Trash and Tree Waste: http://www.houstontx.gov/solidwaste/treewaste.html

Trash Facts: http://www.houstontx.gov/solidwaste/trashfacts.pdf

Remember you can take your glass items to be recycled at almost any recycling center. For ease, at 5900 Westpark, drive your car through, open the trunk and they do the rest. If you are overrun with recycling, and can't wait until November, you may take all of your recycling at any time to this location as well.
 

Allowable Items for Curbside Recycling:
• Mail, envelopes & office paper
• Newspaper, magazines/catalogs & telephone books
• Plastic (#1 - 5 & 7 NOT 6)
• Aluminum, tin & steel cans
• Flattened corrugated cardboard (NO FOOD, CEREAL, PIZZA OR SODA CARTONS)
• Used motor oil (in a non-chemical/non-detergent screw top container placed outside the bin)

Calling all neighbors .if you have not joined the Homeowner's Association, purchased a street light or begun to recycle, DO SO NOW!!!  All of these things help in supporting our great neighborhood.

Everyone is wondering when recycling will begin again.  Well, good news Braeswood Place!  The City of Houston will be sending those big blue trucks through our wonderful neighborhood the week of November 3^rd.  (Remember, South of the Bayou pick up is on Mondays and North of the Bayou is on Tuesdays). 

Also, remember you can take your glass items to be recycled at almost any recycling center.  For ease, at 5900 Westpark, drive your car through, open the trunk and they do the rest.  If you are overrun with recycling, and can't wait until November, you may take all of your recycling at any time to this location as well. 

Any other recycling questions, please contact me at snoopskaya@sbcglobal.net.

SWEEP AND BAG

City Urges Residents To Bag Light Storm Debris

Beginning Monday, September 29, 2008, the Yard Waste Schedule was modified for the department to "sweep" geographic areas. The City of Houston Solid Waste Management Department (SWMD) has dedicated its Yard Trimmings and Curbside Recycling crews to pick up the bagged vegetative storm debris and put it into rearloader trucks. The modified yard waste schedule is as follows:

            MONDAYS- Southwest Quadrant Area                     

            TUESDAYS- Northwest Quadrant Area

            WEDNESDAYS- areas not completed on Monday and Tuesday

            THURSDAYS- Northeast Quadrant Area
            FRIDAYS- Southeast Quadrant Area
            SATURDAYS-Far Northeast Quadrant

The City of Houston Solid Waste Management Department urges Houston residents to place their small twigs, leaves and other light loose yard waste in a bag and place it on the curb of a City street. "By bagging the yard trimmings and light storm debris, our heavy trash crews can concentrate on getting the difficult, bulky items. This will help expedite the overall storm debris cleanup process," said Harry J. Hayes, Solid Waste Management Department Director. "It will also help reduce the loose debris which may clog ditches and storm sewers/drains," added Hayes.

Be sure to separate woody waste (tree debris) from other materials, such as fences, building debris, furniture, etc.  These materials are treated differently and deposited in separate landfills.  Failure to separate will significantly slow the process.

Let's get recycling, Braeswood Place!  The City is evaluating which neighborhoods will lose curbside recycling due to lack of participation.  Don't let our great neighborhood be one of them - if you need a bin call 3-1-1 immediately or contact me at snoopskaya@sbcglobal.net.

On another note, the City of Houston is changing the "heavy trash" process beginning in October.  Pick-up will alternate  monthly between junk trash and tree waste.  Junk trash is furniture and large items that will not fit in your garbage can.  Tree waste is tree limbs, branches, etc.  DO NOT COMBINE tree and junk waste - it will not be picked up.

Month	What will be collected
October	Junk waste
November	Tree waste
December	Junk waste
January	Tree waste
February	Junk waste
March	Tree waste

RECYCLING ELECTRONIC ITEMS

The City of Houston accepts unwanted electronic items including: CPU's, keyboards, monitors, small electrical appliances, cell phones, audio equipment, VCR's, T.V.'s, 8 track players, etc. at the Environmental Service Center, 11500 South Post Oak (limited hours - see below) and Westpark Consumer Recycling Center, 5900 Westpark (9 am - 5 pm, Monday through Saturday). 

HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE

2nd Saturday of Each Month    9 am - 1 pm
Every Tuesday and Wednesday   9 am - 3 pm

Take Household Hazardous Waste (pesticides, paints, chemicals, etc.) to the City's Environmental Service Center, 11500 South Post Oak.   Take a current water bill and a Texas Driver's License for verification that you are a resident of the City of Houston.

Just a friendly reminder - if you are new to the neighborhood or are not yet recycling, please contact me at snoopskaya@sbcglobal.net for delivery of your green recycling bin and get started.

Many of you may have seen the report on KHOU (reported by Doug Miller) in early August regarding the low number of Houston residents recycling.  About 170,000 homes within Houston city limits receive curbside recycling services from the City.  Sadly, the majority of these homes do not make an effort to recycle.

Recycling is intended to help us reuse renewable resources to better our environment.  However, it is very difficult for the City to help us all meet this important goal when there are not many green bins out by the curb on recycling day.  Houston’s garbage is deposited into expensive privately-owned landfills.  Houston (and in turn, each of us) pays an enormous amount for this service.  Every pound of material that is recycled is one less pound of trash going into an expensive landfill. 

Truly, it is not any more difficult to throw a can or plastic bottle in a green bin versus throwing it into the garbage.

RECYCLING YOUR ELECTRONIC ITEMS

The City of Houston accepts unwanted electronic items including: CPU’s, keyboards, monitors, small electrical appliances, cell phones, audio equipment, VCR’s, T.V.’s, 8 track players, etc. at the Environmental Service Center, 11500 South Post Oak (limited hours - see below) and Westpark Consumer Recycling Center, 5900 Westpark (9 am -  5 pm, Monday through Saturday). 

HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE

2^nd Saturday of Each Month    9 am - 1 pm

Every Tuesday and Wednesday   9 am - 3 pm

Take your Household Hazardous Waste (pesticides, chemicals, paints, etc.) to the City’s Environmental Service Center, 11500 South Post Oak.   Take a copy of a current water bill and a Texas driver’s license for verification that you are a resident of the City of Houston.

What a great turnout for our 4th of July carnival!  I was impressed by the number of children who knew what items can and cannot be recycled.  I was also thrilled at the number of children who told me that they regularly go with their parents to the recycling center to recycle other materials that cannot go in curbside recycling bins.

Here are some of the great questions that our neighbors asked at the carnival:

1. Why can we not recycle food boxes?

Answer - Food boxes contain low grade fiber as well as a high concentration of glue.  A large quantity of these materials compromise the integrity of the paper mix and the glue can clog the recycling machinery.

2. Why do the drivers pick up non-recyclable items?

Answer - They should not take these items as they can compromise the quality and value of the load.  The recycling truck drivers should leave unacceptable material in the bin.  Once unacceptable materials are collected, it forces the vendor to sort them and throw them away.  So, it costs the City more money.

3. Are batteries recyclable?

Answer - YES.  You must take them to The Westpark Consumer Recycling Center at 5900 Westpark.  The Center also recycles glass bottles and jars (the drive-through service sure makes recycling easy!).
Thanks again to everyone who is making a difference with their recycling efforts, and remember to contact me with any questions or if you need a recycling bin (snoopskaya@sbcglobal.net).

The City of Houston operates a free recycling center at 11500 South Post Oak Road, near the South Main intersection. See hours and ID requirements above.

For your safety and operations efficiency, the ESC asks:

·      If a product is still usable, give it to someone who can use it.

·      Bring liquid paint by type (i.e. latex, oil based, lead based).

·      Keep chemicals in their original containers: place broken or leaking containers inside a second container appropriate for the chemical (i.e. glass for corrosives, metal for flammables).

·      If a container has no label but its contents are known, place a label on the container clearly stating its contents.

·      Do not transport chemicals in the passenger compartment of your vehicle.  Put them in your truck.

The Environmental Service Center (ESC) accepts:

The Environmental Service Center will not accept:

See www.solidwastehouston.org. for additional information.

Get started recycling today!

E-mail me at snoopskaya@sbcglobal.net to get a green recycling bin.  Or, if you have any questions relating to recycling please let me know.

If you are interested in joining the Braeswood Place Recycling Committee contact me immediately.  The  July 4th neighborhood celebration is upon us and we need some volunteers.  I hope to do something fun and exciting to help teach all of our young children in the neighborhood about recycling.

When recycling, remember to follow these few simple rules:

If non-recyclable materials are in your green bin, it can potentially ruin an entire truckload of recycling.  Please be careful what you place in your bin.  Thank you for everyone’s help!!!

On recycling day, many of our neighbors do not have a green bin out and their trash can is overflowing with renewable materials.  As most of you have heard recently, the City of Houston is considering a "Waste Reduction Fee". Why?  The landfills are overfilling too quickly.  We need to keep recyclables out of landfills.  Why not call me today and get a green recycling bin and start recycling what you can immediately?

Important Things to Remember When Recycling

Remove important personal information from your paper items before placing them in a paper sack for recycling. 

Plastic grocery bags cannot go in curbside recycling.  However, you can take them to local grocery stores such as Fiesta, Sellers Brothers, Kroger & Randalls.

If you have more trash than your garbage can will hold, you must have a special sticker tag attached to the individual bag.  "Tags for Bags" is a program that allows you to purchase special tags rather than an additional garbage can if you only need this service occasionally.  "Tags for Bags" may be purchased at Fiesta, HEB, Kroger & Sellers Brothers for $1.00 each plus tax. 

**Separately bagged yard trimmings are recycled and do NOT require such a tag.**

Finally, if you have packing peanuts, almost any mail service store will gladly accept them.