16 Jul 2012

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED TO CLEAN UP QUAD CITY WATERWAYS

By Erin Robinson Vorac

QUAD CITIES–Xstream Cleanup, presented by Riverboat Development Authority and Group O, is seeking hundreds of volunteers to clean up 43 sites in the Quad Cities area on Saturday, August 11 from 8:30 a.m. until 11:30 a.m.

Cleanups will take place in Bettendorf, Buffalo, Davenport, LeClaire and McCausland, Iowa; Milan, Moline, Rock Island and Silvis, Illinois.

Volunteers can choose to participate in either a light-duty or heavy-duty cleanup, invasive plant removal or a greening/beautification project. All volunteers registered by August 2 receive a free t-shirt and a pass for a special viewing area at River Roots Live on August 18.

No previous cleanup experience is necessary and supplies will be provided. A parent or guardian must accompany volunteers under the age of 18. Interested persons should register online at www.xstreamcleanup.org. The registration deadline is August 2.

This event will mark the ninth annual Xstream Cleanup. Last year nearly 1,300 volunteers worked on August 13 and removed 69,455 pounds of debris from area waterways and illegal dump sites.

Xstream Cleanup 2012 is sponsored by: Presenting Sponsors: Group O and Riverboat Development Authority. Platinum Sponsors: Alcoa, iLivehere® and Living Lands & Waters. Gold Sponsors: Community Foundation of the Great River Bend, Iowa American Water, Rock Island County Waste Management Agency and The Moline Foundation. Silver Sponsors: Alter Metal Recycling, DHL Global Forwarding, Independent Insurance Agents of Scott County, McCarthy-Bush Corporation, Oystar Packaging Technologies, Quad City Conservation Alliance, Radish magazine, Sears Seating and Wallace's Garden Center. Bronze Sponsors: Coca-Cola Bottling Company, Eastern Iowa Grain Inspection, Mel Foster Company and Midas Auto Systems Experts. Logistics Sponsors: Cities of Bettendorf, Buffalo, Davenport, LeClaire, McCausland, Milan, Moline, Rock Island and Silvis. Allied Waste, Bi-State Regional Commission, Keep Rock Island Beautiful, Partners of Scott County Watersheds, River Roots Live and Waste Commission of Scott County.

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19 Dec 2011

HOLIDAY RECYCLING REMINDERS

By Erin Robinson Vorac

DAVENPORT, IA–Household waste in the United States increases by more than 25 percent between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day, creating an extra one million tons per week. But locally, not all of this waste has to end up in a landfill.

Throughout Scott County, many holiday-related items can be recycled through curbside and drop-off recycling programs. Examples include : boxes from electronics, toys, shoes & shirts, wrapping paper tubes, gift/shopping bags made of paper, tissue paper, greeting cards, envelopes, newspapers, advertisements, magazines, catalogs, #1 and #2 plastics, glass food and beverage containers, steel cans, popcorn and cookie tins, aluminum cans & pie plates.

However, not all holiday waste can be recycled. Items such as wrapping paper, bows, ribbons, Styrofoam, plastic film, artificial Christmas trees and Christmas lights are considered contaminants to the recycling process and should not be placed in curbside or drop-off recycling containers.

Christmas lights, along with computers, monitors, televisions, printers, digital cameras and video game systems are considered electronic waste, or e-waste. These items can be recycled weekdays from 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Electronic Demanufacturing Facility, 1048 East 59th Street in Davenport. There is no charge to residents from Scott and Rock Island counties. However, fees apply for e-waste from businesses. Call (563) 823-0119 for more information. The cities of Bettendorf and Davenport collect large e-waste items (not Christmas lights) at the curb from residents on bulky waste/recycling day and deliver them to the Electronic Demanufacturing Facility for recycling.

For more information about recycling, please call (563) 386-9575 or visit www.wastecom.com.

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12 Dec 2011

SCOTT AREA LANDFILL DEBUTS NEW IMPROVEMENTS FOR CUSTOMERS

By Erin Robinson Vorac

DAVENPORT, IA–The Scott Area Landfill, operated by Waste Commission of Scott County, is debuting new improvements for landfill customers on Thursday, December 8. The new improvements include an automated scale and a citizens' convenience area.

The new automated scale is for customers who frequently use the landfill, such as the City of Bettendorf and City of Davenport. These frequent customers will be given a code, which they will type into a keypad and the truck's weight will automatically be recorded. This will save the truck drivers time by not having to wait in the regular scale line or get out of their vehicle to go in to the scale office. Because the frequent customers will be diverted to the automated scale, other landfill customers will have shorter wait times in line. This improvement will greatly reduce vehicle idling, thereby reducing air emissions.

The citizens' convenience area includes a new trash unloading area for small loads and updated areas for drop-off recycling, appliances, scrap metal, oil, oil filters, antifreeze and car batteries. The new trash unloading area was designed for customers in cars, vans or pickup trucks with small loads of garbage. These small loads will be diverted to a concrete bunker near the office for unloading, rather than the actual landfill. The new trash unloading area is of benefit to these customers in that it will take less time for unloading, is safer due to not being around other large trucks or heavy equipment and they will not have to drive into the landfill.

The Scott Area Landfill is located at 11555 110th Avenue (County Road Y-48) in Davenport and is open 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. weekdays and 8 a.m. to noon Saturdays.

Waste Commission of Scott County is an inter-governmental agency whose mission is to provide environmentally sound and economically feasible solid waste management for Scott County. The Commission (Board) is comprised of the mayor of Davenport, a Davenport alderman, mayor of Bettendorf, chair of the Scott County Board of Supervisors and the mayor(s) of an outlying community in Scott County. For more information about the Commission, please call (563) 381-1300 or visit www.wastecom.com.

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08 Nov 2011

RECYCLING CENTER OFFERS FREE TOUR ON AMERICA RECYCLES DAY, NOVEMBER 15

By Erin Robinson Vorac

DAVENPORT, IA–Waste Commission of Scott County is hosting a free, guided tour of the Scott Area Recycling Center and Electronic Demanufacturing Facility from 2:00-3:00 p.m. on Tuesday, November 15 in celebration of America Recycles Day. The tour is open to anyone who is interested in learning more about local recycling programs. However, space is limited and an RSVP is required by November 14. To RSVP, call Paula Webinger at (563) 468-4218.

The Scott Area Recycling Center is located at 5640 Carey Avenue in Davenport. This facility receives, sorts, bales and markets material from the curbside recycling programs in the cities of Davenport and Bettendorf, from the five drop-off recycling centers located throughout Scott County and from some businesses and outlying communities in Scott County. Tour attendees will learn about acceptable and unacceptable material, watch how material is sorted and marketed and see examples of products that are made from recycled material.

The Electronic Demanufacturing Facility is located at 1048 East 59th Street in Davenport, which is on the same campus as the Scott Area Recycling Center. This facility receives electronic waste (e-waste) such as computers, televisions, monitors, printers, copiers, VCRs and DVD players. Electronics received at this facility are demanufactured and, to ensure data security, are not refurbished or reused. Demanufacturing, or disassembling, involves manually breaking down equipment into marketable components, which are then sent for recycling. Hazardous material, such as lead and mercury, from e-waste is removed and properly managed. Both facilities are handicapped accessible.

This free tour is in celebration of America Recycles Day. Since 1997, communities across the country have come together on November 15 to celebrate America Recycles Day. More than a celebration, America Recycles Day is the only nationally recognized day dedicated to the promotion of recycling in the United States. Learn more at www.americarecyclesday.org.

Waste Commission of Scott County is an inter-governmental agency whose mission is to provide environmentally sound and economically feasible solid waste management for Scott County. For more information about the Commission, please call (563) 381-1300 or visit www.wastecom.com.

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