KJ Services Environmental Consulting

Recycling Expertise… Not Recycled Ideas!

Tag Archives: Recycling


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There’s Nothing Scarier Than Hazardous Waste! Recycle Right This Halloween

This Halloween season, you may have seen toxic waste barrels on display as scary decorations or hazmat suits on sale as costumes. The truth is, Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) is no joke!

Hazardous chemicals could be lurking under your sink and in your garage. What is HHW? Household Hazardous Waste is any product labeled: toxic, poison, corrosive, flammable or irritant. Products like these can’t be thrown in the regular trash, or even in the recycling bin because they can seep into our groundwater supplies, causing contamination of our drinking water. Even products like pesticides or pool chemicals that might get washed off a lawn, sidewalk or driveway can pose a risk to waterways from water that is carried from storm drains and gutters into the ocean.

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HHW items like these can’t be disposed of in the trash or flushed down the drain.

But HHW isn’t just confined to household cleaners and liquids like paint. Even everyday items like batteries, CFL (or “curlicue”) light bulbs, and electronics have poisonous chemicals like mercury that have to be disposed of properly.

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Household batteries shouldn’t be thrown in the trash.

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E-Waste like computer monitors, TVs, cell phones, CPUs, and more contain hazardous chemicals that can be recycled property at an HHW collection event.

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Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs contain mercury and can’t be thrown in the regular trash.

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SHARPS, needles, and lancets are hazardous medical waste and should not be thrown in the regular trash or recycling bin.

 

The good news is that L.A. County residents have many ways they can recycle these common, household items. One way is to bring your hazardous items to a local HHW Roundup Event. HHW Roundups are held in a different city in the County every weekend, and rotate among all the Cities to provide coverage to everyone in L.A. County. There’s probably an HHW collection event coming up soon near you!

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HHW collection events are sponsored jointly by Los Angeles County and the Sanitation Districts. To find a local HHW collection event near you, check the LA County Department of Public Works’ online schedule.

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L.A. County also has seven permanent S.A.F.E. centers. SAFE stands for Solvents, Automotive, Flammables, Electronics. At these permanent collection centers, City and County residents can recycle their HHW and E-Waste for free. This includes motor oil, paint, SHARPs, expired medications, batteries, and more. Most centers are open every Saturday and Sunday from 9am–3pm (see locations for specific details). Visit the LA County Sanitation website for more details.

If thinking about getting rid of household cleaners, automotive fluids and other hazardous waste sends a shiver down your spine, make use of these resources to #recycle this holiday season.

 


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COACHELLA VALLEY: Tire Recycling is BACK!

Attention Coachella Valley residents: Got Tires? Recycle Them For Free!

After a break for the hot summer months, the Coachella Valley Association of Governments (CVAG) tire recycling program is back. We have three (3) collection events left in 2016, so take advantage of these opportunities to keep your community clean, for FREE.

Event Details:


 

All events are FREE and open to all Coachella Valley residents.

What CAN I Bring?

  • scrap tires from passenger cars, light trucks, neighborhood electric vehicles (NEV) and golf carts
  • ALL TIRES MUST BE OFF RIMS

What CAN’T I Bring?

  • tractor tire and construction equipment tires
  • tires from businesses or non-profit organizations

How MUCH Can I Bring?

  • up to 9 tires per trip
  • you can make multiple trips per day, as capacity allows
  • you can attend more than one collection event

For More Information, Call:

The Coachella Valley Association of Governments (760) 346-1127, or

KJServices Environmental Consulting (562) 944-4766


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Gardena & Cerritos Schools Make $$$ From Recycling

This spring, six elementary schools took part in the 5th annual Earth Day Recycling Competition put on by the City of Gardena, the City of Cerritos and KJServices Environmental Consulting.

Two schools from the City of Cerritos participated in this year’s Earth Day Recycling Competition: Carver Academy and Joe A. Gonsalves Elementary. Students from Carver earned nearly $500 from collecting recyclable bottles and cans. The 5th grade class were the big winners, gathering the most of any grade level (see photos below).

Elementary school students from Carver Academy in Cerritos collect recyclables for Earth Day.
Elementary school students from Carver Academy in Cerritos collect recyclables for Earth Day

 

The students of Jose A. Gonsalves Elementary in Cerritos collected over 1,100 pounds of cans and bottles, netting their school a profit of over $1,200.  Things always get very competitive between the grade levels at Gonsalves, resulting in some very robust collection totals! Ultimately, the 5th graders, backed by the strength of the Student Council, won out.

Gonsalves Elementary school students made posters to advertise their Earth Day Recycling Competition
Gonsalves Elementary school students made posters to advertise their Earth Day Recycling Competition
Gonsalves Elementary school students made posters to advertise their Earth Day Recycling Competition

 

The 5th graders’ impressive totals even earned an article in the local Los Cerritos News!

The winner grades of each school were treated to an ice cream party for their efforts. Below, 5th graders from Carver Academy in Cerritos enjoy the spoils of their victory.

Carver students line up for their ice cream party…
…and enjoy a nice cone on a hot day!

 

Meanwhile in Gardena, Denker Avenue Elementary had their best year ever, collecting over 900 pounds of bottles & cans!

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Happy Denker Avenue Elementary students stand next to their huge collection of recycling!

Kindergarten was the winning grade level, although the fifth graders gave them a run for their money. All the grade levels pulled out all the stops at Denker this year, earning their school nearly $900 in fundraising. Congrats, Denker!

 

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Amestoy Elementary Kindergartners came through big time!

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Thank you to the parent volunteers who help us sort through the recycling every year!

Over at Amestoy Elementary, students and parent helpers contributed to a big win by the Kindergarten class. The Kindergartners helped contribute to a total of over 850 lbs of recycling collected from the school; that equals more than $900 of fundraising for Amestoy. Great job!

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The only thing Amestoy Kindergartners love more than collecting recyclables, is eating their ice cream prize!

 

Chapman Elementary and 135th St. Elementary also did a great job this year, collecting 425 lbs and 118 lbs of recyclables, respectively.  Special shout-out to the students from Chapman, who came out to recycle their bottles & cans even in the rain!

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All smiles despite a rainy day!

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Second graders from Chapman Elementary pose next to their winning pile of recyclables.

 

It was the littlest helpers who did the most at 135th St. Elementary, as the Pre-K class brought in the most recyclables of any grade level. The students earned more than $150 for their school. Great job, 135th!

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Pre-K students lining up to recycle!

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Pre-K kids stayed afterwards to learn more about all kinds of recycling.

 

Earth Day recycling events like these are one of the best ways to get kids interested and excited about helping our environment. Plus, fundraising gets students, faculty and parents involved in school spirit AND spreads a great environmental message that carries over to recycling at home and in the classroom. For more information on school recycling programs, contact Kevin of KJServices at (562) 944-4766 or email info@kjservicesenviro.com.


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Holiday Recycling: What, Where, and How

We all know the holiday season produces extra stress, but did you know it also produces extra waste? According to CalRecycle, between Thanksgiving and New Year’s, 1 million additional tons of waste is produced each week.

Just think of all the excess packaging, paper, cards, wrappers and mail you give and receive around the holidays. It adds up!

The good news is that most extra Christmas waste can be reused; repurposing wrapping paper, gift tags, bags, and ribbons is easy and saves you money every year.

But there are other holiday decorations that might not be so easy to recycle. What do you do with old Christmas lights? Is your tree recyclable? How about the batteries for new toys and the old TVs and cell phones that will be replaced with new ones this year?

Find out below where and what you can recycle this holiday season.

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Christmas Trees

Last year in Los Angeles County, over 20,000 Christmas trees (over 200 tons!) were recycled by the L.A. County Sanitation Districts. L.A. County offers FREE tree pick-up curbside, as well as a number of locations where you can drop-off trees on Sunday, January 3rd. You can check availability and info by clicking here. Tip: make sure all trees are bare of decorations and tree stands. What happens to Christmas trees when they’re collected? They are recycled into mulch and compost, which some cities give back to their residents for free.

If you don’t want to haul your tree to the curb or take it to a collection site, RecycleTrees will come to your house and recycle your Christmas tree for you! A portion of all proceeds go to TreePeople.

 

Christmas Lights

Although both incandescent and LED lights can be thrown away in the regular trash, there are many Christmas light recycling programs throughout the U.S. Many hardware stores like Home Depot and ACE Hardware have exchange programs where you can recycle old and broken Christmas lights and receive a coupon for new ones. Trade-ins of this kind are especially useful for upgrading from incandescent to LED lights, which can help reduce the amount of energy you expend.

Another light exchange program is offered by the company HolidayLEDs, which will recycle your old lights for free and then send you a 15% coupon to purchase new, lower energy lights. Another option is Christmas Light Source, which will recycle your old lights, send you a 10% coupon for new ones and donate the profit from the lights to Toys For Tots.

Call2Recycle

You can drop off rechargeable batteries and old cell phones at Call2Recycle centers in your area. Most Call2Recycle drop-off centers are located next to department and hardware stores, making them a convenient destination while you’re doing your holiday shopping. Make you check what kinds of items they will accept.

 

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S.A.F.E. Centers / Household Hazardous Waste Round-Ups

If you live in Los Angeles and have a lot of electronic waste (televisions, tablets, cell phones, computers, printers, etc.), your best resource is one of the County’s S.A.F.E. Collection Centers. Open to City and County residents, S.A.F.E. Centers also accept motor oil, paint, household chemicals, batteries, medication, fluorescent lights, and Sharps. There are seven facilities located across the County, and most are open every weekend. Check flyer for details.

The County also provides mobile collection events for Household Hazardous Waste (including electronics) in a different City every weekend. To check the HHW Round-Up schedule, click here.

Everything Else

If you ever have a question about what or what cannot be recycled, Earth911.com is an invaluable resource. Simply enter the item you wish to recycle, and your zipcode, and you’ll find out where you can recycle that item. It’s that easy!

 


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At Home and In the Classroom: Tips For Back to School Recycling

Autumn has arrived, which means kids and parents nationwide are in full, back-to-school mode. The change of seasons can mean changing of habits, especially when it comes to the three R’s: reducing, reusing, and recycling. But by implementing just a few, common sense practices into your back-to-school routine, you can teach your children all about the value of saving the Earth!

 

At Home

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Reusable lunch bags and aluminum water bottles can have informative recycling messages like these.

 

  • Ditch the brown bag! Use a reusable lunch bag or make your own. Use a reusable water bottle and reusable food containers. Instead of plastic bags, plastic forks and paper napkins, use tupperware containers, cloth napkins or towels, and reusable silverware.
  • Reuse last year’s school supplies. TIP: Flip through old spiral notebooks for unmarked paper. Three-hole punch loose notebook paper and then add it to your child’s 3-ring binder. No need to buy new notebook paper!
  • If you need to buy new school supplies, look for products made of recycled materials.
  • Old paper shopping bags make great textbook covers. Learn how.

 

For more tips and links on how to best outfit your child for back-to-school recycling, visit CalRecycle.

In the Classroom

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Students ready to recycle!

  • Join an environmental club on campus (or better yet, start one yourself!). Environmental clubs are a great way for students to learn about environmental issues in their community. Students can organize recycling fundraisers for their school, coordinate school and neighborhood clean-ups, and volunteer for environmental programs like those hosted by Heal the Bay or Keep America Beautiful.

 

  • Set up recycling stations in your classrooms and around campus. Every classroom should have a container for trash, aluminum, and plastic. Plastic bottles and aluminum soda cans, can be redeemed for cash. Teachers should encourage their students to recycle these items in-class and the revenue from recycling them can go towards buying classroom supplies. Have fun with it! Foster a healthy sense of competition by challenging other classrooms to see who can collect the most money for their teacher. To find a recycling center near your school, visit www.bottlesandcans.com!

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  • Paper can be recycled, too! Reuse scratch paper and set up a bin for recycling old school work, newspapers (even cardboard!). Just make sure all staples and paperclips are removed first.

 

To find information on how to start a recycling program at your school, visit CalRecycle.


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KJServices 2014–2015 Year End Projects

During the 2014-2015 fiscal year, KJServices Environmental Consulting was proud to conduct many different recycling programs throughout cities in Southern California. These included outreach programs to elementary schools, Earth Day celebrations, scrap tire recycling, used oil filter exchanges and many community events where we got a chance to speak to residents directly about the importance of recycling and environmental programs.

To learn more about KJServices programs and services, visit us on Facebook or Contact Us directly.

Elementary School Bottle & Can Recycling

Elementary schools in the Cities of Gardena and Cerritos competed in an Earth Day bottle & can recycling contest. All recyclables collected by the students were redeemed for cash for their schools! These events are great fundraisers for the schools, and fun activities that get kids engaged in recycling habits for life.

 

 Vernon Elementary Earth Day

 We had a wonderful time coordinating the 2015 Earth Day celebration at Vernon Elementary School in Vernon, CA. Students learned about all types of recycling: paper, plastic, glass, metal, and composting at a series of interactive learning centers. We love engaging with young people who are excited to learn more about recycling and our environment!

Tire Collection

KJServices staffed a series of tire collection events at various sites in the Coachella Valley, the Lake Elsinore area, and in cities around Norwalk and Torrance, CA. During these events combined, we collected nearly 10,000 scrap tires to recycle! (That’s well over 100 tons!!!) The rubber from these tires is taken to a recycling plant, chopped up into mulch and then can be used for a number of new materials, including asphalt, playground flooring, rubber mats, and even shoes and clothes!

Filter Exchanges

Held at auto parts stores like AutoZone, O’Reilly’s and Pep Boys, used oil filter exchanges are some of our most popular community recycling events. Residents can bring their used oil to recycle for free and if they also bring an old oil filter, they receive a voucher for a free, new oil filter. Used oil is a hazardous waste and it is illegal and dangerous for it to be dumped down the drain or abandoned in an alley. Filter exchanges are a great opportunity to engage do-it-yourselfers in environmentally conscious practices and incentivize recycling at the local level.

Community Events

 KJServices represented many Cities at community events over the past fiscal year. Here are some photos from our favorite events!


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KJServices Celebrates Earth Day 2015!

April 22nd marks the 45th anniversary of Earth Day. First proposed by Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson in 1970, Earth Day was designated as a “national day for the environment” and today is celebrated around the U.S. and around the world. The founding of Earth Day lead to the passage of a wave of environmental legislation in the 1970s, including the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the establishment of Clean Water Act in 1972. Today, California is one of the country’s leaders in environmental issues, and cities and countries statewide participate in Earth Day activities.

We at KJServices are proud to be participating in a multitude of Earth Day events this April. If you can’t make it out to see us at one of these events, you can find Earth Day celebrations near you by visiting CalRecycle’s Earth Day page.

Come visit us at one of the following Earth Day events in Southern California!

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Madrona Marsh Earth Day Fair

Saturday, April 18th, 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Madrona Marsh Nature Center
3201 Plaza Del Amo Terrace
Torrance, CA 90503
310-782-3989

Celebrate Earth Day by attending this free Fair sponsored by ExxonMobil at the Madrona Marsh Nature Center. Environmental Educators will be here exhibiting and will each have a booth. A food truck will be on-site to purchase lunch. Live animals, turtles to adopt, music, crafts and docent led tours are just some of the fun events happening at the fair. For more information please contact the Madrona Marsh Nature Center at 310-782-3989.

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Inglewood Earth Day Festival 

“From the Soil to the Sky”
Saturday, April 18th, 10 a.m. — 3 p.m.
Inglewood Civic Center, South Lawn
1 West Manchester Blvd
Inglewood, CA 90301

Hosted by the City of Inglewood and the Social Justice Learning Institute.

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STAR Eco Station Children’s Earth Day

Sunday, April 19th, 10 a.m.– 4 p.m.
STAR Eco Station
10101 Jefferson Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90232
310-842-8060

Celebrate Planet Earth the way no one else can at STAR Eco Station’s 15th Annual CHILDREN’S EARTH DAY! Enjoy a day filled with incredible performances, exciting crafts and games, super cool celebrity guests, awesome non-profit exhibitors, delicious food, environmental agencies and many more surprises! Use the hashtag #MyEarthDayPledge to share how you plan to improve your community, preserve our natural resources and save our planet.

 

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Beverly Hills Earth Day

Sunday, April 19th, 9 a.m. — 1 p.m.
Beverly Hills Farmers Market
9300 Civic Center Dr
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
(310) 285-6830

Hosted by the Public Works Services department, this city event brings global environmental awareness locally to Beverly Hills!  The Earth Day celebration encourages citizens to “take the lead” on environmental conservation and sustainability.

Several vendors scheduled to attend will highlight:

  • Water conservation and rainwater harvesting
  • Tax-deductible used toy recycling* (click here for more details)
  • Solar power alternatives
  • Electric Vehicles
  • Sustainable gardening and composting
  • Bee pollination and Monarch butterfly education
  • Pet adoptions

A mobile earthquake simulator will also be on display to promote emergency preparedness.  Our Beverly Hills Library will also have story-time and recycling-themed crafts and books.

Free confidential document shredding will also be on-site.  Complimentary 20-pound bags of compost and water conscious shower timers (while supplies last).  Good for all ages so become an environmental partner and join the celebration!

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City of Torrance Earth Day Recycling Event

Saturday, April 25th, 8 a.m. — 12 p.m.
Toyota Motor Sales, USA
Employee Parking Lot
Intersection of 190th Street & Van Ness
Torrance, CA 90501

Torrance residents can donate their old clothes & shoes, bring their documents to be shredded, electronic waste to be recycled, and even get a free used oil filter with the donation of a used oil filter. See flyer (above) for details or visit Recycle Torrance.

For more information on these Earth Day events, or any KJServices events, please contact us at (562) 944-4766 or via email at info@kjservicesenviro.com.


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Keep Palms Springs Beautiful!

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Image by Jay Hooker Photography

Palm Springs, CA is world-renowned as a picturesque resort destination full of beautiful vistas and stunning landscapes. But as a popular destination for motorists and a desirable setting for fans of offroading and Motorsports, the desert around Palm Springs can also attract waste tires from vehicles that have been left by the side of the road, or simply dumped in the middle of the desert.

Since tires are no longer accepted at landfills, and can be bulky and inconvenient to get rid of, unfortunately many people find it easier to dump them illegally than contact their local city governments’ recycling program. Dumping trash in the desert is illegal, and in cities like Palm Springs, it’s a huge problem.

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The Coachella Valley Association of Governments is organizing a series of free tire collection events to combat this problem, and to help keep Palm Springs beautiful. Recent events in Indio, Desert Hot Springs, Coachella, and La Quinta have yielded over 3,000 waste tires which will now be recycled. That’s over 3,000 fewer eyesores in the Coachella Valley!

On February 28th, it’s Palm Springs’ turn to clean-up the Coachella Valley. All CV residents are welcome to bring their used tires to Palm Springs City Hall from 8am–12 noon to recycle for free.

Help ensure that all used tires are collected safely and recycled. Residents can transport up to 9 tires maximum per trip. Multiple trips are okay. Please bring passenger and light truck tires only. NO semi truck, construction equipment or agricultural tractor tires are accepted. Tires from businesses and non-profits will not be accepted. ALL tires must be removed from the rims.
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Help keep the Coachella Valley Clean and Green! For more information about this event, visit the City of Palm Springs’ website or please call 760-323-8214 or 562-944-4766.

Together, we can help keep Palm Springs looking like this!

palm_springsPhoto by Jay Hooker Photography


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A Tour of the Hyperion Treatment Plant

The Hyperion Treatment Plant in Los Angeles is the largest waste water treatment plant west of the Mississippi, processing 280 million gallons of waste water per day. The entire treatment plant is 140 acres–that’s bigger than Disneyland! The plant has the highest diversion rate among most popular U.S. cities, at 76%, but they plan to increase this rate to 90% by 2025.

We were able to take a tour of the plant’s Environmental Learning Center, a new educational campus that opened in 2013. The ELC is 20,000 sq. ft. and features three floors of interactive learning displays and activities, including a “Green Roof” and a Wetlands area. (See photos below)

The ELC is free and open to the public. It’s a great resource for school groups, community volunteer groups, environmental clubs, and just for anyone who ever wondered where their water goes after they turn off the faucet. For more info on the ELC, and to plan your own tour of the facility, visit their website.

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IMG_2836  IMG_2838IMG_2829      The Green Roof features low-maintenance succulents grown with recycled water, solar panels, skylights and a wind turbine, all designed to keep the ELC’s energy costs low.

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View of the Pacific Ocean from the roof of the ELC.

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On the second floor, there are many interactive displays to encourage kids to know what to recycle, where, and how. There are sections on electronic waste, household hazardous waste, green waste, and even bottle and can recycling.

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IMG_2883 IMG_2874 IMG_2875  On the first floor, the “Water’s Many L.A. Ways” exhibit highlights both stormwater recycling and wastewater recycling, teaching us how the water we use everyday gets treated, cleaned, reused and recycled at Hyperion.

IMG_2877   This section features a life-sized sewer pipe, the kind through which LA’s waste water flows everyday. It’s huge!

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IMG_2886Outside, the campus has a Wetlands area, which uses the wastewater recycled at the plant to create a habitat for surrounding wildlife.

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To schedule your own FREE visit to the Hyperion Treatment Plant Environmental Learning Center, contact them at (310) 648-5363, via email, or at their website.


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New Year’s Resolution: Recycle Your Electronic Waste!

If you didn’t get any new electronics this holiday, I bet you know someone who did. Christmas is the time for giving: cellphones, computers, tablets, printers, and other electronics top the gift lists of many Americans. But in with the new means out with the old. Where do these old electronics go?

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Electronic waste (or e-waste) is classified as hazardous waste–it can’t go in the regular trash. Because of components like cathode rays, lead and other chemicals, e-waste must be recycled separately, just like used motor oil or medical waste.

E-waste can be recycled in LA County at several events, both at Household Hazardous Waste Roundups and at permanent collection centers located throughout the county.

Los Angeles County HHW events in January

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But it’s not just the holidays that produce a lot of e-waste. In fact, Americans produce over 65 pounds of electronic waste per person per year! You probably have tons of e-waste around the house you may not even realize is toxic. HHW items include: computers, printers, televisions, VCRs, cell phones, fax machines, stereos, and electronic games. For a full list of where and when to recycle your e-waste (and what items are accepted) visit the LA County Department of Public Works.