News

RethinkWaste's Shoreway Environmental Center leads the way with solar power and innovative recycling.

Project Sustainability

RethinkWaste's Shoreway Environmental Center, at the end of February 2013, has diverted two million tons of residential and commercial recyclables and organics from the Ox Mountain Landfill since 1994. 

RethinkWaste Reaches 2M Ton Diversion Mark

RethinkWaste's Shoreway Environmental Center, at the end of February 2013, has diverted two million tons of residential and commercial recyclables and organics from the Ox Mountain Landfill since 1994.  A celebration was held March 1st to mark the significant milestone.

Shoreway Reaches 2M Ton Diversion Mark

RethinkWaste's Executive Director Kevin McCarthy's article for Waste Age Magazine, the magazine for the national private sector trade association for solid waste and recycling companies. The article is on how the Shoreway Environmental Center came to be.

Laying the Groundwork

RethinkWaste's Shoreway Environmental Center was recognized as the "MRF of the Month" in resource Recycling's December 2011 issue.

MRF of the Month Shoreway Feature

RethinkWaste celebrated the grand opening of the Shoreway Environmental Center on September 27, 2011. Recycling Today was on hand to tour the facility and featured it in their November 2011 edition.

Looking for lawn chairs, planters or just some other unique outdoor décor? A wide range of garden accessories made from recycled and reclaimed materials is now available. Here are just a few examples.

Sit back and watch the grass grow in a folding barrel stave chair by Whit McLeod. This sturdy lounger is made from 54-gallon wine barrels discarded by the California Wine Industry after about 10 years of use. Each is branded with the name of the winery that used the barrel.

If there were green building codes for bird houses, the ones made by People Services would certainly measure up! Made from recycled pallets and paints, and finished with bark, moss and twigs from yard trimmings, these crafty creations are sure to attract feathered friends to your yard.

Don't have a garden? Planter boxes may be the solution for you. Made from reclaimed redwood or recycled plastic, these planters are functional as well as eco-friendly. They come in all kinds, such as a complete "Baby Bloomer" hydroponic system, colorful "Perfect Pots" or handsome redwood planters that can accommodate small trees.

Other recycled garden accessories include shrub and tree ties made from old tires, recycled glass wind chimes, recycled plastic and wood decking, or "yard birds" made from reclaimed metal.

Ask for these or similar items at your local nursery or find out how to order them at www.ciwmb.ca.gov/RecycleStore.

References:

• RecycleStore: RecycleStore.com
• Green Gift Guide: GreenGiftGuide.com
• Gaiam: Gaiam.com
• UncommonGoods: uncommongoods.com
• "Full-size containers" People Services
• "Babybloomers" American Hydroponics

RethinkWaste's main job is to make sure you have the best possible and most economical waste collection and recycling services. Since these services require a huge infrastructure, this requires planning far in advance. Right now we're working on waste handling plans for 2011 and beyond!

First we're doing research — finding out from residents and businesses what they want. Once we have this feedback, we can develop a scope of services for the potential providers to bid on. We expect the selection process to begin in mid-2008.

For more information, please visit our Contractor Performance page, where you'll find information about the task, background documents on performance, meeting minutes, and documentation supporting the discussion. 

Americans are willing to pay a lot for convenience. ATM fees, credit card finance charges and eating out all can take a toll on a family's budget. Yet we often value "saving time" over the many other costs our choices involve. These include costs to our health, the environment and even our social groups.

These issues all come together at the supermarket. Modern packaging provides us with food we can prepare quickly and that can last for months when unopened. Nutritionally, however, these foods are higher in salt, fats and preservatives. All of these have been shown to have a huge impact on obesity as well as our general health. Food prepared at home is generally fresher, the ingredients cheaper and the taste more personal. Plus a home cooked meal has a way of bringing the family together that a frozen pizza just can't do.

"Convenience" has other hidden costs, too — for example, higher packaging costs which are passed on to you the consumer. According to the USDA, between 1980 and 2000, packaging costs totaled $53.5 billion, growing 20% faster than total costs for food.

So at your next family dinner talk about what you truly value. Your next dinner may be much more satisfying! 

A self-proclaimed "recycling evangelist," RethinkWaste area resident and artist Harriete Estel Berman started practicing what she preaches in 1989, by changing the style of her artwork to reflect her environmental values. "My work begins with post-consumer material diverted from a destiny as trash. Revitalized from the mundane, recycled tin containers are deconstructed, cut, folded and reassembled into the extraordinary."

Berman is inspired by the idea of reducing waste but also by showing the inherent beauty of objects that usually end up in landfills. She worked for years perfecting a technique to flatten and cut the tin cans to get the best material for her craft. Her eye for pattern and color creates a finished work of art that rises high above its humble beginnings.

Harriete's work includes exquisite teapots, teacups, jewelry, wall pieces and installations. Some of these items have found permanent homes at such noble institutions as the Smithsonian, the Columbus Museum of Art, the Detroit Institute of the Arts and the Jewish Museum of New York. You can see samples of her work at www.harriete-estel-berman.info.