Inside this issue

Compost Seminar
Nursery Pot Recycling
Summer Reading
Trash Bash
Home-Safe-Home
Medication Info.
HHW Collection
Litter Clean-ups
RiverFest
Calendar of Events
Scholarship Info
What on Earth...
Recycling Site Up-date

Earth Day 2019: Protect Our Species

In response to the overwhelming problems that face our environment, the Earth Day Network has chosen the theme, “Protect Our Species” for Earth Day 2019.

According to the Earth Day Network website, “the rapid reduction of plant and wildlife populations are directly linked to causes driven by human activity.” A few of the causes listed, namely an increase in plastic pollution and the overuse of pesticides, are problems we can solve by making simple lifestyle changes.

What kind of changes can help reduce plastic pollution? The answer is to reduce plastic consumption. This can be achieved by applying the following strategies:

Shop with a reusable tote bag. If just 25% of US families used 10 fewer plastic bags a month, we would save over 2.5 billion bags a year.
Use a refillable water bottle. Bottled water produces 1.5 million tons of plastic waste per year.
Say “no” to take-out Styrofoam food containers. Carry your own containers with you for restaurant leftovers or have your server wrap your food in aluminum foil that can be recycled later.

As far as pesticides are concerned, “JUST SAY NO.” Use organic compost as a natural fertilizer and explore companion gardening as a way to fend off pesky insects. For example, to repel slugs, aphids and cabbage worms, plant alliums with fruit trees, tomatoes, pepper, potatoes, cabbage, broccoli and carrots. To repel cabbage worms, Japanese beetles and leaf hoppers, plant geraniums with grapes, corn, tomatoes, pepper, cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower.

Remember, making a few simple changes in your life can go a long way in protecting our species.

Happy Earth Day!

Earth Day Events

Excitement abounds in the Valley as residents prepare to celebrate Earth Day.

On April 17, YSU will host an Earth Day celebration at Andrews Recreation Center featuring displays provided by local environmental groups. Between 10:00 am and 3:00 pm, visitors may pick up educational material about a variety of “green” programs.

On April 27, two events are scheduled. The US Army Corps of Engineers at Berlin Lake will host an activity between 10:00 am and 3:00 pm that will include community volunteers picking up litter and planting trees. At 10:00 am the Northside Farmers’ Market will kick off their season by hosting an Earth Day Celebration that will include a variety of eco-friendly activities for children and adults.

On May 4, the Village Pharmacy in New Middletown will host its 3rd annual Earth Day Celebration between 12:00 pm and 2:00 pm. This event will include Earth-friendly make and takes, drawings, and zero-waste refreshments.

Learn to Compost with the Green Team

Did you know that nearly ¼ of the waste stream is composed of organic material that can easily be recycled? The process for recycling organics is called composting, and the Green Team is conducting a class to teach you all about it!
On Saturday, April 27, the Green Team will host a compost seminar during an Earth Day celebration at the Northside Farmers’ Market. The session will be held at the Elm Street Diner located at 832 Elm St. in Youngstown and will begin promptly at 11:00 am. The cost for the seminar is $10.00 for Mahoning County residents and $40.00 for non-residents. The seminar will include a training session with video instruction and open discussion. Registrants will receive a backyard compost bin, informational booklet and trouble-shooting guide. If you would like to participate in this activity, please call the Green Team at 330.740.2060 and request a registration form. Preregistration is required.
~ Kim Lewis

Environmental Quote

“The Earth will not continue to offer its harvest, except with faithful stewardship. We cannot say we love the land and then take steps to destroy it for use by future generations.”
~ John Paul II

Attention Spring Planters

Nursery pots can be recycled at Rivers Bend Farm in Alliance or at any Lowe’s.

Summer Reading Library Schedule
June 2019

12 Boardman 10 am

11 Canfield 2 pm

13 West 10:30 am

17 East 11 am

18 Newport 11 am

18 Tri-Lakes 2 pm

19 Greenford 3 pm

20 Boardman 10 am

20 Springfield 10 am

26 Austintown 10 am

27 Sebring 10 am

Mother Earth to Visit Libraries

Hey Kids! Join us this summer at Mahoning County libraries for a fun and exciting program! Mother Earth herself will be reading the book Dear Children of the Earth by Schim Schimmel. This powerful and dramatically illustrated letter from Mother Earth to her children is a tender reminder of the responsibility we all have to protect the world in which we live. After reading the book we’ll create earth-friendly crafts made from recovered material. At the conclusion of the program, everyone will receive Earth - themed coloring books and recycling information to share with their parents. This program is recommended for children in grades Pre-K through 5. Refer to the library schedule above for the location nearest you.

Trash Bash Fashion Show

This year’s Trash Bash Fashion Show at Western Reserve Elementary School promises to be a an exciting experience. Scheduled for May 29 at 2:00 pm, the runway fashion show will be its own special spring event being held to promote environmental awareness.

In preparation for the Trash Bash, high school students will form design teams to assist students in grade 5, who will actually create and model the garments. All of the garments will be made using material that was destined for either the trash can or the recycling bin. To promote the event, students in grades 1-3 will create posters and flyers that will be distributed throughout the school. During the event, student announcers will describe each fashion with a detailed narrative that explains the creative process.

Attending the Trash Bash Fashion Show is always fun, and this year’s event promises to be yet another exciting experience.

Home-Safe-Home

Are you aware that Americans generate 1.6 million tons of household hazardous waste per year? It’s true. During its occupancy, the average home can accumulate as much as 100 pounds of household hazardous waste in the basement and the garage. This material, when improperly disposed of, can pose health risks for people and the environment. So, what can we do to combat this problem? The solution is simple. We can replace household hazardous waste with Earth-friendly alternatives. Here is a list of ideas to help you get started with this project.
Instead of:

Instead of: Drain Cleaner Use: ½ cup of baking soda followed by ½ cup of white vinegar. Wait a minute then flush with boiling water

Instead of: Glass Cleaner  Use:1 part vinegar + 1 part water

Instead of: Air Freshener  Use: small dish of lemon juice, baking soda, or essential oils

Instead of: Furniture Polish  Use: 1 part lemon juice to 2 parts mineral oil

Instead of: Toilet Bowl Cleaner  Use: baking soda or a pumice stone for really tough rust stains

Spring Household Hazardous Waste Collection

The Green Team is once again providing an opportunity for collecting household hazardous material. On Saturday, May 18, The Household Hazardous Waste Collection will be held at the Canfield Fairgrounds from 9:00 am until 3:00 pm. The collection hours listed below are designated by last name:

A-F 9:00 am-11:00 pm G-N 11:00 am-1:00 pm O-Z 1:00 pm-3:00 pm

The following HOUSEHOLD items will be accepted:

Thinners, Automotive Fluids, Pool Chemicals, Bleach , Antifreeze, Used Motor Oil, Solvents Poisons, Aerosol Cans, Propane Cylinders, Photo Chemicals, Stains, Lighter Fluid, Adhesive/Glue, Wood Preservatives, Greases, Roof Coatings, Car Batteries, Household Cleaners, Pesticides , Varnish, Gasoline, Oil Based & Spray Paint (5 gallon limit), Insecticides, Herbicides, Cylinder fluorescent bulbs, Acids

Latex paint will not be accepted. Dispose of Latex paint by hardening with sand or kitty litter and placing with regular household waste.
Also, please note that compact fluorescent light bulbs may be recycled at Home Depot or Lowes. If you have any questions regarding this special collection, please contact the Green Team.

No Drugs Down the Drain

You can drop off unwanted prescriptions at the following permanent locations:

Austintown PD
Beaver Twp. PD
Boardman PD
Canfield PD
Lowellville City Hall
MC Sheriff’s Office
Milton Twp. PD
New Middletown PD
Poland Gov’t. Center
Sebring PD
Springfield Twp. PD
Struthers City Hall
YSU PD

Please be aware that sharps and liquid medication are not accepted.

For more information visit
www.DrugFreeMahoningCounty.org

Celebrate Riverfest

On Sunday, June 2, “The Friends of the Mahoning River” will host the 8th Annual RiverFest at the
B & O Station in Youngstown. This event, which is free and open to the public, will offer an exciting array of activities and environmental exhibits for every age group. Children will enjoy making crafts, playing games, and bouncing around in the inflatables. Adults will enjoy perusing environmental displays, learning about the ecology of the area, or taking a canoe ride. Of course, everyone will enjoy spending a day at the river and exploring the wonders of nature.

For the second consecutive year, the Green Team will be facilitating this celebration as a zero-waste event. Refreshments will be served in reusable and compostable containers and everyone who brings his own refillable water bottle will be entered into a drawing to win a gift certificate to the Boardman Yankee Kitchen.

Hope to see you at the Riverfest on June 2. For more information, contact the Green Team.

Shredding Event

Shepherd of the Valley is hosting a shredding event on Saturday, May 4, from 9:00 am until noon. The event is free and open to the public, but some restrictions may apply. Shepherd of the Valley is located at 301 W. Western Reserve Rd. in Poland. For more information, call Shepherd of the Valley at 330.726.7110 or visit the Green Team website at www.greenteam.cc

April, May and June at a glance

April
12 - Angels for Animals Garage Sale begins

14 - Angels for Animals Garage Sale ends

17 - YSU Earth Day
27 - Earth Day Celebration@ Northside Farmers Market,
- Earth Day @ Berlin Lake
28 - Earth Day @ Sebring Trinity Lutheran Church
May
4 - Struthers City Appliance Drive & E-Drive
- Earth Day at Village Pharmacy
- Shepherd of the Valley Shredding Event
11 - Green Yo. Tire Drive
- Goshen Twp. Appliance Drive
18 - HHW Collection @ Canfield Fairgrounds
- Green Youngstown Appliance Drive & E-Drive
- Green Twp. Appliance Drive & E-Drive
June
2 - Mahoning RiverFest
8 - New Middletown Shredding Event
10 - Sebring Community Zero-waste Dinner
For calendar updates, visit our website at www.greenteam.cc or follow us on Facebook .

Scholarship Opportunity

The Ohio Association of Litter Prevention and Recycling Professionals (OALPRP) is offering a $1,000.00 scholarship to a deserving student from Ohio. To qualify for the scholarship, a student must:

Plan to enroll or currently be enrolled at an accredited Ohio college, university, or technical school.
Have declared or plan to declare a major relating to environmental sciences or environmental education.
Reside in Ohio.

OALPRP scholarship forms may be downloaded at www.oalprp.org or obtained by contacting the Green Team at 330-740-2060. Deadline for submission is April 15, 2019.

Completed forms can be e-mailed to Scholarship Chair Katrina Carpenter at [email protected]
or sent by USPS to OALPRP Scholarship c/o Perry County Waste Reduction & Recycling, PO Box 621, New Lexington, OH 43764. Forms sent by postal mail should be postmarked by April 15.

Any questions or assistance regarding scholarship applications may be directed to Peg Flynn or Kim Lewis at the Green Team.

What On Earth Can You Do With...

Lids from Pringles cans? - donate them to the Green Team Education Department
Plastic grocery bags? - recycle them at a retail outlet
Empty gift cards? - mail them to the Green Team
Motor oil? - recycle it at an auto parts store
Leftover latex paint? - harden it with kitty litter and place in household trash
Packaging material? - take it to a UPS or FedEx shipping center for re-use
CFL’s? - recycle at Home Depot
An old American flag? - retire it at the Veterans Service Commission
Ink jet cartridges? - contact Staples or Empties 4 Cash
Household batteries? - recycle them at any MC Library
Eyeglasses? - contact a local Lions Club
Other unique material? - Call the Green Team at 330.740.2060 for options

The True Cost of Styrofoam

During the late 1980’s, consumer outrage over McDonald’s use of polystyrene clam shell containers led to the company’s discontinued use of the product in favor of a more Earth-friendly alternative. Yet today, some 25 + years later, polystyrene foam, known by the trade name of Styrofoam, is still in widespread use. The reason for this is simple. Styrofoam is cheap.

Styrofoam packaging is used in everything from take-out food containers, to drink cups, to meat and produce trays. And while purchasing Styrofoam may be cheap for the consumer, its cost to the environment is not.

Styrofoam is a dangerous product from cradle to grave. According to The National Bureau of Standards Center for Fire Research , 57 chemical by-products are released during the production of Styrofoam causing air pollution and producing liquid waste that requires safe management. Of course, once Styrofoam has served its purpose, it must be discarded. Since most recycling centers do not collect Styrofoam, it often ends up in crowded landfills or worse: as litter. In fact, Styrofoam is now considered the main component of marine debris.

So really...how cheap is Styrofoam? You decide.

Tips for Reducing Styrofoam

Use a travel mug for coffee at fast food restaurants.
Buy produce loose rather than in a Styrofoam tray.
Ask for aluminum foil or take your own reusable container with you for leftover restaurant food.
Use dry popcorn instead of Styrofoam peanuts for packaging material. If you receive Styrofoam peanuts, return them to UPS and Fed-Ex shippers. The peanuts will be reused.

Rethink Your Drink

Kudos to MCCTC for providing water bottle refill stations at their water fountains. This effort encourages students to use refillable bottles, which will greatly reduce the amount of single - use plastic water bottles from entering the waste stream. What a great idea!

Contamination Concerns

In spite of our best efforts, people continue to put plastic bags in our bins. Plastic bags contaminate the loads and create problems for sorting facilities. Please remember to “keep it loose” and deposit your recyclables - minus the bags. As always, The Mahoning County Green Team is committed to serving the recycling and waste reduction needs of the public.

For further information about recycling and other solid waste management programs, visit our website at
www.greenteam.cc
or follow us on facebook