Sustainable Sleepy Hollow

Whether it’s the grease from your turkey, the leaves awaiting pickup at your curb, or the pumpkins whose time on the front step has come to an end, this month we’re sharing tips to help you dispose of materials in an environmentally-positive way.

Happy Thanksgiving from the Sustainable Sleepy Hollow crew!

DYK that switching to equivalently powered electric leaf blowers yields a positive return on investment in under 1.5 years? 

Sustainable Sleepy Hollow has been meeting with neighborhood groups, landscapers, and garden groups to share recent research on the effects of gas powered leaf blowers (GPLBs), and new findings about options for switching to electric without sacrificing power/ROI. We want to hear from you so we can make a recommendation to the village Trustees that reflect the priorities of Sleepy Hollow residents.

Click here to download or print the below double-sided flyer. We encourage you to share it with neighbors, friends, and landscapers, and to send your thoughts or feedback to sleepy.hollow.eac@gmail.com. 

Recycling Updates from the Pros at the MRF   On Oct 15th, we joined TEAC and other local environmental group leaders for a Zoom call with Lou Vetrone, the Commissioner of the County’s Department of Environmental Facilities, which includes the Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) in Yonkers. That’s where our paper and commingled recyclables go to get separated into pallet-loads of specific materials and sold to recyclers. We wanted to learn how we could improve recycling by making smarter choices at our waste bins. We came away with some basic principles that the County is trying to get across to residents in order to increase the fraction of recyclable trash that actually makes it to the MRF, instead of going to be burned at the incinerator in Peekskill (which pollutes the air for neighboring communities). A study of our trash stream found that 20% remained recyclable, so the County is taking a “back to basics” approach, simplifying the recycling rules so more people will participate.  Here are some of the “keep it simple” tenets and other questions we covered: Commingled (metal, glass or plastic) containers: YES: Any plastic item with a recycle symbol – there’s a market for all symbols YES: Tetra packs (juice and shelf-stable liquid boxes) if empty and rinsed YES: Aluminum foil, as long as no food or plastic is stuck to it NO: Plastic bags in or around recyclables – they clog the machinery and should instead go to bins at grocery stores NO: Items smaller than a credit card, as they fall through the machinery NO: Items made of mixed materials, like blister packs stuck to paper – trash them NO: Items marked “compostable” – they will get rejected NO: broken glass – it’s a hazard to workers CAREFUL: Empty food and drink container contents and scrape or rinse off as much residue as you can – a small streak is OK – but don’t waste hot water, detergent and energy washing items CAREFUL: Leave small caps and lids on, or trash them Paper: YES: Pizza boxes without food, but tear off and compost grease-soaked parts YES: Small staples on office paper YES: Paper with crayon or paint NO: Items with glue, lots of sticky labels, metal parts or lots of tape – they jam the machinery NO: Books, even paperbacks – donate them to the Library if in good condition NO: Metal paperclips, binder clips, clasps or large packing staples NO: Adhesive stickers NO: Plastic- or wax-coated items, like frozen-food boxes CAREFUL: Home-shredded paper needs to be in a closed paper bag or box Some other things discussed during the meeting: 64,000 tons were recycled last year, which netted $5.9M overall for the County Every ton recycled saves municipalities $130 versus trashing Overall, 10% of what comes to MRF is rejected as trash; 95-97% of the rest is sold to marketers Westchester’s recycling has a higher sell-rate than other parts of the country because: It’s dual-stream – commingle and paper We invest in good technology – recently $1M spent for upgrades and new robotic arms The resale market is different in different regions The only item MRF doesn’t make a profit on is glass, as there is no local market for it – it’s sold for a low price to a company that uses it in cement and paint Concerns about reported toxic runoff from recycling facilities doesn’t apply to us – the MRF doesn’t rinse or process materials, only collects, separates and bales

Permeable Pavers Add Resilience to our Shore

Join Our Next Monthly Meeting: Monday, December 1st at 7 pm

All are welcome to join in-person at Village Hall (28 Beekman Ave). For those who prefer to join remotely, please use this Zoom Meeting link. (Meeting ID: 886 0983 4663, Passcode: 208060)