YOUR LOCAL RECYCLING RESOURCE

Supporting Kingwood and the greater Lake Houston Area
February 2015

Learn How to Go Organic

Wondering what the hype is all about? This seminar is for you.

Go Organic, February 28^th
Kingwood Community Center, 9 AM to Noon
(on Lake Houston Parkway in front of the Metro lot)
Successful Organic Gardens and Lawns / Kingwood

Keep Kingwood Green works in the community to increase recycling. One way to eliminate up to 30% of the trash you send to the landfill is to mulch and compost much of the materials (grass, leaves and pine needles) that come from your property. So, part of being organic is using your green waste as a source of nourishment for your lawn and garden.

There is much more and things you maybe have never considered. We are bombarded with advertisements from the chemical fertilizer and pesticide companies and are led to believe this is the only way we can live weed and bug free. Not true! Come listen to some of Houston’s leading experts on organics and this year join the growing number of residents who are saying “no” to poisons and chemicals that kill our bees, poison our water, and foul our air.

You can register by going to this web site:
www.ohbaonline.org

E-Waste, February 7th

For over three years Compucycle has been picking up all sorts of electronic waste at the Kingwood Metro lot from 9 AM to 3 PM the first Saturday of every month. During that period they have saved 348 tons of valuable resources from going to the landfill. Compucycle is a for profit company but does follow the R2 and ISO standards and are certified as such. See their web site for details and what they accept.

Keep Kingwood Green and the City of Houston are proud to work with Compucycle and all their great employees to bring this service to Kingwood and the Lake Houston area. The service is free and open to all. There is no residency requirement. Other than large appliances and TV’s they will take virtually anything that plugs into the wall. If you bring a cell or smart phone to recycle, ask them to put it in the box on the table for Keep Kingwood Green. And, thank you! We pay our bills with the proceeds.

More on Composting, February 28th

Bear Branch Elementary School 10 AM to 2 PM
Health and Wellnes Fair at the Gazebo

After you attend the seminar on organics you are going to want to set up a composting area behind your garage or in your back yard. Come visit with representatives from Keep Kingwood Green who will demonstrate how easy it is to make your own compost and stop sending all that “gold” to the landfill.

Curbside Recycling News

A shout out to the HOA Board at Woodstream who invited the team from Keep Kingwood Green to their January meeting to discuss the merits of curbside recycling. Susan Pollard gave a short presentation. The board asked lots of questions and there was lots of discussion from residents. All the surrounding neighborhoods have chosen to begin curbside recycling for all residents so Woodstream residents are wondering why they can’t have it, too.

Each HOA in Kingwood makes the decision on who provides trash services. Adding curbside recycling may add $3 to $5 a month but can save 20 tons or more of valuable resources from going to the landfill. Most residents of Kingwood should be able to afford spending the cost of a Starbucks coffee on this important environmental program.

A shout out, too, to the residents of Sand Creek and Kings Point. On recycling day we are observing 80-90% participation. (red or green bins on the curbside) One question we were asked at the meeting at Woodstream. What happens if you can’t put all your recyclables in the 17 gallon bin? There is no limit on how many bins or how much you can recycle. As long as materials are separated from the trash and put with the recycling bin they will be picked up or you can obtain another bin or just use a cardboard box.

One more shout out: The residents of Kingwood Greens recently voted to include curbside recycling with their provider, Waste Management. The first pick up is to be this week. Lots more materials saved from the Dump!

We know other HOA’s are looking at adding recycling. Give us a call or send us an e-mail and we can answer your questions or attend your HOA meetings.

Expired or Unused Medications

For a number of years the DEA and the Houston Police Department have partnered to collect unused Medications here in Kingwood. For some reason the DEA has stopped this service. Medications should never be discarded in the trash or flushed down the drain. The harm to our water supply and air quality is one aspect and the chance that they will get into the hands of someone who should not have them is also there.

Keep Kingwood Green has asked the Houston Police Department to consider having a collection box at the local police substations (here in Kingwood at 3915 Rustic Woods). If you agree, send a note to the police chief, the mayor, or our council members. The ball should not be dropped by the City on this even though the federal government appears to have done just that.