Recycle your household items, and bring canned food donations to benefit Highline Area Food Banks, and Rainbarrel Sale. Recycle appliances, metal, tires, oil, transmission fluid, batteries, electronics, flourescent tubes/bulbs, reusable household goods, EPS Styrofoam and more!

See additional information below for specifics items that can be recycled.

WHAT: Spring Recycle Event & Rainbarrel Sale

WHEN: 4/7/2012 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM

COST: Admission is Free; CASH only where specific fees apply

WHERE: Tyee Educational Complex Parking Lot, 4424 S 188th Street, SeaTac.

INFO: Recycle your household items; canned food donations to benefit Highline Area Food Banks, and Rainbarrel Sale. See additional information for specifics items that can be recycled.

Here’s more from the city’s website:

SeaTac is dedicated to reducing waste, encouraging recycling and promoting reuse. Mark your calendars for our Spring Event, and help make a difference in your environment!

Recycle appliances, metal, tires, oil, transmission fluid, batteries, electronics, flourescent tubes/bulbs, reusable household goods, EPS Styrofoam and more!

Styrofoam must be clean, dry and free of any plastic film. NO foam sheeting, cardboard, hard plastics, screws or metals. Packing peanuts must be bagged or boxed. Dirty and wet EPS will not be accepted. No food containers will be accepted.

Computer monitors and televisions will not be accepted. You can recycle these items for free at other locations through E-Cycle Washington. Call 1-800-RECYCLE or visit http://1800recycle.wa.gov to find authorized E-Cycle Washington collection locations.

Rain Barrel Sale
Sale will be held at the Tyee Educational Complex in conjunction with the Recycling Event.

Saturday, April 7- 9:00AM to Noon or until sold out. There is a limited number of barrels available for sale.

SeaTac Residents only – $25 ea cash only, limit TWO (2) per customer.

Food Drive for Highline Area Food Bank sponsored by SeaTac Domestic Violence Task Force
Food drive will be held during the Recycle Collection Event on April 7. Bring canned and non-perishable food, diapers, toilet paper, soap, pet food and laundry detergent. Paper bags and donations are welcome, too!

The Spring Recycling Event is produced in partnership with Washington State Department of Ecology, King County Solid Waste Division, and the Local Hazardous Waste Management Program in King County.

Missed a collection event, or have items not accepted at the event? Visit King County’s “What Do I Do With…?” website at http://your.kingcounty.gov/solidwaste/wdidw/, or the Earth911 website at http://earth911.com/ to find information on where to take your items.

Call Resource Conservation/Neighborhood Programs Coordinator Trudy Olson with any questions at 206.973.4763.

Sustainable Burien’s next meeting will include a field trip to look at a sustainable garden from 2 p.m. – 4 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 12th.

Here are the details:

WHAT: Sustainable Burien meeting on developing sustainable garden/farm.

WHEN: Sunday, Feb. 12 from 2:00pm – 4:00pm.

WHERE: A local sustainable garden/farm TBA (call 243-9366 for address).

INFO: From an email:

“Rather than having our regular monthly meeting at the library on February 12th, we will be gathering at the private home of two of our members.  They have created many raised beds, planted berries and fruit trees, built a green house/chicken coop, and have been experimenting with beekeeping. We will be learning pruning techniques with Bill Wanless of Brooke/Wanless Gardens.  He will demonstrate how to prune new and old fruit trees and shrubs. We will also have a biochar stove demonstration.  Come and see what you may be able to create in your own garden.

Also, there will be a Bird Count  between Feb. 17-20. Some SuBu members will be participating in the Great Backyard Bird Count, and we invite others to join in the activity. It’s simple to do and only takes 15 minutes! Here’s a link: http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc/howto.html

The March meeting will be on March 18th, on the third Sunday rather than the second, and will be a joint presentation by Sustainable Burien and Environmental Science Center on Rain Gardens and Low Impact Development. We will be sending out detailed information soon.”

For more information, go to: http://www.sustainableburien.org.

Since 2008, volunteers in Walker Preserve have removed large amounts of invasive plants and planted many native trees and shrubs. Walker Preserve is in the City of Normandy Park, along Walker Creek, and has spawning coho and chum salmon each fall. Restoring native vegetation along the creek benefits salmon and other wildlife.

“Please join us this Saturday, January 14, to continue this work!” said Elissa Ostergaard, Miller/Walker Creek Basin Steward. “We also have several monthly community weeding projects scheduled through the winter to remove ivy and other invasive weeds, and plant native trees and shrubs along the trail and stream in Walker Preserve and other areas in the basin.”

This stewardship project is a joint effort of the City of Normandy Park, and the Miller and Walker Creeks Stewardship program.

Here are the details:

WHAT: Walker Preserve Invasive Plant Removal work party.

WHEN: Saturday, Jan. 14, 9:30 a.m. – Noon.

WHERE: SW. 168th St. and 2nd Ave. SW. in Normandy Park, up the road from Normandy Park City Hall.

If driving, your parking options include:

• Three spaces in the small lot at SW 171st St. and Second Ave. S.W.
• On the street along SW. 168th St.

IMPORTANT NOTE: This park does not have a restroom.

Stewardship Purpose:

• Improve habitat along the stream by removing non-native, invasive plants

Activities:

• Seek out English ivy and remove it from trees and pull roots out of the ground.
• Seek out Himalayan blackberry plants, cut them back, and then dig out the root balls.

What to bring:

• Your enthusiasm
• Clothing that will protect you from the rain and blackberry thorns
• Filled water bottle
• Gloves if you have them

We provide:

• Gloves
• Tools
• Donuts!

Sign up and questions:

• Elissa Ostergaard, elissa.ostergaard@kingcounty.gov, 206-296-1909 (Saturday, January 14 only: 206-707-6549)

This volunteer event is an opportunity to visit a pleasant park along Walker Creek. The City of Normandy Park recently rebuilt the footbridge over the creek, and neighbors and other volunteers have made a lot of progress restoring the native plant community in this park. This work will help create areas for native plants to go in later this winter. Please sign up if you can, or decide to show up at the last minute!

Sustainable Burien’s next meeting will be a holiday potluck and roundtable discussion from 2 p.m. – 4 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 11th at the Burien library.

“Bring something to share – food and your thoughts about Sustainable Burien and some possible directions for 2012,” reads an email. “We will have some utensils available, but it would be helpful if you could bring your own.”

The in January (Jan. 8th) a speaker will be talking about the “Tacoma plume,” the toxins in our soil from the Asarco plant in Tacoma that affects so many of us. The Department of Ecology is presenting a public information meeting (and asking for comments) about a cleanup plan on December 6th from 6:30-8:30 (read more details here) at the Des Moines Activity Center.

Also, don’t miss this month’s ‘Walk ‘n Talk’ this Sunday, Dec. 4th (details here):  Eric Mathison, editor of The Highline Times, will lead this month’s walk to Mathison Park.  Meet at the grassy knoll at Burien Town Square.

Here are the details:

WHAT: Sustainable Burien’s monthly meeting.

WHEN: Sunday, Dec. 11th at 2:00 p.m. (doors open at 1:30 p.m.)

WHERE: Burien library, located at 400 SW 152nd Street.

INFO: Please call Rebecca or Bill at 243-9366 if there are questions.

From their website:

Sustainable Burien is an organization started in January of 2008. We recognize the need to promote and participate in the creation of a sustainable community in Burien. We invite all residents and businesses to participate in creating a sustainable local community by sharing their ideas, passions, knowledge and talents.

At our meetings we will be collecting burned out CFL (Compact Fluorescent Light) bulbs and dead rechargable batteries. People are welcome to bring any extra food items [produce from your garden, fruit from your trees, etc.] that they have and barter with others. Also bring any coupons for food that you get in the mail or from the newspaper, we’ll pass them on to the food bank, who can make good use of them.

For more information, go to: http://www.sustainableburien.org.

You can recycle cooking grease for free at Burien's Municipal Parking Lot, at 634 SW 151st Street.

Wondering what to do with all that icky, oftentimes gooey fryer oil and kitchen grease that’s leftover after your big holiday feast?

Don’t pour it down the drain – grease sticks to the inside of sewer pipes and can build up to such a point that it can block pipes – recycle it for FREE at a tank located at Burien’s Municipal Parking Lot, at 634 SW 151st Street!

The King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks has partnered with General Biodiesel to provide residents with a safe, environmentally-friendly way to dispose of used cooking oil and grease so it can be recycled instead of ending up in landfills or drains.

“Simply pour your oil into any one of our collection tanks for recycling,” reads a website. “The tanks are available at your convenience, 24 hours per day, 7 days per week!”

During the holiday season, General Biodiesel will provide several convenient drop-off locations throughout King County where people can bring their unwanted cooking fats and grease. Locations are open 24/7, and there is no minimum amount. For a complete list of drop-off locations, visit http://generalbiodiesel.com/index.php/news/.

To ensure safe and secure transport and disposal of your fats and grease, King County and General Biodiesel suggest putting the cooled material from fryers, pots or pans in a sealed container.

At the disposal tank, slowly pour the grease into the collection container to avoid splatter and mess. Be sure to close the community collection tank lid when you’re finished. Take your own containers home and leave nothing behind but the oil you deposited.

More information on keeping our sewers “fat-free” is available here, or by calling 206-684-1280 or 711 TTY.

A FREE Recycling Event will be held at the Des Moines Marina this Saturday, Nov. 5th, from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Residents can bring unwanted, recyclable items to the marina, with some restrictions – see the full list below, or download a PDF flier here.

The Des Moines Marina is located at 22307 Dock Ave South, Des Moines, WA 98198.

Here are the full details:

WHAT: FREE Recycling Event.

WHEN: Saturday, Nov. 5th, from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.

WHERE: Des Moines Marina, located at 22307 Dock Ave South, Des Moines, WA 98198.

INFO: To download a detailed PDF flier, click here.

This is a FREE recycling program that will accept the following items:

• TIRES: Bias ply, steel belted, and studded tires accepted. Limit 6 tires per house- hold (18 inches and below) free of charge. $1.50 charge for each tire on a rim. $5 charged for each large truck tire and $15 charged for each truck tire on rim (cash only). No oversized tires accepted.
• MOTOR OIL, FILTERS, & ANTIFREEZE: Motor oil, oil filters, antifreeze, brake fluid, transmission fluid, 2-cycle oil, steering fluid, crankcase oil, kerosene, and home heating fuel. Do not mix with antifreeze, solvents, gasoline, or other substances.
• LEAD ACID BATTERIES: Car, truck, marine, and motorcycle batteries accepted.
• ALKALINE BATTERIES: AAAA, AAA, AA, A, B, C, and D cell batteries only.
• CARDBOARD: Please flatten. No wax coated cardboard.
• PROPANE TANKS: Residential tanks only. $5 charge (cash only).
• HOUSEHOLD GOODS AND CLOTHING: Clothing and miscellaneous household items in good condition. No furniture accepted. No items in need of repair will be accepted.
• PORCELAIN TOILETS AND SINKS: Toilet seats, hardware, and base wax rings must be removed. $10 charge (cash only).
• APPLIANCES AND SCRAP METAL: Household appliances, auto parts, engines and gas lawnmowers (drained of oil and gasoline), metal lawn chairs, stoves, barbecues, iron, steel, aluminum, brass, copper and other ferrous and nonferrous metals. $5 will be charged for each water heater that still has insulation coating (cash only). Metals that are insulated, rubber or oil coated, previously or currently contain chemicals, paint, or hazardous materials will not be accepted. No light fixture ballasts or sealed drums accepted.Any item that contains gas or oil will be rejected.
• REFRIGERATORS/FREEZERS: $25 will be charged for each refrigerator or freezer. $25 will be charged for each household air conditioner (cash only). Please be prepared to pay at event entrance.
• CONCRETE, ASPHALT, ROCK, AND BRICK: Residential material only. No wood or metal attached. Please lay a tarp under material for ease of removal. Rocks and smaller concrete pieces must be in boxes or five- gallon buckets for easy removal. Concrete mix material must be removed from bags.
• ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT: DVD players, VCRs, stereo equipment, printers, copiers, fax machines, scan- ners, cellular phones and computer peripherals such as keyboards and mice. Computer monitors and televisions will not be accepted. You can recycle these items for free at other locations – see the E- Cycle box for more information.

DO NOT BRING:

These household wastes:

• No scrap/bulky wood
• No construction/demolition debris
• No garbage
• No furniture
• No plastic toys, hoses, etc.
• No window glass

These hazardous wastes:

• No oil based paint/solvents
• No pesticides/herbicides
• No solvents and thinners
• No household chemicals
• No cleaning products
• No fluorescent lights

Household hazardous wastes can be taken to the Household Hazardous Wastemobile, the Auburn SuperMall Wastemobile, and the hazardous waste collection site in South Seattle. Normandy Park and Burien residents may use the South Seattle Household Hazardous Waste Facility – 8105 5th Avenue South, Seattle. Open 9:30 am – 4:30 pm, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday (except major holidays). There is a 50 gallon limit and a gasoline limit of 30 gallons per customer per day. No containers can be over five gallons in size.

For more information about volume restrictions and other household hazardous waste disposal options visit www.lhwmp.org or call the Household Hazards Line, Monday to Friday, 9 am to 4:30 pm except holidays at 206-296-4692 or 1-888-Toxiced (869-4233).

Acknowledgments:

• The City of Des Moines
• The Des Moines Marina
• Seattle Goodwill

Funding Provided By

• The Local Hazardous Waste Management Program in King County
• The King County Solid Waste Division
• The WA State Dept. of Ecology

Sustainable Burien’s next meeting will focus on solar power and electric cars, and will be held from 2pm – 4pm on Sunday, Sept. 11th at the Burien library.

Sustainable Burien will have two presenters for this meeting – Eric Thomas, NABCEP Certified Solar Installer and founder of Solar Epiphany, a local electrical contractor focused on solar power, and Steven Lough, President of the Seattle EV Association, will be speaking on the past, present, and future of Electric Tranportation. Steven has been working on education, demonstration, and proliferation of electric cars for 30 years.

“Ready to go solar? Not sure if your home is right or if you can afford it?” reads a press release. “Come by Sustainable Burien for answers to all your solar questions. Bring your electric bills for a free solar analysis of your home.”

Here are the details:

WHAT: Sustainable Burien’s monthly meeting.

WHEN: Sunday, Sept. 11th at 2:00 p.m. (doors open at 1:30 p.m.)

WHERE: Burien library, located at 400 SW 152nd Street.

INFO: Please call Rebecca or Bill at 243-9366 if there are questions.

From their website:

Sustainable Burien is an organization started in January of 2008. We recognize the need to promote and participate in the creation of a sustainable community in Burien. We invite all residents and businesses to participate in creating a sustainable local community by sharing their ideas, passions, knowledge and talents.

At our meetings we will be collecting burned out CFL (Compact Fluorescent Light) bulbs and dead rechargable batteries. People are welcome to bring any extra food items [produce from your garden, fruit from your trees, etc.] that they have and barter with others. Also bring any coupons for food that you get in the mail or from the newspaper, we’ll pass them on to the food bank, who can make good use of them.

For more information, go to: http://www.sustainableburien.org.

People For Puget Sound invites residents to a free, family-friendly ‘Rain Water’ tour on Saturday, July 30, beginning at the lower parking area of Seahurst Park, 2400 SW 140th St., from 10 a.m. to Noon.

The tour will be led by knowledgeable experts who will show how to reduce and eliminate the flow of toxic pollution into Puget Sound.

When it rains, pollution like oil, grease, pesticides and pet waste washes off streets, parking lots and other hard surfaces into local waterways and Puget Sound, harming the health of birds, fish, whales and people.

From their website:

The Burien Rain Water Tour discusses watershed and polluted basics and provides and introduction to Low Impact Developments suitable for city parks and personal homes alike. Experts on Low Impact Development, members of the Environmental Science Center and community members will join the tour and provide insight on the polluted runoff system and low impact development within Burien. The tour begins at the lower parking lot of Seahurst Park with an introduction to polluted runoff and the impacts it has on us as everyday citizens. From there we will proceed through the park to the Burien Raingarden Cluster to hear from homeowners about the process of implementing a raingarden. We will then walk back to our starting location with the tour concluded after a Q&A session with the tour speakers and the representatives present from People For Puget Sound and the Environmental Science Center.

To reserve your place, contact Maddie Foutch at MFoutch@u.washington.edu.

These interactive tours are scheduled to take place in neighborhoods throughout Puget Sound region. For more information and a schedule, go to: http://pugetsound.org/programs/education/runoff/pollution.

Seahurst Park is located at 2400 SW 140th, and guests should meet in the lower parking lot at 10 a.m.

Burien Parks‘ adopt-a-park program has entered into a partnership program with the King County Work Training Program to focus on habitat restoration at Salmon Creek Park.

“The program runs for six weeks during the summer as an opportunity for youth to earn high school credit as well as embark on work training for a wage,” said Lisa Aumann from the city. “The Burien project is a collaborative effort between the City of Burien Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Services Department, Highline School District’s New Start High School, King County Work Training Program and The Environmental Science Center (ESC).”

This is the city’s first year of involvement with the King County program. The county has run the Work Training Program since 1999 and has had a partnership with the Highline School District since 2005 (for more information, please contact King County Case Mangers at 206-205-2805 or online here).

Parks staff is providing project oversight and tools for the 23 students and program partners. New Start High School is providing the classroom space and education component, King County is overseeing the students and work training, and the ESC is providing education resources and on-sight project coordination for the field work. While earning credit for school, students are learning about team work, native and invasive plant species and why it is important to care for their public parks. In just the first two weeks the students have worked a combined total of 200 hours and removed over 30 yards of invasive Himalayan blackberry along the hillsides in Salmon Creek Park. Later in the project they will improve 630 square feet of trail winding along the southwest side of the park.

The restoration project at Salmon Creek Park will continue in the fall with another group of New Start High School students adding native vegetation along the cleared park hillsides. Improving the native plant interpretive signage installed along the trail is also planned.

Here are some pics of the crews in action:

Sustainable Burien’s next meeting will ask the question “What does living sustainably mean to you?” and will be held from 2pm – 4pm on Sunday, July 10th at the Burien library.

“Sustainable Burien wants to broaden its outreach,” reads an email. “Please come and help us brainstorm the key principles of sustainability. We’ll be asking you to share your thoughts on how we can make Burien a place that is resilient, healthy, sustainable, fun and . . .”

Here are the details:

WHAT: Sustainable Burien meeting.

WHEN: Sunday, July 10, 2011, beginning at 2 p.m.

WHERE: Burien library, corner of SW 152nd & 4th SW

INFO: Please call Rebecca or Bill at 243-9366 if there are questions.

From their website:

Sustainable Burien is an organization started in January of 2008. We recognize the need to promote and participate in the creation of a sustainable community in Burien. We invite all residents and businesses to participate in creating a sustainable local community by sharing their ideas, passions, knowledge and talents.

At our meetings we will be collecting burned out CFL (Compact Fluorescent Light) bulbs and dead rechargable batteries. People are welcome to bring any extra food items [produce from your garden, fruit from your trees, etc.] that they have and barter with others. Also bring any coupons for food that you get in the mail or from the newspaper, we’ll pass them on to the food bank, who can make good use of them.

For more information, go to: http://www.sustainableburien.org.