More residential waste is created during the holiday season than any other time of the year, so the cities and counties in the Sacramento area are encouraging residents to recycle as much as possible. Americans throw away 25% more trash during the Thanksgiving to New Year’s holiday period, the California Department of Resources Recovery and Recycling (CalRecycle) reports. This extra waste amounts to 25 million tons of garbage, or about 1 million extra tons, per week nationwide. With this in mind, local governments are urging residents to reduce, reuse, and recycle during this holiday season. "The amount of garbage sent to the landfill increases dramatically during the holiday season," sa

Some thieves steal cars, others rob banks. In Sacramento, the big-ticket item lately is copper wire, and local copper thieves have hit the central city hard. Why steal copper wire? “Because it’s easily accessible,” said Sacramento Police Department spokesman Sgt. Andrew Pettit Thursday, “and there is plenty of it.” With miles of copper wire found in streetlights, electrical boxes, buildings and vacant foreclosed homes – places thieves won’t usually be deterred by watching eyes – copper wiring is easy pickings. And, at roughly $2.75 per pound, copper theft can be a lucrative business. According to a recent district letter from City Councilman Rob Fong’s office, copper wire thieves hit

Sims Recycling Solutions, the global leader in electronics reuse and recycling, is partnering with Sims Metal Management, KCRA-TV and the California Exposition and State Fairgrounds to host a community-wide electronics and appliance recycling event to celebrate “America Recycles Day.” The event will raise money for the Sacramento Habitat for Humanity and will be held on Saturday, Nov.12, from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the California Exposition and State Fairgrounds located at 1600 Exposition Blvd., Sacramento, CA 95815. Items for recycling will be accepted at Parking Lot E off of Ethan way across the street from the Century Stadium 14. “Sims Recycling Solutions is thrilled to participate

“Part of being green is dealing with the mess we’ve already made,” said Brittney Dastmalchi, project coordinator and founder of The Paint Co-Op Project, a small business that gives out a variety of green recycled materials every day that are acquired from foreclosure sites around California. “This is the first time in our economy that something like this has needed to exist – people don’t realize how many foreclosures are sitting on the market,” she said. The Paint Co-Op was born out of a Sacramento-based company called Nationwide Secure in an effort to recycle reusable full or partially used materials that could be hazardous to the environment if improperly disposed of. Nationwide Secu

Anne Dunlap-Kahren’s old refrigerator was in her kitchen for 13 years. She bought a new one and relegated the old one to a place where a lot of old refrigerators go, the garage. The problem is these older refrigerators use more household energy than anything else in the home. They use as much as three times the energy of newer models, and can cost up to an additional $125 per year to run. When Anne heard about SMUD’s Refrigerator Recycling program, she called to make an appointment. Within a few days, JACO Environmental, a SMUD recycling contractor, was at her door to pick up the old one and give her a $35 check for it. By recycling, Anne is saving money, energy and the environment. “Fo

The Department of Waste Management and Recycling (WMR) is making changes to current routes and material collection days, impacting approximately 75,000 residential customers throughout Sacramento county. “This route change will allow the Department to save over $1 million per year by combining current collection routes,” Paul Philleo, director of Waste Management and Recycling, said in a press release Monday. The route changes will also reduce the number of collection trucks on the streets, Philleo said, reducing street and vehicle repairs and lessening impact on the environment. Postcards notifying affected customers of the changes were mailed out last week, and another notice will be

The California Product Stewardship Council's announced that nominations are being sought for the annual Arrow Awards, recognizing business and industry leaders for outstanding leadership, innovation and partnerships in product stewardship and green design. Any business entity, division or facility located in California is eligible to apply. Third-party stewardship organizations and non-profits are also eligible. “This is our opportunity to recognize the accomplishments of California businesses with innovative product stewardship programs, outstanding partnerships that make product stewardship possible, and to inspire others to integrate the principles of product stewardship into their bus

The City of Sacramento Department of Utilities will launch the 2011 Recycling Incentive Awards, sponsored by AT&T Real Yellow Pages and the Sacramento Recycling and Transfer Station on May 2, 2011. Each week through June 27, the City will randomly select recycling containers in a selected Council District and check it for proper recycling. If the container holds only clean recyclables, the City will award owners of clean recycling bins with $100 and the chance to win an iPad2. “Recycling right is the right thing to do. Clean, dry and usable recyclables limits waste going to the landfills and is a win for the environment,” said Marty Hanneman, Director of the Department of Utilities. "So m

Now that the gifts have been unwrapped, the holiday parties have been held, and the Christmas tree has come down, do you know how to recycle all the holiday trimmings? “By properly disposing of all of the trash left over from the holidays, we can help save valuable landfill space and keep our environment clean ,” said Paul Philleo, Director of the Sacramento County Department of Waste Management & Recycling.” We are generally slower this time of year, which means quick turn-around for customers, so it’s easy to be green after the holidays.” Below are tips for holiday recycling: Don’t add your Christmas tree to the trash. Bring it to one of the six locations throughout Sacramento County

Give Smart Sacramento promotes waste free experiences in place of traditional holiday gifts What was your favorite holiday gift of the past? Was it a sweater from J.Crew three years ago? Or maybe it was the CD-Man you got in ’95? I’m guessing it was something that hasn’t gone out of style or become obsolete. My favorite gift in recent memory was a family membership to Fairytale Town. I will always remember the time spent with my children and my family at Fairytale Town, because the memory will never go out of style, be shoved in the back of the closet or go in the "Goodwill" pile. This year, the City of Sacramento Department of Utilities is challenging you to replace at least one out of

Helping the Environment and the Economy All at the Same Time. Set It Aside is a local curbside recyclables purchasing company who was born as the economy turned south and has helped local efforts raise thousands of dollars through recyclables. Now the fledgling company is on a quest to help thousands of people who have lost their livelihoods in the oil spill. Set It Aside is the brain child of SIA Professional Services who have been serving the Sacramento area for over a decade and a half. As the market soured the B to B company started looking at a small project that could have major positive effects on the economy. The company began picking up recyclable materials from homes, selling t

The "City of Trees" just got a little bit greener. RecycleBank, a nationwide recycling incentive program, launched a pilot program May 24 in the South Meadowview neighborhood. Participants earn points for their neighborhoods recycling properly. Blue recycling containers often line the streets, but Jessica Hess of the Department of Utilities said they're often not used correctly. "There is a high amount of contamination," she said. "Many residents use the blue (recycling) containers for their extra garbage." Contamination occurs when nonrecyclable or unclean items are placed in recycling containers. When sorted, these items are taken to a landfill, which costs money and hurts the environ

The Green Restaurant Alliance of Sacramento has a hand in 10 local restaurants and hopes to reach more with its mission of establishing a sustainable restaurant industry. GRAS is "dedicated to making Sacramento a leading sustainable food community and a leader in the green-restaurant industry," according to its website. The year-old organization helps restaurants reduce waste by composting food scraps and biodegradable material. "This is not a brilliant idea, it's being done worldwide," said GRAS co-founder David S. Baker. "Why can't it happen in our town?" The 10 members of GRAS are Hot Italian, L Wine Lounge and Urban Kitchen, Mulvaney's B & L, One Speed, Selland's, Grange, Ella, Tuli

"Why the Climate Crisis Can Only be Solved by Citizen Lobbyists” Sacramento Sustainability Forum is a monthly venue for connecting businesses, non-profits, government and interested citizens in the Sacramento region in order to promote sustainability, share insights and resources, and support movement toward a more sustainable future. The May SSF event was held at SMUD Auditorium Thursday, May 20. Approximately 65 attendees filled the auditorium, including interested citizens and students as well as members of the business, nonprofit and government communities. The Keynote topic was called "Why the Climate Crisis Can Only be Solved by Citizen Lobbyists", presented by Mark Reynolds, Exec

April 16 marked the arrival of TEDx in Sacramento, bringing a “TED-like experience” to our area. What is TED? TED stands for “Technology, Education, Design.” It is a small nonprofit organization devoted to “Ideas Worth Spreading.” Started in 1984, its purpose has spread to include an annual U.S. conference in Long Beach as well as a TEDGlobal conference in the United Kingdom, a TEDTalks online video site, an annual TED Prize, a nationwide local program called TEDx and more. Per TEDx Sacramento, “The TEDx Conference provided a license and general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.” Brandon Weber, TEDx Sacramento curator, said the local team want

This Tuesday, clean tech players from around the region will gather to discuss the latest industry buzz at CleanStart’s PowerSurge networking mixer at McClellan Park. The event includes a tour of Technikon’s Renewable Energy Testing Center (RETC) as well as several other clean tech businesses located in McClellan Park. Featured speakers include Robert Weisenmiller,  who was recently appointed by Governor Schwarzenegger as one of the five commissioners for the California Energy Commission (CEC) and Kristine Mazzei, partner at Valley Vision, a nonprofit association working to secure the social, environmental and economic health of the Sacramento Region. "The Sacramento Region's clean techn

The 2010 Green California Summit and Exposition opened on Tuesday, March 16, 2010 for two days at the Sacramento Community Center. Pre-Summit workshops were held on Monday. This year's theme is Committed to Sustainability and features education programs, awards and over 175 exhibitors. Admission to the exhibits and keynote presentations is free. Tuesday's expo opened with comments from Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson and expo co-chair, Linda Adams, Secretary of the California Environmental Protection Agency. Senator Fran Pavley, author of AB 32, was the first keynote speaker. Pavley spoke about the current campaign to set aside AB 32 and defended the provisions of the Act with a Top Ten Li

The City of Sacramento is proud to offer many options for our customers to recycle their Christmas trees. Preparing Your Holiday Tree for Recycling Cut trees longer than 6 feet into 3-foot or shorter pieces. Remove trees from stands or plastic bags. Remove ornaments, lights, nails, tinsel and metal rod supports from trees. Artificial trees will not be accepted. Containerized Yard Waste Customers Option 1: After cutting your tree into 3-foot or shorter pieces, place your holiday tree in your yard waste container. Make sure the trimmed pieces fit completely into the container with the lid closed Option 2: Place your tree out for loose-in-the-street collection by 6:00am on your regular

Collection day morning in Midtown. Heralded once again by the clatter of shopping cart wheels, arguments over territory rights, and cans and bottles strewn about makeshift recycling centers upon the front yards of residents. The Police are powerless. Worse, the City of Sacramento’s utility code unwittingly encourages marginalization of the Homeless. By providing residents no choice in how their recyclables are reclaimed, and no alternative to a monthly fee for recycling pick up, Sacramento residents automatically subsidize the burgeoning activity of scavenging. Leaving many recycling bins nearly empty well before pick-up time, and many residents with increasing—and misplaced—animosity tow

Discussion over a Nestlé water-bottling plant appears to be growing in Sacramento, as the Swiss multinational prepares a facility for operation and new hires begin work. The Sacramento City Council, which was not involved in the decision to approve the plant, will discuss the issue publicly for the first time after a request two weeks ago by council members Kevin McCarty and Lauren Hammond. They asked the council to consider an emergency ordinance requiring a special permit before Nestlé Waters North America begins bottling city tap water and spring water at a plant in South Sacramento. Such a permit could "trigger" an environmental analysis of this and future facilities, McCarty said We