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Happy Earth Day, EVERY DAY
Join California’s Climate Food Fight
In the landfill, food waste creates methane, a heat-trapping green house gas 84X more potent than CO2!
- 40% of food waste is wasted in the United States
- 1 pound of food waste is equal to 4 pounds of methane in landfill
Good News Marin!
- You helped recycle 27,000 tons of material last year!
- Marin restaurants sorted their food waste and contributed to the 2,051 tons sent to the Central Marin Sanitation Agency where it created clean, renewable energy.
Disposal or Cart? What’s Better?
The Central Marin Sanitation Agency urges Marin residents to put food scraps in your compost cart instead of your garbage disposal. Not only does it save the water needed to flush food down the drain line, any food scraps containing fats, oils, and grease can cause sewer blockages leading to spills and overflows, which are harmful to the environment and public health.50%
of what Marin sendS to landfill could be recycled or composted
Become a Food Waste Warrior with SaveTheFood.com
- Learn to create meal plans and perfectly portioned shopping lists.
- Try their interactive prep & storage tools.
- Use the dinner party calculator to estimate how much food you really need to entertain.
recycling works but plastics are DESTROYING us
Important Message from Marin County Public Health
Microplastics, plastic particles less than five mm in size, are the result of both commercial product development and the breakdown of larger plastics. These microplastics harm our environment and our health. Watch this video from Marin County Public Health Officer Dr. Matt Willis about an important study describing a “concerning link between microplastic exposure and the risk of heart attack and stroke.”Embrace Plastic Alternatives
- Use glass or stainless steel beverage and food containers.
- Invest in natural cloth bags to carry everything from clothes to produce.
- Try waterproof and freezer-safe beeswax wraps for food storage.
- Buy food, soap, and other household staples in bulk in reusable glass or stainless steel containers.
Read About Policies Aimed at Reducing Plastic’s Environmental Impact
THANK THE DRIVER
OUR RECYCLING COORDINATOR, RENEE GODDARD, SPENT THE DAY ON ROUTE 141 WITH ONE OF OUR DRIVERS, RAFAEL MARTINEZ, AS PART OF HER ON BOARDING AND TRAINING PROCESS. THE EXPERIENCE LEFT AN IMPRESSION!
My ride on garbage route 141 rocked my world! It was an honor to spend the day with Rafael.My whole life I have been awakened by ‘garbage men’ and watched out the window from my cozy bed as they picked up my garbage. My childhood memory is of a giant round galvanized steel can with old metal handles that make deep creases between the finger joints under the enormous weight of the can, and ‘garbage men’ lifting those cans onto the back of the truck for dumping.
Even with substantial modern mechanical advances, until yesterday, I could not have imagined what was involved in safely and efficiently picking up and emptying between 600 and 700 carts in an 8-hour shift that began at 6am.
Along the route I tried to match the number of times Rafael climbed in and out of the truck to experience a real ‘day in the life’ and to observe the skill with which he controlled the mechanical arm.
Even before departure, my arms got sore from climbing up and down to use the facilities and make sure I could withstand 8 hours of extraordinary jostling. I asked him how many times on an average route he gets in and out of the truck. “Fifty,” he replied with pride and a good-natured shrug. I reached my max at 10.
Rafael got out to pick up carts which had fallen over in the wind or fallen victim to a ravenous raccoon. He got out to sweep up garbage that was strewn all over driveways, and to extricate landfill carts nestled behind and between compost and recycling carts or placed too close to parked cars.
He waved at folks everywhere we went and waited for inpatient drivers who hadn’t had their coffee and were not interested in granting passage to a garbage truck. He maneuvered up steep narrow hills and backed down with fine precision, as I held on for dear life, all the while giggling, infected by his smile and cool nature.
After our final stop at the Transfer Station where we weighed in at seven tons (just as Rafael said we would), I stepped off the truck enriched, enchanted and endlessly grateful for the hard-working landfill, recycling, and compost drivers who wake up every day before the crack of dawn and keep our communities clean!
SAFETY ANNOUNCEMENT
Keep your trees trimmed & pruned. The fire department requires 15 feet of overhead clearance.
mSS Community PARTNER SPOTLIGHT
Children for Change empowers young people in Marin with the skills and
confidence to be effective changemakers in their community through volunteering and advocacy. Celebrating 10 years, the nonprofit reaches over 1,000 students per week in schools across Marin.
Join them for the 2024 “Children for Change Challenge” event on April 28 in downtown San Anselmo as Marin families, non-profits, musicians, and community leaders come together to celebrate students lifting up their voices and inspiring community engagement.
CHILDREN FOR CHANGE CHALLENGE
SATURDAY, APRIL 28, 10AM-12pm
DOWNTOWN SAN ANSELMO
