East Lansing's annual Project Pride Community Cleanup and Recycling Event will take place on Saturday, June 4 from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Find out all you need to know about this event by reading the articles below. Just What is Project Pride? Project Pride is a community spring cleanup and recycling project geared toward helping East Lansing residents clean up their homes and yards by providing an outlet to recycle or donate for reuse common household items they no longer want. The event is similar to the many "DeJunking Days" or "Community Cleanup" days held in other communities in the region. However, Project Pride places greater emphasis on reuse and recycling opportunities rather than disposal. As a result, a majority of the items brought to Project Pride do not end up in the landfill. In fact, last year nearly 50 tons of material were collected, of which, more than 85 percent was reused or recycled rather than disposed. The event is organized by the Project Pride Planning Committee, which is comprised of primarily East Lansing residents and City staff. Project Pride is a non-profit entity that uses money collected at the event to offset disposal and operational fees. Volunteers Are Still Needed! We need volunteers like you! Project Pride relies on more than 100 volunteers in order to keep this great community event going. Volunteers are still needed for this weekend's event! Community members are encouraged to consider rolling up their sleeves and doing something good for the environment at the 2011 Project Pride. To sign up, just call Susan Schmidt at (517) 333-3587. Who, When and Where? Project Pride is held the first Saturday after Memorial Day each year. This year it is Saturday, June 4 (this weekend!) and will, once again, be held at the Abbott Center, 1400-1500 Abbot Road, from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Only East Lansing residents are eligible to participate. Participants should bring proof of residency such as a driver's license or billing statement with them to the event. Residents should access the Abbott Center from Kendale Boulevard, which is off of Saginaw Street. Kendale is the first street east of the Abbot-Saginaw intersection. Turn north onto Kendale. Proceed north onto Kendale to the coned off area at the intersection of Kendale and Woodland Pass. This is where vehicles can enter the event. What Can Be Dropped Off at Project Pride Changes for 2011: - This year Project Pride will feature a mobile document shredding service to safely and securely destroy personal files and forms, which will then be recycled. - Project Pride can no longer accept Alkaline Batteries. However, car batteries and the following rechargeable batteries will be accepted: Ni-Cd, Ni-MH, Li-ion, Ni-Zn and small (less than 11 lbs) Sealed Lead (Pb) batteries. - Project Pride no longer can accept athletic shoes for recycling. - Plants will not be for sale this year. - Electronics recycling will be free of charge. The following items are accepted and do not require a fee (2011): washers/dryers, usable furniture*, clothing in good condition*, scrap metal, household utensils*, lawn mowers, bikes, corrugated cardboard, small appliances, car batteries, boxboard, styrofoam (no peanuts), rechargeable batteries, stoves, books, plastics #1-#7, files/documents. *Volunteers of America and the Salvation Army will be accepting common household items. It is strongly encouraged to learn which items that they accept and the condition they should be in by visiting their websites: www.voami.org and www.usc.salvationarmy.org/wmni. The following items are accepted, but require a fee (2011): tires ($4-$15 depending on size), items with refrigerants (refrigerators, freezers, ect.; $15 each), lumber ($5-$20 depending on amount), unusable items for disposal ($5 each). Items that will not be accepted (2011): box springs, wire fencing, trash/garbage, yard waste, steel cable, glass, propane tanks/bottles, bricks, cement, drywall, mufflers, paints, solvents, stains, gas, cans, fuel oil tanks, oil/oil pans, cleaners/degreasers, anything containing mercury, fluorescent lights/fixtures, alkaline batteries, household hazardous waste and pharmaceutical waste, athletic shoes. To learn additional details on items accepted and associated fees, visit www.cityofeastlansing.com/projectpride .
There are numerous special spring recycling/reuse events planned from March through June in the Greater Lansing area. Upcoming events are listed below, along with links to more detailed information.
Recycle Rama - April 9, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., Ingham County Health Department, 5303 S. Cedar St., Lansing. Open to Ingham County residents. Free recycling of items such as electronics, books, clothing, scrap metal and more.
Document Destruction Day - April 6, 8 a.m.-noon, Friedland Industries, Corner of Center and Maple streets in Lansing's Old Town. Properly destroy and recycle documents. Free and open to all residents.
Pack Up, Pitch In - May 5-6, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., north parking lot of East Lansing Hannah Community Center, 819 Abbot Road. Open to MSU off-campus students with valid student ID. Free collection of items such as electronics, non-perishable food, clothing, shoes, books and furniture.
Household Hazardous Waste Collections - May 5-Sept. 29, Thursdays only from 2-6 p.m., 5303 S. Cedar St., Lansing. Free collection for Ingham County residents, including items such as oil-based paints, solvents, cleaners, etc.
Compost Bin & Rain Barrel Truckload Sale - May 21, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., Foods For Living parking lot, 2655 E. Grand River Ave., East Lansing.
Project Pride - EL's Community Cleanup & Recycling Event - June 4, 8 a.m.-3 p.m., Abbott Center Parking Lot, 1400 Abbot Road, East Lansing. Open to East Lansing residents, numerous items collected such as electronics, scrap metal, Styrofoam and much more. Some items require disposal fee.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES - Some of the special events listed above are in need of volunteers. In particular, the Recycle Rama and Project Pride events rely heavily on volunteers. Click on the links for each event to find out how you can volunteer.
This year's Project Pride will be held on Saturday, June 4. New this year is the FREE collection of electronic items and FREE document shredding. Electronics that will be accepted include computer systems and accessories such as CPUs; monitors and keyboards; audio/video equipment such as VCRs, camcorders and game systems; handheld devices such as cell phones, PDAs and two-way radios; and office equipment such as fax machines, printers and scanners.
Last year the Bailey Neighborhood's old street lights were replaced with new, energy efficient Light Emitting Diode (LED) lights. The new lights were installed within the existing fixtures. More than 125 fixtures received the new lights. The cost of the project was paid for primarily from federal stimulus funding through the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants and rebates from the Lansing Board of Water & Light Hometown Energy Savers Program, along with a small matching amount from the City.
Each light will reduce energy use by 680 killowatt hours per year and save nearly $30 in energy cost. Because of the long life of the LED bulbs, there will also be a significant maintenance cost savings. In total, the project will save nearly $12,000 per year.
The "Recycle for a Greener East Lansing" Facebook group just made the switch to a page. The new page will be more interactive for our residents. Go to our page and "like" us for the latest environmental news and updates. Please post your comments and questions on the page.
Free compact fluorescent light bulbs are still available at the East Lansing Department of Public Works, 1800 E. State Road, during normal business hours. Stop by the office and pick up a pair of 13 watt (equivalent to a 60 watt incandescent bulb) bulbs.
City crews will begin collecting yard waste curbside on April 4. The annual no-fee collection days will be April 18 and May 2. City bags and stickers can be purchased at several local retailers, along with the following City facilities: East Lansing City Hall, 410 Abbot Road; the East Lansing Department of Public Works, 1800 E. State Road; the East Lansing Hannah Community Center, 819 Abbot Road; and the East Lansing Public Library, 950 Abbot Road. For a complete list of locations, click here.
The City is once again partnering with the Board of Water & Light (BWL) Hometown Energy Savers program to provide free, energy-efficient LED holiday lights. BWL electric service customers can exchange a strand of their old, working incandescent lights for a new strand of multi-colored LED holiday lights while supplies last. Limit of two strands of LED lights per household. Bring a valid ID and current BWL electric bill. Households who participated in previous exchanges may participate again. Old light strands will be recycled.
Residents can exchange lights from Nov. 18 through Dec. 3 at: • DPW, 1800 E. State Road, M-F, 8 a.m.-5 pm. • East Lansing Hannah Community Center, 819 Abbot Road during regular hours • BWL Customer Service Center, 1232 Haco Dr., Lansing, M-F, 8 a.m.-5:30 p.m.
Residents can recycle their old Christmas light strands this holiday season through the City’s curbside recycling program. Lights will be accepted from Nov. 18 through Dec. 3 on residents' normal curbside collection day. Simply place lights in your blue bin. Please do not include any packaging, light reels, bags or boxes – only light strands. Strands can also be dropped off at the DPW office during normal business hours.
This fall’s Recycle Rama was a big hit with Ingham County residents. Nearly 1,200 people attended the event and dropped off over 126,000 pounds of materials. Electronic waste and appliances were the most popular items recycled by residents with 78,000 and 17,000 pounds collected respectively. The Recycle Rama planning committee is hoping to sponsor another event in the spring, so watch for details. Thank you to those of you who participated or volunteered to help!
The City of East Lansing’s regular refuse, recycling and bulk leaf collection schedules will be altered by the upcoming holidays. Here are the modified collection schedules for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's:
Thanksgiving: The DPW office will be closed on Thursday, Nov. 25 and Friday, Nov. 26. There will be no refuse, recycling or bulk leaf pickup on Nov. 25. Thursday's and Friday's refuse and recycling will be collected on Nov. 26. There will be no bulk leaf pickup on Nov. 26. Christmas: The DPW office will be closed on Thursday, Dec. 23 and Friday, Dec. 24. There is no change to the collection schedule on Dec. 23; refuse and recycling will be collected. There will be no refuse or recycling collection on Dec 24. Friday’s refuse and recycling will be collected on Monday, Dec. 27. There will be no bulk item collection on Dec. 27. New Year's: The DPW office will be closed on Friday, Dec. 31. There will be no refuse or recycling collection on Dec. 31. Friday’s refuse and recycling will be collected on Monday, Jan. 3. There will be no bulk item collection on Jan. 3.
Not surprisingly, Americans generate more refuse during the holidays than at any other time of the year--about 20% more. We encourage you to reuse or recycle as much as possible but will once again be allowing residents to dispose of extra refuse without having to use City bags from Dec. 21-Jan. 3. Refuse will be collected on residents' normal collection day ONLY. Each household will have two collections during this time period when extra refuse can be disposed. This collection is for household refuse only--no yard waste or bulk items. Bags/containers cannot weigh more than 40 pounds. All other refuse regulations apply. See the holiday collection schedule for collection changes during this time.
The City’s seasonal drop-off site at Patriarche Park is now open and accepting corrugated cardboard and boxboard for recycling. With all of the extra shipping boxes and gift boxes during the holidays, this is a convenient and easy way to recycle them.
Don’t discard your live-cut Christmas tree, recycle it! The City will be collecting live-cut trees curbside on Jan. 3 and Jan. 10. Trees can also be dropped off through Jan. 14 at the following locations: • Patriarche Park – Parking lot on Alton Road • Emerson Park – Arbor Drive entrance • Fine Park – Parking lot on Winchester Drive • Valley Court Park – South of the Community Center • White Memorial Park – Parking lot at Pebblebrook Lane. Remove all decorations, tree stands and tree bags. Holiday wreaths cannot be recycled with trees due to wire in the wreath. Trees are chipped and used as mulch on trails, around trees and in parks.
East Lansing’s annual Project Pride event will take place on Saturday, June 5 from 8 a.m. until 3 p.m. Find out all you need to know about this event by reading the articles below. Just What is Project Pride? Project Pride is a community spring clean-up and recycling project which helps East Lansing residents clean up their homes and yards by providing an outlet to recycle, or donate for reuse, common household items that residents no longer want. The event is similar to the many "DeJunking Days" or "Community Cleanup" days held in other communities in the region. However, the City places greater emphasis on reuse and recycling opportunities rather than disposal. As a result, a majority of the items brought to the event do not end up in the landfill. In fact, last year we collected nearly 50 tons of material, of which, over 85% were reused or recycled rather than disposed. The event is organized by the Project Pride Planning Committee which is a composed primarily of East Lansing residents and City staff. Project Pride is a non-profit entity which uses money collected at the event to offset disposal and operational fees. Who, When and Where? Project Pride is held the first Saturday after Memorial Day each year. This year the event will take place on Saturday, June 5 and will once again be held at the Abbott Center, 1400-1500 Abbot Road, from 8 a.m. until 3 p.m. Only East Lansing residents are eligible to participate and will be required to bring proof of residency such as a driver’s license or billing statement to verify residency. Residents should access the Abbott Center from Kendale Blvd, which is off of Saginaw Street. Kendale is the first street east of the Abbot and Saginaw intersection. Turn north onto Kendale and continue until the coned off area at the intersection of Kendale and Woodland Pass. This is where you will enter the event. We Need You! We need volunteers like you. Project Pride relies on more than 100 volunteers. In order to keep this great community event going, we need your help. Call Susan Schmidt at (517) 333-3587 to sign up. ITEMS ACCEPTED / NOT ACCEPTED: Please only bring items that are recyclable or reusable. Items which must be disposed will require a disposal fee or should be taken home. The following items are accepted and do not require a fee (2010): athletic shoes, automobile batteries, bikes, boxboard, clothing, corrugated cardboard, usable furniture, household electronics, household utensils, junk cars, lawn mowers, paper documents for shredding, plastics #1-#7, rechargeable batteries and small sealed lead batteries, scrap metal, small appliances and Styrofoam. * The Volunteers of America and the Salvation Army will be accepting common household items. It is strongly encouraged to learn which items that they accept and the condition they should be in. Visit www.voami.org and www.usc.salvationarmy.org/wmni to learn more. The following items are accepted, but require a fee (2010): computer monitors, electronics, items containing FREON, lumber, televisions, tires, vacuums and stereo speakers. Items that are not accepted (2010): non-rechargeable/Alkaline batteries, box springs, construction debris, curbside recyclables, fluorescent lights & fixtures, fuel oil tanks, gas cans, household hazardous waste, oil & oil pans / filters, propane tanks, refuse, wire fencing, steel cable, mufflers and yard waste. Changes for 2010:
It was more than 40 years ago, in 1970, that Sen. Ben Nelson of Wisconsin expressed concern regarding the lack of political attention paid to environmental issues and soon after announced there would be a nationwide grassroots demonstration on behalf of the environment. The response to his plan was outstanding with more than 20 million people taking part in activities across the country. Thus, “Earth Day” was born and is celebrated annually on April 22.
Community members can celebrate Earth Day this year by changing a light or two in their homes. This year the City will be giving out two free energy efficient compact fluorescent light bulbs per home at the Department of Public Works, 1800 E. State Road, while supplies last, and during the week of April 19, they will also be given out at the East Lansing Hannah Community Center, 819 Abbot Road.
On April 7 of this year 20 local businesses, non-profits, educational institutions and individuals were honored by the Waste Reduction Awards Program (WRAP) for their environmental strides. The WRAP program annually highlights those in the community that have exemplary waste reduction, reuse, recycling and energy efficiency programs. Three East Lansing organizations were recognized for their environmental programs, including the Community Relations Coalition (CRC), Douglas J Management Co. and the new MSU Recycling and Surplus Center.
Of the 20 nominees, WRAP gave out awards to the top 10 organizations with the most outstanding programs and the CRC was among that list. The CRC was a WRAP award recipient for its work in the community to boost recycling opportunities for students, promote energy efficiency through a partnership with the City to distribute energy efficient CFL bulbs and for their work on the Pack Up, Pitch In student recycling event. The City extends a congratulations to the CRC and all the other nominees and award winners!
MSU students who want to lighten their loads during spring move-out are encouraged to check out this year’s Pack Up, Pitch In off-campus student recycling event, taking place May 6-7 from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. in the north lot of the Hannah Community Center, 819 Abbot Road.
Pack Up, Pitch In provides an opportunity for students to help keep the community green and lend a hand to those in need by dropping off unwanted items for recycling or reuse by a local charity. The following items will be accepted: clothing, shoes, non-perishable food, carpet, electronics, sofas*, other furniture*, mattresses*, blankets*, pillows*, household items*, kitchenware and curbside recyclables, including #1 and #2 plastic bottles, magazines, paper, newspaper, glass bottles and tin/aluminum/metal cans. *Household items (i.e. mattresses, sofas, etc.) that are not in usable condition can be dropped off for a $7.50 disposal fee. All other items will be accepted free of charge. Visit www.cityofeastlansing.com/PackUpPitchIn for more information.
Project Pride will expand the number of items collected this year. For the first time, the event will offer free document shredding and collection of plastics #1- #7, which will be taken through a pilot program with the MSU Recycling Center. A special Curbside Journal with more details will be posted in May, or visit the Project Pride page on the City's Web site by clicking here.
With the winter snow almost gone and thermostats consistently north of the freezing mark, it is safe to say that spring is slowly but surely making its way to Michigan.
With the warmer weather comes a number of annual special recycling events the City and the region host each April, May and June. This year is no exception and the list of ways you can reuse and recycle specific items this spring may be bigger than ever.
Check out the stories below to learn about just a few of the special events occurring in the region this spring, including Project Pride; Pack Up, Pitch In; MSU's Home & Garden Show; and much more.
The Regional Recycling Coordination Committee (R2C2) will have a booth at this year's Home & Garden Show in the MSU Pavilion, March 18-21. R2C2 members will be on hand to answer all of your questions about refuse, recycling, composting and more.
Come check out the booth to view samples of the compost bins and rain barrels that will be sold at the upcoming R2C2-sponsored sale on April 10 (see story below for more information). While you're there, sign up to win one of the bins and barrels that will be raffled off and pick up a free energy-efficient compact fluorescent light bulb (while supplies last).
R2C2 is sponsoring a one-day, truckload sale of rain barrels and compost bins on Saturday, April 10 from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. in the Dunham's parking lot, 3301 E. Michigan Ave.
Compost bins will be sold for $40 and rain barrels will be sold for $50. This is an outstanding deal as these items retail for $100 and $120 respectively. Visit www.earthmachine.com or www.systern.com for more information on these items.
There are two events this year where you can take your old files and documents to be shredded:
Project Pride - Project Pride will take place Saturday, June 5 at the Abbott Center, 1400 Abbot Road. Document destruction is one of the new features of this annual event. East Lansing residents can protect their identity by bringing their old files and documents to be shredded onsite at Project Pride. The paper will be recycled.
Document Destruction Day - Document Destruction Day will take place on Saturday, April 17 from 8 a.m.-noon at Friedland Industries, located at the corner of Center and Maple Streets in Lansing's Old Town.
Computers and other electronic equipment can be recycled at two local events this spring: Project Pride (see details of the event in the story above and below) and the Regional Computer & Electronics Recycling event.
Project Pride - Classic Computer Recovery will be on hand to recycle people's electronics at the Project Pride event. Everything from computers to televisions, cameras and cell phones will be collected. In order to properly recycle these items, there are some fees applied to the electronics collections. Click here to learn more. Regional Computer & Electronics Recycling - The Regional Computer & Electronics Recycling event will take place on Saturday, May 1 from 8 a.m.-noon at the City of Lansing Recycling Transfer Station, 530 E. South St. There is a fee to properly recycle some items at this event. Click here for details.
As mentioned above, the annual Project Pride reuse and recycling event will take place on Saturday, June 5 from 8 a.m.-3 p.m at the Abbott Center, 1400 Abbot Road. The Project Pride Planning Committee is still in the planning stages for this year's event, but are excited to announce the addition of safe document shredding this year.
The new document shredding feature of the event offers people with a great way to safely recycle any papers that may have personal information, from junk mail to tax returns and more. The committee is also looking into the possibility of recycling #3-#7 plastics. There will be more information published on this event in the coming weeks, including a special bin tag and Curbside Journal e-newsletter dedicated to the event. Community members can also click here to learn more.
Regular yard waste collection will begin this year on Monday, April 5 and will run through the fall.
In addition, there will be two no-fee yard waste collections this spring on April 19 and May 3. Click here to learn more.
Residents can pick up two free energy-efficient compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) at the Department of Public Works, 1800 E. State Road, during normal business hours. The bulbs are being made available through a Michigan Public Service Commission grant.
The CFLs will also be available at special events throughout the year, such as Project Pride, while supplies last. In total, 12,000 bulbs will be given out to East Lansing residents in an effort to conserve energy. There are also numerous places where burned out CFLs can be recycled in the area. Click here to learn more.
The City of East Lansing will, for its third year, host the off-campus Pack Up, Pitch In recycling event for Michigan State University (MSU) students during spring move-out. The event will take place in the north lot of the East Lansing Hannah Community Center, 819 Abbot Road, May 6 and 7 from 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
Students can stop by any time during the two-day event to drop off unwanted items for recycling or reuse by local charities. Items collected this year will include clothing, non-perishable food, shoes, electronics, sofas ($7.50 collection fee), carpets, mattresses, blankets, pillows, kitchenware, regular curbside recyclables and other furniture/products. The Pack Up, Pitch In event allows students to lighten their loads during spring move-out, while simultaneously doing something good for the environment and those in need in the community. Click here to learn more.
Due to a technical error, please disregard the E-Newsletter that was sent earlier today.
The City of East Lansing would like to hear directly from residents regarding the fiscal challenges it currently faces.
As anyone who follows the news is aware, the national and state economic downturn has had a devastating impact on funding of essential public services provided by local governments.
As fortunate as the City is to have anchor institutions like MSU within its boundaries, the community is far from immune to the effects of economic volatility. The City lost close to $11 million in revenue sharing from 2001 to 2009 due to the state’s financial troubles and additional, drastic cuts are projected for 2010 and 2011. Revenue sharing is funding used by local governments to provide core municipal services to its residents on a day-to-day basis, including police and fire protection, library services, senior citizens programs and more. The cuts to revenue sharing, combined with a decline in the local housing market and a reduction in property tax revenues to the City, have created a perfect storm in terms of East Lansing’s fiscal challenges.
The City has taken a pro-active stance in these hard economic times by adopting a two-year budgeting approach that meets current and future challenges, creating a five-year financial forecast that projects future expenditures and revenues and holding numerous budget brainstorming meetings with employees and staff to develop ways to address the shortfall. The City is currently addressing the shortfall by keeping vacant positions unfilled, delaying capital expenditures and through voluntary staff furlough days. While this is a start, more will need to be done in the next two years. That is where residents’ input comes into play. The City would like to hear directly from residents on this critical matter. Residents can learn more about the challenges at hand and take a brief survey at www.cityofeastlansing.com/fiscalchallenges.
Residents of the City of East Lansing are urged to fill out the 2010 form, which will arrive in mailboxes in mid-March and must be postmarked by April 1, 2010. The 2010 Census form has been dubbed the “shortest Census form in history,” featuring 10 confidential questions that can be easily answered in no more than 10 minutes.
MSU students with questions about where they should fill out their Census form (i.e. at school or at mom and dad’s house) are reminded that they must be counted in the location where they live full time. Meaning, if they live in East Lansing for the majority (more than half) of the year they should fill their form out here.
It is extremely important for all residents to fill out their 2010 Census forms because it brings federal funding back into the community. Close to $1,500 per person, per year over the next 10 years will be allocated for each head that is counted. These funds go toward road construction/rehabilitation, public transportation, Community Development Block Grants and other community services and programs. Visit www.cityofeastlansing.com/2010census for more details and, just remember, you count in East Lansing!
The 2010 Special Primary Election will take place Tuesday, Feb. 23. The election was called by the Ingham County Board of Commissioners to fill a board vacancy. The elected candidate will serve a partial term, ending December 31, 2010.
This election only affects voters residing in County Commissioner District 8 and those who are registered to vote in the following precincts: Precinct 1, Butterfield Hall on the MSU campus; Precinct 2, Peoples Church; Precinct 3, the East Lansing Hannah Community Center; Precinct 4, Capital Vineyard Church; Precinct 5, Shaarey Zedek; and Precinct 6, Eastminster Presbyterian Church. County Commissioner District 8 encompasses East Lansing neighborhoods west of Abbot Road, including the West Circle and Brody Complex residence halls. A list of candidates appearing on the ballot is available at www.cityofeastlansing.com or www.ingham.org.
The City of East Lansing is currently accepting nomination forms for the 2010 Crystal Awards.
The Crystal Awards, presented by the East Lansing City Council, honor individuals, groups, organizations and businesses that have gone above and beyond to enhance the quality of life in East Lansing. Community members are encouraged to submit nominations by Friday, Feb. 19. All nominations submitted by the deadline will be reviewed by a committee and narrowed down to four winning recipients.
Winning recipients will be honored at a free community reception on Thursday, April 22 at 5 p.m. at the East Lansing Hannah Community Center. Members of the community are encouraged to attend.
Community members can go to www.cityofeastlansing.com/crystalawards to submit an online nomination form for the 2010 Crystal Awards. Nomination forms will also be available at East Lansing City Hall, 410 Abbot Road; the East Lansing Hannah Community Center, 819 Abbot Road; and the East Lansing Public Library, 950 Abbot Road. Forms can be dropped off at these locations or mailed to East Lansing City Hall.
With spring around the corner, East Lansing residents may be considering installing a fence to enclose their yard or may need to install a retaining wall to fix an erosion issue.
Those who are installing a new fence and/or wall or those who are replacing an old one need to keep a few things in mind: Fences and walls in the front yard (between the front of the house and street) can be no taller than three feet. This also applies to corner lots, where streets are located on two or more sides of an individuals’ yard. Fences and walls to the side and rear of a house (when not located on a corner lot) can be up to six feet tall. Fences and walls do not have to be set back from property lines, but property owners do need to be aware of where their property ends and their neighbors’ property begins. Residents should also keep in mind that surveying a lot is the most accurate way to place a new fence.
Contact the East Lansing Department of Planning & Community Development at (517) 319-6930 with questions or for more information.
On three Saturdays each fall and winter the City of East Lansing hosts the Children's Concert Series, featuring FREE, live music performances for children of all ages.
This winter performances will take place on Feb. 6, 13 and 20 at 11 a.m. at the East Lansing Hannah Community Center, 819 Abbot Road. The musical lineup includes a performance by Kim and Reggie Harris on Feb. 6, Carol Johnson on Feb. 13 and Harpbeat on Feb. 20. The Children's Concert Series provides a great opportunity for children to interact with other children in a fun, musical setting. Free parking is available at the East Lansing Hannah Community Center and all members of the public are welcome. Call Kathryn Gardner at (517) 319-6929 or visit the Children's Concert Series page on East Lansing's Web site for more information.
The City of East Lansing's innovation economy was recently named the 2009 Newsmaker of the Year in an article that was published in both the Lansing State Journal and Towne Courier.
The article cited several recent and exciting East Lansing economic development headlines, including the selection of Michigan State University as the future home of the $550 million Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (the FRIB), the recent one-year anniversary of the East Lansing Technology Innovation Center, the 2009 grand opening of the IBM Global Delivery Center, the 2009 groundbreaking of the new GreenStone Farm Credit Services headquarters on West Road and the City Center II redevelopment project planned for the corner of Grand River Avenue and Abbot Road. View the Lansing State Journal article.
In addition to being named the 2009 Newsmaker of the Year, the City was also recently named one of the 10 "Best College Towns to Start a Business" in the October 2009 edition of Entrepreneur magazine.
The Daddy/Daughter Princess Valentine Dance will take place Feb. 9 and 10 from 7-8:30 p.m. at the East Lansing Hannah Community Center, 819 Abbot Road.
Toddler and elementary-aged girls can bring a parent or other relative as their "date" for an evening of fairy-tale fun, featuring music, refreshments, a complimentary tiara and more. A photographer will also be on hand for those wishing to purchase a photo. Dressy-casual attire is recommended for princesses and their dates.
This popular annual event costs $14 per person. Advance ticket purchase is encouraged, however; tickets can be purchased at the door if space is available. Call (517) 333-2580 ext. 0 for more information.
East Lansing landlords looking for up-to-date, need-to-know information from the City of East Lansing can look no further than Code Words Online.
Code Words Online is the paperless adaptation of the East Lansing Department of Code Enforcement & Neighborhood Conservation's former "Code Words" newsletter. The new Web destination will be updated monthly and the updates will be highlighted in this Dialog e-newsletter.
This month, check out the following:
2010 Census - Landlords are encouraged to spread the word among their tenants about the 2010 Census. Every head counted will bring close to $1,500 in federal funding back into the community each year over the course of 10 years. These funds will go toward road construction/rehabilitation, public transportation and other vital community services. Landlords who wish to distribute Census educational materials and giveaways to their tenants can contact Erin Carter at (517) 432-7527. Learn more at www.cityofeastlansing.com/2010Census.
Winter Reminder - Every winter the East Lansing Department of Code Enforcement & Neighborhood Conservation witnesses or hears about houses that are flood damaged because of bursting water pipes. This is typically caused by well-meaning people who attempt to save money and energy by turning down or turning off the thermostats/furnace switches in their homes while away on vacation or for a long weekend. Landlords should communicate with their tenants about this issue and establish an acceptable temperature level at which thermostats should be set while away in order to prevent future damage from occurring.
The City of East Lansing would like to remind all owners of property in East Lansing's historic districts that an approved Certificate of Appropriateness is needed prior to making exterior changes to historic structures.
Exterior changes include everything from additions to alterations, replacement doors and windows (except vinyl), storage sheds and more. It is always recommended that a property owner consult with the East Lansing Department of Planning & Community Development, (517) 319-6930, prior to ordering materials in order to obtain an approved Certificate of Appropriateness before construction begins.
In addition, Michigan property owners who undertake qualified rehabilitations of historic resources can apply for a credit against state income tax or single business tax of up to 25 percent for qualified rehabilitation expenditures. Property owners undertaking rehabilitation projects on depreciable resources that qualify for the federal historic preservation tax credit must first apply for the 20 percent federal tax credit. Qualified rehabilitation projects may include new HVAC systems, new roofs, kitchen remodeling floor refinishing, interior/exterior painting, porch reconstruction, storm window installation, plaster repair and more. Contact State Tax Act Reviewer Bryan Lijewski at (517) 373-1631 or lijewskib@michigan.gov for more information.
Additional information on East Lansing's Historic Preservation Code can be found by clicking ://www.cityofeastlansing.com/Home/Departments/PlanningDevelopment/PlanningZoning/">here.
The City of East Lansing is gearing up for the 2010 Census – a federally mandated head count of every person who lives in the United States.
East Lansing community members are urged to fill out the 2010 form, which will arrive in mailboxes in mid-March and must be post stamped by April 1, 2010.
The 2010 Census form has been dubbed the “shortest Census form in history,” featuring 10 confidential questions that can be easily answered in no more than 10 minutes.
MSU students with questions about where they should fill out their Census form (i.e. at school or back at mom and dad’s house) are reminded that they must be counted in the location where they live full time. Meaning, if they live in East Lansing for the majority (more than half) of the year they should fill their form out here.
It is extremely important for all East Lansing community members to fill out their 2010 Census forms because it brings federal funding back into the community. Approximately $1,400 per person, per year over the next 10 years will be allocated for each head that is counted. These funds will go toward road construction and rehabilitation, public transportation, Title I grants for educational agencies, Child Care & Development Block Grants (CDBG), food grants (WIC, Senior Citizens) and other community services and programs. The Census data will also identify where jobs and assistance programs need to be created and will supply corporations with population data for market research on commercial properties. Visit 2010census.gov for more information.
The new paving method, developed and tested by a team with the Michigan State University Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, involves the incorporation of mixed-color waste glass into concrete-based infrastructure systems.
This paving method creates a diversion of substantial amounts of waste glass from landfills, which can be instead recycled for use on community roads. Furthermore, this method creates a substantial reduction in the use of energy and greenhouse gases by partially replacing the current energy-intensive cement production process with milled waste glass. In addition to the numerous environmental benefits, the use of recycled glass will also create a less pervious pavement that cannot be easily penetrated by water and salt. Roads that utilize this paving method will thus last longer during harsh winters.
The City has partnered with MSU on this project and is currently seeking federal funding to test the new paving method on a portion of Harrison Road, between Trowbridge and Mt. Hope roads. The reconstruction project will aim to reduce congestion and improve safety along the roadway, while also creating the first large-scale testing ground for the new pavement method. In conjunction with the project, Spring Lake, Mich.-based Ananeoo Solutions plans to invest $2 million in the construction of a new glass recycling/milling facility, creating an estimated 60 new jobs in Michigan.
East Lansing residents have until Jan. 14 to register to vote or update their voter registration address for the 2009 Special Primary Election, which will take place Feb. 23.
The 2009 Special Primary Election was called by the Ingham County Board of Commissions to fill a board vacancy. The elected candidate will serve a partial term, ending December 31, 2010. This election only affects voters residing in County Commissioner District 8 and who are registered to vote in the following precincts: Precinct 1, Butterfield Hall on the MSU campus; Precinct 2, Peoples Church; Precinct 3, the East Lansing Hannah Community Center; Precinct 4, Capital Vineyard Church; Precinct 5, Shaarey Zedek; and Precinct 6, Eastminster Presbyterian Church. County Commissioner District 8 encompasses East Lansing neighborhoods west of Abbot Road, including the West Circle and Brody Complex residence halls.
A list of candidates appearing on the ballot is available at www.cityofeastlansing.com or www.ingham.org.
The Capital Area Transit Authority (CATA), in collaboration with a number of regional, state and federal partners, is currently coordinating a major study of the Michigan and Grand River Avenue corridor.
The study focuses on transportation infrastructure improvements needed to support the future of mid-Michigan. Specifically, the study will look at roadway, public transportation and non-motorized improvements to the corridor.
The Michigan and Grand River Avenue corridor is the first to be studied because of the vital role it plays in the region as a main roadway and connector of three major mid-Michigan communities. Existing businesses and residences along the corridor already use the public transportation system at or above capacity and congestion on the roadways not only causes delays, but endangers motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians alike.
Community members are invited to become involved in the study by attending one or more of three public meetings scheduled this January. On Tuesday, Jan. 12 from 5-7 p.m. there will be a public meeting at the East Lansing Hannah Community Center, 819 Abbot Road; on Wednesday, Jan. 13 from 5-7 p.m. there will be a public meeting at the Foster Community Center, 200 N. Foster Ave. in Lansing; and on Thursday, Jan. 14 from 5-7 p.m. there will be a public meeting at Meridian Township Hall, 5151 Marsh Road in Okemos. Community members can follow progress of the study at www.migrtrans.org.
With winter fully upon the mid-Michigan region, it's time for East Lansing residents to do their part in removing snow and ice along the sidewalks adjacent to their homes and/or other property.
Per the East Lansing City Code, owners or occupants of a house, building or lot are directly responsible for removing snow from sidewalks adjacent to the property within 24 hours of snowfall and must also use salt or another abrasive on icy sidewalks within 12 hours after ice has formed.
If renting a house or building, it is important to talk to the landlord about who will take responsibility for clearing the adjacent sidewalks. Both parties can receive fines if the sidewalks are not cleared. If residents are leaving for more than a day, the City suggests having a neighbor or a friend look after their property in case of snow or ice accumulation.
Members of the 55+ mid-Michigan community ready to jump into a regular fitness routine can look no further than East Lansing’s Prime Time. Prime Time will be launching a 2010 Fit for Life program this January, featuring an opportunity to register for 10 weeks of Prime Time’s exercise classes at half the cost. The program will also include a free 10-week brain exercise course for enhancing cognition and free wellness workshops on a variety of topics, from nutrition to staying motivated.
Those members of the 55+ community that are not currently enrolled in a Prime Time exercise class or have not participated in Fit for Life in the past are eligible for the 2010 program. Community members can register by calling (517) 337-1113. The registration deadline is Jan. 4.
Wouldn't it be nice to to be going to the East Lansing Art Festival instead of shoveling snow? Well, you can! The East Lansing Art Festival is holding a 2010 Art Festival Preview Party on Thursday, Feb. 18 from 5-9 p.m. at the East Lansing Technology Innovation Center, 325 E. Grand River Ave. Designed as a fundraiser for the festival, the preview will feature a sampling of local musicians and artists scheduled to appear at the festival next year. The preview will also include food and beverages from local restaurants and a festival-like atmosphere. Tickets are $50 each or $75 per couple.
"Many people don't realize that the East Lansing Art Festival is a non-profit organization," said East Lansing Art Festival Director Corinn Van Wyck. "We know how much people love the festival and we want to make sure we can continue to offer this family friendly event in East Lansing. How better to promote the festival than by offering another 'mini' festival at a time of year when people might really enjoy thinking about spring?"
The East Lansing Art Festival was established in 1964 along the tree-lined streets of East Lansing. Next year, the festival will take over downtown May 22-23. Contact Corinn Van Wyck at (517) 319-6804 for additional information about the 2010 Art Festival Preview Party.
East Lansing's popular Children's Concert Series will return this February, featuring free, live concerts for children of all ages.
Concerts will be held on Feb. 6, 13 and 20 at 11 a.m. at the East Lansing Hannah Community Center, 819 Abbot Road. The first concert, taking place Feb. 6, will be held in conjunction with the Mid-Winter Singing Festival.
The Children's Concert Series is offered on three consecutive Saturdays each fall and winter. The concerts offer interactive, indoor fun to children during Michigan's colder seasons. Check back at www.cityofeastlansing.com soon to find out who will be performing at this February's concerts!
Smoke Alarms - Landlords are reminded to keep their tenants safe by making sure smoke alarms are properly installed in all of their properties. East Lansing's Property Maintenance Code requires that every home have working smoke alarms. Most fatal fires occur at night when people are asleep and many times the victim never wakes up. A working alarm can prevent that from happening. There are many types of alarms, including electrically connected, battery powered or both. Smoke alarms should be installed on every level of a home and in every bedroom. Smoke alarms should not be installed in kitchens, bathrooms or garages. Smoke detectors should be tested regularly and, if battery operated, the battery should be changed every year.
The City of East Lansing is currently seeking citizen volunteers to serve on several of its advisory boards and commissions.
An application and descriptions of commission duties are available online at www.cityofeastlansing.com/vacancies. One application can be used to apply to more than one board or commission. Applicants are asked to identify the name of each board or commission they are applying for at the top of the application in the appropriate space. Applications received in 2009 and 2010 will be kept on file through the end of 2010 for consideration when vacancies occur.
Contact Laurie Hoffman at (517) 319-6920 or lhoffma@cityofeastlansing.com for more information.
The holidays are a busy time. As things wind down and you start to put away all that holiday cheer, remember to take advantage of the following recycling opportunities: 1) Christmas Trees can be recycled at drop-off points through Jan. 15. Trees can also be placed curbside on Monday, Jan. 4 and [CORRECTION] Monday, Jan. 11. (Learn more)
The City of East Lansing recently joined forces with Delta Township and the Eaton County Department of Resource Recovery on a grant to encourage energy conservation.
As a result, the City will be giving out 12,000 energy efficient compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) to local residents. Residents simply need to stop in at the Department of Public Works (DPW) office, 1800 East State Road, during normal business hours to pick up two free bulbs. The bulbs will also be given out at other community events throughout the year such as the annual Project Pride reuse and recycling collection. In addition to giving out bulbs, educational efforts will focus on proper CFL use and recycling education as well as establishing additional drop-off points for recycling CFLs in the region. The DPW office is currently accepting CFL bulbs for recycling. The following locations also accept CFL bulbs for recycling:
Several other businesses in the greater Lansing area recycle CFLs such as Home Depot and Lowe’s stores and additional locations can be found at http://www.lbwl.com/htes.asp
The holidays are a busy time. As things wind down and you start to put away all that holiday cheer, remember to take advantage of the following recycling opportunities:
1) Christmas Trees can be recycled at drop-off points through Jan. 15. Trees can also be placed curbside on Monday, Jan. 4 and Monday, Jan. 15. (Learn more)
2) Christmas Lights can be recycled through Jan. 15 at the DPW office or by placing them in curbside bins between Jan. 7 and 15 on regular collection day. (Learn more)
3) Boxes can be recycled at the temporary drop-off site at Patriache Park. Both corrugated cardboard and boxboard (shirt boxes) are accepted. Boxes can also be recycled at the City’s two other recycling drop-off sites at Timberlane Street and the DPW. (Learn more)
4) Free LED Holiday Lights can be picked up at the DPW office from Jan. 7-15 or until supplies last. Eligibility requirements apply so make sure you check out the details. (Learn more)
Due to holidays and Christmas tree recycling, the next bulk item collection isn’t scheduled until Jan. 25. If you have a bulk item that cannot wait and needs to be picked up sooner, please call the DPW office at (517) 337-9459 to make special arrangements.
Go green with your resolutions this year. Here’s some suggestions:
Christmas Eve: The Department of Public Works (DPW) office will be closed on Dec. 24. However, refuse and recycling will be collected that day. Please make sure your items are at the curb by 7:30 a.m. Christmas Day: The DPW office will be closed on Dec. 25. There will be no refuse or recycling collection. Friday’s collections will take place on Monday, Dec. 28. There will be no bulk item collection on that day.
New Year’s Eve: The DPW office will be open on Thursday, Dec. 31 and there is no change to the refuse and recycling schedule. New Year’s Day: The DPW office will be closed on Friday, Jan. 1. Friday’s refuse and recycling will be collected Monday, Jan. 4. There will be no bulk item collection on that day. MLK & President’s Day Holiday: The DPW office will be closed on Monday, Jan. 18 and Monday, Feb. 15 for these holidays. There will be no bulk item collection.
Residents generate more waste during the holidays than any other time of the year. Please consider reducing the amount of waste you generate as much as possible and take advantage of recycling
In order to help dispose of the extra refuse you generate, the City is offering No-Fee Refuse Collection for a two-week period beginning Dec. 22 and ending Jan. 4. During this time, residents can dispose of extra refuse without having to use City bags. Refuse will be collected on residents’ normal collection day only - each household will have two no-fee collections.
This collection is for household refuse only. Yard waste and bulk items will not be accepted. Please make sure that bags and containers weigh no more than 40 pounds and all other refuse regulations apply.
Normal collection days may be altered due to the holiday schedule. Please see Holiday Collection Schedule above
Don’t throw away all those gift boxes – recycle them! We’ve opened the seasonal drop off site at Patriarche Park to make it more convenient for you. Boxboard 9ift boxes) and shipping boxes (corrugated cardboard) can be recycled in the large green containers in the parking lot off Alton Road at Patriarche Park or at the City’s other two drop-off sites.
Turn your live-cut Christmas tree into mulch for our parks and trail system by recycling it. There are two ways you can recycle your tree:
1>Take it to one of the following drop-off locations:
Please drop off your tree no later than Jan. 15th.
2> Place it at the curb for collection. Curbside pickups are Monday, Jan. 4 and Jan. 11. Trees greater than 6’ in length should be cut in half. Advance phone request and yard waste stickers are not required. There will be no bulk item collection on these days. Please do not include holiday wreaths due to metal wiring.
Light Emitting Diode or LED lights are quickly increasing in popularity. These energy efficient holiday lights are sold out in many local stores. This was also the case with the recent LED light exchange hosted by the City as all the LED lights were given out prior to the program ending.
Good News. Due to popular demand, the City and the Lansing Board of Water and Light (BWL) Hometown Energy Savers Program will be conducting a post holiday exchange from Jan. 7 - 15. Once again, BWL residential electric service customers may exchange a strand of working incandescent lights for a free string of LED lights. There is a limit of two strands of holiday LED lights per household and quantities are limited. Residents must bring a valid ID and current BWL electric bill to participate. Households who participated in the recent exchange are eligible to participate again. Incandescent lights collected will be recycled. LED light strands are multicolored and are 23’ in length.
Residents will have an additional opportunity to recycle your holiday lights this year. Lights can be recycled at the DPW office from Jan. 7 – 15 or can be recycled in your curbside bin the week of Jan. 11.
There are numerous ways to make your holidays a little more environmentally friendly. For example, DPW sells compost bins and rain barrels. Also, when you are buying toys for the kids, don’t forget to buy rechargeable batteries. If you have old rechargeable batteries that no longer hold a charge, don’t throw them away. Recycle them at any of the drop off points in the City, including the DPW office, City Hall, East Lansing Hannah Community Center and the Library.
For these and several other green holiday tips, check out our daily posts on the “Recycle for A Greener East Lansing” Facebook group.
Compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs can now be recycled at the Department of Public Works office, 1800 East State Road during normal business hours.
Please drop off CFL bulbs inside the office in the specially marked container. Broken bulbs cannot be accepted. Do not drop off bulbs outside at the recycling site.
The Lansing Board of Water & Light has also established several other drop-off sites within the community including one in downtown East Lansing at Moosejaw Mountaineering, 555 E. Grand River Ave. Other locations can be found by visiting the BWL web site at www.lbwl.com and clicking on the Hometown Energy Savers Program
As reported in last month’s Curbside Journal, the City was seeking $213,300 in Energy Efficiency Conservation Block Grant funding to install energy efficiency lighting, fixtures and motion sensors in City Buildings.
The City was notified that this grant was approved and work is now under way to hire a contractor with work slated to begin in January. They are expected to reduce energy use by 203,000 kilowatt hours and save at least $20,000 annually in energy costs.
For the third year, the City has opened a seasonal recycling drop-off site at Patriarche Park. The site was originally opened in December of 2007 to help residents recycle the large amounts of corrugated cardboard generated during the holiday season. Since this time, the City has expanded the site both in terms of operating time and materials collected.
The site now opens once cold weather sets in and park use drops and stays open through late spring when park use picks back up – approximately mid-October to mid-April. The City has also added boxboard recycling which helps residents recycle common boxboard items such as cereal boxes as well as all those gift boxes that accumulate around the holidays.
The City will accept holiday lights (i.e. Christmas light strands) for recycling from Nov. 19 through Dec. 4. The light strands can be dropped off at the DPW office, 1800 East State Road or in residents’ curbside recycling bin on their regular collection day during this period.
The Board of Water & Light’s Hometown Energy Savers Program and the Public Works Department are teaming up to provide free holiday LED lights in exchange for your old, working incandescent holiday lights. East Lansing residents in the BWL electric service area are eligible to participate in this exchange. You must bring a current Michigan ID and current BWL electric bill to participate.
The light exchange will run Nov. 19 through Dec. 4 at the DPW office, 1800 East State Road during normal business hours and the BWL’s Customer Service Center, 1232 Haco Drive in Lansing, open M-F 8 am to 5:30 pm.
Supplies will be limited to the first 750 households that apply. There will be a limit of two strands of LED lights per household. There is no limit on the number of incandescent lights that can be dropped off for recycling. You must bring at least two working incandescent strands to receive the two LED strands.
The City’s annual bulk leaf collection kicked off on Oct. 19 and will run through Nov. 25. Collections will take place on the East side (east of Abbot Road) the weeks of Oct. 19, Nov. 2 and 16. The west side (west of Abbot Road) will be collected on October 26, Nov. 9 and 23. If you didn’t get your bags of yard waste out on one of the City’s no-fee days, don’t worry.
You can simply rake your loose yard waste (except limbs and brush) to the curb during the bulk leaf collection. In addition, the City's regular curbside yard waste collection will run through November 30. Advance request, sticker and City bags are required for this collection.
The DPW Office will be closed on Nov. 11 to observe Veterans’ Day. There will be no refuse or recycling collection on this day. Wednesday’s and Thursday’s refuse and recycling will be collected on Thursday, Nov. 12.
Now that you’ve had a few days to get settled in, we would like to welcome you back to the East Lansing community and let you know about recycling services that you can participate in.
The City offers curbside recycling for single-family households, rental homes and small apartment complexes with up to 20 units. We also offer two drop off sites for those of you who live in the larger apartment complexes and don’t have on-site service. Please visit the city’s web site, for details on our recycling program – it is free, easy and convenient.
Federal Stimulus money allocated to the City by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will be used to upgrade City building lighting and fixtures under a grant proposal submitted by the City. The City is eligible to receive more than $213,000 through an Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant funded by the stimulus bill. Funds will be used to install more energy efficient lights, light fixtures and motion sensors in at least five City buildings. Annual energy savings are estimated to be nearly 203,000 kilowatt hours per year and save more than $20,000.
For many years now, the City along with several other local municipalities (collectively called the Regional Recycling Coordinating Committee or R2C2) has sponsored annual spring and fall book and computer collections. With your help, we have collected thousands of tons of these items and diverted them from the landfill. These collections have been extremely successful.
Apparently they have been so successful, that most people have cleared these items out of their houses. We’ve noticed participation and volumes decreasing over the last few years. The combination of numerous collections along with several private businesses who now accept these items on a regular basis for recycling has led to the decline.
Because there is less demand, we will be scaling back on these collections. We will offer one collection each year instead of two. This fall, R2C2 will sponsor an electronic recycling collection which is planned for September 26. Next spring, we will sponsor a book collection.
Thank you for your continued support of these collections.
The City stopped taking green glass for recycling about 10 years ago. The simple reason is that there is no longer a market for green glass in Michigan. In other words, we have the ability to pick it up from you, but there isn’t anyone currently in the area that wants to buy it from us. Although there are recycling facilities out east that would take it, the expense to ship it there becomes cost prohibitive.
There have been non-traditional uses for recycled green glass that have shown potential such as using it in cement mixes, as a landscape product and as filler in roadway beds. However, these markets just haven’t developed yet.
We continue to monitor and seek new markets for green glass and other recyclable products. In the mean time, think of product reduction and recycling when you are at the store. Seek products that have minimal packaging or are packaged in materials that can be recycled in our program.
The Landings at Chandler Crossing and the City of East Lansing are partnering for a pilot program to offer recycling services. A “satellite” public drop off site has been established at the Landings to collect mixed paper, newspaper, corrugated cardboard and boxboard. The site is located just east of the clubhouse near the entrance of the facility at 16789 Chandler Road.
East Lansing’s annual Project Pride event will take place on Saturday, May 30 from 8 a.m. until 3 p.m. Find out all you need to know about this event by reading the articles below.
Every household who participates in this years event will receive a free canvas shopping bag compliments of Meijer and CVS Pharmacy.
We need volunteers like you. Project Pride relies on more than 100 volunteers. In order to keep this great community event going, we need your help. Please volunteer. To sign up, call Susan Schmidt at 333-3587.
Project Pride is the first Saturday after Memorial Day each year.
May 30th - 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Once again be held at the Abbott Center, 1400-1500 Abbot Road Click here for map
Only East Lansing residents are eligible to participate. Please bring proof of residency such as a driver’s license or billing statement with you to verify your residency.
Project Pride (PP) is a community spring clean-up and recycling project which helps East Lansing residents clean up their homes and yards by providing an outlet to recycle, or donate for reuse, common household items that residents no longer want. The event is similar to the many “DeJunking Days” or “Community Cleanup” days held in other communities in the region. However, we place greater emphasis on reuse and recycling opportunities rather than disposal. As a result, a majority of the items brought to PP do not end up in the landfill. In fact, last year we recycled or donated for reuse nearly 42 tons of material and disposed of a little more than 7 tons. Therefore, 85% of the material brought into PP was diverted from the landfill.
The event is organized by the Project Pride Planning Committee which is a composed primarily of East Lansing residents and City staff. Project Pride is a non-profit entity which uses money collected at the event to offset disposal and operational fees. Project Pride donates any remaining funds to the City for environmental projects.
**Changes for 2009**
We will not be accepting plastic plant pots and trays. We encourage all residents to take these materials to the MSU Horticulture recycling drive that is going on at the same time as project pride. Following are the details: MSU Horticulture Recycling Drive, Saturday, May 30, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at MSU Campus Parking Lot 46 – behind Plant Biology Building off Wilson Avenue. Watch for the signs posting the location. For more information, contact Art Cameron at 355-5191 x 1338 or go to http://www.hrt.msu.edu
Items With Refrigerants such as refrigerators, freezers, dehumidifiers, air conditioners, etc. -
Lumber (no yard waste):
Unusable items for disposal: $5 each
Electronics: Computer CPU’s, notebooks, and computer parts are Free (except monitors). All other small consumer electronics are free – (i.e. items with a cord or battery such as a curling iron, small radio, etc.)
The following electronic items require a fee:
Pick up for Senior and Handicap Residents:
Curbside pick up of recyclable items is available. Call the East Lansing Prime Time Senior’s Program at 337-1113 by May 27 to schedule an appointment. Please note there is a $15 pick up fee to cover costs associated with this service. All items should be at the curb or in the garage for pick up.
Usable Furniture/Household Items:
Reusable items will be collected by Volunteers of America and Salvation Army. If you have questions on whether your item is “usable,” we encourage you to contact them directly. VOA at 484-4414 or www.voami.org. Salvation Army: 800 562-3834 or www.usc.salvationarmy.org/wmni.
Flowers & Compost bins for sale:
Volunteers will be on hand to demonstrate how to compost in your back yard. Compost bins will be available for $39.50 and free compost samples will be given out. Once again, native wildflowers will also be sold. Prices and selection vary.
Thank You to Our Sponsors
We would like to thank our sponsors for their generous support, they are:
In the last on-line Curbside Journal we wrote about some of the special collections taking place this spring. Since then, some new ones have been added. Here is a complete list of upcoming collections that you can take advantage of:
April 4. Regional Book and Clothing Collection. 8 a.m. until noon at the Ingham County Road Commission, 5613 S. Aurelius Road, Lansing. Items Collected: Hardcover/paperback books, magazines, phone books, corrugated cardboard, boxboard, clothing (in usable condition, free of odors, stains or holes/tears) & textiles (drapes, scrap fabric, etc.)
April 18. Document Destruction Day. 8 a.m. until noon, Friedland Industries, corner of Center and Maple streets in Lansing’s Old Town. Items accepted: documents which will be shredded for recycling. Call 482-3000 for information.
April 18. Greener Delta/Pharmaceutical Waste Collection. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Hayes Middle School, 12620 Nixon Road, Grand Ledge. Items accepted: Unwanted prescription and over the counter medication. Call 517 543-3686 for information.
April 25. Pharmaceutical Waste Collection. 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Meridian Township, 5151 Marsh Road, Okemos. Items accepted: unwanted prescription and over the counter medications. Call 887-4312 for information.
April 27 – May 8. ELROW Food Drive. Place non-perishable food items in blue recycling bin on normal collection day during this period or drop off items to the Library, City Hall or Public Works Department.
May 2. Regional Computer/Electronics Collection. 8 a.m. to noon. City of Lansing Transfer Station, 530 East South Street, Lansing. Click Here for a complete list of items accepted and fees. Call 483-4400 for information.
May 7 and 8. Pack Up, Pitch In. For off campus MSU students living in East Lansing. 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Hannah Community Center, North Lot. Items accepted: non-perishable food, clothing, shoes, furniture, household goods, electronics, carpet. Must present valid MSU ID to participate. Pack Up Pitch In Page
Members of the Regional Recycling Coordinating Committee are teaming up to offer a one-day truckload sale of Rain Barrels. The sale will take place on Saturday, May 16th from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. or until supplies last. The price of the barrels is $49.00, tax included. The one-day sale will take place in the Dunham’s Sporting Goods parking lot, 3301 East Michigan Avenue.
The SYSTERN Rain Barrel is manufactured by Norseman Plastics. They are a great way to conserve water, reduce your watering bill and provide rainwater to your garden and flowers.
The EL recycling program has joined the trend of information sharing through social networking. In another attempt to better communicate with our residents, especially college students, we created a Facebook group called “Recycle For a Greener East Lansing.”
Simply log on or join Facebook and join our group. It is a great way to share information with other EL residents who care about recycling and other environmental issues. You can post questions on our “wall”, provide feedback on our program, learn about upcoming events and more.
If you’ve never tried social networking, don’t be intimidated. It is easy and Facebook will walk you through the process or there are tutorials on the internet on how to get started. In just minutes you can become a member of Facebook and part of our group. Give it a try.
Phone books can now be recycled year round. Simply place them in your curbside bin or take them to either of the two drop off sites and recycle them in the mixed paper container.
In the last issue, we talked about Best Buy’s new program to accept consumer electronics and the trend toward businesses accepting electronics for recycling. Another local business is now accepting household electronic items, Louis Padnos Iron & Metal Co., 1900 West Willow Street, Lansing. Padnos accepts numerous electronic items. They will charge a fee for some items that contain leaded glass. For information on what they accept and potential fees, visit their web site at www.pandos.com
The temporary recycling drop off site at Patriarche Park will be closing on Monday, April 20 for the season. The increased park use in the spring and summer require that the containers be removed. Residents are encouraged to use either of the City’s two drop off sites, located at the Public Works Department, 1800 East State Road on the north side of the City or at 841 Timberlane Street, just north of Burcham Drive on the East side of the City.
For the 22nd year, the City has been named a Tree City USA by the National Arbor Day Foundation. Once again this year the City will celebrate Arbor Day on April 24 by planting trees along City streets and with East Lansing elementary school students.
Tree planting is more important now than ever due to the devastating affects of Emerald Ash Borer on public and private trees. Trees provide multiple benefits to our urban community. We urge you to join us in planting trees in East Lansing this spring in recognition of Arbor Day.
Hundreds of residents took advantage of the City’s first Christmas Light Recycling Program this past December. A total of five 96-gallon Easy Carts were filled with lights. In all, 540 pounds of lights were collected and recycled. We estimate that the 540 pounds of lights equaled about 18,000 feet of lights. If those were all C7 Christmas lights, they would have consumed 27,000 kWh of electricity and cost about $2,800 to operate. If everyone who recycled their lights replaced them with LED lights, those LEDs would have used only 4,860 kilowatts and cost about $50 to operate.
Each spring the City partners with other local municipalities and businesses to provide special recycling collections. Mark your calendars for these upcoming events:
April 4. Regional Book Collection at the Ingham County Road Commission, 5613 South Aurelius Road in Lansing, from 8 a.m.-12 p.m. Recycle hardcover and paperback books as well as phone books, magazines, corrugated cardboard and boxboard.
April 18. Document Destruction Day at Friedland Industries, 405 East Maple St. in Lansing, from 8 a.m.-12 p.m. Destroy and recycle sensitive documents at this free event. This event is for private, residental use only.
May 2. Regional Electronics Collection at the City of Lansing Transfer Station, 530 East South Street, from 8 a.m.-12 p.m. Recycle computers, TV’s, VCR’s, cell phones and much more. Because of the high cost to properly recycle electronics, there will be a fee for items dropped off. A list of accepted items and disposal fees will be posted on the City’s Web site early spring.
Residents can now recycle phone books throughout the year. Phone books can be recycled either curbside or at the drop off sites. When recycling the phone books at the drop-off sites, please recycle them in the container with the mixed papers and junk mail.
For the past two years, the City has opened a temporary recycling drop off site for corrugated cardboard and boxboard at Patriarche Park. We have done so again this year, albeit a little late. In years past, we opened the site in the late fall once park use diminished. This year we were not able to do so because we didn’t have enough containers as they were all in use at our new drop off site on Timberlane. However, in December, we purchased three new roll off containers and now have 2 of them at Patriarche Park. So please take advantage of this convenient drop off site for items that can’t be recycled curbside. The site will remain open until about April 1.
The DPW office will be closed on Feb. 16 for Presidents’ Day. There will be no change to the refuse and recycling collection schedule for the week. However, there will be no bulk item collection on Monday, Feb 16.
The buzz of chainsaws could be heard earlier this month as the City’s tree contractor removed nearly 100 ash trees along major streets in the City. The trees were infested with Emerald Ash Borer and their declining condition was causing them to become a hazard.
More than 800 ash trees existed along City streets prior to the introduction of this invasive insect just a few years ago. Today, there are less than 500 and that number will continue to decline as more trees are removed. Nearly all ash trees in the City are now infested.
The DPW has suspended its annual winter tree pruning program in order to preserve funding for additional ash tree removal throughout the year. Tree pruning will only be done on an as-needed basis to remove hazardous limbs.
On a positive note, the DPW did secure additional grant funding through a Michigan Department of Natural Resources Community Forestry Grant program. The funds will be used to plant trees this spring, particularly in area where ash trees have been removed. oved.
Best Buy announced that it will begin accepting consumer electronics at all of its U.S. stores starting Feb. 15. East Lansing residents can take advantage of this program through the Best Buy on Grand River Avenue in Okemos. Some fees and restrictions apply.
Residents can take up to two units per day, per household, for recycling. Best Buy will accept most consumer electronics, including TVs and monitors up to 32”; computer CPUs and notebooks; small electronics; VCR and DVD players; phones; and accessories such as keyboards, mice and remotes.
Best Buy will charge $10 per unit for items with screens such as TVs, laptop computers and monitors. However, customers will receive a $10 Best Buy gift card in exchange for the recycling fee.
Best Buy cannot accept some items including TVs or monitors larger than 32”, console TVs, items containing refrigerants (air conditioners, dehumidifiers, refrigerators), microwaves and appliances.
For more information, visit the Best Buy Web site, www.bestbuy.com, or contact a local Best Buy store.
More than 60 students recently signed up to participate in the City's curbside recycling program at a recycling forum held on campus. The forum provided information to students on recycling efforts by the University and City. About 200 students attended the event. Many students who cannot participate in the curbside program pledged to recycle at the City's two drop-off recycling sites. Students participating in the curbside program received a free curbside recycling bin thanks to a donation from Project Pride. Project Pride, the City's annual spring clean up and recycling event, donates remaining operational funds back to the City for environmental causes and beautification efforts.
This time of year in Michigan is simply beautiful. The leaves are changing, the weather mild and there are numerous outdoor activities to participate in. For many East Lansing residents, its time to spruce up the yards, rake the leaves and finish harvesting the garden. Following is a brief summary of important fall yard waste collection program information:
For details on fall yard waste programs, please visit the City?s web site at www.cityofeastlansing.com, call, call the 24-hour information number or call the Public Works Department at 337-9459.
The City recently participated in two regional recycling events, an electronics collection and a book collection. The two events combined brought in nearly 35 tons (70,000 pounds) of material. Electronics were recycled by Valley City Recycling in Grand Rapids while books were either donated for reuse at local libraries or shredded for recycling.
Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL's) bulbs were flying off the shelves again this year at local ACE Hardware stores who participated in the Change-A-Light Day campaign. Hundreds of bulbs were also sold at Urban Options here in East Lansing on October 2.
The City passed a resolution proclaiming October 1 as Change-A-Light Day in East Lansing and urged residents and businesses to conserve energy by switching to ENERGY STAR rated appliances and bulbs. For its part, the City has been working on becoming more energy efficient for some time. The City first conducted energy audits on our buildings back in the late 90's. Since then, our facilities have become more energy efficient, saving money and reducing pollution.
The Department of Public Works (DPW) office will be closed on November 11 to observe Veteran's Day. However, refuse and recycling will be collected as scheduled on that day. There will be no bulk leaf collection.
The DPW will also be closed on Thursday and Friday, November 27-28 for Thanksgiving. There will be no refuse or recycling collection on Thursday, the 27th. Thursday's and Friday's refuse and recycling will be collected on Friday, November 28th. There will be no bulk leaf collection either of these days.
Residents have responded well to the City's amendment to the solid waste ordinance to require the use of City-issued Easy Carts or City-issued yellow trash bags for refuse disposal. The change to the ordinance, which passed in January, went into affect on October 1.
As of the first week of October, more than 99% residents had made the transition smoothly to Easy Carts or yellow bags. An additional positive affect of the change is that many residents have ordered a recycling bin at the same time as they ordered their Easy Cart. Sanitation Division crews have noticed an increase in recycling participation as a result.
The East Lansing Reducing Our Waste (ELROW) Program would like to welcome back students to East Lansing. We encourage you to take advantage of our free curbside and drop-off recycling services.
Curbside recycling is available to all East Lansing residents who live in single family homes and multi-family (rental homes & small apartment complexes) homes with up to 20 units. Drop-off recycling services can be utilized by anyone living in E.L., especially those living in multi-family homes with more than 20 units. Drop-off sites are located at the Department of Public Works Building, 1800 East State Road and on Timberlane Street (See Map).
The City has partnered with the East Lansing School District to open a new recycling drop-off site to make recycling of household items more convenient. The new site is located across from the Districts Administration building at 841 Timberlane Street on the East Side of the City. The following items are accepted at this site: Boxboard, Corrugated Cardboard, Magazines, Mixed Paper/Junk Mail, Newspaper, #1 PETE & #2 HDPE Plastic bottles
Representatives from the ELROW program will be on campus in mid-September to answer questions and sell curbside recycling bins to off-campus students living in East Lansing who are eligible to participate in the City’s recycling program. Curbside recycling is free in East Lansing - there are no subscription fees to participate. However, a curbside recycling bin is required. The one time cost for the bin is only $5.50. Representatives from the University will also be there to answer questions about campus recycling programs and services. Dates and times to be announced soon.
Computer and Electronics Recycling, September 13 Properly recycle computers, TV’s, microwaves and more on Saturday, September 13. The collection will take place at the City of Lansing Transfer Station, 530 East South Street. Due to the high cost to properly decommission electronics, there is a fee for some items dropped off. Click on the link below for a complete list of items accepted and fees or call the City of Lansing at 483-4400.
Book and Textile Recycling Collection, September 27 Recycle hard and soft cover books, magazines, boxboard, telephone directories and clothing. The collection will take place on Saturday, September 27 at the Delta Township Water Operations Building , 7812 West Willow Highway. This event is free and open to all those in the greater Lansing area.
Pharmaceutical Waste Disposal Properly dispose of unused prescription and over the counter medications at this free event. The collection will take place behind the Ingham County Human Services Building, 5303 South Cedar Street, Lansing on Saturday, October 4, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Please keep all medications in original container – black out personal information on bottles. Call the County at 887-4312 for more information.
Document Destruction Day Friedland Industries, is hosting an event to promote proper destruction and recycling of sensitive documents. It is scheduled for October 11 from 8 a.m. until noon. Friedland is located on Maple Street between Grand River Avenue and Oakland Street west of Cedar Street in Lansing’s Old Town. Prevent identity theft by properly destroying sensitive paper documents such as old bank statements, bills, etc. Documents will be shredded for recycling. The event is free and destruction is guaranteed.
Change-A-Light Day If you haven’t started converting your home or business to more energy efficient lighting, here’s your chance. The City is partnering with Urban Options and several local ACE Hardware stores to sell ENERGY STAR compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFL’s) at discounted prices. Customers may go to one of the participating ACE stores listed below to purchase up to 8 CFL’s for as little as $.99 depending on the style of bulb purchased. The sale begins October 1 and runs through November or until supplies last.
(Lansing, Okemos, Grand Ledge, Eaton Rapids, Holt, Laingsburg, and Mason)
Since there are no ACE stores here in East Lansing, Urban Options will host a special one-day sale at their energy demonstration home, 405 Grove Street, on October 2 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Come buy your bulbs and find out other innovative ways to reduce your energy use.
The Home Depot recently launched a nation-wide consumer compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulb recycling program at all of its retail locations including the Okemos store. Customers can recycle any expired, unbroken CFL bulbs by turning them into a store associate at the returns desk. The Home Depot joins the Lansing Board of Water and Light and the Ingham County Health Department’s Clean Sweeps program as a local recycler of these energy efficient bulbs.
Project Pride was once again a huge success with hundreds of East Lansing residents taking part in the annual event. In particular, residents were most pleased with the new items accepted at this year’s event –household electronics, boxboard and plastic pots/trays. Of all the items collected at Project Pride this year, electronics was the most popular. A steady stream of residents dropped off these items during the event. An amazing 21,371 pounds of electronics were collected for recycling. In total, Project Pride brought in nearly 84,000 pounds of items for reuse and recycling.
City staff and MSU students have completed the green house gas emissions inventory for the year 2007. Data was entered into an emissions software database for City operations including such things as building energy use, fuel, transportation, etc.
The data will be used by the East Lansing Commission on the Environment (COE) and City staff to begin drafting a Climate Change Action Plan for the City. The COE is currently gathering information for the plan and will begin putting together a draft at their July 21 meeting.
The City and the East Lansing School District have partnered to offer a new recycling drop off site. The site will be located across from the School Administration Building on Timberlane, just north of Burcham Drive on the City’s southeast side. (See Map)
Items accepted at this drop off site will include cardboard, boxboard, newspaper, mixed paper/junk mail, magazines, #1 & #2 Plastic bottles and Milk Jugs. Glass bottles, tin cans and aluminum cans/foil will not be accepted
Emerald Ash Borer has claimed more than 40 ash trees in the downtown area over the last couple of years. The last of the dead ash in tree pits on the north side of Grand River were removed this past winter. Because of the trees location in tree pits, removal and replacement was difficult and expensive. With the City's urban forestry budget already strained due to dead ash tree removals, alternative funding sources were needed.
Cron Management, LLC, which manages buildings in the downtown, stepped up with a significant financial contribution toward the project. The City utilized this funding source along with City funds to apply for a Urban and Community Forestry Grant through the State of Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR). The public/private partnership made the grant application more appealing and the City was awarded a grant for the project.
A total of 20 trees were planted in the downtown this spring. Almost half of the funding for the project was provided by Cron Management and the DNR grant. These trees will provide numerous environmental and aesthetic benefits for years to come
Guest Column: Following is an article originally published in May of this year by Rachael Kuntzsch, Executive Director of Greater Lansing Area Clean Cities Coalition (GLACCC). The City of East Lansing is a member of GLACCC.
As we crawl out of our Midwestern hibernation and shed our winter gear for flip-flops and vacations, we also have an opportunity to exchange our old habits of transportation for new economically and environmentally smart decisions. With a summer spike in already high gas prices, there are several strategies to keep in mind that can help save money, reduce our dependency on foreign oil, and work to protect our environment.
From cars to semi-trucks, several billion gallons of fuel are wasted each year while introducing huge amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere—just from idling. A good rule of thumb is to turn off your vehicle after more than one minute of idling to help prevent excessive emissions as well as lower damage your car suffers from residue buildup during idling. When starting your vehicle, you’ll only need a few seconds for the oil to cycle through in order to warm it up properly. Limiting daily idling by avoiding remote starters, especially in warm months, opting to walk into the store rather than waiting in endless drive thru lines, and turning your car off while waiting for trains or picking up kids from activities are small steps we can take every day to reduce greenhouse gases significantly and to save on fuel.
While commonly overlooked, paying attention to tire pressure can help increase gas mileage by 0.4 percent per 1 pound per square inch (psi) of the recommended pressure. This means if your tires are low by 10 psi, inflating them to the proper level will give you 4% better gas mileage. Consideration of our driving habits can help improve fuel economy while decreasing our dependency on foreign oil as well. Gentle acceleration instead of aggressive pounding on the gas pedal can yield anywhere from 5 percent to 33 percent better gas mileage.
When thinking about transportation, we often overlook the option of taking advantage of our beautiful Michigan summer by choosing to ride bikes or walk instead of driving. Not only will we avoid excessive spending on fuel and limit pollution, but we’ll also burn calories, and experience our communities from the other side of our air-conditioned car doors. Considering alternative commute options such as carpooling, or taking advantage of the bus system will encourage a sense of community as we share in the reduction of emissions into the atmosphere.
Even simple efforts like combining errands, telecommuting, or conference calling in place of traveling for meetings can help reduce our suffocating dependency on fuel. Personal decisions about our vehicles like considering synthetic oil designed to improve fuel economy and choosing low rolling resistance tires will result in responsible use of our vehicles--both decreasing emissions as well as improving fuel economy.
If we are mindful of the way we use our vehicles, we will be able to reduce significantly the damage we are doing to them, as well as to the environment. This summer, by working to keep our cars, lungs, and community healthier, we’ll also keep our wallets a little fuller while sharing in the betterment of our environment and community.
GLACC is a coalition of stakeholders working to achieve cleaner air and energy security in mid-Michigan through alternative fuel and vehicle usage, and fuel economy practices. Stakeholders include fleets, corporations, nonprofit organizations, utilities, local governments, and individuals. www.michigancleancities.org
Just What is Project Pride: Project Pride is a community spring clean-up and recycling project which helps East Lansing residents clean up their homes and yards by providing an outlet to recycle, or donate for reuse, common household items that residents no longer want. The event is similar to the many “DeJunking Days” or “Community Cleanup” days held in other communities in the region. However, we place greater emphasis on reuse and recycling opportunities rather than disposal. As a result, a majority of the items brought to Project Pride do not end up in the landfill. In fact, last year we recycled or donated for reuse over 39 tons of material and disposed of less than 6 tons. Therefore, 87% of the material brought into Project Pride was diverted from the landfill.
Who, When and Where? Project Pride is the first Saturday after Memorial Day each year. This year it is May 31 and will once again be held at the Abbott Center, 1400-1500 Abbot Road from 8 a.m. until 3 p.m.
Residents should access the Abbott Center from Kendale Blvd, which is off of Saginaw Street. Kendale is the first street east of the Abbot and Saginaw intersection. Turn north onto Kendale. Proceed north onto Kendale to the coned off area at the intersection of Kendale and Woodland Pass. This is where you will enter the event.
**Changes for 2008**we will be accepting three new items this year:
In order to make room for these items, we will discontinue collecting regular curbside recyclables at Project Pride, including:
Residents have ample opportunity to recycle these items through the City’s curbside and drop off program.
The following items Will Be accepted at Project Pride for reuse and recycling:
Plastic Planting Pots and Trays: Plastic planting pots, flats, plug trays and cell packs that are made of #2 HDPE, #5 Polypropylene or #6 Polystyrene plastic. See bottom of container for label. All plastic pots/trays must be relatively free of dirt, with like items stacked together. We will not be able to accept items with excess dirt or debris.
The following items Will Not be accepted at Project Pride:
The following items will be accepted at Project Pride, but require a fee:
Tires Passenger Tires 16" or less - $4.00 each Truck Tires - $10 each Tractor Tires - $15 each
Items With Refrigerants such as refrigerators, freezers, dehumidifiers, air conditioners, etc. - $15 each
Lumber (no yard waste) $5 for small trunk load (trunk full) $10 for small truck load (5’x6’x1.5’) $20 for small utility trailer or full sized pick up load (max 6’x8’x2’)
Electronics: Computer CPU’s, notebooks, and computer parts are free (except monitors). All other Small Consumer Electronics are free – (i.e. items with a cord or battery such as a curling iron, small radio, etc.)
Pick up for Senior and Handicap Residents: Curbside pick up of recyclable items is available. Call the East Lansing Prime Time Senior’s Program at 337-1113 by May 29 to schedule an appointment. Please note there is a $10 pick up fee to cover costs associated with this service. All items should be at the curb or in the garage for pick up.
Usable Furniture/Household Items: Reusable items will be collected by St. Vincent Catholic Charities and Salvation Army. If you have questions on whether your item is “usable,” we encourage you to contact them directly. St. Vincent: 323-4734 or www.stvcc.org. Salvation Army: 800 562-3834 or www.usc.salvationarmy.org/wmni.
Flowers & Compost bins for sale: Volunteers will be on hand to demonstrate how to compost in your back yard. Compost bins will be available for $39.50 and free compost samples will be given out. Once again, native wildflowers will also be sold. Prices and selection vary.
Project Pride reserves the right to use discretion in setting fees during the event and to reject excessive quantities of items for disposal.
Thank you for taking the time to read this special Earth Day edition of the on-line curbside Journal. We hope you find it educational and that it inspires you to take more action at home and in our community.
Help the City celebrate Arbor Day once again this year. Plant a tree, take a nature walk through one of our many parks and enjoy trees and natural areas.
The City has been named a “Tree City USA” by the National Arbor Day Foundation for the 21st straight year. This year we have donated a tree to each of the East Lansing Elementary schools to celebrate Arbor Day. Visit the Foundations web site at www.arborday.org to learn about the importance of trees in our community.
In the early 60’s, Democratic Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin was concerned about the lack of political attention environmental issues were receiving. Nelson wrote “For several years, it had been troubling me that the state of our environment was simply a non-issue in the politics of our country.” Nelson came up with an idea to persuade President Kennedy to embark on a national conservation tour to give visibility to the issue. The President agreed with the idea and in September of 1963 President Kennedy began a five-day, eleven-state conservation tour. Unfortunately, the tour did not succeed in putting the issue at the political forefront.
For the next several years Senator Nelson continued to discuss environmental issues across the nation. He saw that although citizens were concerned over environmental degradation, politicians weren’t. In 1969, Nelson noticed the effectiveness of grassroots anti- war demonstrations called “teach-ins.” According to the Senator “Suddenly, the idea occurred to me – why not organize a huge grassroots protest over what was happening to our environment?”
He did just that by announcing that in that in the spring of 1970 there would be a nationwide grassroots demonstration on behalf of the environment. He invited everyone to participate. According to Nelson, the wire services picked up on the story and “the response was electric.” Earth Day was born. The first year, more than 20 million people took part in activities. We continue to observe Earth Day on April 22 of each year thanks to Senator Nelson, his staff and numerous volunteers who helped make it happen.
A brief biography on the remarkably life of Senator Nelson can be found at www.wilderness.org/AboutUs/Nelson_Bio.cfm
Being “green” these days is getting easier. There has been significant attention paid to environmental issues recently by everyone from the Pope to corporate America….and even many politicians. There are more opportunities today than there ever has been.
Make it happen by starting on Earth Day to change your habits. Take a look at some ideas below.
Don’t throw a good thing away! Many items that you dispose in your Easy Cart should be recycled. East Lansing households divert at least 25% of our waste (including yard waste) from the landfill. We can do better. Although you can’t directly compare it for various reasons (i.e. our bottle bill) the national average is 32.5%
Take advantage of the City’s curbside and drop off recycling program, our many regional collections and special recycling events. Here’s a list of those this spring:
Retailers are starting to pay attention to the environmental movement. Just a couple of years ago, you almost never saw anyone bring their own bag to put their groceries in. Now, almost every store offers canvas tote bags for your groceries or many people bring their grocery bags back for reuse.
Other products such as green cleaning products are popping up on shelves as well. For example, Clorox has a line of natural cleaning products called Green Works Natural Cleaners and Meijer has a similar line as well. These products are generally made from plants and minerals rather than petroleum based products.
Your carbon footprint is a measure of the impact you have on the environment in terms of the amount of greenhouse gases produced, measured in units of carbon dioxide. There are many web sites now that can help you track your footprint and provide practical solutions for reducing your impact. One example is the The Nature Conservancy web site at: www.nature.org/initiatives/climatechange/calculator
How many times do you “run to the store quick” to pick up something you want? Several small trips during the week can add up to a lot of pollution, and with today’s gas prices, a lot of cost as well. Take a minute in your everyday life to try to think of better ways to act toward the environment. If you think about it, you can really improve by just using your brain power.
There are several ways to keep your lawn looking green while being green. The City has developed a guide for homeowners which discusses composting, mulching, “earth friendly” fertilizers and more. Take a look:
Residents are eagerly recycling boxboard at the DPW drop off site and the temporary site at Patriarche Park. So far, we have collection about 15 tons or 30,000 pounds. There were some issues early on with improper items being deposited in the containers. However, better signage and education have mostly resolved them. Due to this success, the City plans to continue to accept boxboard indefinitely and is looking into ways we can collect it curbside.
Celebrate these important days by doing something “green.” Consider increasing your recycling, choosing to ride a bike or walk to the store, planting a tree or whatever you see fit. Look for more ideas in an upcoming special Earth Day publication of the C.J.
Saturday, April 19 at Friedland Industries from 8 a.m. until noon. Bring your documents to be securely shredded and recycled. Friedland is located at the corner of Center and Maple streets in Lansing’s Old Town. Call 487-3322
Saturday, May 3 at the City of Lansing Recycling Transfer Station, 530 East South Street from 8 a.m. to noon. TVs, VCRs, computers, stereos, cell phones and much more will be accepted. Some items require a fee. Go to the City’s web page for a complete list of items accepted and fees. For more info, call 483-4400. Note: Electronics will also be accepted at this years Project Pride event for a fee.
Mark your calendar for this years PP event to be held on Saturday, May 31. New items this year include plastic plant pots/trays and electronics recycling. Much more will be posted on this event in April.
The City continues to move forward with its emissions inventory of global climate change pollutants. With the assistance of MSU students, we are currently entering data into our software database which will calculate emissions from City operations/facilities. We hope to have the inventory completed by late spring. At that point, City staff and the Commission on the Environment will develop an action plan for reducing our emissions. The action plan should take 3-4 months to develop.
The City has once again been honored by the Arbor Day Foundation for our efforts at preserving and enhancing our urban forest. The City has received this recognition for the past 21 years.
Properly managing the urban forest is becoming a real challenge due to invasive species such as the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB). This borer is well on its way to killing most of the City’s ash tree population which will seriously strain the City’s urban forest budget. Because of this, we have been aggressively seeking supplemental funding for forestry projects. So far this fiscal year, we have received two grants from the State to help plant trees in our community. One grant is partially funding the removal and replacement of ash trees in the downtown area. The other is providing low cost trees to residents of the community. These trees can be planted in the public street right of way or on private property and will help homeowners recover tree canopy lost to dying ash trees.
Emerald Ash Borer is present across the City. Based on the level of infestation and the resulting symptoms that were visible last year, it looks like we will start to see significant die off of trees this summer. If you have an ash tree that you want to save, it may be too late if it is already infested. There are a lot of resources that can help you make that decision. You can start by going to the Department of Public Works page on the City’s web site at: http://www.cityofeastlansing.com/CITYGOV/WORKS/EAB.asp
The City of East Lansing was chosen again this year to participate in the Restoration of Our Trees Program (ROOT). The Purpose of the program is to provide homeowners the opportunity to purchase landscape trees at a reduced cost to restore tree canopy cover in areas where Emerald Ash Borer has killed ash trees.
The Michigan ROOT Program is a public-private partnership between the Office of the Governor, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, USDA Forest Service - State & Private Forestry, Michigan Department of Agriculture, DTE Energy Foundation and the City of East Lansing.
Residents in the 21 EAB quarantined counties are eligible to purchase up to 2 trees per household at a cost of $21 each. The City of East Lansing will have a total of 250 trees available for purchase. Available trees include
For complete information on the program, including the tree order form, please visit the City’s web site at : http://www.cityofeastlansing.com/CITYGOV/WORKS/Root.asp
Students eager to head home for the summer often stuff trash bags and haul unwanted items to the curb for disposal. The City sees a significant increase in trash at the curb during this time of the year. Many items disposed are in good condition and can be reused or recycled.
That is why the City and University are teaming up to urge students to participate in the Pack-Up, Pitch In program. Through this program, off-campus students living in East Lansing can drop off carpet, clothing, shoes, electronic waste, food and sofas for reuse and recycling.
More detailed information on the program will be placed on the City’s web site in the upcoming weeks and students will receive information through e-mails, flyers placed in curbside recycling bins and through their landlords.
Residents interested in the program may also contact Dave Smith, Environmental Specialist, City of East Lansing at dsmith@cityofeastlansing.com or by calling 337-9459.
This year is shaping up to be a big year for the City in terms of environmental programs. Building on our achievements from 2007, following are some of the initiatives we will be working on:
These are just a few of the many programs, services and initiatives we hope to implement this year. Stay tuned to the Curbside Journal to track our progress and learn about the changes we have in store!
In an effort to modernize and simplify neighborhood trash collection, City Council recently adopted Ordinance 1189 which will require owners of single-family and two-family households to purchase City Easy Carts or yellow City trash bags for refuse collection. The newly adopted requirements will create a neater appearance in East Lansing neighborhoods, provide residents with trash receptacles that are tamper resistant to animals and allow the Department of Public Works (DPW) to perform trash collection more efficiently. In addition, the DPW anticipates less work-related injuries under the new guidelines.
The ordinance goes into effect as follows:
March 1, 2008 - On and after March 1, 2008 all residents who purchase a single- or two-family household in East Lansing will be required to purchase an Easy Cart for trash collection.
October 1, 2008 - On and after October 1, 2008 all East Lansing residents living in single- or two-family households will be required to use an Easy Cart and/or yellow trash bags with the City seal for trash collection. Black trash bags, metal cans and other rigid plastic containers will no longer be accepted at this time.
For details on the City’s Easy Cart automated waste collection program, Click Here
The City will collect live-cut Christmas trees for recycling. The trees are chipped and used as mulch in parks and around trees. Trees can be dropped off any of the following locations:
For maps Click Here!!
Residents can dispose of extra refuse generated around Christmas for a two week period. During this period, residents can dispose of extra refuse without having to use City bags or stickers. Extra refuse will be collected on resident’s normal collection day only (except where the holiday affects the collection schedule – see below). All other refuse regulations apply. Bags/containers should weigh no more than 40 pounds. Yard waste will not be accepted.
Christmas Holiday:
New Years Holiday:
Trim Your Holiday Waste! Following are a few tips to reduce the amount of energy and waste you generate during the Holidays:
The City has extended the bulk leaf collection. Each side of the City will receive one more collection starting Wednesday, November 28. Collection will begin on the East side of the City. The extended collection is weather dependent.
The ghosts and goblins are gone until next year, but vampires still lurk in your house…”vampire electronics” that is. Vampire electronics are devices which suck electricity while they are in standby mode. Several common household appliances utilize power to keep their electronics ready to go, even when they appear to be off or in standby mode. Studies show that about five percent of electricity in the United States is consumed by these appliances – about $4 billion dollars worth annually
Researchers at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have found that households have between 10 to 50 vampire electronic devices. The electricity consumed by these devices can add up to as much as a month of your electricity bill.
The most common vampire electronics include:
Vampire electronics are anything that displays a clock or has a remote to turn it on. These devices consume about 40 percent of their energy while fully charged or in standby mode.
The best way to decrease electric use by these devices is to unplug them when not in use or when they are fully charged. Plugging your TV, DVD player and other items into a power strip which can be operated by a wall switch is an easy way to control electric use.
Compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFL’s) were flying off the shelves at local ACE Hardware stores during the recent Change A Light, Change Michigan campaign. The event kicked off at Lansing City Hall on October 1 with a press conference featuring Mayor Singh and other local dignitaries. More than 4,000 bulbs were sold at the kickoff event. On October 2, Urban Options hosted an event here in East Lansing and promptly sold out of nearly 800 bulbs. In total, 15,256 bulbs were sold through the program, with stores selling out in less than a week. Look for a similar Change A Light Day event next October.
Many household electronics contain small amounts of heavy metals which should be disposed and recycled properly. The City has teamed up with our regional partners to offer our annual fall Computer and Electronics Recycling Collection. The collection is this Saturday, September 29 from 8 a.m. until noon at the City of Lansing Transfer Station, 530 East South Street, Lansing. (Click Here for Directions)
Items collected include computers, TV’s, cell phones, VCR’s, stereos and more. Here is a complete list of items accepted, along with their disposal fee.
The City’s three free yard waste days are the Following Mondays, October 1, 15 and 29. City bags and stickers are not required nor are residents required to give advance request of pickup. However, all other yard waste guidelines apply. (Click Here for more Information)
October 3 is National ENERGY STAR Change a Light Day – a day to promote the use of energy efficient lights and fixtures. Here in East Lansing, we can’t wait to start celebrating! Mayor Singh and other local dignitaries will be kicking off the local Change a Light Day on October 1 with a press event and light bulb sale at Lansing City Hall at 11 a.m. October 1 - November while supplies last - seven local ACE stores (Lansing, Okemos, Grand Ledge, Eaton Rapids, Holt, Laingsburg and Mason) will be selling ENERGY STAR compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFL’s) for as little as $.99. (Click Here to find the nearest ACE Store) Because there isn’t an ACE here in East Lansing, an ACE Representative will be visiting Urban Options, 405 Grove Street, East Lansing on October 2 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. to sell the bulbs. (Click Here for a Map) ENERGY STAR fixtures and bulbs use 75% less energy than incandescent bulbs and therefore reduce global climate change emissions. Because of this, the City has made their promotion and use an important part of the strategy to reduce the City’s climate change emissions. Please help us in achieving our goal to reduce are emissions by changing your lights.
The City will begin collecting boxboard starting September 5 at the DPW drop off site, 1800 East State Road, under a pilot program. The program will assess the feasibility and quantity/quality of boxboard recycled. According to Dave Smith, Environmental Specialist for the City, “boxboard is a product that we have been trying for some time now to bring into our recycling stream. However, due to the relative difficulty to recycle it into new products and the lack of market for it, we have not been able to do so up until now.” The program is expected to run through at least December.
Boxboard includes items such as cereal boxes, paper egg cartons, toilet paper & paper towel tubes, and shoe & shirt boxes. Some boxboard cannot be recycled, including any boxes/cartons that may be put in the refrigerator or freezer such as beer & soda cartons, butter cartons, frozen food boxes, and milk cartons. In addition, wax coated boxes (milk, produce and meat), plastic coated boxes and foil laminated boxes (dish detergent) cannot be recycled. For more detailed information, check the city’s web page.
Two containers were recently placed at the south end of the former Department of Public Works Building (2000 Merritt Road) for corrugated cardboard recycling. This will allow for more convenient recycling of cardboard for residents on the East side of the City. The containers will remain in place until redevelopment of the site begins. Remember that you may also drop-off recyclables at the current Public Works building at 1800 East State Road
Residents will be able to purchase compact fluorescent lights (CFL’s) at a discounted rate under an upcoming program sponsored by the City and others. Urban Options has partnered with seven local ACE Hardware stores to sell ENERGY STAR rated CFL’s for as low as $.99 each depending on the style of bulb. Residents can purchase up to 8 CFL’s. The bulbs will be sold at ACE stores in the greater Lansing area from October 1 through November, or until supplies last. In addition, a special one day sale of the bulbs will take place on October 2 at Urban Options, 405 Grove Street, here in East Lansing.
ENERGY STAR rated CFL’s use 75% less energy than incandescent bulbs, last 6–10 times longer and save about $30 or more in electricity costs over the bulbs life. A CFL can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by about 750 pounds over the life of the bulb.
The annual East Lansing Reducing our Waste (ELROW) Food Drive began this week and runs through August 3. Residents are encouraged to place canned or dry food items in their blue recycling bin on the regular collection day during this two week period. Food donations can also be taken to drop boxes at City Hall, E.L. Public Library and the Department of Public Works Office.
Public Works Department employees will collect the food and deliver it to the Haven House here in East Lansing for those in need. Past collections have averaged about 75 grocery bags full of items. Please consider donating this year, its more important than ever!
The City of East Lansing in partnership with the City of Lansing and Ingham, Eaton and Clinton Counties are once again offering a fall electronics and book recycling collection. The book collection will take place on Saturday, September 15 at the Ingham County Road Commission Building. The electronics collection will take place on Saturday, September 29 at the City of Lansing Transfer Station. Look for a special bin tag and information posted on the City’s web site for these events.
Earlier this year Mayor Singh signed the US Conference of Mayors Climate Protection Agreement. Singing the Agreement continues a long history of environmental leadership. As part of the Agreement, City staff and the E.L. Commission on the Environment are currently inventorying our green house gas emissions. The inventory will allow us to tailor a plan to reduce our global warming impact. This plan will include information on how our residents can make positive changes. We look forward to developing new and innovative ways East Lansing can continue our environmental leadership.