KEEP WHITE SETTLEMENT BEAUTIFUL

Pet Waste

Nobody wants to talk about it but If not disposed of properly, pet waste can put the health of you, your family and your pet at risk. What do you do with Pet Waste? Do you leave it to decay on the sidewalk or on the grass near the street? Many of us have been guilty at one time or another of not picking up our pet’s waste. Maybe you forgot your bag and think you will just pick it up next time. However you may be causing pollution or health problems. Pollutants from improperly disposed pet waste may be washed into the storm drainage system by rain. Storm runoff receives NO treatment. When pet waste is washed into lakes or streams, the waste decays, using up oxygen and sometimes releasing ammonia. Low oxygen levels and ammonia combined with warm temperatures kill fish. Pet waste also contains nutrients that encourage weed and algae growth. Overly fertile water becomes cloudy and green which is very unattractive for water recreation. Pet waste can also carry diseases which could make water unsafe for contact. Parvovirus is just one example.

Now you know why it’s so important to pick up your pet’s waste. But what should you do with the waste you pick up?

1. Flush it down the toilet. The water in your toilet goes to a sewage treatment plant that removes most pollutants before the water reaches a river or stream. To prevent plumbing problems, don’t flush debris or cat litter. Cat feces may be flushed but used litter should be put in a securely closed bag in the trash.

2. Put it in the trash. This is probably the easiest but may not be the best solution. Put waste in a securely closed bag and deposit in trash. Because pet waste may carry diseases, you should not bury it or put it in a vegetable garden. Do not put wastes in a compost pile. The pile won’t get hot enough to kill disease organisms in the waste.

Please always carry plastic bags and dispose of your pet waste properly. Together we can Keep White Settlement Beautiful.

The Four R's

Everyone has heard about recycling, but did you know there are three other environmentally helpful R words that you can use to lower your garbage output?

Refuse/Reuse/Repurpose/Recycle

Let’s start with Refuse. Do you really need that plastic bag? How about that straw? You can say no, it’s that easy. Refusing an item allows you to instead focus on maintaining and repairing the items that you already have. It also cuts down on the amount of new items you have to buy. Ditch the disposable cup. Reduce the amount of trash you generate.  

Now Reuse is the action or practice of using an item, whether for its original purpose or to fulfill a different function. Such as using reusable straws, and reusable zip lock bags, or using the same tote bag to haul off your groceries. Reusing an item extends its life and cuts down on the amount of waste you generate.

Repurposing involves using an item for a new purpose beyond its original function, like using the empty spaghetti jar to now hold your lima beans, or taking the old dresser and making it into a changing table. Same item, new purpose. Thinking creatively can allow you to repurpose a lot of items, saving money and saving the environment!

Recycling is the R that most of us are already familiar with. It’s a great way to make sure that our waste doesn’t end up in a landfill and do any harm to the environment. Recycling breaks down items back to raw material and molds them into new products. 

If we always use the four R’s we will prevent pollution, save energy, reduce gas emission, save money and help sustain the environment. 

Confessions of an Uninformed Recycler

“It is an inconvenient hassle, it’s not that important.” “It can’t make that big of a difference, who has the time?” These are all  excuses that I have used in the past not to recycle. Then the City started a recycling program and so I started recycling properly.  Or so I thought. Turns out that I have been doing it wrong. I just tossed my plastic items in the bin and thought that was enough. Most of what I thought I was recycling got thrown in the trash because I wasn’t following the recycling protocols.

Here is what I have learned. 

1. Avoid bagging/ boxing your recyclables. There is no reason to bag items because they go through a sorting machine. If a bag goes through the sorting machine it could break it. 
2. Speaking of sorting, you don’t need to.  No need to separate the cans from the plastic, the machine will do it for you. Just gently drop your recyclables in. 
3. Recycle bins are not trash cans. It may look like a dumpster but it isn’t. 
4. No Styrofoam. So you bought something new and now you have an empty box and all the Styrofoam packaging that came with it. The box is recyclable, but the Styrofoam isn’t. Throw Styrofoam in the trash. 
5. No electrical cords. 
6. No batteries, propane or hazardous materials. It could cause a fire or seriously hurt the workers.
7. Make sure to take off plastic labels. 
8. Rinse out any cans or plastic. They need to be rinsed out and completely dry. 
9. Break down your boxes and cardboard. 
10. No furniture. Save mattresses and couches for bulk pickup week or the next community cleanup event. 
    
    Recycling is important! It takes waste and transforms it into new products or fuel. Recycling takes a small effort on your part, for a big difference to our world. Recycle today for a better tomorrow.

White Settlement Recycling Center
8212 Albert St
White Settlement, Texas 76108

If you need more information you can call Keep White Settlement Beautiful at (817) 246-5012 or email us at kwsb@wstx.us.