Health and Wellness

PLEASE NOTE: County government offices will be closed on Monday, May 27^th, 2013 in observance of the Memorial Day holiday.

PLEASE NOTE: The health department’s main offices are now located in Berkeley. Click here for details.

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Spring Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) Collection Events

The Saint Louis County Health Department is holding two HHW collection events for Saint Louis County residents. Both events will run from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The first event is May 5^th at Florissant Valley Community College and the second event is June 16^th at South County Center.

2012 Household Hazardous Waste Collection Events: Rain or Shine

Saturday, May 5th 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.	St. Louis Community College - Florissant Valley Campus (Enter the campus from Pershall Road just east of the I-270 Elizabeth Avenue exit. Follow the event signs to the drop-off location.) Map and Directions for Event #1
Saturday, June 16th 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.	South County Center The event will be held south of the Dillard’s and Sears stores. Enter from Lemay Ferry Road just south of South Lindbergh Boulevard. Map and Directions for Event #2

ACCEPTABLE MATERIALS: Paints, stains, varnishes, pesticides, herbicides, poisons, gasoline and other fuels, solvents and strippers, aerosols, motor oil and filters, gas cylinders (BBQ pit size or smaller), fluorescent tubes, rechargeable batteries, antifreeze, brake and transmission fluid, pool chemicals and other acids and bases, car batteries, wood preservatives, driveway sealant, and items containing mercury (such as thermometers, thermostats, and mercuric salts).

UNACCEPTABLE ITEMS: Explosives and ammunition, radioactive waste, smoke detectors, medical waste, household trash, tires, electronics and other bulky items.

Funding for these events comes from voter-approved Saint Louis County landfill surcharge fees and the events are ONLY for residents of Saint Louis County. Proof of residency, such as a driver’s license or tax bill, will be required. Materials from businesses and from commercial, not-for-profit, and governmental organizations are prohibited.

Due to program popularity, there may be long lines. Your patience is appreciated. Certain HHW can be recycled locally at other locations. Visit Management Options for Common Household Hazardous Wastes   for alternative disposal options.

What’s New: Recycling Becomes Me

Recycling Becomes Me (RBM) is the first-ever county-wide education campaign to increase recycling and show ways recycling can be part of any lifestyle.

“Like” Recycling Becomes Me on Facebook and you will get exclusive updates on upcoming recycling events and new recycling-related happenings in the county. Plus, you can win prizes just for showing your support of the Recycling Becomes Me campaign. Go to RecyclingBecomesMe.com for the facebook link, or directly to www.Facebook.com/RecyclingBecomesMe.

Get a Free Recycling Becomes Me Sticker by emailing us at recycle.doh@stlouisco.com with the subject, “Sticker Request”. We will be happy to mail you a stylish decal for your car, briefcase, or skateboard. Be sure to include your name and mailing address.

You’re the Star at Recycling Becomes Me Events. We recently revealed our RBM backdrop and red carpet where event attendees can make their own personal statement about how recycling becomes them. Attendees are encouraged to have their photo taken. They can later view their photo on our facebook page and share it with friends. Attendees will also receive fun, promotional materials and valuable information about recycling.

Upcoming Events

Past Events:

• April 13th Cardinal Home Opener at Mike Shannon’s
• March 17th St. Patrick's Day Parade
• February 26rd Oscar Viewing Party at the Tivoli
• February 23rd Westridge Elementary Science Night
• January 14th Delmar Loop Ice Carnival
• December 10th St. Louis Mills with KLOU 103.3 radio remote
• December 3rd Cans Film Festival at Ronnie's Cine
• November 15th America Recycles Day Fashion Show in Clayton

2012 Waste Reduction and Recycling Grant

Application and grant guidelines for the 2012 Recycling and Waste Reduction Grant are now on-line. Proposals will be accepted until May 4 and any municipality, business, not-for profit entity, school or institution located in Saint Louis County are eligible to apply. Click here for the application 2012 Recycling and Waste Reduction Grant Application.

Over the past years, our recycling grants focused on municipalities for education and to help purchase large recycling carts for residential single stream recycling. Those grants were instrumental in helping us achieve a 56% waste diversion rate in 2010. We hope expanding grants to businesses and institutions will help the county divert 75% or more of our waste from landfill disposal. The program is funded by a voter-approved 5% surcharge on waste deposited in Saint Louis County landfills.

Certain targeted projects will receive higher priority in the competitive evaluation process. Those projects include special event and public space recycling, organics diversion, multifamily recycling, commercial single-stream recycling, construction and demolition recycling and education projects. The priority for residential curbside recycling projects will be programs that adopt Pay-As-You-Throw (PAYT) which provides incentives for those who place more recycling than trash at the curb for collection.

National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day

On Saturday, April 28, 2012, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration is coordinating a collaborative effort with state and local law enforcement agencies to take back unused or expired medications for safe disposal. Visit http://www.dea.gov for collection locations near you in St. Louis County.

This important program is a means to safely dispose of prescription drugs, to reduce the risk of drug abuse, and preserve the quality of water in our rivers and streams. The program is anonymous. Prescription and over-the-counter solid dosage medications, like tablets and capsules are accepted. Liquids in their original, sealed containers will be accepted. Needles and illicit substances will not be accepted.

Please visit
http://www.stlouisco.com/HealthandWellness/RecyclingandSolidWaste/WasteDisposal/
HowtoDispose#MedsSharps for information on proper disposal of needles and sharps.

What’s New: Recycling Becomes Me

Here are some recent happenings with the Recycling Becomes Me campaign, the first-ever countywide education campaign to increase recycling and show ways recycling can be part of any lifestyle.

“Like” Recycling Becomes Me on Facebook and you will get exclusive updates on upcoming recycling events and new recycling-related happenings in the county. Plus, you can win prizes just for showing your support of the Recycling Becomes Me campaign. Go to RecyclingBecomesMe.com for the facebook link, or directly to www.Facebook.com/RecyclingBecomesMe.

Attention Recycling Brainiacs: During the month of February, we will post recycling trivia questions to our Facebook wall. The first Facebook fan to comment with the correct answer wins! Visit our Facebook page for details.

Get a Free Recycling Becomes Me Sticker by emailing us at recycle.doh@stlouisco.com with the subject, “Sticker Request”. We will be happy to mail you a stylish decal for your car, briefcase, or skateboard. Be sure to include your name and mailing address.

You’re the Star at Recycling Becomes Me Events. We recently revealed our RBM backdrop and red carpet where event attendees can make their own personal statement about how recycling becomes them. Attendees are encouraged to have their photo taken. They can later view their photo on our facebook page and share it with friends. Attendees will also receive fun, promotional materials and valuable information about recycling.

Upcoming Events:   February 23rd from 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. at Westridge Elementary Science Night   February 26rd from 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. at the Oscar Viewing Party at the Tivoli Past Events:   November 15th America Recycles Day Fashion Show in Clayton   December 3rd Cans Film Festival at Ronnie's Cine   December 10th St. Louis Mills near Entry 3   January 14th from 10:00 a.m. until late afternoon at the Delmar Loop Ice Carnival

SAINT LOUIS COUNTY MISSOURI LAUNCHES FIRST-EVER COUNTY-WIDE EDUCATION CAMPAIGN TO INCREASE RECYCLING

Campaign celebrates the strong culture of recycling, encourages even more

Saint Louis County residents will soon be hearing a lot more about the importance of recycling, particularly curbside recycling, thanks to a new education campaign launched in October by the Saint Louis County Department of Health’s Solid Waste Management Program. The campaign is one of two to launch this fall as part of a national partnership with the Curbside Value Partnership (CVP), an invitation-only program designed to increase participation in curbside recycling programs through education and measurement.

The campaign, called “Recycling Becomes Me,” features preposterous visuals that interject common recycling containers into unexpected situations. In an attention-getting manner, residents can see that recycling is part of many different lifestyles and that everyone can—and should—recycle. Recycling becomes me, and you!

County residents will encounter the new campaign in a variety of ways, including newspaper and radio advertisements, direct mail, at events, and online via Facebook and a new campaign website: www.RecyclingBecomesMe.com. Additionally, residents may be recognized at any time for their support of recycling and positive recycling behavior!

“For the first time, we are launching a unified education effort county-wide that we hope residents can enjoy and make their own,” said John Haasis, program manager of Saint Louis County’s Recycling and Solid Waste Management Program. “Most importantly, we hope it motivates residents to become even more diligent recyclers. And for those who haven’t quite gotten started, well now is the perfect time!”

The campaign was made possible in part through a partnership with CVP, a national invitation-only program. CVP selects communities with which to partner that have strong existing curbside recycling programs, the means to measure the effectiveness of those programs, and a desire to “think outside the box” when it comes to educating their residents about recycling.

“It has been a pleasure to work with Saint Louis County to develop this new campaign,” said Steve Thompson, executive director of CVP. “We expect this campaign will result in greater commitment and participation by residents, and therefore an increase in curbside collection rates. And moving forward, other communities will be able to look at Saint Louis County’s experiences as a model to improve their communications efforts and make their curbside programs more cost-effective.”

The Saint Louis County/CVP partnership is a true example of successful public-private collaboration. CVP brings national-level recycling and communications expertise to the region at no cost to the county. Education can pay off, in particular if it results in increased recycling tonnage collected. Recycling helps keep operational costs down. There’s value in the various recyclables, so the more we all recycle, the cheaper it is to collect. It’s a win-win!

“Of course we can also not underestimate the environmental benefits of recycling,” said Haasis. “If residents recycle just 5 percent more paper than last year, the county could fill Busch Stadium more than 12 times over with all the trees that would be saved.”

The “Recycling Becomes Me” campaign developed for Saint Louis County will be used locally but could also be adapted for other communities in 2012 and beyond. The other CVP partner for 2011 is the Central Virginia Waste Management Authority, a public service authority for 13 local governments in the greater Richmond, Va. area.

ABOUT THE CURBSIDE VALUE PARTNERSHIP

The Curbside Value Partnership (CVP) is a 501(c) (3) organization designed to grow participation in curbside recycling programs nationwide. It is the only current national program that engages all recycling stakeholders (including government, private industry, haulers and materials recovery facilities) to identify solutions to improving curbside recycling programs through education and data analysis. CVP’s goal is to launch and study education programs to increase participation in local curbside programs, and make programs more profitable and sustainable. To date, 28 communities and four states have been engaged by CVP in education campaigns. The program is currently funded by members of the Aluminum Association (Alcoa, ARCO Aluminum and Novelis) and Can Manufacturers Institute (Ball Corporation, BWAY Corporation, Crown Holdings Inc., Impress USA, Metal Container Corporation, Sonoco-Phoenix Inc, Rexam, Silgan Containers Corporation and the Van Can Company) as well as Coca Cola Recycling. Other corporate sponsors interested in impacting recycling rates in a meaningful way are always welcome. For more information, visit www.RecycleCurbside.org.

ABOUT SAINT LOUIS COUNTY RECYCLING

Saint Louis County’s Solid Waste Management Program assists in protecting public health and the environment through waste reduction, recycling, and enforcement activities. In 2008, the program distributed free 64-gallon recycling carts to 104,000 households in unincorporated areas of Saint Louis County. The program has also used grants to provide recycling carts to households in many of the County’s 91 municipalities. Prior to these efforts, approximately three percent of households in unincorporated Saint Louis County participated in curbside recycling. Now households county-wide all have uniform weekly single stream curbside recycling collection for one and two family residents. For more information, visit www.RecycleSaintLouis.com.

Saint Louis County Missouri Becomes Curbside Value Partnership’s Latest Partner
Partnership to Bring First Unified Education Campaign Aimed at Residents in County Municipalities and Unincorporated Districts

(August 4, 2011) –Saint Louis County residents will soon be hearing a lot more about the convenience of curbside recycling thanks to a partnership between the Curbside Value Partnership (CVP) and the Saint Louis County Recycling and Solid Waste Management Program.

CVP is a national invitation-only program designed to help communities grow their curbside programs through education and increased attention to data. Since 2005, CVP has engaged 28 communities and four states to develop, execute and measure effective education campaigns. Saint Louis County was chosen as the latest partner after interviewing several communities across the country. The Solid Waste Management Program provides resources and manages enforcement for all 91 municipalities and eight unincorporated districts in the county, which includes just under one million residents.

“We are pleased to have Saint Louis County as our latest partner. The County already has impressive recycling participation in some areas,” said David Gill, CVP board chair and global account director for Novelis Corporation. “We are looking forward to working with them to develop a unified campaign that can be used by everyone to help elevate recycling County-wide and increase participation even more.”

CVP and Saint Louis County will work together to create, roll out and measure an education campaign to grow participation in curbside recycling and ultimately boost volume. Ordinance changes implemented in 2008 incorporated curbside recycling as part of basic trash service. Saint Louis County now has the opportunity to create their first-ever unified campaign to streamline education and increase the volume of recyclables collected across the wide geographic region. “Through this partnership we will reiterate the ease of recycling and hopefully motivate residents who aren’t participating to start and those who are to set out their containers every single week,” said Steve Thompson, CVP executive director. “In addition, Saint Louis County does a great job collecting data. We’re really looking forward to utilizing that to measure the campaign’s impact moving forward.”

“Saint Louis County is pleased to be selected as a partner by CVP,” said John Haasis, program manager of Saint Louis County’s Recycling and Solid Waste Management Program. “As we continue to promote recycling to our residents, we recognize the expertise and resources that CVP brings to the table. We look forward to this collaboration and are eager to reap the rewards in increased recyclables.”

The campaign is expected to launch this fall with planning already in full swing. Education strategies and tactics will likely include an enhanced Web and social media presence, marketing, public relations and grassroots, community-level outreach. Saint Louis County will measure the impact of the campaign via the Re-Trac Emerge data management tool which CVP provides to partner communities at no cost.

About the Curbside Value Partnership

The Curbside Value Partnership (CVP) is a 501(c) (3) organization designed to grow participation in curbside recycling programs nationwide. It is the only current national program that engages all recycling stakeholders (including government, private industry, haulers and materials recovery facilities) to identify solutions to improving curbside recycling programs through education and data analysis. CVP’s goal is to launch and study education programs to increase participation in local curbside programs, and make programs more profitable and sustainable. To date, 28 communities and four states have been engaged by CVP in education campaigns. The program is currently funded by members of the Aluminum Association (Alcoa, ARCO Aluminum and Novelis) and Can Manufacturers Institute (Ball Corporation, BWAY Corporation, Crown Holdings Inc., Impress USA, Metal Container Corporation, Sonoco-Phoenix Inc, Rexam, Silgan Containers Corporation and the Van Can Company) as well as Coca Cola Recycling. Other corporate sponsors interested in impacting recycling rates in a meaningful way are always welcome. For more information, visit www.recyclecurbside.org/.

About Saint Louis County Recycling

Saint Louis County’s Solid Waste Management Program assists in protecting public health and the environment through waste reduction, recycling, and enforcement activities. In 2008, the program distributed free 64-gallon recycling carts to 104,000 households in unincorporated areas of Saint Louis County. The program has also used grants to provide recycling carts to households in many of the county’s 91 municipalities. Prior to these efforts, only around three percent of households in unincorporated Saint Louis County participated in curbside recycling. Now households county-wide all have uniform weekly single stream curbside recycling collection for one and two family residents.

Public Space Recycling Comes to Saint Louis County

(April 20, 2011) – Saint Louis County’s commitment to recycling has expanded with the introduction of recycling bins in public areas at many county facilities. Visitors to county health centers, recreation complexes, and other locations will now be able to recycle items that previously were being thrown in the trash.

Over the last year, the Saint Louis County Department of Health has worked to provide recycling bins in public spaces for visitors to use. The new green bins represent the face of recycling for county government and continue County Executive Charlie Dooley’s commitment to “greening” the county.

“We have been asking our residents to recycle and it’s important they know that Saint Louis County government is committed to recycling as well,” said Mr. Dooley.

Weekly recycling pickup was first added to the minimum level of trash service for one- and two-family homes in 2008. In April, 2010, when the contract for trash collection at county facilities was rebid, single-stream recycling was added to the contract, thus mirroring the residential program. The county is now recycling around 42% of all the waste generated at its facilities.

One of the Health Department’s next goals is to capture recyclables generated outside the home. It is estimated that 30% of all beverage containers purchased and consumed away from home are discarded as trash if convenient recycling options are not available.

“Public space recycling is important because it sends the message that recycling is always an option,” said Dr. Dolores J. Gunn, Director of the Saint Louis County Department of Health. “Public space recycling also serves as a teaching tool that helps increase participation in all recycling programs.”

Although most county facilities have already received the new green recycling bins, providing for outdoor public space recycling in county parks has presented some unique challenges, such as the potential for bin contamination and the higher costs of recycling collection in parks. However, a pilot program is planned for at least one park location this summer, and, if successful, public space recycling may eventually be expanded to include all outdoor areas in county parks.

Plans to increase waste diversion in Saint Louis County began in 2005 when a goal was set to reach a 50% waste diversion rate by the year 2010. A 2009 interim report showed that the county is very close to that goal, with a countywide rate in 2009 of 47.6%. Complete data for 2010 is still being collected. The 2009 interim report is available at:

www.RecycleSaintLouis.com

Funding for the new public space recycling bins came from a federal Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant.