Republic ServicesEnvironmental Quarterly

FALL 2014

you get the most “bang for your buck”. Bringing less into your house means less you have to worry about managing as waste. Produce and yard scraps fall into this layer. By composting at home and mulching your grass, you reduce the volume of waste. Shrinking the pyramid base by decreasing what you consume or throw away is the most important step in waste management.

Reuse is the next level of the pyramid. Be a smart buyer and purchase items that can be re-used. Just one reusable water bottle can replace thousands of recyclable water bottles. Refilling reusable storage containers with food items will reduce the amount of packaging you bring home. Using permanent containers

saves you money and shrinks the pyramid tip which is Recycling.

Recycling is an environmentally sound practice that saves energy, protects natural resources and safeguards valuable landfill space for future generations. It is, however, your last opportunity to responsibly manage your materials before they are thrown out as trash.

So what’s the trick to shrinking your personal pyramid? Start where you are. Take inventory of what you are buying and diligently look for opportunities to employ the 3 R’s in your day-to-day operations. Together we can roll-back the 220 pounds of trash we generate each month and send far less to the landfill.

We all know the “3 R’s: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle”, but have you ever considered them in the context of daily life? Many Meridian residents feel they are recycling more than ever - and they’re right! The average household is now recycling roughly 26.3 pounds per month, up from 14.4 pounds per month during the green bin days.

Interestingly, the amount of garbage we throw away has remained the same for almost a decade– roughly 220 pounds per household per month.

Our challenge to you? Rethink the 3 R’s! Imagine them stacked in a pyramid with Reduce at the bottom. This layer is where

Annual Residential Update - Rethink the 3 R’s

the amount of garbage we throw away has remained the same for almost a decade

LEAF RECYCLING November 3 – 21

Residential leaf collection is the first three full weeks of November, each year. In addition to the curbside program, Meridian residents have the option of dropping their leaves off FREE OF CHARGE at the Meridian Transfer Station through Saturday, December 6th. The transfer station is located off of Franklin Rd. between Ten Mile and Linder. It is open Monday through Friday 7:30 am - 5 pm and Saturdays 8 am - 5 pm.

Curbside Protocol: An unlimited number of large, paper leaf bags may be placed at the curb for collection. Bags must contain leaves only, no branches or woody debris. Bags must be at the curb by 7 am on your regular service day. A separate truck, identified by a “Leaf Recycling” magnet, will be by between 7 am and 8 pm to collect the leaves. All leaves will be taken to the Ada County Landfill where they will be ground and used as a soil amendment.

Transfer Station Protocol: Leaves delivered to the transfer station may be un-bagged or in large paper leaf bags.

(208) 345-1265 www.republicservicesidaho.com

This Newsletter published and paid for by Republic Services, your waste management company.

We’ll handle it from here

It Starts at Home: Meridian’s Wastewater Treatment Plant https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGA5Cq1oAv4

Late this summer Ryan Combs, Republic Services’ lead driver in Meridian, was driving east bound through Nampa to help with a company project when a car in front of him swerved

Driver Corner

across Middleton Road and skidded to a stop on the Linden Bridge. Just beyond the stopped car a sedan had over corrected and plunged nose-first off the road, into the

irrigation canal below. Ryan could see a car seat in the back window and thought there were kids inside. He jumped in to help. The driver was trying desperately to escape, but water pressure kept the car doors from opening and the electronics were wet and the windows would not work. Ryan beat the driver’s side window with his elbow to break the glass. Seeing Ryan’s plan, the man began kicking the window from the inside. After several attempts, the glass gave way. Ryan reached for the man who appeared okay, but “shocky”. Ryan helped the man, who said he could not swim, to the canal bank. There were no other passengers in the car. Bystanders had called

Republic Services partnered with the City of Meridian to produce the new graphic animation “It Starts at Home: Solid Waste and Recycling in Meridian.”  This entertaining

911 and Nampa police arrived within minutes to secure the site, contact the victim’s family and arrange to have the car removed from the canal. The man, who had been wearing his seatbelt, was able to walk away from the accident unharmed.

Ryan Combs has been a Sanitary Services/Republic Services employee since 2002. He was recognized as “Employee of the Month” for his helpful actions. We are proud to have everyday heroes like Ryan working for us and working for you in the City of Meridian.

Ryan Combs

It Starts at Home: Solid Waste and Recycling in Meridian

Find the video: It Starts at Home: Solid Waste and Recycling in Meridian on YouTube: http://youtu.be/N0R7kDaKr_s

Check out the City’s other educational animations:

services and this animation explains the importance of using our 3 R’s – Reduce!  Reuse! Recycle!  Rachele Klein, Republic Services Business Manager said, “We believe in the power of education.  Many environmental challenges of a public or private utility service provider can be addressed with a better understanding of the issues, costs and implications of various waste management solutions.  And that is exactly why we were excited to be asked to assist in the development and distribution of this great animation!”

and informative animation shows how much waste we throw away, where it goes and how we can reduce waste and recycle more!  Meridian citizens enjoy their curbside

It Starts at Home: Meridian’s Water Utility https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pF1kb_QcWoU