As we kick off another year of our BYOC campaign, the momentum is definitely moving in the right direction! We're hearing from more and more coffee shop owners who want to get involved, around the Portland Metro area and as far afield as Ireland!
Last year, we had a great turnout at our first Zero Waste Conference, where we heard from Nossa Familia Coffee about their coffee cup reduction efforts. You can watch their presentation, along with all the videos on our conference recap page here at http://www.recyclingadvocates.org/zero-waste-conference-portland-oct-2018/
We look forward to seeing more incentives and discounts being offered at local coffee shops to increase "for here" and reusable cups.
Can you envision a future where disposable coffee cups are no longer the majority? We can!
We're always happy to hear from you if you have feedback, or if you'd like to get involved with RA, or if you know of a coffee shop we should connect with. Contact us at info@recyclingadvocates.org or 503-777-0909.
PORTLAND SCORES A HUGE WIN FOR THE ENVIRONMENT! Plastic Straws, plastic utensils and condiment packages are OUT UNLESS REQUESTED, effective July 1, 2019.
The City Council issued findings regarding the pervasiveness and the problem presented by single-use plastic items:
“Plastic straws are the sixth most frequently occurring litter in the US … Litter cleanup data from SOLVE volunteers revealed 15% of litter by count consists of single-use plastics from packaging associated with take-out and delivery of food and drink. … According to a 2016 study conducted by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, 4% of Portland’s landfill-bound waste by weight is plastic packaging, which represents 38 million pounds of plastic or 60 pounds of plastic per person, per year. … Over 600 speciesj, including sea turtles, whales, dolphins and seabirds, are known to be impacted by plastic, either by ingesting or becoming entangled in plastic debris. …”
THEREFORE, Portland passed ordinance number 17.103.310 Restrictions on Single-Use Plastic Serviceware that provides that effective July 1, 2019, all retail food and beverage establishments and institutional cafeterias:
“where beverages may be consumed at dine-in areas, shall provide plastic serviceware only after customer request” and all such facilities” where customers order fast food, take-out or delivery, shall provide plastic serviceware to customers only after asking if the customer needs plastic serviceware and the customer responds affirmatively.”
Lake Oswego took the lessons from previous bag bans around the state and opted to include a 10-cent fee for requesting a paper bag once the plastic bag ban takes affect in July 2019. It also mandates that bags sold as "reusable" should be made of non-plastic materials.
To assist residents with the change, the city is planning to offer free reusable bags at various locations within the city, such as the Farmers' Market and City Hall.
More good news: Environment Oregon's Kickstarter campaign exceeded its goal, so Celeste Meiffren-Swango's Myrtle the Turtle ("a children's book to educate kids - and their grown ups - about plastic pollution in the ocean and what they can do to help") is on its way to the publisher.
Here’s an opportunity to do something fun the next time you have friends over for dinner or a potluck. Use the opportunity to find a new home for unwanted items in your house. In her fun and informative book, I Like You, comedian Amy Sedaris suggests putting out a table full of items you’re looking to get rid of for guests to peruse during the party.
Expand on Sedaris’ idea by asking all of your friends to bring giveaways from their homes, and have an after-dinner swap. Each guest will go home with a “new” item, and their old items won’t go to waste.
If you have leftover items after the party, donate them. One of our favorite donation places is the Community Warehouse which accepts donations of household items and redistributes them to people who need them the most. Check out their website for information as to which items the Community Warehouse will accept: https://www.communitywarehouse.org/contact/
They will also pick up your gently used furniture for a $30 pickup fee. Community Warehouse has locations in NE Portland at 3961 NE Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd (Call 503-235-8786) and in Tualatin at 8380 SW Nyberg Road (503-347-2147).
North-Portlanders, swing by the RA table and say hello at Saturday's Fix-it Fair at Okley Green Middle School. We'll be there with BYOC info and to answer people's recycling questions.
Here are some ways to contribute to Recycling Advocates that won't cost you a penny. Fred Meyer Community Rewards: shop with your Fred Meyer Rewards Card, continue to earn your rewards points, fuel points and rebates, and Fred Meyer will donate to Recycling Advocates! Sign up here, and select Recycling Advocates, nonprofit number 90398. Amazon Smile: Amazon donates .5% of the price of your eligible purchases to RA whenever you shop at smile.amazon.com. You'll see all your usual account settings and exactly the same products and pricing as at amazon.com. Learn more and sign up here. GoodSearch & GoodShop: Support RA and save money at Goodsearch.com and Goodshop.com. Find store coupons, coupon codes, discounts, deals and promo codes. Join here and select Recycling Advocates.
