to UV light to disinfect the wastewater before it is discharged back into the environment, thus significantly reducing the use of chlorine.
• Retrofitting the exhaust systems of several diesel dump trucks in order to reduce soot, hydrocarbon, and carbon dioxide emissions, thus improving air quality.
• Participating in the Clean Air Counts program and earning Bronze level recognition.  Clean Air Counts is a voluntary six-county Chicago regional initiative of the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency-Region V, City of Chicago, and Illinois EPA.  It seeks significant reductions in smog-forming pollutants and energy consumption. 
• Approving a resolution to endorse the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus Greenest Region Compact, officially supporting the adoption of environmental programs that address environmental issues of global importance at the local level.
• Promoting the annual World Wildlife Fund’s Earth Hour event.  Earth Hour is a global movement designed to raise awareness on the concept of sustainability.  
• Distributing over 2000 CFLs to residents at no cost.  CFLs are more energy efficient than standard incandescent light bulbs. 
• Assisting the United Partnership with their collection of used athletic shoes for SWALCO’s Reuse-a-Shoe program.  Last year, the Village collected 4,265 shoes.   The shoes are used to create playground material.
• Using reclaimed water from the water reclamation facility for lawn irrigation on the site.
• Utilizing an electronic newsletter to communicate current events, thus conserving paper.
• Replacing a concrete stormwater outlet with a vegetated swale to treat stormwater before it enters Circle Channel.  This project was partially funded through a grant awarded by Lake County Stormwater Management Commission.

The Environmental Quality Department is always looking for ways in which the Village can become more green.  If you have any comments or suggestions, please contact Jackie Soccorso, Director of Environmental Quality, at 847-526-9610.

ECO-FRIENDLY ADVICE

Change your furnace filters regularly.   
Dirty filters make the system work harder and use more energy than necessary.  Swap out filters every month during the heating season.
 

Choose organic fruits and veggies.
Especially the 9 most likely to absorb pesticides:  peaches, apples, peppers, celery, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, lettuce, and grapes.
 

Slow down when driving.
Every five-mile-per hour reduction in highway speed reduces fuel consumption by 7%.  Reducing speed from 70 to 65 miles per hour saves 19 cents a gallon in gasoline and reduces toxic emissions substantially.
 

Check your car’s air filter.
Nearly 25% of cars today need an air filter replacement.

TWO ‘ADOPTION’ OPPORTUNITIES

            The Village is offering two opportunities for you to publicize your organization,
and make a difference in the community at the same time.

ADOPT-A-ROADWAY
 

            Each volunteer group is assigned a one-half mile section of roadway.  When your group applies, you may choose the particular section of roadway to adopt as long as it has not been previously selected by another group. Volunteer groups agree to help improve the appearance of a section of roadway at least three times each year for a two-year period.  Participation can include one or more of the following activities: 

Removing litter, removing graffiti, and controlling vegetation.

In return for this partnership, the Village will provide roadside signs identifying your group as an official Adopt-A-Roadway program participant (the Village reserves the right to approve all messages on the signs).   The Village will provide safety vests and trash bags to volunteers and removes the filled bags from the roadside following a pickup day.

This is a great opportunity for all types of organizations, including scout troops, homeowners groups, church groups, activity and teen groups, small and large businesses, clubs, service organizations and senior citizen groups.  Crew members must be a minimum of 12 years old. Participants between the ages of 12 to 18 must have adult supervision at a ratio of one adult for every five youth.

ADOPT-A-HYDRANT
 

            Each volunteer group is assigned a neighborhood or group of hydrants to refurbish.  When your group applies, you may choose the group to adopt as long as it has not been selected by another group.  Volunteer groups agree to help improve the appearance of the hydrants on a one-time basis, or to be responsible for their upkeep over a longer period - whichever your group prefers.

In return for this partnership, the Village will recognize your group with a certificate of appreciation from the Mayor that will be presented to your group at a Village Board meeting.   Your group will also be highlighted in the Village newsletter as official Adopt-A-Hydrant program participants.   The Village will provide paint, painting supplies, and safety vests for your volunteers.

Just about any group can do this.  It's a great opportunity for all types of organizations, including scout troops, homeowners groups, church groups, activity and teen groups, small and large businesses, clubs, service organizations and senior citizen groups.  Crew members must be a minimum of 10 years old.  Participants between the ages of 10 to 18 must have adult supervision at a ratio of one adult for every five youth

For more information on either of these programs, please contact Tracy at the Village of Wauconda Public Works Department at (847) 526-9610.

40th Anniversary of Earth Day
April 22, 2010

Forty years after the first Earth Day, the world is in greater peril than ever.  While climate change is the greatest challenge of our time, it also presents the greatest opportunity – an unprecedented opportunity to build a healthy, clean energy economy now and for the future.

LINKS

Here are a few new interesting websites to look at to get more facts or tips:

Pollution prevention: www.epa.state.il.us/p2/

Encyclopedia of ways to go green: www.chicagogreenworks.com

Green cleaning products: www.greenseal.org

Help for businesses to go green: http://ofee.gov/janitor/index.asp'

Here are LINKS from our previous newsletters to get more facts, tips, or to learn about what’s going on in our area: 

National:               

www.thegreenguide.com  

www.greenlivingtips.com                                                                          

www.aboutmyplanet.com 

www.thedailygreen.com
www.earth911.com

http://becomegreen.info/

For Kids:                   

www.kids.nationalgeographic.com/Activities/FunScience/Green     

www.thebiggreenhelppress.com 

www.epa.gov/kids

www.epa.gov/students

Our Area:                  

www.swalco.org                  

http://www.lakecountyil.gov/STORMWATER/default.htm

www.wm.com                                  

www.chicagowilderness.org

united partnership - keepin it green

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November, 2008

February, 2009

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This newsletter is brought to you by the Green Committee of the United Partnership for a Better Community.  For more information on the United Partnership, please go to www.unitedpartnership.org.