Battle of the Books

Books, books, and more books! Every house, home, school, business, and non-profit organization has books. There are textbooks, cookbooks, novels, and even books to balance the leg of your kitchen table. Little books, big books, pretty new books, and ugly old books all abound. But what do we do with all these books?

There are actually quite a few options available. My favorite option is to share the book with a friend. By finding a new home for the book, your friend is treated to a new (to them) book and the book is no longer collecting dust or taking up space on your shelf. By reusing and re-circulating books, you extends the life and usability of the material contained within.

Another choice is to sell or donate the books. Some used book stores will buy or trade books. Many schools and care centers would like your used children’s books and magazines. Doctor’s offices and churches are great places to leave magazines and small books to share with others. Libraries have drop boxes for donations and Altrusa, a local service club, collects books in the Roseburg Valley Mall to share with those who need them.

Thrift stores are a resting ground for many books. I would suggest however that when you donate books to thrift stores, find out what they do with the books should they not want them or they do not sell. Many thrift stores are not currently recycling books and they end up in the county landfill. The recycling office within Douglas County Public Works has just initiated a research study to determine what the thrift stores want and do not want donated. In addition, the study will demonstrate which stores are recycling and what items are included. The results of this study with help Douglas County Public Works promote proper donation standards and to determine what opportunities are available to assist this segment of our community recycle better.

Finally, if you know that book or magazine is not desirable, and you simply wish to get rid of it, the County Transfer Station nearest you has a “Mixed Paper” bin or shelf just for such items. You can also drop them off at any one of Sunrise Enterprise’s recycle depots next time your in Roseburg.

Just remember that paper constitutes 32% of our landfill. Books and magazines are made of paper. Paper is recyclable.

By recycling our materials through the opportunities that abound, you can save money and precious natural resources and energy. If you want to know more about waste reduction, contact me today. Together we can Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle and Trash Douglas County Less!

Article seen as published in the North County News as part of a regular "Talkin' Trash" column.

Managing Medicines

I receive at least 3 calls a week asking what is the best way to dispose of prescription medication safely and securely. Most people are worried about private information being collected or what liabilities are placed upon them should someone scavenge their medications from the trash. What to do is a query that many citizens ask themselves but are not provided an answer on the bottle.

Some communities have established prescription redistribution centers where you can turn in your unused meds and they are given out to the needy. These programs however are proving to be more of a problem than solution. Outdated medications, lessened potency, and having newer treatments available are just some of the concerns needing to be addressed by the medical community. Currently, there are not any medication reuse opportunities in Oregon.

The answer to the question may not be simple, but it is clear. DO NOT flush you medications. There are communities around the USA that can measure medications volumes in their water table! Flushed medications do not really go away. The best answer is to discard your unused medications in the trash. They will go to the landfill and be secure from entering our water systems. There is zero liability upon the waste generator for your discarded meds. However, some people feel more comfortable crushing the pills before discarding them.

In regards to private information, simply remove labels from containers or mark them in a way so they cannot be read. Then recycle the container with the rest of your plastics or glass as the case may be. Our partners in recycling are careful to protect that material once it enters their ownership. The important thing to remember is to protect our community by disposing of unused medications properly.

By recycling our materials through the opportunities that abound, you can save money and our precious natural resources and energy. If you want to know more about waste reduction, contact me today. Together we can Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle and Trash Douglas County Less!

Article seen as published in the North County News as part of a regular "Talkin' Trash" column.

Low Hanging Fruit

The Douglas County landfill is filling up faster than expected. With growing consumerism and a no-fee solid waste system, the citizens of Douglas County are increasing the volume of material entering the waste stream every year. We are keeping up a good recycling pace however, 30% and holding. That means we put about 100,000 tons of waste into the landfill and 30,000 tons are recycled. Not bad considering you can drive to the transfer station and throw away your garbage and no one “makes” you recycle.

The reason we are doing well is that many opportunities exist to recycle in Douglas County. In addition, they are clean and orderly. However, even with these great opportunities, 33% of our landfill is paper and cardboard! This is the easiest material to gather, collect, and recycle. Considering the ease at which it can be recycled, the free drop off and pick up opportunities, and the volume of material entering the landfill, this is certainly the lowest hanging fruit on the waste reduction tree.

Did you know that all paper can be recycled in Douglas County? That’s right ALL paper. Cardboard, office paper, cereal boxes, colored paper, newspaper, magazines, and even junk mail are all recyclable. This material is collected at all 13 transfer stations around the county and can be picked up for free in volume by Sunrise Enterprises. Commercial garbage haulers even provide free cardboard dumpsters to commercial account to encourage waste reduction. The average household’s waste consists of 50% recyclable paper, the average school, 75%, and the average office, 95%! By recycling these materials through the opportunities that abound, you can save money and our precious natural resources and energy.

If you want to know more contact me today. Together we can Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle to Trash Douglas County Less!

Article seen as published in the North County News as part of a regular "Talkin' Trash" column.

If you build it, they will come!

In Roseburg, Winston, and Winchester Bay there are community recycling depots supported by the citizens, local government, and our recycling partner Sunrise Enterprises. It was an experiment to be sure, but wouldn’t it be neat to have something similar in Sutherlin?

Most folks from Sutherlin indicated that they have garbage service and recycle what they can with the local hauler, but not everything is accepted. Add to this that the nearest recycling opportunity is in Oakland or Roseburg, and we have a challenge. As I spoke with people at the Douglas County Home Show this weekend, it became apparent that if given greater opportunity to recycle, the citizens of Sutherlin would do more.

Sutherlin WANTS to recycle. All that is needed is a location that could be accessible to the public and easily visible. Douglas County Public Works and Sunrise Enterprises is willing to partner with the community to provide great opportunities to recycle. Help us build it, and they will come.

If you have any suggestions on a recycling depot location on private or public land, please contact me and we can chat. Together we can Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle and Trash Douglas County Less!

Article seen as published in the North County News as part of a regular "Talkin' Trash" column.