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A Greener El Cerrito News from the City of El Cerrito Operations + Environmental Services Division www.ecenvironment.org • (510) 215-4350 Winter 2014 • Volume 13 Garbage Container Size Residential Service Commercial / Multi-Family Service 20 Gallon $30.29 per month $30.29 per weekly pickup per month 35 Gallon $40.39 per month $40.39 per weekly pickup per month 64 Gallon $80.79 per month $80.79 per weekly pickup per month 1 Cubic Yard (one weekly pickup) NA $266.72 per weekly pickup per month 2 Cubic Yards (one weekly pickup) NA $517.76 per weekly pickup per month In September, 2013, the El Cerrito City Council adopted two ordinances to reduce litter and promote environmental sustainability. Single-Use Bags Effective January 1, 2014, shopping bags will be regulated in El Cerrito. Grocery and department stores, clothing stores, liquor stores, book stores, specialty stores, drug stores, convenience stores, and other retail establishments are prohibited from distributing single-use plastic bags at the point of sale. Restaurants and non- profit charitable reusers are exempt. Paper bags must contain at least 40% post-consumer recycled content. Retailers must charge a minimum of five cents for each paper or reusable bag provided at the point of sale. Plastic bags (without handles) and paper bags that are typically placed inside a carryout bag at the point of sale are still allowed. This includes bags used to protect or contain raw meat, fresh produce, food prepared for the customer on location, and other goods that must be protected from moisture, damage, or contamination. EPS Foam Food Ware Effective January 1, 2014, the use of expanded (EPS) foam food ware by food service businesses will be regulated in El Cerrito. Food providers will be required to use compostable, recyclable or reusable food ware and prohibited from providing prepared food in EPS foam containers. The ordinance extends to a person or a group who rents a City facility (such as the Community Center). Single-use bags and foam food ware contribute to pollution on streets, and in gutters, storm drains, creeks, and the bay. Even when properly disposed of, plastic bags and EPS foam are challenging to remove from the environment. Because they are so light, wind easily blows them out of waste containers, autos, and solid waste handling operations. For more information about these new regulations, please visit www.el-cerrito.org/bagsandfoam or contact the Operations + Environmental Services Division; [EMAIL REDACTED] or 215-4350. Regulations on Shopping Bags and EPS Foam Food Ware Take Effect January 1, 2014 2014 Solid Waste Rates (visit www.ecrecycling.org for details) ---PAGE BREAK--- Environmental Activities Calendar www.ecenvironment.org I 215-4350 HOLIDAYS All day The Recycling + Environmental Resource Center and the offices of East Bay Sanitary WILL BE CLOSED on Jan 20, Feb 17, April 20, May 26, July 4, Sept 1, Nov 11, Nov 27-28, and Dec 24, 25 and 31. Curbside collection of garbage, greenwaste and recycling will occur as normally scheduled on holidays except Dec 25 and 31. 1st WED 3 PM to 4 PM Public tours of the City of El Cerrito Recycling + Environmental Resrouce Center: Come learn about what the Center has to offer and how to recycle more! Check in at the lobby, 7501 Schmidt Lane. 1st SAT 10 AM to 12:30 PM Baxter Creek Gateway Work Parties: Join volunteers and City staff in removing invasive species and restoring native habitat in this jewel on the Ohlone Greenway. For details, contact [EMAIL REDACTED] or [PHONE REDACTED]. 2nd MON 7 PM El Cerrito Tree Committee: Come to the regular meetings of the City’s Tree Committee. The Tree Committee recommends programs and policies and promotes public awareness in the community. For more information, please contact [EMAIL REDACTED] or [PHONE REDACTED]. 2nd TUES 7 PM El Cerrito Environmental Quality Committee: Come to the regular meetings of the City’s volunteer Environmental Quality Committee (EQC). For more details, see www.greenerelcerrito.org. JAN 11 & JAN 12 9 AM to 3 PM Electronic Waste Recycling - Drive Through Event: See article on Page 4 for details. JAN 19 10 AM to 12:30 PM Green Team Clean-up Event: Ring in the new year and help clean-up the nortern and southern to El Cerrito, focusing on the BART Stations and Freeway connections. Call 215-4350 to RSVP and for details. FEB 15 TBD Community Tree planting Event: Join the Tree Committee and other volunteers on Avila Street as hundreds of volunteers around the region to plant trees as part of a California Urban Forest Council organized event. Look for details to be announced online at www.el-cerrito.org or contact [EMAIL REDACTED] or [PHONE REDACTED]. FEB 26 3 PM to 4 PM Rules of Conduct and Salvage Community Meeting: See article on Page 4 for details. FEB 27 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM Smoke Protection Community Workshop: The City of El Cerrito is interested in protecting the public from exposure to secondhand smoke where they live, work and play. Attend this workshop at City Hall (10890 San Pablo Avenue) or take the online survey at www.el-cerrito.org/smoking to tell us what types of regulations you would like to see enacted to protect the public from secondhand smoke. MARCH 1 - 7 TBD California Arbor Week: El Cerrito celebrates trees with this annual planting event co-sponsored by the E.C. Gar den Club and an educational outreach seminar sponsored by Invest From the Ground Up. For more details, visit www.investfromthegroundup.org or contact [EMAIL REDACTED] or [PHONE REDACTED]. MARCH 10 - 16 9 AM to 4 PM Compost Giveaway at the Recycling + Environmental Resource Center (7501 Schmidt Lane): All week long, El Cerrito Residents with proof of residency can get up to 5 cubic feet (33 gallons) of compost made from yard waste and food scraps! Just enter the main circle and look for the “compost” signs. MARCH 15 10 AM to 12:30 PM Green Team “Spruce-up” Event: Be a steward to El Cerrito’s natural resources by helping to spruce-up the areas around Cerrito and Baxter Creeks. Call 215-4350 to RSVP and for details. MARCH 29 8:30 PM to 9:30 PM Participate in Earth Hour: The El Cerrito Environmental Quality Committee invites you to participate in Earth Hour! Visit www.earthhour.org for more information on the global Earth Hour event. To help plan special Earth Hour events for El Cerrito, contact Maria Sanders at [EMAIL REDACTED]. APRIL 26 9 AM to 1:30 PM Earth Day Volunteer Event and Appreciation Lunch: See form on Page 3 for details. SPRING 2014 TBD Urban Greening Plan Community Workshop and Design Charettes: Help design the future of El Cerrito’s green spaces at a Community Workshop and Design Charettes to be held in Spring 2014. For more information, see www.ElCerritoUrbanGreening.org. MAY 3 9 AM to 3 PM Shop the Spring Citywide Garage Sale: See form on Page 3 for details. MAY 4 10 AM to 5 PM Bringing Back the Natives Tour: A free, self-guided tour of 50 native gardens in Alameda and Contra Costa counties, sponsored by the Clean Water Program. See www.bringingbackthenatives.com for more details. MAY 8 7 AM to 9 AM Bike to Work Day: Walk or roll to the energetic EC Plaza BART / Ohlone Greenway “Energizer Station” for free goodies, bicycling information, and to chat with City staff about bike/ped topics. A Greener El Cerrito Winter 2014 • Volume 13 Page 2 ---PAGE BREAK--- A Greener El Cerrito Winter 2014 • Volume 13 Page 3 Garage Sale Registration Form Spring 2014 El Cerrito Citywide Garage Sale May 3 I 9 AM to 3 PM Registration forms are due (with $15 NONREFUNDABLE registration fee paid by check to the City of El Cerrito) on April 10 by 4 p.m. to: Environmental Services Division—Garage Sale 10890 San Pablo Avenue El Cerrito, CA 94530 Name_ Street Address/Sale Nearest Cross Phone Email Address (please provide an email address if you would like the opportunity to review the accuracy of your listing prior to publication): Sale Description: Maximum of 20 words describing the items for sale and any other details about the sale (i.e. fundraiser for a specific charity, snacks available, etc.). Descriptions will be repeated verbatim in the listing - use good grammar. SHOP THE SPRING GARAGE SALE ON MAY 3! Find good bargains! Shop the Spring Garage Sale from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Garage Sale listings will be available online at www.el-cerrito.org and in self-serve literature stands located at the Community Center (7007 Moeser Lane) and the Recycling Center (7501 Schmidt Lane) starting April 25. Register for the May 3 Citywide Garage Sale HOST A SPRING GARAGE SALE! Turn your old stuff into treasure! Register now to host a garage sale at your home during the Spring Citywide Garage Sale. Registration fees cover the costs of advertising and promotion which includes posting your sale in the garage sale brochure, classified ads in local newspapers and online. Help spread the word about the Citywide Garage Sale. Make your event fun and enjoyable by providing refreshments, treats, prizes or other enticements! Send us your suggestions regarding how to make our advertising strategy more effective—feedback from past garage sale hosts is especially valuable. Volunteer for El Cerrito’s Annual Earth Day Celebration April 26, 2014 I Earth Day Volunteer Registration Form Work Parties from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. (Citywide) Volunteer Appreciation Lunch from 12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. (El Cerrito Community Center - 7007 Moeser Lane) For more info: email [EMAIL REDACTED] or call [PHONE REDACTED]. Registration forms are due by April 1 to: Operations + Environmental Services Division – Earth Day 10890 San Pablo Avenue El Cerrito, CA 94530 Phone Do you have have an idea for a work party or project that you would like to be involved in? Do you have any suggestions for potential work projects? ---PAGE BREAK--- A Greener El Cerrito Winter 2014 • Volume 13 Page 4 FREE Drive Through Recycling Collection Event for Computers, Electronics, and More! T he City of El Cerrito is hosting a drive-through recycling drop-off event at the El Cerrito Recycling + Environmental Resource Center with contractor Universal Waste Management, Inc. “UnWaste” is a California State approved recycler that collects electronic waste and peripherals at the Recycling + Environmental Resource Center and holds periodic drive-through collection events. At this FREE event, anyone can recycle TVs and computer monitors, computers and accessories, stereos and music equipment, VCR & DVD players, toner cartridges, printers, fax machines, copiers, phone equipment, cell phones, MP3 players, microwaves and more for free! UnWaste will unload your car for you – it’s fast, easy and the right thing to do. For more information, contact UnWaste www.unwaste.com or (888) 832-9839. January 11 & 12 I 9 AM to 3 PM I Recycling + Environmental Resource Center (7501 Schmidt Lane) Recycle Your Christmas Trees! East Bay Sanitary Company (EBS), El Cerrito’s franchised hauler for garbage and green waste, will collect unflocked natural trees (free of stands, ornaments, tinsel, etc.) as part of regularly scheduled weekly green waste pickup between December 30 and January 17. Put your tree out next to your green waste container on your regular collection day. EBS requests that trees be cut to size and placed in the green waste cart if possible. NEW! EBS is now providing more services to El Cerrito residents and businesses, including: • Longer customer service hours - 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in office, 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. via phone and email (237-4321, [EMAIL REDACTED]). • New website - with online bill payment via electronic account transfer (www.ebsan.com). • More on-call services! Now each El Cerrito household can get up to 4 FREE on-call curbside services annually (1 garbage, 1 green waste, and 2 e-waste collections from your home). • Cart cleaning services - $25 per cart. 10890 San Pablo Avenue El Cerrito, CA 94530 www.ecenvironment.org [EMAIL REDACTED] (510) 215-4350 In early 2013, the City established new Rules of Conduct and Salvage for the El Cerrito Recycling + Environmental Resource Center in order to make the facility safer and more welcoming to all users. The City held a community meeting and welcomed comments on a draft set of rules in February 2013. The following Rules of Conduct and Salvage took effect March 1, 2013: • Visits limited to 2 hours per person per day • Parking limited to 30 minutes • Supervise children and leave pets at home • Do not get in, on, or move equipment • Do not take more than 1 file box of items per day from the Exchange Zone • Certain salvage activities are allowed by permit • Do not take items from bins or customers On February 26, 2014 from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m., the City is hosting a community meeting at the Center (7501 Schimdt Lane) to review the effectiveness of the Rules, and propose changes for implementation on March 1, 2014. The proposed changes will likely include additional limits on visitation hours and Exchange Zone/Salvage actities during weekends, when the Center is at its busiest. If you have comments to share but cannot attend, please contact Garth Schultz at [PHONE REDACTED] or [EMAIL REDACTED] prior to February 26. City to Consider Changes to Rules of Conduct and Salvage