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ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH and SAFETY
BEAR
in MIND October 2019 VOLUME 21, ISSUE 4
Campus Recycling
Program 1
Stormwater 2
Household Hazardous
Waste 2
Prescription Drug
Takeback Day 3
Handwashing/Flu
Season 3
Holiday Safety Tips 4
Daylight Savings Ends 4
Inside this Issue
Dates to Remember
Safe Thought
Campus Recycling Program
UNC has always recognized the importance of
recycling and taken pride in supporting many green
initiatives. There are numerous recycling programs
that UNC supports such as aluminum cans, bottles,
newspapers, paper, card board, batteries and many
more. There are various labeled bins located
throughout the campus community. Please help by
continuing your environmental stewardship by
recycling as it makes a difference to our campus
community while protecting our natural resources.
Did you also know that UNC takes part in special recycling programs such as event
recycling, campus surplus and end of semester donations? To learn more about
these recycling programs please visit The UNC Sustainability Website.
For information on locations and types of bins that UNC has on campus visit the
Custodial Services website.
For information and tips on recycling visit this helpful article, How To Recycle in
Weld County.
October 14-Columbus Day (Campus
Open)
October 26—Prescription Takeback
October 31– Halloween
November 3—Daylight Savings
Time Ends
November 11–Veteran’s Day
(Campus Open)
November 28—Dec 1
Thanksgiving Break (Campus
Closed)
December 9-13—Finals Week
December 13-14—Commencement
December 21-January 1—Holiday
Break (Campus Closed)
“Light up your holiday
tree, not your home; use
approved decorations and
lights.”
Don’t be Trashy, Protect our Waterways! If you have ever walked along one of our local rivers here in
Northern Colorado, at some point you’ve probably noticed trash on
the river banks, sand bars, or floating down the river. According to
the EPA, there is an 80% chance that the trash you saw originated
in a city or town, was carried by stormwater to a storm drain, then
transported to the river. Stormwater is not treated before it goes
to the river, so whatever goes into storm drains eventually goes to
the river.
Trash doesn’t just make our waterways look bad, it can also be
harmful to aquatic life. Discarded cigarette butts can introduce
heavy metals and micro-plastics into our waterways. Tom Novothy,
a researcher at San Diego State University, showed that one cigarette butt in a liter of water has enough toxic
properties to kill a fish. Plastic waste in water can introduce BPA and styrene, which can disrupt reproductive
processes and is a suspected carcinogen to aquatic life. Trash in our waterways can be a choking hazard for both
terrestrial and aquatic life, it can also accumulate in their digestive systems and if they ingest enough, it can
eventually kill them.
As always, there are things that you can do to help protect our waterways.
ALWAYS clean up after yourself, put your trash or recycle in appropriate receptacles
If you smoke, make sure you dispose of it properly, don’t drop it on the ground
Make sure your garbage containers are shut
If you bring your own trash to the dump, secure the load before driving
Participate in trash clean-up events
If you want to learn more about stormwater pollution and what you can do to help, please visit the City of Greeley
Stormwater Division.
Household Hazardous Waste Household hazardous waste is any substance containing ingredients that could cause negative effects to your health or the environment. You can bring your household chemical wastes to your local county household hazardous waste site. These types of programs accept all types of hazardous waste including: common household cleaners, batteries, paint, insecticides, weed killer, cooking oil, motor oil and other items. Also, it is generally free to use these programs if you live within that county. The household hazardous waste program also offers another program called drop-n-swap. This program will offer their usable products to everyone for free. After all, the best way to dispose of chemicals is to use them up as they were originally intended to be used. For more information, please contact the numbers below.
Weld County Household Hazardous Waste Disposal
Larimer County Household Hazardous Waste Disposal
Boulder County Household Hazardous Waste Disposal
Weld County North Waste Facility
1311 North 17th Avenue
Greeley, CO
Open every Tuesday and Saturday
8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Weld County South Waste Facility
5500 Highway 52
Dacono, CO
Open every Friday and Saturday
9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Drop-n-Swap
1311 North 17th Avenue
Greeley, CO
Open the second Tuesday and the fourth
Saturday of each month
Larimer County Waste Facility
5887 S. Taft Hill Road
Fort Collins, CO
Open Monday—Saturday
8:00 a.m.— 4:30 p.m.
(Closed every Wednesday)
Boulder County
West of Boulder County Recycling
Center
1901 63rd St
Boulder, CO
Open Wednesday—Saturday
8:30 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Don’t miss out on 2019’s National Prescription Takeback Day, this
October 26th from 10:00 AM—2:00 PM.
Flushing medicines and other substances down the toilet negatively impacts our water quality and thus the
environment we live in. Help protect our water, our wildlife, and our community as a whole by setting aside time
to properly dispose of your old pills.
MAKING A POSITIVE IMPACT IS SIMPLE!
All you have to do is bring your old pharmaceuticals to one of these
locations:
UNC University Center, 2045 10th Ave., Greeley (Lower A-Lot)
Greeley Police Headquarters, 2875 W 10th St., Greeley
Sam’s Club Parking Lot , 3247 23rd Ave., Evans
Erie Police Department, 1000 Telleen Ave., Erie
Eaton Police Department, 180 S. Elm Ave., Eaton
Loveland Police Department, 810 E 10th St., Loveland
National Prescription Takeback Day
Flu season is upon us and there are some very simple ways to help avoid catching the illness but one of the most
important is simply washing our hands more frequently.
In a recent study conducted by the Bradely Corp., a manufacturer of commercial restroom and emergency safety
products, asked 1,264 U.S. adults about their handwashing habits at work and in public restrooms during the flu
season. Here’s what they found:
Seventy-three percent of participants said that they do a better job washing their hands in hopes of avoiding an
illness. That’s up from 45 percent in the initial survey conducted in 2009, when the H1N1 virus was a national
concern.
Sixty-two percent of respondents said they believe washing with soap and water is more effective at killing
germs than using hand sanitizers – “a fact the Center for Disease Control and Prevention supports
unequivocally.”
Eighty-seven percent of the respondents reported washing their hands after using a public restroom. Some
reasons for not washing were sinks not working or not being clean.
Given these numbers it was found that actual
handwashing follow-through appears to fluctuate
depending on the prevalence and severity of flu
outbreaks. Even though it seems to fluctuate it’s
always a good rule of thumb to wash your hands
often especially during the flu season. This
simple routine can help us all stay healthy and
illness free during the long upcoming flu season.
When & How to Wash Your Hands—CDC
Handwashing: Clean Hands Save Lives
Handwashing Habits Improve during Flu Season
It is the mission of the Environmental Health and Safety Department to support university functions by promoting a safe and healthy campus environment for students, faculty, , staff and
visitors, as well as to provide professional guidance and direction toward compliance with University, Federal, State and local rules and regulations.
Parsons Hall
501 20th Street
Campus Box 57
Greeley, CO 80639
Phone: 970-351-2446
Bear in Mind (BIM) is a publication brought to you by your
campus Environmental Health and Safety Department (EHS).
We are interested in your thoughts and submissions.
Contact the Environmental Health and Safety department at
970-351-1149. Suggestions can also be sent by campus mail
attention EHS, Campus Box 57. Bear in Mind issues are
published every quarter. Find current and archived issues
on-line at the EHS Website.
Holiday Safety Tips Autumn means that the holiday season is upon us. Bring
on the decorations, cheerful festivities, and sweet delicious
food! Holiday decorations around campus and throughout
the community seem to appear overnight. Although the
lights and décor are fantastic and awe inspiring, when the
proper precautions are not taken, holiday fun can end in tragedy. Follow these quick tips to stay safe and keep
the festivities running smoothly.
Safe Decorating
Keep your holiday tree full of water. A dry tree poses risk of fire.
Avoid injuries to pets by not decorating with things your pets might mistake for toys. For example, tinsel might
seem like a toy to cats but it can lead to a blocked digestive track or choking hazard.
Invest in UL listed LED lights as they tend to remain cooler than other types of holiday lights, are more energy
efficient and last longer.
Avoid overloading outlets, never daisy chain extension cords or power strips and follow manufacturer
recommendations for attaching string lights.
Do not run cords under carpets, rugs, through ceiling tiles or doorways.
Remember to turn off lights and other electrical decorations when they are not being attended.
Place combustible decorations away from sources of heat.
Food Safety
Wash hands with warm water and soap for 20 seconds before and after handling food.
Use a food thermometer to make sure meat, poultry, and fish are cooked to a safe internal temperature.
Allow the correct amount of time to properly thaw food. For example, a 20-pound turkey needs four to five
days to thaw completely when thawed in the refrigerator.
Leftovers should be used within 3 to 4 days.
UNC Environmental Health and Safety Holiday Safety Guidelines
National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) – Winter Holidays
Daylight Savings Ends On November 3, 2019 daylight saving time will end and clocks should
be set back one hour. Daylight saving time was started during World
War I to conserve energy and use as much day light as possible.
People continue to change clocks twice a year to keep with this
tradition. Most digital clocks will reset themselves, but remember to
change manual devices and fall back with the times.