If you have questions, please call Pat Rowe at 540-658-4590 Monday -Friday between 8:30am and 4:30pm.

But chances are good that some of that trash will be recycled and could
reappear long before the next holiday season rolls around.

Cathy Jett recently wrote an article about recycling in the Free Lance-Star. Read the entire article here.

This service is free to Stafford County and City of Fredericksburg residents. Please bring proof of residency. Call 540-658-8680 with questions.

The following items will be accepted:

BUG SPRAY · FLOOR CARE SOLVENTS · FURNITURE POLISH · METAL POLISH · TRANSMISSION FLUID · BATTERY ACID · BRAKE FLUID · CAR WAX WITH SOLVENT · DEISEL FUEL · FUEL OIL · GASOLINE · KEROSENE · CUTTING OIL · SOLVENT-BASED GLUE ·  OIL-BASED PAINT ·  PAINT THINNER · PAINT STRIPPER · PRIMER · TURPENTINE · VARNISH · WOOD PRESERVATIVE · FUNDICIDE · HERBICIDE · INSECTICIDE · RAT POISON · WEED KILLER · ARTIST’S PAINTS · DRY CLEANING SOLVENTS · FIBERGLASS EPOXY · GUN CLEANING SOLVENTS · LIGHTER FLUID · MERCURY BATTERIES & THERMOMETERS · MOTH BALLS · PHOTO CHEMICALS · SWIMMING POOL CHEMICALS

In partnership with the Drug Enforcement Administration and with help from the Bragg Hill Family Life Center and the Fire Department, the Fredericksburg Police Department will once again participate in the National Drug Take-Back Initiative.  On Saturday, October 29 from 10:00am to 2:00 pm, local residents may anonymously relinquish any unused prescription medication at three convenient locations: 

Police Headquarters, 2200 Cowan Blvd

Fire Station 1, 601 Princess Anne Street

Bragg Hill Family Life Center, 400 Bragg Hill Drive

All of these locations will be staffed by City employees and volunteers who will safely dispose of the prescription drugs so that they do not become accessible to children or available for illegal consumption.  There are no questions asked of those who choose to take advantage of this program.   

During the last drug take-back in April, over 340 pounds of prescription drugs were collected for subsequent disposal.

Rotting kitchen scraps in your backyard may not be desirable to everyone at first thought. However, with little muss and fuss, those putrid peels and rancid rinds will turn into a fabulous soil amendment, better than a chemical fertilizer and cheaper than store-bought soil and mulch.

The first thing to understand is that composting is the controlled decomposition of organic material, in this case, apple cores and potato peels and raked leaves. Pretty much all veggie and fruit leftovers and many leaves, prunings, and dead plants can be put in the compost pile or bin. As the organic material decomposes, the temperature rises and different sets of micro and macroorganisms take over the responsibility of breaking down the waste. After a period of time, the food scraps and leaves are transformed into a dark and crumbly soil-like consistency that will benefit your plants in many ways.

Basic requirements for successful composting are a pile or bin large enough to accumulate enough mass to generate heat and even out moisture. An ideal bin or pile is 3×3 feet. Using a bin or a pile is an individual choice. Factors that may affect the bin/pile decision may include cost, ease of use, abundance of wildlife, and proximity to neighbors. My lot is small and my neighbors are close. I am sure they would not appreciate a pile of food scraps in the corner of my back yard. That is one of the reasons I have a bin. I actually have two bins, one that is a modified Rubbermaid trashcan that cost about $10 and the other is an Earth machine Composter that the Rappahannock Regional Solid Waste Management Board (R-Board) sells. If you choose to use a bin, there are many styles and price ranges to consider.

The second thing to note about composting is the material that goes into the bin (or pile). Vegetable matter is a good thing, but meat, oils, and fats should be avoided. These things will quickly start to smell and attract unwanted vermin to your pile. Eggs and dairy products should be avoided or included sparingly too. However, eggshells are a great thing to include! The ratio of green nitrogen-rich kitchen scraps to brown carbon-rich yard waste should be one to four, by volume. I use dead plants, like last year’s annuals and raked leaves for the majority of my browns. I have also used some old mulch and straw.

The moisture content of the compost pile should be damp, like a wrung out sponge. If it is too soupy, the pile will start to smell. If it is too dry, the material will not decompose very well. Having the correct mix of nitrogen, carbon, and moisture will ensure quick decomposition and successful composting. Oxygen is also important in helping your organic material decompose. Turning your compost with a pitch fork or in a tumbler composting bin is the easiest way to ensure good aeration.

The Rappahannock Regional Solid Waste Management Board offers backyard composting classes in partnership with the Stafford County Cooperative Extension Office and the Master Gardeners. The last class for this fall is planned for Saturday, November 5 at 2pm. The class is free, will last about one and one half hours, and includes handouts. Please call 540-658-8000 to register. Classes will resume in the early spring.

This blog originally published by Julie May, courtesy of Fredericksburg Patch, with original article HERE!

Both classes will be held at the Stafford Cooperative Extension Office in the Rowser Building, 489 Jefferson Davis Highway, Stafford, VA 22554

 Learn everything you need to know to start composting food scraps in your backyard. Space is limited. Please call 540-658-8000 to register

I have several reusable tote bags that I shop with regularly, but I still have an abundance of plastic bags piling up in my pantry. I readily admit that there have been times I’ve forgotten all about my reusable bags until I was in the checkout line. It took a little effort, but I finally learned that if I don’t put the bags back in the car after unloading the groceries, they will never make it off the garage doorknob. So what is the big deal about plastic bags anyway? Why bother trying to remember a reusable tote? Plastic shopping bags are made from natural gas, a finite resource of which recent extraction techniques have caused environmental concerns. Plastic bags are lightweight and frequently become airborne litter problems, landing in trees and even finding their way to the ocean where sea turtles mistake them for jellyfish. They are highly reusable and recyclable too! Several cities and countries around the world have banned plastic bags or charge fees for their use, but have yet to achieve the outright results of ridding the world of plastic bags or litter.

Reducing one’s dependence on them to easily haul purchases to the car is simple: take a reusable tote! The hard part comes in trying to remember it. Most stores sell their own for about a dollar. They are also the hottest giveaway item at fairs and festivals. I have acquired all of mine for free. Look for the Rappahannock Regional Solid Waste Management Board or the Fredericksburg Clean and Green Commission at community events in Stafford and Fredericksburg and get one of our free blue and white BYOB (Bring Your Own Bag) bags. Just last month, I gave away 100 to incoming freshmen at the University of Mary Washington.

Even with reusable tote bags, plastic bags seem to multiply around my house, especially bread bags, newspaper sleeves, and dry cleaning bags. Reusing them is incredibly easy! Some ways I reuse bags include scooping up after my pooch when we go for a walk, lining the wastebasket in the bathrooms, bringing home wet bathing suits and towels from the beach, pool, or water play day at daycare and packing shoes when traveling. There are many websites that provide instructions for plastic bag crafts, like knitting with plarn or plastic yarn. Please share any creative ways you reuse plastic bags in the comments below.

Did you know all of these bags and plastic film like the overwrap on toilet paper can be recycled too? Stuff them inside one of your grocery bags and take them back to the store. Many local retailers recycle their grocery bags with Trex, a wood-alternative decking company headquarterered in Winchester, VA. Check out their green manufacturing practices at www.trex.com. Visit www.abagslife.com and enter your zip code to find a plastic bag recycler near you.

Fun facts:

70% of all plastic bags recycled in the U.S. are part of an in-store collection program for Trex.

3.1 billion grocery bags were collected for use to manufacture Trex products in 2010.