The St. Louis – Jefferson Solid Waste Management District is a regional agency that was created in 1993 to assist the public, private and nonprofit sectors in establishing and expanding waste reduction and recycling. The District includes the City of St. Louis, St. Louis County, Jefferson County and St. Charles County. These programs and services are funded in part by the St. Louis-Jefferson Solid Waste Management District and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. For more information, please visit www.swmd.net or call 314-645-6753.
Moving the State to 75% Waste Diversion
The Missouri Recycling Association (MORA) is a diverse membership of stakeholders dedicated to growing our economy, strengthening our communities and protecting our environment through waste diversion and recycling. Since 1993, MORA has been the collective voice to encourage regional partnerships and share resources to address the growing challenge of sustainable materials management.
MORA is focused on moving the state to 75% Waste Diversion. Missouri set a 40% waste diversion goal in 1990 that was met in 2009 following years of committed efforts and investment in recycling infrastructure and education. Enormous progress has been made, however a 2017 Waste Composition study completed by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources revealed 47.8% of materials landfilled could have been recycled or composted. This represents 2,755,648 tons of wasted resources!
MORA is advocating for an amendment of the state statute to increase the state’s diversion goal from 40% to 75%. In addition to building the political will for a statute change, MORA continues education and outreach to help communities identify opportunities for recovery, reuse and recycling. In addition to traditional recyclables, MORA is targeting the following to achieve 75% waste diversion:
- Organics which represents 33% of municipal solid waste (MSW). MORA promotes food waste reduction and the composting of inedible food scraps and soiled papers.
- Electronics are a small part of MSW that is growing. MORA supports de-manufacturing and recycling of electronics to create jobs, to divert hazardous lead and mercury from landfills, and to recover precious metals, such as gold, silver and copper.
- Construction and Demolition Waste (C&D) which comprises 8.2% of our total wastes, can be salvaged and reused, creating jobs and diverting C&D to higher and better use.
- Textiles represent almost 5% of our MSW. MORA promotes re-use and recycling of textiles. Even worn, torn, or stained items can be donated for recycling into household insulation, car seating stuffing, etc.
- Paint in Missouri is wasted at a rate of 1.3 million gallons per year. MORA supports Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) laws to grow access to convenient paint collection programs.
The St. Louis-Jefferson Solid Waste Management District leads the state in supporting both the 75% goal and MORA. Join MORA! Learn more at www.mora.org.
2018 Annual Education Conference
Stoney Creek Hotel and Conference Center
Independence, Missouri • September 11-13,
2018 MORAConference.org
Think Spring – Think Clean – Think GREEN
Before diving into spring cleaning, start with a plan to minimize leftover cleaning, painting, DIY, and gardening products that may end up needing to be managed as household hazardous waste (HHW). Choose the safest alternative to do the job at hand and only buy as much of a product as needed. Store leftovers to maintain products in useable condition and if you have no need for the leftovers, share or swap with friends, neighbors and family.
Too late you say? Your garage and basement are cluttered with old paint, fertilizers and other chemicals? If your spring cleaning includes purging these items, remember that throwing away toxic, corrosive, and flammable items in the trash is not environmentally friendly. Instead, take advantage of Saint Louis Household Hazardous Waste, the region’s HHW program that recycles and properly manages household chemicals. Saint Louis County, Saint Louis City, and Jefferson County residents can make an appointment to drop off items at either the North County HHW Facility or the Lemay HHW Facility by visiting www.HHWSTL.com
The first 50 pounds of HHW are at no charge to the resident. Residents pay $1.00 for each pound after that. Latex paint recycling is offered and residents pay the full cost for recycling at .25/pound. Latex paint is not hazardous and when completely dry, it can be safely discarded in the trash.
Once your appointment is made, dropping off HHW is a breeze! Friendly staff will unload your vehicle, weigh your materials on a scale visible to you. If payment is needed, the facilities accept credit and debit cards and cash (no checks please.) Saint Louis Household Hazardous Waste is a partnership between St. Louis City, St. Louis County, Jefferson County, Metropolitan Sewer District and the St. Louis-Jefferson Solid Waste Management District.
Accepted Items
Paints (oil-based, craft and hobby paints)
Stains
Varnishes
Pesticides
Herbicides
Poisons
Gasoline and other fuels
Solvents and strippers
Aerosols
Motor oil and filters
Gas cylinders (BBQ pit size or smaller)
Driveway sealant
Fluorescent tubes
Rechargeable batteries
Antifreeze
Brake and transmission fluid
Pool chemicals and other acids and bases
Car batteries
Wood preservatives
Mercury containing Items (thermometers, thermostats, and mercuric salts).
To make an appointment please visit www.HHWSTL.com.
“Recycling’s On a Roll” in Jefferson County!
Recycling Collection/Drop-Off Events:
April 19-21, 2018, 8am to 9pm
April 26-28, 2018, 8am to 9pm
Northwest Branch Library
5680 State Rd. PP
High Ridge, MO 63049, (636) 677-8186
Accepted Materials:
Paper
Mail
Magazines
Newspaper
Cardboard Carrier Boxes
Plastic
Bottles
Jugs
Food Containers
Buckets
Glass
Jars
Bottles
All Colors
Cans
Aluminum
Steel
Tin
Some restrictions apply. When recycling,
please rinse containers. Thank you.
NOT collected at THIS event:
No Oil
No Batteries
No Appliances
No Paint
No Medical Waste
No HHW Items or Containers
No Plastic Bags
No Styrofoam
No Clothing
No Window Glass
No Mirrors
No Pyrex or Ceramic
No Light Bulbs
No Computers
No Electronics
No Yard Waste
No Food Waste
For more information, contact Kara Dunnam: 636-797-5043 or
kdunnam@jeffcomo.org.
Pedro’s Planet Offers Many Recycled Products
Pedro’s Planet is a company of friends dedicated to supplying businesses with 40,000 different office supplies, many recycled. They also offer a full range of printing. The print shop uses environmental inks, uses as much recycled paper content as possible and of course recycles all their waste.
They provide the added value of free recycling/shredding of your mixed paper, aluminum, plastic, toners, and a nominal fee for your e-waste. They deliver business supplies and pick up recyclables at the same time. This allows them to create a smaller carbon footprint by using one truck for delivering and recycling. They are super-competitive in pricing and generally match prices with your current supplier or find generic items at a savings.
You can order on line, fax or even call to place your orders. Please visit the website at www.pedrosplanet.com for more information.
Local Government Recycling Information
- City of St. Louis – www.stlouis-mo.gov/government (Departments & Agencies, click Recycling)
- Jefferson County – www.jeffcomo.org (Services, click Recycling)
- St. Louis County – http://www.stlouisco.com/HealthandWellness/RecyclingandWasteManagement
- St. Charles County – http://www.sccmo.org/861/Recycling
Medical Equipment Donation Drive
Saturday, May 5, 2018, 9 am – 2 pm
Do you have medical equipment that is not being used? Do you need medical equipment?
Now there is HELP…
Fourteen Designated Walgreen’s Sites
For a list of locations, contact St. Louis HELP
at 314-567-4700 or www.stlhelp.org