The time for spring cleaning is here! Those of us who are tackling a garage or storage closet cleanout might find some expired or non-working products that need to be discarded. However, several items don’t belong in any of your waste bins at home and are designated as household hazardous waste (HHW). This month, we are highlighting several common HHW items and how to dispose of them properly and safely.

First, what is household hazardous waste?
HHW is waste from household products that have properties that make it potentially dangerous or harmful to human health or the environment. It can be liquids, solids, or gases. The EPA uses the following characteristics to define hazardous waste:

• Ignitability – Liquids or solids that are flammable or combustible.
• Corrosivity – Highly reactive substances that cause rust, corrosion, and noticeable damage to living tissue; acids and bases are common corrosive materials.
• Reactivity – Substances that, when mixed, create toxic, unstable, or explosive reactions.
• Toxicity – Poisonous materials.

What are some common examples of HHW items, and how can they be disposed of?
Below is a list of some items you might find during your spring cleaning. All these items can be dropped off at the Marin Household Hazardous Waste Facility in San Rafael. Novato residents must bring them to the Novato Household Hazardous Waste Facility. Some of the products below have additional programs and/or drop-off sites.

• Paint and Paint Related Products
  • Paint products like acrylic, latex, oil-based, primers, and sealers may seem harmless sitting in your garage, but they should be disposed of carefully. All Marin residents can take paint to a PaintCare drop-off site. Please call your store of choice in advance and ask about the accepted limits.
• Cleaning chemicals and Gardening Products
  • Found some half-used cleaning products and leftover garden sprays from previous spring cleaning and planting? The products below can also go to your HHW facility.
  • Any detergents, bleach-based cleaners, ammonia, tile cleaners, tub cleaners, window cleaners, oven cleaners, polishes, and air fresheners.
  • Gardening products such as fertilizers, herbicides, fungicides, pesticides, insecticides, and rodenticides.
• Dead batteries and light bulbs
  • In Marin County, there is a Bulb and Battery Take-Back Program, which is designed to encourage residents to properly recycle their used household batteries, compact fluorescent lamps, and fluorescent tubes – free of charge at convenient retail locations. See the list of locations on our website.
  • Note that car batteries are not accepted through this program but can be dropped off at the Marin Household Hazardous Waste Facility in San Rafael. Novato residents must bring them to the Novato Household Hazardous Waste Facility.
  • To learn more about how to safely dispose of batteries, including e-bike batteries, and find additional battery locations in the County, visit TheBatteryNetwork.
• Used motor oil and oil filters
  • Pouring oil down a drain or into the soil isn’t just harmful, it’s illegal! The good news? Zero Waste Marin makes doing the right thing easy and free!
    • First, drain used motor oil into a clean, secure container with a tight lid.
    • Do not mix with any additional materials such as anti-freeze, hydraulic fluid, or gasoline, as this will prevent the motor oil from being recycled.
    • Next, place your used oil filter in a sealed plastic bag.
    • Lastly, drop off both at your HHW facility.
    • You can also request a free motor oil and filter recycling kit by emailing Zero Waste Marin!
  • Zero Waste Marin has a Marine Oil Absorbent Exchange Program where boaters can get a free absorbent pillow or pad to place in the bilge. You can pick up an absorbent at the San Rafael Yacht Harbor (San Rafael) or the Clipper Yacht Harbor (Sausalito). Once it’s full, simply bring it back to either location. They’ll safely dispose of the oily pad and provide you with a fresh one at no cost.
• Electronics
  • Electronics contain hazardous materials that can harm the environment if not disposed of properly. In California, it is illegal to throw electronics in the landfill. First, see if the electronics listed below can be repaired, sold, or donated before dropping them off at your HHW facility.
    • Cathode Ray Tubes (CRT) or Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) TVs, DVD players, and video cassette recorders
    • Computer monitors and peripherals
    • Laptops, printers, and fax machines
    • Wireless telephones, cell phones, and answering machines
    • Stereo equipment, jump box, iPods, and tablets
    • Microwaves, calculators, cables, and wires
    • Electric items, such as small appliances like toasters, blenders, and hair dryers, are not accepted at the Marin Household Hazardous Waste Facility, but they may be dropped off for recycling for a fee at the Marin Resource Recovery Center. Computers can be dropped off at Renew Computers in San Rafael or the eWasteCollective in Novato.

​As we walked along searching each pool, we were excited to barely make out the shadows of some salmon in the water. Then we spotted a really large fish swimming fast upstream in the creek below us.  We gasped when, to our amazement, it climbed out of the water! 
​It was an otter! 

We stood very still for what seemed like a long time as we watched the otter scanning the water for salmon, just like us.  Suddenly, it jumped up and scrambled along rocks before disappearing behind a fallen log and some brush. We heard a big splash!  Then a three-foot salmon came barreling down the creek in front of us as fast as it could swim. This fish was probably a California Coastal coho salmon, critically endangered and federally protected. It was so close we could see the red on its side. We felt so fortunate to encounter such wildness.  

Later, I learned that our experience could be attributed to two factors: the record storm flows from the early fall storms and Marin Water's successful Lagunitas Creek Watershed Enhancement Project. Marin Water has completed the second season of habitat restoration, which includes placing logs and gravel in the creek to recreate spawning beds. The project is currently halfway finished and will restore 4,550 linear feet of the channel, stretching from Peters Dam at Kent Lake to Samuel P. Taylor State Park.

​It's not just the wildness in our county that I love; it's how the people who live and work here care about the living world around us and are working to restore it.
Driving home, I remembered that our dinner would be the fresh salmon we had bought that morning at the Farmers' Market. This was a different kind of salmon, of course, not endangered, and caught in a regulated fishery.  I considered how my perspective had changed since our walk.  I recognized myself as a predator of the salmon, just like the otter. (Read more about environmentally sustainable salmon choices.) 

Before we started our dinner, we offered respect and gratitude to all salmon, especially the one that would be nourishing our bodies that night. The indigenous people whose land we live on understood the need for reciprocity and respect for our fellow creatures.  Likewise, Resilient Neighborhoods classes teach us how to change our behavior and decisions so we can live more lightly on the Earth and with greater regard and care.

​Here's a poem from Mary Oliver about her communication with an Otter:

Instructions
Make the Bruschetta

1. In a bowl, mix diced tomatoes, minced garlic, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, basil, salt, pepper, and optional capers or chili flakes.
2. Let sit for 10–20 minutes to marinate and release juices.
3. Taste and adjust seasoning (more salt, basil, or vinegar if needed).

Make the Crostini

1. Preheat oven to 400°F (205°C).
2. Slice baguette into 1⁄2-inch slices.
3. Brush each slice lightly with olive oil on both sides.
4. Bake 8–10 minutes, flipping halfway, until crisp and lightly golden.
5. While still warm, rub each toast lightly with the cut side of a garlic clove for extra flavor.

​Our volunteer Ambassador Alison prepared this delicious recipe as a vodka cocktail and as a mocktail using lemons and basil from her organic garden. It was a huge hit!

Strawberry Basil Lemonade Recipe​

Instructions

1. Combine cleaned, hulled strawberries with fresh lemon juice in a blender: 1 cup fresh strawberries,1 cup lemon juice
2. Blend well. Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer and pour into a pitcher. (If the mixture gets stuck in the strainer, gently use a spoon to move around the strawberry seeds in the strainer so all the liquid can get through.)
3. Add basil, simple syrup, and water. Stir and chill until ready to serve: 1 1/2 cups basil simple syrup, 4 cups cold water
4. To serve: Stir lemonade in the pitcher, then pour into a glass filled with ice. Garnish with a fresh strawberry, lemon wheel, and/or sprig of fresh basil.

Notes:
The basil flavor is subtle in this recipe. If you love basil and want to make it more prominent, add 3-4 large basil leaves to the blender along with the berries.

The Best Vegan Chocolate Cake 
© Nora Taylor, at NoraCooks.com ​

Instructions
For the Chocolate Cake

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease two 8 or 9-inch cake pans (8-inch pans will result in taller cakes). I also line them with parchment rounds for easy removal of the cakes later.
2. Measure 1 cup unsweetened milk and add the tablespoon of vinegar to it. Stir slightly and set aside to curdle.
3. In a large bowl, add the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk well to combine.
4. Now add the oil, applesauce, vanilla, and milk/vinegar mixture. Mix on medium speed with a hand mixer (or stand mixer with the paddle attachment) until well combined. 
5. Lower the speed and carefully pour in the boiling water, continuing to mix into the cake batter until combined. The batter will seem very runny at this point; that is how it should be, trust me!
6. Divide the batter evenly between your cake pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. After 10 minutes of cooling in the pan, carefully remove the cakes from the pans and let cool completely before frosting.

For the Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

1. Add the cocoa powder to a large bowl (I just wipe out the cake bowl and use it for the frosting). Whisk well to remove any clumps.
2. Add the softened vegan butter and mix with a hand mixer until creamed and well combined.
3. Add half of the powdered sugar and half of the milk, and mix until combined. Add the rest of the powdered sugar and vanilla extract. Mix starting on low, and turn to high. Mix until fluffy and combined.
4. If the frosting seems too dry, add more milk, a tablespoon or two at a time. If the frosting seems too wet and doesn't hold its shape, add more powdered sugar until it thickens up. 
5. Frost the cake using an icing spatula or just a butter knife.

Notes

1. For cupcakes, fill liners half full and bake for 20-25 minutes. The whole recipe will yield approximately 24 cupcakes.
2. Double the recipe to make a 4-layer cake, or cut in half to make a 1-layer round cake. You can also make a bundt cake; simply bake for 45 minutes. Or a 9 x 13-inch cake, baking for about 35-40 minutes.
3. Don't like a lot of frosting? Cut the frosting ingredients in half. The recipe as written makes enough for thick layers of frosting.
4. No applesauce? Substitute 2 flax eggs (2 tbs ground flax + 5 tbs water), whipped aquafaba, or another egg replacer such as Bob's Red Mill (2 eggs worth).

Want more information on how a plant-based diet is good for the planet – as well as your palate? Join our Free Climate Action Workshop!  Learn more and sign up here. 
​
And if you’re already a graduate, remember you can get a refresher by visiting our Online Climate Action Toolkit! ​

Here is her recap of her experience: "At the Fair, friendly staff signed me in, curious about my weird tool, and directed me to Steve, an electrical engineer volunteering to help. The tool was also unfamiliar to Steve, but we looked at it together and agreed on what might be wrong and what might work to fix it, understanding there were no guarantees. Steve took it apart, and another couple of people took a look and offered suggestions (and their “extra” one, if mine couldn’t be fixed) and a special lubricant (“WD40 is not a lubricant!”), put it back together and voila, 35 minutes later it was fixed and I’m back in the business of erasing my mistakes! Not to mention being willing to try taking things apart on my own next time…"

On June 25th, members of our Resilient Neighborhoods community enjoyed an engaging tour of the Marin Recycling Center. The enthusiastic group of 28 participants was led by the knowledgeable Marin Sanitary employees, Renee Goddard and Shannon Reever.

The visit began with an informative slide presentation by Renee, where she emphasized the importance of Re-thinking, Re-fusing and Re-using plastic and recycling only what can’t be reused. Following her talk, we proceeded to the Marin Recycling Center, where we had the opportunity to see the machines and workers sorting our recyclables to prepare them for repurposing

We learned that Marin Sanitary uses a “dual stream” recycling system, where paper recycling is kept separate from bottles and cans to protect it from moisture and contamination. We also learned that one bale of paper can save up to 17 trees!  Just as with paper & cardboard, special machines are used to separate plastics, metal, aluminum, and glass. Employees then sort all the materials by hand before they are made into bales and sold to a recycler.

*Plastic bottles, tubs, and jugs are accepted for recycling.  #1 plastic clamshells and berry containers are now the list of accepted materials.

The glass recycling is processed in Fairfield and can be transformed into new glass bottles in as little as 30 days (and can be recycled again and again). Aluminum cans are processed in the South and can be made into new cans in about 6-8 weeks. Aluminum is also infinitely recyclable as opposed to plastics such as #1 bottles which are mostly downcycled into non-recyclable items like synthetic clothing. #2 HDPE plastic is sturdier and can be transformed into toys or playground equipment.

We also learned about the Food to Energy program, which takes food waste from qualified local restaurants and grocery stores and converts it into biogas through anaerobic digestion. This process turns organic material into methane, which then serves as a power source for the Central Marin Sanitation Agency, helping to power the sewage treatment facility.

So what happens to the food waste we place in our green carts? It is transferred to WM EarthCare, adjacent to Redwood Landfill & Recycling Center in Novato, where it is turned into organic compost! 

Thank you to all who participated. It was wonderful to see everyone in person! We also extend our gratitude to Marin Sanitary Service for creating such an eye-opening educational experience for us. We truly value your partnership!