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Hello [subscriber:firstname | default:reader]
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Well, 2020 is turning out to be a year quite different than planned.
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This week marks the 50th anniversary of Earth Week and week 6 of shelter-at-home here in Pittsburgh. Many drop-off and mail-in programs are on pause at the moment, including most of the city's drop-off locations.Your main avenue for recycling is probably limited to curbside and it's more important than ever to make sure what you put out is free of contaminating items.
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We hope you take a peek at our local recycling news items and check out the events and tips there.
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LOCAL RECYCLING NEWS
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- >> TODAY >> Online Earth Day Teach-In - April 19th 1-4pm: A coalition of local organizations is hosting a free 50th Earth Day online event, covering a variety of topics related to sustainability and earth stewardship. Register here. The event is also raising money for the Pittsburgh Food Bank. (If you attend, you might get to see a brief Recycle This Pittsburgh cameo!)
- Help Pittsburgh sanitation workers! PLEASE only put out items that you are certain are accepted for curbside recycling and follow city guidelines on how to set out your garbage as well. We're all spending extra time at home but now is not the time to put out all your quarantine-spring-cleaning's unwanted items for recycling or garbage. Try to reduce your waste, not increase it, as city workers are stretched thin at this moment.The city has also suspended yard waste pickup, so "recycle" those leaves and trimmings in your own backyard for now.
Consider visibly thanking the recycling and garbage pick-up workers (from a safe physical distance, of course) when they come down your street. A wave, a smile, a chalk drawing, a serenade : ) They provide a critical service, now and always, to our community.
- If you've been surprised by what plastic isn't recycled in Pittsburgh and you haven't seen Plastic Wars yet, check it out. This eye-opening documentary will help you understand the realities of recycling and give you insight into why things are the way they are here in our city.
- Covid-19 is stressing recycling markets: This insightful article from PRC covers the impacts of covid-19 to recycling markets, including the sudden loss of recycling materials coming from businesses. Their conclusion is that curbside residential recycling (done correctly without putting in contaminating items!) is more important than ever to keep the supply chains alive. They also make the recommendation to hold on to any specialty items you would normally drop-off or mail-in, so they can be recycled when this is all over.
- PRC's Recycling Webinar is happening on Earth Day, April 22, at 2pm. "You will learn the ins and outs of recycling in Pennsylvania as well as what we can all do to help support Circular Economies."
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New Items on Recycle This Pittsburgh
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When it comes to the city’s residential recycling program, there’s a limited set of plastic items that are accepted as of January 2020: bottles, jars, and jugs larger than 2 inches and smaller than 3 gallons.
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Most people are wearing masks right now in Pittsburgh when going out and about, as directed by the Governor to prevent the spread of Covid-19. There are many variations of face masks. Some, such as the N95 respirator, should really be reserved for healthcare workers, as recommended by the CDC. No disposable (or reusable) masks are accepted in the City of Pittsburgh's curbside recycling.
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Many people are using disposable gloves as we all work to prevent the spread of Covid-19. Nearly all of these gloves are made primarily of latex, vinyl, or nitrile. No disposable gloves are accepted in the City of Pittsburgh's curbside recycling.
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Thanks to our month's $5+ Patreon sponsors, Elise and Jim. ❤️
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And thank you as well to Diana, Will, and Anon who have supported us in the past month on Ko-fi.
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Spread the word and help Pittsburgh recycle better.
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