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Recyclers' Corner: March 2010 Issue

Save by Learning to Compost at Home. Free Classes.


Have you always wanted to start your own home composting pile but weren’t sure how to get started? Or have you been composting at home but feel you’re not quite getting it right?
 
Well, then you’re just the person that should sign up for one of our FREE “Learn to Compost” classes. Theses classes are a great way to enhance your knowledge of how to turn your food scraps and yard waste in to wonderfully dark, rich compost. Compost made in your own backyard and applied to your yard or garden is a fantastic way to save money by reducing your need for store-bought fertilizer. Compost is also great at increasing your soil’s ability to retain moisture, thereby saving you money on watering as well.  
 
The FREE “Learn to Compost” classes are available for Denver residents to attend from May through October. Each two-hour class is hands-on and teaches the basics of backyard composting. Classes are held at the Denver Backyard Composting Demonstration site located in the Gove Community Garden at E.13th Ave. and Colorado Blvd. Pre-registration is required to attend the classes.
 
Special “Build-a-pile” and “Worm Composting Workshops” will be offered this year.
BUILD-A-PILE CLASSES: There will be two “Build-a-pile” classes held this year in which class participants will help to build an entire compost pile. These classes will stress hands-on experience of incorporating different materials in a compost pile, chopping ingredients (reducing particle size), watering techniques and turning the pile.
 
WORM WORKSHOPS: There will be six special Worm Composting Workshops held this year (one each month, May through October). The Worm Workshops teach and discuss techniques for home indoor worm composting (also called vermicomposting).
How to register for a class:
      • ONLINE: Visit DenverGov.org/DenverRecycles and review the class schedule and then complete the online registration form.
      • BY PHONE: Call the Denver Recycles hotline at 720-865-6810, listen to the class schedule and then leave a message with your contact information and the class you would like to attend.
 
Please note: Class registration opens March 1st and residents may sign up for classes no more than two months in advance.
 
This program is sponsored by Denver Recycles (a program of Denver Public Works/Solid Waste Management), in partnership with Denver Urban Gardens and the Metro Wastewater Reclamation District.
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Editor's Note:
Recyclers' Corner is a monthly news column sponsored by Denver Recycles, a program of Denver Public Works/Solid Waste Management. It includes updates on seasonal and ongoing activities related to the City and County of Denver's recycling programs. Editors are invited to publish all or part of the column, however, we request that you run major edits by our staff to ensure accuracy of the information. Questions may be directed to Charlotte Pitt or Tom Strickland, Denver Recycles, 720-865-6815.
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Back Issues
For back issues of the Recycles' Corner please visit the Press Releases page.
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Recycle Right: PLASTICS
More recycling questions are asked about plastics than any other recycling concern. Because of misinformation and confusion around plastics, non-accepted plastics make up, by volume, the majority of contaminants (non-acceptable items) found in Denver residents' recycling carts on colletion days. While Denver residents produce a fairly clean stream of recyclables, non-accepted plastics continue to contaminate the recycling.
 
The Denver Recycles program (what goes in your purple cart) only accepts plastic bottles for recycling. It doesn’t matter what number is on the plastic bottle, as long as it is a bottle. A bottle is a container that has a base that is wider than its neck and generally has a screw top.
 
If you are wondering why all plastics are not accepted, it is important to know a couple of facts.
  • There are numerous different types of plastics that use the 1 through 7 coding system. Only a few types are generally recyclable.  The recycling symbol around the plastic number code often gives consumers the false impression that the item is recyclable everywhere, when in fact it may not be.
  • The shape of the plastic item impacts its recyclability. A plastic soda bottle is shaped very differently than a strawberry clam shell container, even though their base plastic may be the same. These two products have different chemical compositions and require different processes for recycling.
  • Recyclable market demand for many plastics is relatively weak in comparison to the demand for plastic bottles. The cost of shipping these products to distant markets can be greater than the value of the materials.
 
At Denver Recycles we are always evaluating the positive environmental benefits of recycling more against the economic impact of our decisions, while holding onto our promise of truly recycling all the materials we collect in the recycling program. We know the ability to recycle more grades of plastics is important to many residents, so please know that our staff is constantly monitoring the feasibility of adding new acceptable materials to the program. CLICK HERE to read more about plastics recycling.
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