Grays HarborTag Archives

Christmas Tree recycling and disposal locations

Wrapping up the holiday season means taking down the tree and decorati0ns. We can’t help you with the lights and ornaments, but when it comes time to dispose of your tree, we’ve got some help for you. Or rather, some good information on how to get rid of the tree cleanly.

City and county governments throughout the region have organized a host of resources to  help you dispose of your Christmas tree this year. Please consider using one of the services below before burning your tree.

Thurston County

Tree Pickup Locations
LeMay compost collection/yard waste customers can place their trees near compost carts  n sections cut to 3 feet or less. For more information, call (360) 923-0111.

City of Olympia garbage customers whose regular trash pickup is on Thursday or Friday, tree pickup will be Jan. 7. For those with Tuesday or Wednesday service, pickup will be Jan. 14. Make sure your tree is in your regular trash pickup location by 6 a.m. on your collection day. Call (360) 753-8509.

Lacey residents will have their trees picked up by city crews; they also can request a donation-based pickup from local Boy Scout troops. For city pickup, place trees at the curb by 8 a.m. Jan. 9. The Boy Scouts will be around Jan. 7. Call (360) 491-3214.

Tumwater residents should place trees at the nearest street corner by 8 a.m. Jan. 9. Call (360) 754-4150.

Tree Dropoff Locations
All Thurston County residents can take trees to the Waste and Recovery Center from 7 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday or 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at 2418 Hogum Bay Road N.E. in Lacey. The center will be closed New Year’s Day.

Rainier residents can drop trees off from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays until Jan. 14 at 13010 Rainier Acres Road.

Rochester residents can take trees to a drop box from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesdays, Saturdaysand Sundays through Jan. 15 at 16500 Sargent Road.

Visit http://www.co.thurston.wa.us/solidwaste/holidays/holidays-treecollect.htm for more information.

Mason County

Bill McTurnal Enterprises at 721 Kamilche Lane accepts tree from Dec. 28 – Jan. 9 during daylight hours. On weekends, leave trees by closed gate.

Visit http://www.411.com/business/mason-county-wood-recyclers-shelton-wa for more information.

Pacific County

Community Development indicates no County resources are available. However, residents can pay extra for local trash disposal.

Clallam County

Port Angeles - Christmas trees will be collected curbside in the city of Port Angeles during the week beginning Jan. 10

Sequim - The city of Sequim in the past has ground and composted Christmas trees for city residents at no charge at the city yard, but this service is not available this year, according to a city Public Works spokeswoman.

Forks - No city recycling of Christmas trees.

County residents can take trees to the yard debris area of the Regional Transfer Station at 3501 W. 18th St. in Port Angeles, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday for a fee of $5.

Western Clallam County can take trees to West Waste Transfer Facility, 272 LaPush Road, Forks.

The transfer facility is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m Thursday through Saturday.

Both transfer stations will be closed this Saturday, which is New Year’s Day.

Jefferson County

Port Townsend - Christmas trees will be collected free of charge as part of regular curbside garbage and yard debris pickup service between December 26th and December 30th and again between Jan. 9th and January 13th.
• For trees to be collected free as part of yard debris collection service they must not have any tinsel, frocking, or any other decoration or attached tree stands
• Trees that are taller than 4’ need to be cut into less than 4’ sections to be accepted free as yard debris
• Trees that have tinsel, frocking, or any other decoration or tree stands attached will be charged at the rate for garbage disposal

Jefferson County - If County residents subscribe for curbside garbage collection from Murrey’s Disposal, trees will be collected at the rate charged for an extra garbage can. No collection events are planned for either by the County or in the private sector as was done last year

City and County residents - Trees that are free of tinsel, frocking, or any other decoration or attached tree stands can be disposed of at the Transfer Station at the yard debris rate – any tree up to 200 lbs. would be $5. Trees not disposed of as yard debris will be charged at the minimum fee rate for ea. facility:
o Transfer Station minimum fee is $4.95
o Quilcene Drop Box Facility minimum fee is $2.97

For more information, please visit http://jeffersoncountysolidwaste.com/.

Gray Harbor County

Aberdeen-Hoquiam residents can bring their trees to Washington Grade School, Jan 1-2, 2011 – 9am to 4 pm, Jan 8-9, 2011 – 9am to 4 pm, Jan 15, 2011 – 9am to 4 pm. Contact Number: (360) 591-9342

Montesano residents can bring their trees to Napa Auto Parts, Jan 1-2, 2011 – 9am to 4 pm and Jan 8-9, 2011 – 9am to 4 pm. Contact Number: (360) 470-1651

For more information visit http://www.co.grays-harbor.wa.us/info/pub_svcs/recycle/ChristmasTrees.htm

General Resources -
http://1800recycle.wa.gov

  • Flocked trees normally can’t be recycled and must be cut up and placed in the trash. However, please check with your local disposal resource for specifics.
  • Remove all twine, ornaments, lights, stands, tinsel and nails.
  • For curbside programs, trees over six feet need to be cut in half.
  • Multi-family complex residents should check with their property managers for tree placement locations, or use the drop-off locations underlined below.

Bird Habitat

If you can’t get rid of your tree easily, put it to use for you. Anchor it in a corner of your property and place a bird feeder nearby. Song birds will appreciate having a place to rest that provides cover from roaming cats, wind, and rain  between meals at the feeder. You can also use the tree as a feeder itself.

Make a DIY Birdfeeder From An Old Christmas Tree

  1. Take off all the tree decorations. (If you used home-strung popcorn strings as a tree decoration, you can leave that in place — the birds will love it.)
  2. Find a location where you can enjoy all the action. Make sure the birds are safe from flying into windows.
  3. Attach tree to a secure location (a fence or to another tree) using rope or bungee cords.
  4. Redecorate the tree with safe and healthy bird food. Fat, protein and carbohydrates are what birds need to survive cold winters. Foods like peanuts and birdseed also include vitamins and minerals, which can also produce healthier eggs and chicks.

More information about setting up habitat trees can be found here: http://www.enature.com/articles/detail.asp?storyID=407

 

MarkM
December 28, 2011
Exec. Director's Desk, News and Information
Comments Off
, , , , , , , , ,

Air Quality suffers from stagnant weather: Residents Asked to Reduce Burning

While a bit of sun and lack of rain later this week presents a nice autumn surprise, it also could mean degraded air quality.

From Tuesday into the weekend, temperatures are expected to be chilly, with little wind to clear the air. The cold nights and quiet, foggy mornings tend to prompt more use of woodstoves and fireplaces. Unfortunately, in these conditions any smoke we put into the air around us, stays in the air around us. The result could be rising levels of air pollution.

In the interest of public health and safety, the Olympic Region Clean Air Agency (ORCAA) asks that all residents VOLUNTARILY refrain from burning unless absolutely necessary.

Burning wood creates smoke composed of fine and very fine particulate matter (PM2.5). These tiny particles are too small to be filtered by the nose and the body’s other natural defense mechanisms, so they may end up being inhaled deep into the lungs. That means that exposure to wood smoke may, at the very least, cause breathing problems and can increase – sometimes substantially increase – the severity of existing lung disease, such as asthma. Smoke also has been shown to aggravate heart and vascular disease.

In addition to minimizing the use of woodstoves and fireplaces, ORCAA asks homeowners to use alternative means of disposal to clean up their yards. Chipping and composting are the best option, though other alternatives to burning are also available. You can find more details on the options at www.orcaa.org or by calling your local waste disposal company.

If residents do need to burn, ORCAA encourages them to do so only at mid-day during the period of greatest air ventilation. During early morning and late evening hours the inversion is strongest, so at those times, any smoke remains trapped at ground level, creating significant air pollution issues.

To learn about the health effects of air pollution, check out the American Lung Association of Washington’s Web site at www.alaw.org. To find the latest on the status of burn restrictions within ORCAA’s six-county region, visit waburnbans.net or www.orcaa.org.

admin
November 8, 2011
Burn Status, Exec. Director's Desk, Health, News and Information
Comments Off
, , , , , , , , , ,

NEWS: Public Invited to Comment on Draft Air Operating Permit (AOP) Renewal for Rohm and Haas LLC

The Olympic Region Clean Air Agency (ORCAA) firmly believes in its motto, “Clean Air is Everyone’s Business.” As such, ORCAA seeks to keep everyone within our jurisdiction well informed about the actions¬—and proposed actions—we take.

Public comment is currently being accepted on a draft Air Operating Permit (AOP) renewal and Notice of Construction (NOC) modification for for Rohm and Haas Chemicals LLC, located in Elma, Washington, pursuant to Title V of the federal Clean Air Act and Chapter 173-401 of the Washington Administrative Code.

Rohm and Haas Chemicals LLC (Rohm and Haas) has requested a voluntary limit on emissions of hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) at their specialty chemical production plant in Elma, Washington. Rohm and Haas has proposed to limit emissions of all HAPs to less than 10 tons per year of any single HAP and less than 25 tons per year of all combined HAPs. The limit would replace their current facility-wide methanol limit of 60 tons per year established in Notice of Construction# 01MOD189. The purpose of this request is to establish enforceable emission limits thereby allowing classification of the facility as a minor source with respect to any National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants with a future compliance date.

Simultaneous with their application requesting voluntary limits on HAP emissions, a draft Air Operating Permit (AOP) renewal for Rohm and Haas is available for review. AOPs are required pursuant to Title V of the federal Clean Air Act and are designed to help ensure compliance with applicable air quality regulations and standards. AOPs are required to be renewed every five years. Rohm and Haas’s plant in Elma requires an AOP because it is a major source with respect to the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants: Miscellaneous Organic Chemical Manufacturing. This will be the 2nd renewal of the AOP for Rohm and Haas.

ORCAA has reviewed Rohm and Haas’ request and concluded that the proposed emissions limits will likely comply with all applicable air regulations and standards. On this basis, ORCAA’s Preliminary Recommendation is to approve Rohm and Haas’ application.

Copies of the Preliminary Recommendation, draft AOP renewal and the associated Technical Support Document (TSD) for Rohm and Haas Chemicals LLC are on file and available for review at the Elma Library at 118 N. First Street in Elma, and at ORCAA’s office in Olympia. The Preliminary Recommendation, draft AOP and TSD are also accessible here.

Comments may be submitted to ORCAA in writing. Written comments should be addressed to: ORCAA, 2940-B Limited Lane NW, Olympia, WA 98502, and will be accepted up to close of business on Monday, Nov. 28, 2011. Comments should pertain to adequacy of the draft AOP in assuring compliance with applicable air quality regulations and standards. Any concerned party may request a public hearing within the specified public comment period. The request should include information to justify the need for a public hearing. If there is significant public interest, ORCAA will hold a public hearing.

admin
October 18, 2011
News and Information, Permits, Upcoming Events
Comments Off
, , , , ,

Burning wood to heat homes poses potential health risks

Dept. of Ecology & ORCAA News Release:

Colder weather prompts many Washington residents to start firing up wood stoves, fireplaces and other wood-burning devices to heat their homes.

If done right, burning wood can be a cheap way to heat your home. But using poor burning habits; wood that has not been dried properly; and old, inefficient devices can lead to burning up more wood – and money. It also produces large amounts of health-damaging wood smoke – one of the most serious air pollution problems in Washington.

Fine particles in smoke are so small they can easily get into your lungs. Once there, they can cause heart and breathing problems, and even death. People with asthma and respiratory illnesses, children and older adults are most at risk.

Health studies show that people who heat their homes with wood have more breathing problems than those who don’t. Smoke particles also invade neighboring homes. Research shows that children in wood-burning neighborhoods are more likely to have lung and breathing problems.

A 2009 analysis (http://www.ecy.wa.gov/pubs/0902021.pdf) estimates that fine particles lead to about 1,100 deaths and $190 million in added health-care costs each year in Washington, according to the Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology).

ORCAA, Ecology and the state’s other local clean air agencies help Washingtonians curb wood-smoke pollution. The agencies use burn bans, education and programs that pay part of the cost of new, cleaner-burning home-heating devices.

How burn bans work

When fine particle pollution reaches unsafe levels, ORCAA and the other agencies may  call burn bans in their jurisdictions – for the entire region, for individual counties, or even just for portions of counties. These bans protect people’s health by limiting wood burning in those areas.

The most current Burn Ban information may be found at waburnbans.net and www.orcaa.org

Burn bans are called in stages:

  • Stage 1 burn bans are called based on weather conditions and rising pollution levels. No burning is allowed in wood-burning fireplaces, uncertified woodstoves or uncertified fireplace inserts, unless it is your only source of heat.
  • Stage 2 burn bans are called when fine particle pollution levels reach a “trigger value” set by state law. No burning is allowed in any wood-burning fireplace, woodstove or fireplace insert (even certified models), unless it is your only source of heat.

Violating a burn ban could lead to penalties, including fines.

During Stage 1 and Stage 2 burn bans, all outdoor burning also is banned, even in areas where outdoor burning isn’t permanently prohibited. The bans include agricultural and forest burning.

Burn dry, clean wood

Wood needs to be stored for at least six months – and better yet, a year – to be dry enough to burn well. Dry wood creates a hotter fire that takes less work and uses wood more efficiently.

Wet or green wood needs more heat to evaporate the higher water content before the wood can burn and give off heat. That means you need to burn nearly twice as much wet wood to generate the kind of heat provided by dry wood. So you spend more money to buy wood, or invest more time and effort to harvest your own.

Here’s how can you get the most out of your wood supply:

Split it. The wood will dry best and burn most efficiently if the pieces are 3½ to 6 inches in diameter.

Cover it. Protect the wood from rain and weather. Stack it loosely – in layers of alternating directions – to allow plenty of air circulation. Store it off the ground so air can circulate underneath.

Give it a year. Wood that has been split, dried and stored under cover for at least a year usually burns best.

Burning undried wood – and burning more of it because it’s wet or green – produces more smoke than burning dry wood.

admin
October 6, 2011
Burn Status, Health, News and Information, Upcoming Events
3 comments
, , , , , , , , , , ,

Residential Burn Bans To Take Effect in July

Residents who have yard waste to dispose of should look into clean alternatives to burning. Alternatives such as chipping and composting help keep our air clean and healthful. Those alternatives can also be used all summer, unlike burning.

Because of wildfire and public safety concerns in our wooded counties, seasonal burn bans take effect this month. Prohibitions on residential outdoor burning in Jefferson and Clallam Counties begin July 1 while Thurston County bans burning beginning July 15. These seasonal bans continue through the summer.

All Land Clearing Burns are also prohibited July 1 through Sept. 30 in all six counties within ORCAA’s jurisdicition (Clallam, Jefferson, Grays Harbor, Mason, Pacific and Thurston). The Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) prohibits burning on lands it manages state-wide during that period, and ORCAA’s land clearing burn ban was called in support of that DNR fire-safety effort.

The restrictions on outdoor burning during the summer and early autumn has resulted in a significant drop in brush fires and property damage each of the past couple years, according to fire officials.

To stay up-to-date on the status of burn bans, please register for the ORCAA email news alerts HERE or simply visit this site regularly for news and information our region’s air quality issues.

 

admin
June 28, 2011
Burn Status, Health, News and Information
Comments Off
, , , , , , , , ,