SANTA ANA, Calif. (Sept. 12, 2019) —On Saturday, Sept. 14, 2019, OC Waste & Recycling, OC Public Libraries, City of Brea and Republic Services will be at the Brea Library educating and providing recycling and composting tips. The free education event will begin at 9 a.m. and end at noon.

Angels player David Fletcher will be onsite from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. The first 150 fans will receive a wristband that guarantees an autograph. Fans must visit the OC Waste & Recycling booth to receive their wristband.

Visitors can check out the activity booths featuring a variety of family friendly crafts, recycling games, library card sign-ups and more. The following activities will be available:
• Recycling games and crafts
• Angels game tickets (while supplies last)
• Reusable Angels tote bags
• Angels Strike Force prizes
• A chance to win Angels autographed memorabilia and other prizes
• Tour of the Curtis Theater set for “Rube! – A Story About Baseball” (story about player Rube Waddell, in the 1920s)

“We are extremely proud of our partnerships with OC Libraries and the Angels. They help us deliver important education about proper recycling and environmental stewardship.” OCWR Director Tom Koutroulis said. “They also make it possible for residents to learn through an engaging and memorable experience.”

For more information about the OC Libraries see ocpl.org and follow @OCPublicLibraries on Facebook and Instagram, and @ocpublib on Twitter. For more on Orange County Waste & Recycling, visit oclandfills.com and follow @OCWaste. 

                                                                ###

In a tradition dating back thousands of years, Orange County will celebrate the Moon Festival this Saturday, Sept. 14, with poetry, dance, and arts for children and families.

Organized by OC Supervisor Andrew Do, the Moon Festival is a special celebration where families and friends come together, eat mooncakes and watch the moon at its largest and brightest point in the year.

This year’s festival will feature live band entertainment, youth performances and a parade of colorful lanterns for children, with the opening ceremony at 6 p.m. The free event is hosted in collaboration with CalOptima, Orange County Parks, the Vietnamese Cultural Center and us.

WHAT: Annual Moon Festival
Live band entertainment
Colorful lantern parade for children

WHEN: Saturday, Sept. 14, 2019
5 p.m. to 9 p.m.

WHERE: Freedom Hall at Mile Square Park
16801 Euclid Street, Fountain Valley, CA 92708

WHO: FREE Admission

OC Waste & Recycling is reminding customers that County landfills will be closed on Labor Day, Monday, September 2. The landfills will resume regular hours on Tuesday, September 3.

Holiday schedules for Orange County residential trash collection may be confirmed with local haulers here. For more information on hours of operations, visit oclandfills.com or call 714-834-400.
 

Summer is almost over, and school is right around the corner. In honor of National Back-to-School Month, we have put together a waste reduction back-to-school guide for you and your family. We know that you work hard to ensure your children have a great and productive year. When preparing your children for school this year, you can help them be good environmental stewards at the same time. Make sure to reuse and recycle as much as you can. Every little bit makes a difference in preserving our beautiful county and mother earth.

• Determine what can be used from last year
  • Repair and reuse binders
  • Reuse pens and pencils from last year
  • Sell back books or share with younger students or children
  • Repair backpacks with glue or other simple repairs
• Buy smart and buy recycled products
  • Follow a classroom list to make sure to only buy what your child needs
  • Purchase "green" products not sold with excess packaging
  • Buy recycled pencils and reusable notebooks
• Manage electronics and batteries
  • If you are replacing batteries in a laptop, cellphone or other device, bring them to one of our Household Hazardous Waste Collection Centers - DO NOT put them in the trash or recycle bin
  • Purchased a new laptop for your child? Recycle the old one by disposing of e-waste safely at one of our facilities
• Reduce food waste
  • Send your children to school with lunch or snacks packed in reusable containers. Purchase a reusable water bottle for your child to refill throughout the day
  • Encourage your children to only take what they need from the lunch line. Make sure that they recycle cans and bottles after they eat, and they dispose of them in the right bins at their school

For more information visit oclandfills.com and follow OCWR on social media @OCWaste to see more waste reduction tips.

 OC Waste & Recycling operates three landfills in Orange County. Many environmental stewardship and protection programs are part of the landfill’s operations. One of the most interesting and unusual is the bird abatement program, which uses falcons to shoo away pesky seagulls that otherwise could carry trash off the landfill and onto beaches or neighborhoods. Sometimes the falcons don’t even have to be flying; the gulls spot them and simply stay away! Since OC’s landfills started the bird abatement program, the number of gulls seen daily has been reduced from thousands to a maximum of fewer than 30 per day.

Recently TimesOC wrote a piece about the falconry program. Take a look:

Falcons help out at the landfill

Learn more about OCWR’s environmental stewardship at oclandfills.com and follow us @OCWaste

OC Waste and Recycling will be present at the following events:

• OC Sanitation District Open House - July 27 
• Chalk Art Mural Event for Kids - August 10 
• Angels Stadium Family Sunday - August 18

Stop by our booth and play a quick game of What Goes Where? to learn how to properly dispose of common household items. While there, ask about city recycling contacts, hauler information and what can be taken to OCWR landfills.
 
For more information follow us @OCWaste on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Drive-Thru service, believed to have originated in 1947 along Route 66, sure has changed since the days of roller skates and meal trays. Drive-thrus are now used at many businesses like pharmacies, banks, coffee shops, and even waste and recycling facilities. This iconic measure of convenience is observed annually on July 24, National Drive-Thru Day.

Now, you’re probably wondering what drive-thru service has to do with waste and recycling. Well, we are trying to make it easy to dispose of hazardous waste, so it is recycled properly. This year, in honor of National Drive-Thru Day, we invite you to “drive thru” one of our four (4) Household Hazardous Waste Collection Centers (HHWCC) to drop off any household hazardous waste products. In exchange, you will receive a free battery bucket for recycling, while supplies last.

Can’t make it on National Drive-Thru Day? Don’t worry! Our four centers are open all year long to make it easy for OC residents to dispose of their hazardous waste.

Not only do our centers help you rid of unwanted household hazardous waste, they also operate Materials Exchange Programs (MEP). These allow county residents to select five items per week, per household, of partially used household, yard and car care products, for free!

Before visiting, make sure to visit our website to view a complete list of what is accepted at our centers. Visit a county HHWCC, located in Anaheim, Huntington Beach, Irvine and San Juan Capistrano, open Tuesday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. (except holidays and rainy days).

Follow us @OCWaste all week for posts about HHWCCs & we hope to see you July 24 to celebrate National Drive-Thru Day!

Honoring America’s birthday is a long-standing tradition that evokes and communicates national pride. Why not honor mother earth at the same time? Here are some tips on how to celebrate in style while keeping it green.

1.    Lower carbon emissions. If traveling for the holiday, consider taking public transportation or carpooling. Look into community events near your home and avoid sitting in traffic.

2.    Use eco-friendly bug repellent. Almost all July 4 activities take place outside where bugs live. Keep the mosquitoes and other pests away by using one of these natural methods:
 

All-Natural Bug Spray Recipes That Actually Get the Job Done

Bug Off (Naturally)! Seven Nontoxic Pest Control Remedies

Three Simple DIY Pest Repellent Recipes

3.    Be a green host/hostess. If you are hosting the fourth party, follow these tips to make it memorable and green.

·         Decorate with upcycled Fourth of July crafts. Grab your kiddos and have a blast.

·         Ditch disposable! Use real plates and recyclable silverware.

·         Consider composting any leftover food waste. Don’t have much room? Check out these composters for small spaces.

·         Green your grill. Use gas instead of charcoal if possible. Grills fueled by gas or electricity burn much cleaner than charcoal and have a smaller carbon footprint.

·         Go meatless. The Sierra Club has many different vegan barbecue recipes.

·         The temperature outside may be hot, hot, hot, so help your guests cool down by offering organic Popsicles.

4.    Say no to fireworks. Fireworks contribute to air pollution, which can lead to respiratory issues like asthma. They are also full of chemicals that end up in our rivers, lakes and oceans. After the holiday, consider volunteering for a beach cleanup to pick up trash from the fireworks and preserve our natural resources.
 

Happy Fourth of July from all of us at OC Waste & Recycling. Please remember we will be closed on the holiday. All operations will resume July 5, 2019.

Summer is here and so is OC Public Libraries with their Lunch at the Library program. Kids and teens 18 and under can receive FREE and HEALTHY lunches as well an a new OCWR educational activity book.
 
Visit one of the following OCPL locations to pickup an activity book along with lunch:

Tustin Public Library: June 3-July 26 (Mon-Fri, 12pm-1pm)

Garden Grove Chapman Library: June 17-July 26 (Mon-Fri, 12pm-1pm)

El Toro Public Library: June 17-July 26 (Mon-Fri, 12pm-1pm)

Garden Grove Main Library: June 17-July 26 (Mon-Fri, 12pm-1pm)

San Juan Capistrano Library: June 17-August 2 (Mon-Fri, 12pm-1pm)

Costa Mesa Donald Dungan Library: June 24-August 2 (Mon-Fri, 12pm-1pm)

For more information, follow us @OCWaste on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Recycling is often the center of attention when talking about environmental stewardship. But upcycling, the reuse of materials, is just as important. And in some ways, it can be more fun to do, which is why upcycling often consists of Pinterest-worthy DIY projects. Old clothes can be turned into elegant pillowcases or blankets, while old wine bottles can be transformed into elaborate household candles or décor.

Upcycling can even help you start your own library in your neighborhood. Wood from unwanted cabinets or desk drawers can be used to build a tiny library on your street where people can exchange books for free. Reusing materials rather than buying new ones for this project can reduce your carbon footprint and conserve environmental resources. Upcycling old materials also encourages you to get creative when building your little library.  
 

If you are unsure how to start building your little library, there are plenty of guides online you can follow step-by-step or use as a starting point. It can be an exciting challenge to see how much upcycled material you can use. This project doesn't have to be a solo adventure. Maximize the fun by getting your family and friends involved.

We can't wait to see what you create!

Follow us on social media @OCWaste for more waste management and recycling tips.