Becoming Recycling Responsible takes a great deal of effort initially.
Remember back when we, as a nation, began recycling. When I was a child, living in Michigan, we always collected and returned beverage bottles and cans. We would return them to the grocery store, Meijer’s, where they’d literally count the bottles and cans by hand and give us a voucher for $.10 per that we could pay toward our grocery bill. That was in the 1970’s.
Kennesaw State University Leads with Recycling Responsible Efforts
In 2012, Kennesaw State University compiled a slide show exposing the work and dedication involved in a successful recycling program. The slide show is a pictorial showcase of following recyclables from classroom to recycled product.
They also developed a video that is fun: Here is the Video Link.
As you can see in the slideshow, recycling is still performed by actual human hands. The sorting process has not yet been completely automated. There are machines used for purposes of movement and baling but it actually requires human eyes and hands to sort.
Sorting Similar Commodities:
In order to understand why sorting is so complicated we can look at plastic to explain. There are seven categories of plastic. The categories, as marked on each product, identify what the plastic is made from. Based on that, we can define how it needs to be recycled and what other items are similar. Read about Plastic Recycling.
R & R Containers in Acworth, GA is a Recycling Responsible Company. We commend Kennesaw State University for a great example for others in their commitment to reduction of landfill waste.
Okay Folks… the Annual Georgia Burn Ban has begun.
It is time to switch methods for yard clean up from Burning to Hauling. Beginning May 1, 2015, running through September 30, 2015. This burn ban includes leaves, tree limbs and forest land. Recreational fires, such as in fire pits is allowed. Citizens who do not adhere to the ban may receive a fine. Press Release
The Marietta Fire Department and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources remind you to comply with federal clean air regulations, according to the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD). The ban is in effect for 54 Georgia counties. View the Georgia Summer Burn Page.
There are heightened air quality concerns regarding the formation of ground-level ozone in the summer months of May through September in 54 counties . The number of legal burn types in these counties is therefore limited to 5 (or in some cases 6) of the 13 types during the summer. To learn more about this restriction, view the Summer Burn Ban page.
The following are exceptions to the burn ban:
Agricultural burning exemption*
Forestry “prescribed burning” exemption**
Campfires or barbecues
Firefighting training exemption, if an appropriate permit is issued
Operation of open flame equipment exemption
Explosive disposal in accordance with U.S. Department of Labor Safety Regulations
Exemptions are in accordance with the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD)
If you are looking to rent a large dumpster for your home or business in Acworth, GA or surrounding areas please Call R & R Containers!
We all know that it takes some understanding to raise healthy vegetation. There are differences in light, water and grooming to insure your plants, trees and grass grows healthy. How to prune your trees plays a vital role in success. There are some different techniques to consider.
Crown Thinning:
Crown thinning is a pruning technique primarily used on hardwood trees. Crown thinning is the careful removal of stems and branches to increase light penetration and air movement throughout the crown (the top) of a tree. The intent is to improve a tree’s structure and form while making life uncomfortable for tree pests.
Crown Raising:
Crown raising is simply removing branches from the bottom of the crown of a tree to provide clearance for pedestrians, vehicles, buildings or lines of site. For street trees the minimum clearance is often specified by municipal ordinance.
Crown Reduction
Crown reduction pruning is most often used when a tree has grown too large for its permitted space. This type of pruning is sometimes called drop crotch pruning, is preferred to topping because it results in a more natural appearance, increases the time before pruning is needed again and minimizes stress.
Two methods you should NOT use are Topping and Tipping.
This tree was pruned improperly and is growing epicormic branches at its base.
These methods cause harm to a tree. Topping, the pruning of large upright branches between twig nodes, is sometimes done to reduce the height of a tree. Tipping is a practice of cutting lateral branches between nodes to reduce crown width. These practices invariably result in the development of epicormic sprouts or in the death of the cut branch back to the next lateral branch below. Epicormic sprouts are weakly attached to the stem and eventually will be supported by a decaying branch.
When you decide which method to use to prune your trees, remember you’ll need somewhere to put the branches. Consult your local disposal company to get a container to suit your needs.
R&R Containers: Services Acworth, Georgia and surrounding areas.
If you are ready to start enjoying your yard, it’s time to start pruning the trees!
As the weather warms up, we like to enjoy more time outdoors. If your trees and shrubs have overtaken your walkways, porch and gazebo, you are definitely thinking about pruning the trees. There are many tips available that we’ve compiled for your here.
To beautify your yard: Cutting off dead limbs or removing sections while pruning the trees, you’re giving your tree a whole new look. Like going to the barber or beauty salon.
To help the tree grow: When you remove dead, diseased or broken limbs you can literally help the tree grow healthier, stronger and faster because your tree will not be trying to heal itself.
To encourage fruit production: Pruning a fruit tree you may have encourages the growth of spurs, which will produce fruit the following year.
To remove hazardous branches: Tree Hazards impact people, animals and man-made structures. By far, this is the most imperative reason for pruning your trees. The dead branches fall very easily during high winds or a severe storm. Even when weather conditions are ideal, these branches may fall. Other hazardous branches include ones hanging over the roof of your home and ones growing into electric lines. Additionally, cracks in the tree, decay, cankers and poor root growth are all able to cause safety issues.
To treat disease: By pruning the tree limb if it is diseased you are literally removing is and preventing the disease from spreading to the rest of the tree.
When you compost you not only create at home the best nutrients to feed your garden you also participate in reducing the waste sent to our landfills.
How do you set up your at home composting?
Find a place
Add some stuff
Turn
1. Find a place for your Compost: The location doesn’t have to be complicated for expensive. It needs to be a container of some sort so the contents can do their chemical work. Some folks use large plastic trash cans, large wooden boxes, and store bought compost containers. Others just build in a deep hole in the ground.
2. Add some stuff from your kitchen or other parts of your landscape. The key combination is green and brown and a little moisture to keep the active bacteria hydrated. Green waste is kitchen waste and grass clippings. Brown waste is small pieces of newspaper, wood chips and dried leaves.
3. Turn your compost pile with a pitchfork, ideally, or a shovel. Air is important to keep up the bacterial activity up in your compost. Remember that the addition of soil from your garden and dried leaves and twigs from you yard are excellent additives to keep your heap aerated.
Some helpful hints to jump start your compost.
Size Matters: The bigger the pile the better. The more material you compost the more lucrative the outcome. The size of the pieces, however, need to be small. Larger pieces take longer to degrade.
Wet and Wild: Your compost is a living organism. It needs moisture as much as any living creature. Especially when weather get warmer, remember that your compost needs water.
Mix and Match: The more variety you feed your compost the more it will thrive. Imagine if you had to eat the exact same meal everyday… Boring! The diversity also will help your plants’ resistance to disease and pests.
KISS: Keep It Simple Stupid (no offense) Composting is simple science. Keep is organic, no proteins. If it keep on the shelf for more than a few days, it probably has preservatives and should not be included.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help: The do sell “Compost Activators” that make start up simple. Get help if you’re new, the goal is to make great fertilizer, not to struggle and be unsuccessful.
Throwing away tires is more than finding a big enough trash can. Tires are special waste. There is often a price and limit to taking tires to the landfill. Read Why.
There are hundreds of stories about massive fires caused by illegally disposed tires. There are hundreds of photos of vacant land covered in tires, that lead to massive fires. Tires are combustible. That is why tires are special waste. Tires themselves are not hazardous, but if a tire is burned it becomes hazardous as air pollution or fire hazard. They can withstand a tremendous amount of heat, but once lit, they are virtually impossible to extinguish.
This was a fire in Savannah in February 2014. The authorities were able to contain the fire, but the rubber would smolder until the viable material was gone. The material, Rubber. When rubber is burned it creates toxic fumes that pollute the atmosphere.
Tires are special waste because they need to be collected and separated from general landfill waste.
This collection process allow appropriate distribution of tires for recycling and reuse.
As an example in 2003, markets for scrap tires were consuming 233 million, or 80.4%, of the 290 million annually generated scrap tires:
130 million (44.7%) were used as fuel
56 million (19.4%) were recycled or used in civil engineering projects
18 million (7.8%) were converted into ground rubber and recycled into products
12 million (4.3%) were converted into ground rubber and used in rubber-modified asphalt
