Recycling

Are you recycling cartons and juice boxes? Rumpke opened a brand new state-of-the-art recycling facility (Material Recovery Facilty/MRF) in November and the community was invited to go for a tour. Since I consider myself the resident recycling guru in Amberley, and as chair of the Health, Education, & Welfare committee of council that reviews our trash and recycling contracts annually, I didn't want to miss the opportunity. Fellow councilperson Peg Conway and I went together.

Our community is doing a great job of reducing the trash we send to the landfill. Last year, we received approximately $13,000 from Hamilton County Solid Waste and Recycling as a reward for the amount of waste we kept out of the landfill. The items that are acceptable for recycling are dependent upon there being either a buyer or an end-use for the material being recycled. Practically anything is recyclable, as long as there is someone to buy it and we have the facility to separate and bale it. Rumpke's new facility is now capable of separating and baling the cartons we used to have to throw in the trash. This includes milk cartons and juice boxes that have a waxy coating on them.

A couple of take away tips from the tour: 1) DON'T THROW AWAY PLASTIC BAGS! Rumpke's MRF is manned by workers whose job it is to sort out non-recyclable trash from a fast-moving conveyor. One plastic bag stuck in the conveyor can shut down the entire facility! Throw your papers straight into the recycling can or bin, or else put them in a paper grocery bag. Plastic grocery bags can be recycled by taking them back to the grocery store and putting them in the recycle bin at the front of the store. 2) RINSE AND REMOVE THE LIDS FROM CARTONS. Plastic lids may be recycled along with plastic bottles as long as they are attached to the bottle.

Remember, our solid waste output can also be dramatically reduced by composting. Composting is fun, easy, and can be done all year long. Michele Balz of Hamilton County Solid Waste & Recycling writes a humorous blog about composting with lots of composting tips called Confessions of a Composter. Finally, it's time to start stockpiling those old electronics and papers for shredding. Amberley's Environmental Stewardship Committee will once again be hosting "One Stop Drop" and Cohen Recycling will be collecting electronics to recycle.

If you ever wondered what happens to the materials we recycle after they are picked up at the curb, Rumpke has some great videos on its YouTube channel: Rumpke Clean & Green. You can also schedule a tour for your own group by visiting their website http://rumpke.com/education/facility-tours. Scouts will love this tour, because as you can see from my photo, visitors are required to wear protective clothing, including a hardhat.

If you haven't yet done so, be sure to join our neighborhood network on Nextdoor and subscribe to Amberley news and email at AmberleyVillage.org. 

"Green"

Running on Amberley Green

When I was campaigning for council, I was derided a couple of times for my green signs. Although the signs, in my mind, depicted how I felt about Amberley -- green, rolling hills -- they were seen as being an indicator of another kind of "green." The green of someone who cares about the environment. Did this interpretation of  a one dimensional yard sign hurt my feelings? Absolutely not! On the contrary, I welcomed it, and if I happened to lose those two votes (I did), I hope that the passage of time has proven that green is a sign of foresight and progressiveness when it comes to economic development and the future of Amberley and Cincinnati.

Recently, Amberley Village Council voted in favor of an agreement that would give The Walnut Group the exclusive right to conduct a due diligence investigation into the feasiblity of developing Amberley Green consistent with Amberley's Long Range Plan. The agreement, Resolution 2013-09, requires that The Walnut Group develop detailed site plans, including street and utility diagrams, street layouts, specific designs, as well as possible tenants, timing, and economics. Because the concept plan of The Walnut Group is consistent with Amberley's published Long Range Plan, it includes strong references to Amberley's Vision Pillars that require sustainable and ecological practices as well as connectivity.

Which brings me back to "green." According to this morning's Cincinnati Enquirer, Cincinnati is ten years ahead of other municipalities in terms of sustainablility. Last week, I wrote about our recycling program. We have been gardening at Amberley Green for a year. Tomorrow at 6:00PM, Amberley is celebrating nine years of being a Tree City, USA community. Next month, on May 19th, we will be hosting "One Stop Drop," a large-scale recycling event at Amberley Green where residents can bring documents for shredding, small electric appliances for recycling, and any kind of shoe to give to foundations that will reuse them.

A strong componant of building a greener community is the ability of residents to commute within the area without the use of cars. Cycle trails, sidewalks, and walking paths make a community more friendly and, from an economic standpoint, a more desirable area in which to buy a house and raise a family. The Walnut Group's concept plan includes a town square, Univeral Design housing, a corporate tenant, plenty of green space and walking paths. It is up to us, the citizens of Amberley Village, to insist on a safe means to connect to Amberley Green, French Park, and our other myriad amenities, without needing to resort to our cars.

If you haven't yet connected with your neighbors on Amberley Village Nextdoor, please accept my invitation to do so now. Stay informed! CLICK HERE.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Have you ever given serious thought to your family's rate of recycling? More household items than you might suspect are now recyclable and the more Amberley residents recycle, the greater our Residential Recycling Incentive (RRI) grant from the Hamilton County Solid Waste District. Last year, Amberley's rate of recycling was 22% which is very good. If our rate is between 20%-24.9%, our RRI $ per ton is $28.  We received a little more than $11,000 in 2011 just for recycling. However, if we increase our rate to 25%, our RRI $ per ton increases to $32.  How can we do that if we are already one of the top recycling communities in Hamilton County?

If we are smarter about recycling we can easily meet that goal. Mariemont and Montgomery already surpass us by 10%, and Mariemont does it with the small red bins as well.

First of all, go ahead and order that large recycling bin from Rumpke. You will find that with the acquisition of a larger bin, your rate of recycling will probably surpass your rate of throw-away trash. The bins can be purchased and delivered to your home. You could wait a year and get one for free when Amberley renegotiates it's garbage contract (most likely), or you could buy one this year and get another one next year. I know we could easily fill two large recycling containers at my household every week.

Pay attention to what you are throwing away. Toilet paper rolls and paper towel rolls? Both are recyclable, but you are probably throwing them away. I've started keeping two waste baskets in the bathroom -- one is for recyclable trash.  Open your mail over the recycling bin. Also, all those receipts in your wallet and purse are recyclable too.

Don't throw away those old computers and televisions. They are recyclable! Hazardous household waste products can be taken to 4600 Spring Grove Avenue . I am certain with a little more thought and a bigger household bin, Amberley can become an elite community of recyclers and bring in a little more revenue to the Village as well.

Garbage IN

One of the first things I did upon being elected to Amberley Village Council is establish a new email address for council-related business. It's a good thing I did too, since my inbox is already up to 548 emails, with very little spam. In fact, I just checked and there are only 2 spam emails in the spam filter. Don't let that give you any ideas, however! I get enough interesting email already...

So, where do these emails come from and what are they about? Most are actually Village business or from residents. But, as a council member, I have the opportunity to attend seminars and network. As well, I think as a council member, my name just gets added to lists of organizations that Amberley participants in as a member, as well as other interesting things. Today, in fact, I received an email from the Hamilton County Department of Environmental Services. It was the Spring 2012 newsletter "WasteLine" and I found every single article of interest to me and I think the information will be of interest to you as an Amberley Village resident.

For example, the higher a community's recycling rate, the more dollars per ton they receive as an incentive. Out of the 48 Hamilton County communities that recycle, Amberley's recycling rate is the eighth highest. At 22.41%, our recycling rate is well above the county's average rate of 13.04%. Because of all of our efforts, Amberley received $11,230.00 just for recycling! There are ways of boosting our rate even higher. Last year, you may have taken advantage of Amberley's community wide shredding event. Tonnage recycled at community shredding events counts toward a community's recycling rate. Because this is also a very valuable service to our residents, look for another community-wide shred event this Spring.

Also of interest, both to gardeners and others interested in reducing the amount of garbage they bring to the curb (or perhaps extending the life of the garbage disposal), the Hamilton County Waste and Recycling District is sponsoring composting seminars. The closest to Amberley is the seminar to be held in Deer Park on April 26th at 6:00 PM. With the Amberley Green Garden opening in April, anyone interested in gardening on the Green is encouraged to attend. Space is limited, so call Susan Schumacher at 946-7734 to register.

Look for these yard signs indicating a We THRIVE! project coming soon.

Speaking of Amberley's Community Garden, we are about a month away from rolling out the carpet on this fully-funded initiative made possible by Hamilton County Public Health's We THRIVE! grant. The flyer is available HERE and we hope to see you growing some fresh veggies this summer. Plots are 9'x15' and will rent for $50. Families who do not think they can handle an entire plot are encouraged to find another family to share with. The entire garden will be fenced with 7.5' high deer fencing that is practically invisible to the eye until you are upon it. The bottom will be reinforced with chicken wire in order to keep out burrowing animals. We will provide the water, hoses, and garden carts. This is a great opportunity to get to know each other in a fun and productive setting and I hope you will join the Wolf family in this gardening adventure. We will be using organic practices, in keeping with current trends in healthy food practices. Check out the Amberley Village We THRIVE! page on the Watch Us Thrive website.

There is always something going on in the Village, but I try to keep these posts as brief as possible and I also try to keep my imposition on YOUR email inbox as minimal as possible. Don't forget to subscribe to the Village e-news at http://www.amberleyvillage.org/.