Peoria Curbside Recycling Sign-up Contest

There’s a new curbside recycling program in town! The City of Peoria, Peoria County Recycling & Conservation Department and the Global Warming Solutions Group of Central Illinois are conducting a contest for Peoria’s school, church, and civic groups with $1,500.00 available in cash prizes. The contest is sponsored by Peoria County’s Department of Recycling and Resource Conservation, Midwest Fiber Recycling, and Rehrig Pacific.

What is it?

Peoria Recycling Contest. A contest to increase the number of City of Peoria households that participate in the new curbside recycling program.

How do organizations get involved?

Use the organizer’s packet from our contest page to get started or contact Kiersten Sheets at (309)251-4950.

What can be won?

Prizes awarded based on the number of curbside recyclers your group recruits:

  • First Prize – One $500 prize
  • Second Prize – Two $250 prizes
  • Third Prize – Three $100 prizes
  • Extra Effort Prize – $200 to the organization with the individual signing up the most households

The contest runs from February 15, 2010 to April 15, 2010. Winners will be announced at the Forest Park Nature Center Earth Day Celebration on April 24, 2010 at 1:30 p.m. at the Global Warming Solutions Group table.



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Transitioning to Peoria’s New Curbside Recycling Program

Where do I find information about the program?

PDC has put together information for Peoria on their web site.  WTVP has also produced an informational video on the details of the new curbside recycling program for the City of Peoria.  H Wayne Wilson interviews PDC Vice President Matt Coulter and Municipal Sales Manager Joe Roberts as they demonstrate how the recycle bin is used and what items can be recycled.  Through the program, PDC expects to save 35,000 gallons of diesel fuel and lessen their carbon footprint.  The video and other general information are available to view through PDC’s web site at the following link:

www.pdcarea.com/peoria

An informational fact sheet was published in the Peoria Journal Star that spells out details of the program and lists specific items that are accepted.  You may download, view, and print a copy from the PDC web site at the following link:

Recycling Services – 4 Page Insert

What happens to my recyclables until April?

While PDC has taken over trash pickup services already, the curbside recycling program rolls out beginning April 2nd.  In the meantime, Waste Management has agreed to continue their curbside pickup for those who were already subscribed to the service.  You may also continue to use the recycling drop off locations maintained by Peoria County throughout the city.  Visit the Peoria County Recycling web site here:  www.peoriacounty.org/recycle

I subscribed to the Waste Management curbside program.  Am I automatically enrolled in the PDC program?

No.  You must opt-in to the new program through PDC by phone at 309-674-5176 or through their web site at www.pdcarea.com/peoria.

What happens if I have more recyclables that will fit in my bin?  Can I get another one?

Recycle Bin Used by Waste Management

Recycle Bin Used by Waste Management

Generally speaking, you may want to consider acquiring a second bin.  Each bin requires a the $50 refundable deposit, but there service remains free.  As a temporary solution, you may place overflow in a recycle bin such as the tubs used during the Waste Management program.

Where are the recyclables taken once you have picked them up?

Recyclables picked up through the curbside program are taken to Midwest Fiber and are eventually transported to Chicago for processing.  Currently, there are no plants in the area that can process residential recycling.

I have heard that prescription medications should never be flushed down the toilet or thrown in the trash.  What do I do with medications that are expired or simply no longer needed?

The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency provides a fact sheet with details about this complex issue at their web site here.  In short, they encourage you to take them to a local program or save your prescriptions until the next one-day Hazardous Waste Event for the area.

PDC doesn’t accept hazardous waste items such as motor oil, batteries, and chemical cleaners.  What do I do with these items?

The best advice is to wait for another Illinois EPA sponsored Hazardous Waste Event to come to central Illinois.  When a date is announced, dDetails will be available through the Peoria County web site and here at the Global Warming Solutions Group web site.

Peoria’s New Waste and Recycling Pickup Information

Beginning on January 1, 2010 PDC officially takes over waste hauling for the city of Peoria, Illinois.  The City Council approved the new contract with PDC in October of 2009.  Visit PDC’s web site at www.pdcarea.com/peoria for full details about their services or download the document linked below for specifics about their monthly curbside recycling program.

Recycling Services – 4 Page Insert

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Concerns about the PDC Landfill Contract

On Wednesday, November 18th, the Peoria City-County Landfill Committee voted to accept a contract that has left many unanswered questions about the proposed construction of Landfill #3 which is to be built within the next 5 years.  The property of the proposed landfill as well as Landfill #1 and #2 are all publicly owned and are located in Brimfield outside the city of Peoria.

The vote determined that Peoria Disposal Company (PDC) will be the design contractor and builder of Landfill #3.  Only one person voted against the contract proposal.  Citizen suggestions for deferral were refused.  Although this is a complicated subject and there are many more public discussions ahead, we should all hope that significant changes can be made as this contract is further examined.  So far, there has been no victory for the environment.

One bright light is the promise from the Landfill Committee Chairman that all written questions would be answered in public and in writing by both The Committee staff and PDC staff. These questions and answers will be published on this website. Hopefully the questions will have positive answers about taxpayer financial risk, inappropriate use of perpetual funds, and the need for adequate public opportunity to participate in the process.

The continued inclusion of recently delisted (formerly called hazardous) waste as part of the municipal waste put into the City & County Landfill is a big concern, especially one particular ‘delisted’ waste item called electric arc furnace dust. this stuff is a toxic soup of heavy metals, furans and dioxin.

One of the big  financial problems in this agreement involves money from a perpetual care fund for landfill #3 being used to pay for problems on Landfill #1 which has no fund. Over $4 million will be required in the first of what will probably become many major repairs needed to Landfill #1, which closed 11 years ago. Landfill #2 is currently in use, and will soon be operated by PDC.

Stay tuned for more updates.  Download the contract here:  PDC Landfill Contract.

For more information:

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Reminder: Environmental Film Festival This Friday & Saturday!

Reminder for this weekend!

The Heart of Illinois Sierra Club is once again hosting the Environmental Film Festival this year at the Apollo Theater in downtown Peoria.  The festival runs Friday, November 6th to Saturday, November 7th starting at 7:00 PM both nights.  Come to the festival to enjoy the amenities of the Apollo, win door prizes from the information booths of local merchants, and view some of the latest thought provoking films on environmental topics.

Download the festival flyer here:  2009 Environmental Film Festival

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Environment Film Festival Returns to Peoria

Environmental Film Festival

The Heart of Illinois Sierra Club is once again hosting the Environmental Film Festival this year at the Apollo Theater in downtown Peoria.  The festival runs Friday, November 6th to Saturday, November 7th starting at 7:00 PM both nights.  Come to the festival to enjoy the amenities of the Apollo, win door prizes from the information booths of local merchants, and view some of the latest thought provoking films on environmental topics.  Visitors will also have the opportunity to see two local films debuted at the festival including

  • Sinking the Heartland: Longwall coal mining in Montgomery County, IL
  • Lake DePue and the Village of DePue’s EPA Superfund site (DePue, IL).

 

Download the festival flyer: 2009 Environmental Film Festival.

 

Friday night’s feature film: Burning the Future: Coal in America

Writer/director David Novack examines the explosive conflict between the coal industry and residents of West Virginia. Confronted by emerging “clean coal” energy policies, local activists watch a world blind to the devastation caused by coal’s extraction. Faced with toxic ground water, the obliteration of 1.4 million acres of mountains, and a government that appeases industry, our heroes demonstrate a strength of purpose and character in their improbable fight to arouse the nation’s help in protecting their mountains, saving their families, and preserving their way of life. www.burningthefuture.com (US, 2008, 89 mins)

 

Saturday night’s feature film: Extreme Ice

Art meets science in photographer James Balog’s Extreme Ice Survey. The project has captured global warming in the act using 26 solar-powered cameras taking time-lapse photographs of glaciers in Greenland, Iceland, Alaska, the Alps, and the Rocky Mountains. In the course of shooting, Balog recognized that extraordinary amounts of ice were vanishing with shocking speed. Features that took centuries to develop were being destroyed in just a few years or even just a few weeks. These changes are the most visually dramatic and immediate manifestations of climate change on our planet today. The documentary is a joint venture between National Geographic Television and NOVA, the PBS signature television series. www.extremeicesurvey.org (US, 2009, 56 mins)

Tickets:

  • Adults $5.00
  • Children 11 and under $3.00
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All MythBusters Recycling Panelists Confirmed!

Get The Facts on Recycling!
Wednesday, October 14
7 to 8:30 pm • FREE
Lakeview Library, 1137 W Lake Ave, Peoria

What is the real impact of recycling? How does the process really work? Are jobs impacted? What are the true costs of recycling? Where, what and how can I recycle? Join us to discuss myth vs reality about recycling in Peoria. The following groups will have representation on the discussion panel:

  • Illinois Recycling Association (confirmed: Mike Mitchel, IRA president)
  • Peoria Public Works Department (confirmed: David Barber, Director of Public Works)
  • Peoria County Recycling Department (confirmed: Karen Raithel, Recycling and Resource Conservation)  
  • Peoria Waste Hauling Contract Bidders (both confirmed):  Peoria Disposal Company (Matt Coulter, Sales and Recycling Manager) and Waste Management (Dave Schaab, Municipal Marketing Manager)

Join us and bring a friend. Tell others! Download the flyer!

Proposed Recycling Plan for Peoria

At the October 13 Peoria City Council Meeting, Public Works will recommend a new waste hauling contract that will include curbside recycling for residents, along with recycling for stacked condos and city buildings.

There’s no doubt that that the new recycling component for condos and city buildings is very exciting! They will both get bi-weekly pick up of the following items:

  • Paper including newspaper, junk mail, magazines, telephone books, computer paper, writing paper, paperboard boxes, and flattened cardboard boxes
  • Rigid plastic containers including #1, #2, #3, #4 (not plastic bags though), #5 and #7 plastics
  • Glass bottles and jars
  • Aluminum cans and foil trays
  • Steel cans, including empty aerosols

There is some debate surrounding the residential recycling component that is part of the Alternate Proposal submitted by Peoria Disposal Company.  An overview is listed below. Click here to view the full recommendation from City Staff. Make up your own mind and be sure to let Mayor Ardis and your City Council person know what you think by Oct 13. If you can attend the city council meeting, even better.

  • The program is “free” for all Peoria residents (paid by tax dollars).
  • To participate, residents must sign up and pay a $50 refundable deposit for a 96-gallon recycling cart.
  • Pickup will be once a month.
  • Your pick up day will be on a Friday determined based on the day of your current garbage/landscape waste pick up (those will still be unlimited with free garbage and landscape pick up every week).
  • You can only recycle as much as will fit in your 96-gallon recycling cart. Or you can pay and extra $50 deposit for another cart.
  • Items to be picked up will be the same as those listed above.

You will also have the opportunity to learn more about recycling at the Myth Busters panel discussion on October 14 at 7pm. Both of the waste hauling contract bidders have confirmed their attendance.

Props to Germantown Hills on New Recycling Program

According to a recent Joural Star article, Germantown Hills officials expect a 75% participation rate in their new curbside recycling program. Hightlights from the article include:

  • “The village had asked residents who wish to participate to ask for containers, and the response was better than expected. ‘It’s about 75 percent,’ said Village Board Trustee Terry Quinn. ‘In most communities they tell us if you can get 25 percent, that’s pretty good.”
  • “The cost of the recycling is included with the cost of garbage collection for a total bill of $14 a month per customer.”
  • “Participation in the recycling program is voluntary, and there is no cost for the container.”

One resident who signed up for the program was so excited upon receiving her cart that she dug out recyclable items from her garbage cans around the house and has already filled up 1/3 of the recycling cart they received.

Busting Recycling Myths 10/14/09

Get The Facts on Recycling!
Wednesday, October 14
7 to 8:30 pm • FREE
Lakeview Library, 1137 W Lake Ave, Peoria

What is the real impact of recycling? How does the process really work? Are jobs impacted? What are the true costs of recycling? Where, what and how can I recycle? Join us to discuss myth vs reality about recycling in Peoria. The following groups will have representation on the discussion panel:

  • Illinois Recycling Association (confirmed: Mike Mitchel, IRA president)
  • Peoria Public Works Department (confirmed)
  • Peoria County Recycling Department (confirmed: Karen Raithel, Recycling & Resource Conservation)
  • Peoria Waste Hauling Contract Bidders (both confirmed):  Peoria Disposal Company and Waste Management

Join us and bring a friend. Tell others! Download the flyer!