City of Newport - Public Services - Clean City Division

Clean City Program - News

NEWPORT'S CLEAN CITY PROGRAM REMINDS RESIDENTS OF HOLIDAY RECYCLING OPPORTUNITIES

Program helps residents recycle extra paper & cardboard from the holidays

December 15, 2011 - The Newport Public Services Department's Clean City Program would like to encourage residents to participate in the Maximum Holiday Recycling program, a recycling program created to allow residents to easily recycle gift wrap and paper packaging from the holidays.

The Maximum Holiday Recycling Program allows residents to use a paper yard waste bag to recycle extra paper generated by the holidays such as gift wrap, gift boxes, gift bags, tissue paper and cardboard. Paper yard waste bags filled with paper should be placed next to your green recycling bin and should be clearly marked "Paper recycling." Residents are also encouraged to re-use items if possible.

Residents can put out extra paper recycling in a yard waste bag for the first collection after Christmas for one week only. The special collection will take place on residents' delayed trash day from Tuesday, December 27th through Saturday, December 31st.

Other types of paper that are normally collected in the green bin program can also be recycled in the paper yard waste bag during this week only. Foil & plastic coated gift wrap, Styrofoam and plastic packaging must be thrown away and cannot be recycled. Tape on gift paper in small quantities is ok, as it is removed in the recycling process.

Cardboard boxes that will not fit in the paper yard waste bag must be emptied, flattened, bundled & tied and cannot measure larger than 3 feet in any direction. Flattened residential cardboard, regardless of size, may be dropped off for recycling at the Clean City Program office at 80 Halsey Street.

The Clean City Program would like to remind residents that cords and wires, such as Christmas tree lights, cannot be recycled in your curbside recycling bin. The Clean City Program has partnered with the Friends of Ballard Park to promote the reuse of working Christmas lights & lamps.

The Friends of Ballard Park are in need of working Christmas tree lights of all shapes, sizes and color and lamps that are 2 feet or higher for use in their 6th Annual Illuminated Garden in February. Friends of Ballard Park will acknowledge all donations with a receipt which may be used for tax purposes. Drop off lights to the Clean City Program Office located in the city yard at 80 Halsey St., Monday through Friday between 8:30 am to 4:30pm, or at the Friends of Ballard Park's office at 226 Bellevue Avenue #10 Monday through Friday from 10 am to 5 pm.

Friends of Ballard Park will also pick lights up by calling 619-3377. Residents can also recycle non-working lights through www.holidayleds.com and click on the "Free Light Recycling" link. You can mail lights to them for the cost of shipping and receive a coupon for 25% off the purchase of LED lights, which will save energy.

Christmas trees and yard waste will be collected curbside from January 9th through January 13th on resident's regularly scheduled collection day. Please do not put the tree in a plastic bag, and remember to remove all ornaments, tinsel, garland and lights. Christmas trees will be collected in a separate truck.

Newport City Hall and RI's landfill will be closed on Monday, December 26 and Monday, January 2. Both observed holidays will result in a one day delay in trash and recycling collections for those weeks.

For more information about the City of Newport residential solid waste and recycling collection program, contact the Clean City Program at 845-5613.

Yard waste will only be collected in brown paper leaf bags or loose in trash barrels labeled "yard waste". Branches and twigs up to 4 feet long and 3 inches in diameter must be bundled and tied, placed in paper yard waste bags or loose in barrels. Yard waste will not be collected in plastic bags. Free yard waste stickers are available to residents through the Clean City Program, located in the back entrance of the Public Services garage in the city yard, 80 Halsey St. and at City Hall in the Collections office.

The Clean City Program has posted the 2012 Clean City Program Solid Waste & Recycling Calendar.

December 22, 2010: Projo.com: "Don't put 'wet strength' packages in recycling bins"

December 22, 2010: ecoRI news: Weekly Recycling Tips

CITY OF NEWPORT ROLLS OUT BIGBELLY SOLAR-POWERED TRASH COMPACTORS

August 25, 2011 - Newport Mayor Stephen C. Waluk and the Newport Public Services Department's Clean City Program would like to announce the placement of 25 BigBelly solar-powered trash compactors in downtown Newport. Mayor Waluk will unveil the BigBelly compactor located at the Armory, 365 Thames Street, on Friday, September 2 at 9:30 a.m.

The BigBelly compactors have the same footprint as the current black metal trash barrels around the city but can hold five times more trash, reducing collection requirements by up to 80 percent. An electric eye inside detects the level of trash and triggers compactions as needed.

"The BigBelly launch in Newport is a triumph in our mission to be a greener city," said Mayor Stephen C. Waluk. "The City will not have any added costs, but we will reap the benefits of fewer trucks on the road, decreased emissions, and cleaner streets."

BigBelly comes to Newport through a two-year contract extension agreement with Waste Management. The agreement allows for 25 BigBelly solar-powered trash compactors to be placed in Newport with no added cost to the city. Waste Management will save money on collection costs to sponsor the cost of the compactors.

The BigBelly compactors will be placed in front of Newport City Hall, Washington Square & Eisenhower Park, and continue down the length of Thames Street, almost reaching the intersection at Wellington Avenue. The 25 compactors are replacing 50 black metal barrels.

The black metal public litter barrels are collected twice per day, seven days per week. The City of El Paso, TX, also had 14 pickups and was able to cut collections down to twice per week with the BigBelly system.

For more information about the City's partnership with Waste Management to place the BigBelly compactors in Newport, please contact the Clean City Program at 845-5613.

NEWPORT'S CLEAN CITY PROGRAM WILL HOLD A SPRING RECYCLING DAY FOR HARD TO RECYCLE ITEMS AND PAPER SHREDDING

April 15, 2011 - The Newport Public Services Department's Clean City Program would like invite Newport & other area residents to recycle electronic waste, bulky plastics, Styrofoam, clothing & household items, books, bicycles, plastic bags, cooking oil and shred sensitive documents as well as purchase recycling bins at a discounted rate and purchase a compost bin during the Clean City Program's Spring Recycling Day during the Great American Cleanup.

The event will be in the Easton's Beach east parking lot on Saturday, April 30 from 9am to 1pm.

There will be no entry into the event until its start time of 9am; please, no early birds. This event is sponsored by the City of Newport's Clean City Program, Waste Management and The East Bay Met School.

This event will accept the following items for recycling:

Paper shredding service (paper will be recycled): Newport area residents are invited to bring up to four banker size boxes of paper to be shredded. Residents may bring their documents in any type of carrying container but must stay within the four banker box limit. Files can be left in manila file folders and hanging files. Staples and paper clips are also acceptable to leave in your files. Residents will be served on a first come, first serve basis. Once the truck is full, we will not be able to take additional documents for shredding. If you do not wish to keep your cardboard box, it will be recycled through the City of Newport.
Electronic waste: Computers/CPUs, monitors, keyboards, mice, scanners, televisions, laptops, fax machines, modems, routers, VCRs, DVD players, miscellaneous computer parts and wires, digital cameras, cell phones & accessories and more. No freon bearing items such as air conditioners, dehumidifiers, refrigerators and large metal items such as washers and dryers.
Rigid plastics not normally collected in the curbside recycling program: plastic toys, buckets, milk & soda crates, laundry baskets, lawn furniture, landscape items such as edging, plastic totes, plastic drums (food grade only, no chemical containers), pet carriers, plastic pallets, coolers, shelving, closet organizers, dish drainers, flower pots (no soil), garbage cans, recycling bins, waste baskets, 5 gallon water bottles. All plastic items brought for recycling must be clean and free of any wood, metal, glass, wires or batteries. NO PLASTIC FOOD PACKAGING WILL BE ACCEPTED.
Styrofoam (polystyrene) - All Styrofoam packaging, food trays, coffee cups and packing peanuts will be accepted. Tape, labels and food particles must be removed. Please make sure that all food trays display the recycle symbol displaying the 6 in the triangle with PS below it. No compostable trays or packing peanuts that are not Styrofoam will be accepted. Plastic utensils will also be collected, but must be packaged separately and rinsed.
Clothing & household items for Big Sisters of RI: they accept "gently used" items such as: anything made of cloth - clothing for all ages and genders; and sheets, towels, curtains, blankets, area rugs, table linens, throw pillows, etc. as well as unusable clothing/fabric . Household items - home décor, kitchen items such as plates, glasses, vases, etc . Books, toys, games, stuffed animals, etc. Small appliances and electronics in good working order, such as blenders, mixers, radios, etc. NO car seats, cribs, electronics (computers, TVs, etc), broken items, magazines, newspapers, books without covers, plants, mattresses, water heaters, tires, car parts, lawnmowers, wall-to-wall carpeting, building materials or health care equipment.
Books for Reading Tree: hardcover, paperback, any age - child or adult, DVDs, VHS tapes. NO magazines, phonebooks, catalogs, or books that have mold or mildew.
Bicycles/bikes: working and "salvageable" bicycles will be accepted for recycling. The East Bay Met School refurbishes bicycles. Students learn mechanics & go for bike rides. The bikes are also used in a program that works in conjunction with the Newport Heights Boys and Girls Club. Local children also earn free bikes.
Plastic bags: will be collected by East Bay Met School senior Deanna Ford as part of her senior project, Pax Terra. She will also have a display and information about plastic pollution in the ocean and its sources. Deanna created Pax Terra was created as her Senior Thesis Project to host community information sessions around environmental issues. Plastic bags must be clean & dry - plastic grocery & shopping bags (any store, drawstring ok); clean & dry produce bags; newspaper sleeves, dry cleaning film, toilet paper & paper towel packaging; bread, bagel & sandwich roll bags. NO plastic food wrap. Tie bags in a knot. If a bag is dirty or wet, tie in a knot and discard in your regular trash. Please compact the bags as much as much as possible and bring multiple bundles of bags in one larger bag.
Cooking oil: Newport Biodiesel will be accepting all vegetable cooking oil for recycling. The oil is recycled into biodiesel for vehicles and home heating oil.

This event is NOT the Eco Depot collection for hazardous waste, therefore, items such as paints, fluorescent bulbs and other hazardous waste will NOT be collected at this event. No scrap metal or other items not listed above will be collected.

"This event has turned into something residents look forward to," said Kristin Littlefield, the City of Newport's Clean City Coordinator. "The City of Newport's Spring Recycling Day during the Great American Cleanup is a unique, one-day opportunity for you to come down to Easton's Beach, recycle a variety of items and keep them out of the landfill."

"The Green Team is grateful to work as a community partner with the City of Newport's Clean City Program for Spring Recycling Day," said Taylor Rock, Green Team Coordinator at the East Bay Met School. "The students have collaborated to create signs to guide traffic at the event and will also be participating with their own booth. T-shirts and other goodies will be available for donation as well as information about the school and its environmental programs."

The Clean City Program will also be selling recycling bins at a discounted rate of $5 per pair and the Earth Machine compost bin for just $45 each (retails at over $100). This discounted recycling bin price will only be valid during the event to Newport residents on a first come, first served basis.

Please bring a check for payment and proof of Newport residency. Cash will not be accepted. Visit www.earthmachine.com to see the exact bin that will be available for sale. Compost bins are also available for purchase at the Clean City Program office during normal office hours and recycling bins are available for $6 each at City Hall during normal business hours.

Event attendees may also take advantage of a free cup of coffee from Custom House Coffee in Middletown. Attendees are encouraged to bring their reusable coffee mugs, although there will be paper cups available. Also, the Clean City Program will be encouraging "Earth Day is everyday" by giving away pens that have the phrase printed on them, thanks to a grant provided by RIDEM and J.R. Vinagro Corp. Please stop by the Clean City Program table to receive a free pen.

Residents may also turn in their old or broken recycling bins at this event. Any condition of bin may be dropped off for recycling.

The Spring & Fall Recycling Days, since 2008, have recycled over 80,000 pounds of material.

Keep America Beautiful's Great American Cleanup inspires over 3 million people nationwide to improve their communities from March 1-May 31. The national 2011 theme, "Green Starts Here," is a rallying call that encourages volunteer groups, community leaders, and people of all ages and walks of life to begin creating more sustainable communities through their efforts as volunteers, and through their daily choices and actions. It also reflects Keep America Beautiful's long legacy of community improvement activities.

"The Great American Cleanup is new to Newport this year," said Kristin Littlefield, Newport's Clean City Coordinator. "Keep America Beautiful and their national sponsors support every volunteer and community member who want to make a difference, whether it be picking up a piece of litter or bringing items to the Spring Recycling Day."

For more information about the Fall Recycling Day contact the Clean City Program at 845-5613.

America's leading companies and brands support the Great American Cleanup campaign. The National Sponsors of the 2011 Great American Cleanup are: The Dow Chemical Company; The Glad Products Company; Lowe's Companies, Inc., through the Lowe's Charitable and Educational Foundation; Nestlé® Pure Life® Purified Water; PepsiCo's Pepsi-Cola and Gatorade companies; The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company; Solo Cup Company; Waste Management.; Troy-Bilt® Lawn and Garden Equipment; Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co.; Promotional Partners, Crescent Art and Framing Products , Miss America Organization, and Owens-Illinois, Inc.; and Educational Partner, Rubber Manufacturers Association.

NEWPORT'S CLEAN CITY PROGRAM ANNOUNCES EARTH DAY CLEANUP EVENTS

April 12, 2011 - Newport Mayor Stephen Waluk and the Newport Public Services Department's Clean City Program would like to invite Newport area residents to volunteer for one of the 11 litter cleanup events happening for Newport's 2011 Earth Day celebration, which is also part of Keep America Beautiful's Great American Cleanup.

A grant from RI Department of Environmental Management and J. R. Vinagro Corp. of Johnston, RI will provide bags, gloves and a thank you gift for volunteers in Newport. The Clean City Program will be picking up the bags of litter for the cleanup events listed below. Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation is waiving all disposal fees associated with litter collected during Earth Day cleanups and Waste Management Newport will assist in disposing of the litter.

Earth Day is Friday, April 22. The City of Newport will be celebrating Earth Day over three consecutive weekends (Saturday, April 16/17, April 23 and April 30) and, with such, invites all residents to participate in any of the scheduled cleanups when they might be available to do so.

Interested volunteers may contact the event coordinator directly or the Clean City Program at 845-5613. The Clean City Program is also available to provide assistance to those individuals who may want to start their own neighborhood cleanup as part of Earth Day activities. Become an active part of your community by volunteering at one of the following events:

4/16 - Save The Bay invites you to help clean up Easton's Beach, 175 Memorial Blvd. from 9am-11am. To volunteer, you must contact Stephany Hessler in advance at shessler@savebay.org or 272-3540 x130.
4/16 - Newport County Saltwater Fishing Club will be cleaning up shoreline fishing access points in Newport & Middletown. Volunteers should meet at Salt Water Edge, 47 Valley Rd., Middletown at 9 a.m. Contact Dennis Zambrotta at 849-6121.
4/17 - The Off Broadway Neighborhood Association will be hosting a cleanup at 10am. Volunteers should contact Erin Sullivan Washburn at emsri@yahoo.com and meet at 11 Dartmouth St. the day of the cleanup.
4/23 - The Point Association will be cleaning driftways along Washington St., Battery Park to Storer Park. They will also be planting flowers in the parks. Contact Joan Simmons at mjsnpt@gmail.com. Volunteers should meet at Battery Park at 10am.
4/23 - Friends of the Waterfront will be cleaning up King Park and the surrounding area. Volunteers should meet at the pavilion on King Park at 9 a.m. Contact Jim Perrier at 847-2576 or markdatum@verizon.net.
4/23 - Friends of Ballard Park will be holding an Earth Day celebration in partnership with the Newport Preservation Society by cleaning up litter at 9am following a free guided tour of the park. Contact Colleen McGrath with Friends of Ballard Park at 619-3377 or visit www.ballardpark.org.
4/23 - Old Colony & Newport Railway - a group of volunteers will clean along the railway where they run scenic, narrated train trips. To volunteer, you must contact Chuck Flippo ahead of time at 871-0828.
4/23 - Wild Things LLC - staff from the Thames Street location will be cleaning up Brenton Point State Park in partnership with Save The Bay from 9am-11am. To volunteer, you must contact Stephany Hessler in advance at shessler@savebay.org or 272-3540 x130.
4/23 - Pax Terra cleanup at Miantonomi Park: Deanna Ford, senior at the East Bay MET School and member of the Green Team, will be hosting a clean-up for the Miantonomi Park Sunset Hill area from 10am-12pm. As part of her Senior Thesis Project, she created the project Pax Terra to host community information sessions around environmental issues. Volunteers should meet at the East Bay Met School parking lot in the Florence Gray Center, 1 York St. Contact Deanna Ford at dford@metmail.org.
4/30 - Mayor Waluk invites residents to join him and the Aquidneck Land Trust in cleaning up Morton Park from 10am-12pm.
5/14 - Clean Ocean Access - Ochre Point from 10am-12pm. To volunteer, contact Dave McLaughlin at dmclaughlin71@hotmail.com.

"We are fortunate that Newport has such dedicated volunteers," said Mayor Stephen Waluk. "The City of Newport is appreciative of any assistance you can provide in keeping our city clean."

"The Great American Cleanup is new to Newport this year," said Kristin Littlefield, Newport's Clean City Coordinator. "There are national sponsors like Glad who sent us garbage bags to collect litter, and Nestlé® Pure Life® Purified Water and PepsiCo's Pepsi-Cola, who sent us water and soda vouchers to provide refreshments at our events and provided event posters, as well as Waste Management as a national sponsor and a local sponsor, providing support for our events here in Newport."

For more information about the City of Newport's Earth Day celebration, or an updated list of participating groups, contact the Clean City Program at 845-5613.

America's leading companies and brands support the Great American Cleanup campaign. The National Sponsors of the 2011 Great American Cleanup are: The Dow Chemical Company; The Glad Products Company; Lowe's Companies, Inc. through the Lowe's Charitable and Educational Foundation; Nestlé® Pure Life® Purified Water; PepsiCo's Pepsi-Cola and Gatorade companies; The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company; Solo Cup Company; Waste Management.; Troy-Bilt® Lawn and Garden Equipment; Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co.; Promotional Partners, Crescent Art and Framing Products , Miss America Organization, and Owens-Illinois, Inc.; and Educational Partner, Rubber Manufacturers Association.