When your home septic system fails, remember it doesn't just fail at home. Find out more.

By Camille St. Onge, Communications Manager, Air Quality Program

mulch, are just a couple of examples of things you can do to reduce the amount of pollution you breathe as you’re exercising. And always exercise away from busy roads if you can: particle levels generally are higher in those areas.

The Grande Rhonde River meets the Snake River in Asotin County.

Petroglyphs left by Nez Perce Tribe indicating their historic use of the area.

By Andrew Wineke, communications manager, Waste 2 Resources

Where do you go to recycle llama poop?

That was one of the first questions Ecology’s Michelle Payne received when she began staffing the 1-800-RECYCLE hotline back in 1998.

Most of us know where to go to recycle aluminum cans or newspapers, but what about a tanning bed? How about a scuba tank? What about an old set of blueprints?

The 1-800-RECYCLE line (1-800-732-9253) is a free service that helps Washington residents find the appropriate place to recycle just about everything. The hotline’s database includes 1,801 recycling facilities and 116 different types of recyclable materials.

And, yes, that includes llama manure. As it turns out, Payne says, you can take it to a composting facility.

The 1-800-RECYCLE hotline has operated since 1976, and the 1800RECYCLE.wa.gov website came online along with Michelle in 1998. The 1-800-RECYCLE Facebook page started just last year.

Three Ecology staff members answer the hotline from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. weekdays – which will expand to 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays beginning May 1. The phone team averages nearly 400 calls a month, while another 6,000 people find answers on the automated website.

The 1-800-RECYCLE team relies on local governments, businesses and the public to learn about new collection sites, or new materials being accepted for recycling. They work hard to keep the database current, checking on every facility via the web or through an email or phone call at least once a year.

If you know of a new facility, or an existing facility accepting new materials, email 1800recycle@ecy.wa.gov.

And if you’ve got some alpaca scat you need to unload, now you know who to call.

We’ve come a long way, baby

Stormwater settling pond - a common sight in Washington.

The economics of stormwater investments

• To install best management practices such as bio-retention areas.
• To build tree filter boxes that collect and clean up the stormwater while watering thirsty trees.
• To install pervious pavement to treat polluted stormwater.
• To control sources of stormwater.

What we’re getting for our investments

We're figuring it out, naturally

By Camille St. Onge, Communications Manager, Climate Change and Air Quality Program

Nearly every day, each of us contributes a little to air pollution – but we don't always realize it. Take a few minutes to think about how you contribute to air pollution. Then come up with a plan to make some changes.


Sweep It Up Saturday: Sweep your driveway, patio, deck, etc. instead of using a leaf blower. Get some exercise and breathe in fresh air while you burn a few calories. 

Resources:

Rideshare Directory
Bike to Work 

By Jill Reitz, Environmental Planner, Toxics Cleanup Program

This year is turning out to be the busiest year yet for Ecology's sampling and cleanup work in the Tacoma Smelter Plume.  The plume is a 1,000-square-mile-area of arsenic and lead contamination from the former Asarco smelter in north Tacoma.  If you live in north Tacoma or on southern Vashon-Maury Island, you can expect to see our field crews in the area throughout the year.  Read below for more information about our plans for 2015...

2015 Residential Yard Cleanups...

Contractor removes soil on a property in Tacoma, 2014.

This summer, we are planning to remove contaminated soil on up to 100 more yards in the Yard Sampling and Cleanup Program.  We expect to start construction in July and continue through November.  Over 80 yards are located in north Tacoma in the EPA Study Area (see map right) and 17 yards are on south Vashon-Maury Island (see map lower right).  We are also busy meeting with the next group of homeowners to start planning for cleanup in 2016.  Never a dull moment!

Sampling of Residential Yards Continues...

Cleanup progress in the EPA Stuy Area in north Tacoma, as of Feb.1, 2015

Since 2013, Ecology and the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department have sampled over 2,000 yards within the Yard Program service area, working neighborhood by neighborhood. This year, we plan to sample another 750 in Tacoma and up to 150 on Vashon-Maury Island.  To learn more about sampling or to sign up, visit our sampling webpage.

Cleaning up child play areas and parks...

This summer, Ecology's Soil Safety Program will replace contaminated soils in some play areas at Tacoma's Baltimore Park and Optimist Park. Cleanups will begin around July 2015. We will send out more information and hold a neighborhood meeting about the cleanups in early June. If you'd like to be on our email or mail list, please contact Amy Hargrove, Cleanup Manager, at (360) 407-6262 or Amy.Hargrove@ecy.wa.gov.

Cleanup progress on Vashon-Maury Island, as of  April 15, 2015.

Follow our sampling and cleanup work in 2015...

• Ecology's website: Check out our webpage for updates.
• Sign up for email updates on our listserv.
• Follow our blog!
• Attend one of our neighborhood meetings. Our next meeting is:

McMurray Middle School, 9329 SW Cemetery Road, Vashon, WA.

Questions?

Please call the project line at (360) 407-7688 and press 2 for Tacoma Smelter Plume or email me at Jill.Reitz@ecy.wa.gov.

By Joye Redfield-Wilder,
Communications manager, central regional office

Jewelry pieces made with re-purposed materials

That would be “stuff and junk”– like magazines, recycled leather, buttons, old jewelry and beads and other “found” items to create something new, personal and beautiful.

CRO employees gathered up the “resources” for the projects, scouring their old jewelry boxes, magazine racks and calendar piles to supply students with materials for their creations.

Eisenhower student creates pendant from junk drawer crystals and jewelry

Eisenhower students were challenged to create a collage on the issues they were most passionate about as they considered how the Earth’s climate is changing.

They created flat art using magazine photos and other elements, accompanied by artist statements reflecting their thoughts on the subject.




On April 17, Yakima Valley students participated in the Skills USA state jewelry competition for high school students. Their challenge was to create a necklace (and maybe matching earrings) using new and recycled materials.

Food and flooding concerns considered in Climate Collage

Chiwaukum Creek wildfire, Washington 2014. Washington Department of Natural Resources.

By Seth Preston, communications manager, Toxics Cleanup Program

Our Puget Sound Initiative work in the Anacortes area has drawn a lot of attention from community members and local media.

Those projects generally involve large, complex, high-profile sites like the former Scott Paper mill site and the old Custom Plywood site.

Wyman's Marina structures before removal.

But through our work with the Port of Anacortes and other site owners, we're also helping to address issues at smaller contaminated properties.

Take, for example, the old Wyman's Marina and Wholesale Supply site. We're taking comments until May 19 on our proposal to declare the site to be cleaned up.

From taking care of boats ...

Prior to the late 1940s, the site and surrounding area were used for lumber milling and shipbuilding operations. The property was sold and was used for an 80-berth marina with fueling, dry dock, and maintenance and storage facilities. The marina provided boat maintenance and engineer repair services. 

In 1965, the port bought the property, then leased it to new operators who continued boat repair and fueling services.

The marina operated until 1998, when boat maintenance operations and all underground storage tanks associated with marine fueling were decommissioned and removed.

The past operations contaminated the site with petroleum-related substances, metals and pesticides.

... to helping salmon

The port has removed all structures in water and on land, plus more than 400 tons of contaminated soil.

Now the site has been converted into habitat for juvenile salmon. Nearly 18,000 square feet of intertidal habitat and 8,500 square feet of riparian/salt marsh habitat were created.

It's not as big as those old mill sites, but it's yet another step toward improving and preserving our environment ... and our Earth.

By Devin Felix, Ecology web content specialist

Earth Day is all about looking out for those who will inherit our planet in the future. That’s something Maia Bellon takes very seriously as director of the Department of Ecology. And, perhaps even more importantly, it’s something she takes seriously as a mother.

By Lynne Geller, Communication and Outreach, Water Resources Program

Simple, easy, no-fuss actions you can start today for good habits tomorrow

One great thing about conserving water is that no special equipment is needed. At first it is just a matter of remembering. Start by choosing just one or two small actions. Tape a reminder note on the bathroom mirror, near your kitchen sink, or wherever you want to start saving water. After you do these actions for a short while, they will begin to be habits. And then you won’t have to think about them at all. You’ll save water and money without giving it a thought. It doesn’t get much simpler than that.

Here are some easy things you can begin doing today:

• Keep your shower under 5 minutes and you’ll save up to 1,000 gallons a month. 
• Soak pots and pans instead of letting the water run while you scrape them clean.
• Grab a wrench and fix a leaky faucet, and you can save 140 gallons a week. Household water leaks waste more than 1 trillion gallons per year.
• Keep a pitcher of drinking water in the refrigerator instead of running the tap. This way every drop goes down you and not the drain.
• Drop tissues in the trash instead of flushing them. Toilets account for nearly 30 percent of water used in the home. Older models can use up to 6 gallons per flush; newer low-flow toilets use from 1.6 to 3.5 gallons. Putting trash in the wastebasket uses none. 

Don’t forget that outdoor water uses account for approximately 30 percent of total household water use. There are lots of easy things you can do to use less water outside. You can find dozens of tips on-line.

Every day is a good day to save water

You are hearing about the drought currently affecting parts of our state. Looking at the potential impact of limited water on homes, farms, businesses, and the environment is a sobering reminder that we can’t take water for granted. It is a precious resource – we can’t live without it. Conserving water is not just for water-short times. It’s important to do all year, every year.

No new water is being made. We still have the same amount of water as we did when dinosaurs wandered the Earth. And yet the demands on water continue to increase. Our state population is predicted to grow to 8.8 million by 2040, and there still needs to be enough water for fish, wildlife, and the environment. There can be enough water for all the many demands on it, now and into the future, if we choose to be water smart.

Learn more at Ecology’s Water Conservation page. Links to additional resources are included. 

By Andrew Wineke, communications manager, Hazardous Waste and Toxics Reduction Program

There’s more than one way to skin a cat, as the saying goes. A less well known (but cat-friendlier) saying is that there is more than one way to get mercury out of the environment. Mercury, the silvery, liquid metal, is a problem child. It’s highly toxic, it lasts essentially forever, and it builds up in the environment, causing health effects and environmental damage.

You don’t see mercury thermometers and thermostats around as much as you once did, but small amounts of the toxic metal can still be found in a range of applications. Because mercury is so dangerous, it’s important to find every bit of it we can and collect it before it can cause damage.

Mercury pellets from automotive switches.

One program that has been extremely effective in Washington is working with auto recyclers to collect mercury-containing automotive switches.

In older cars, many of the light, airbag and anti-lock brake switches contain a tiny pellet of mercury, so it makes sense to work with auto recyclers to collect those before the cars are cut up and turned into scrap.

Washington’s program pays recyclers $3 for light switches and $9 for ABS switches (which contain more mercury).

Does it work? Just look at the numbers:

• Since 2006, Ecology’s program has collected 234,500 switches
• Removing those switches has kept more than 500 pounds of mercury out of the environment
• In 2014, the program collected 1,518 ABS switches and 21,152 light switches, removing 50 pounds of mercury in the process.

Many other states offer similar programs, but Washington is a national leader in mercury removal. Our automotive switch program ranked fifth in the nation in mercury collected, despite Washington having a much smaller population and fewer vehicles than some of the other states.

What you can do
 It hopefully goes without saying, but you should not pull the ABS switch out of your car just because it may contain mercury. As long as the mercury is contained in the switch, it’s very safe. Ecology’s collection program is aimed at preventing long-term environmental damage.

However, there are some items most of us have around our homes that also contain mercury: fluorescent light bulbs and electronics.

As long as your fluorescent light bulbs are working, they’re safe and you can leave them be. When they do burn out, though, make sure you take the bulbs to a recycling center.

In January, Washington launched the LightRecycle program, which accepts fluorescent bulbs at convenient locations around the state. So do your part to keep mercury out of the environment and recycle your fluorescents!

For electronics, Washington’s E-Cycle program accepts TVs, computers and other electronic items and ensures they are properly recycled. It’s free and it’s easy, with more than 400 drop-off locations around the state. Since 2009, the E-Cycle program has collected more than 250 million pounds of electronics.

By Andrew Wineke, communications manager, Hazardous Waste and Toxics Reduction program

This is Earth Month, so sustainability is the word of the hour.

At Ecology, we think of ourselves as environmental leaders, responsible for protecting and restoring the air, land and water of Washington. As we do that, however, we leave an environmental footprint of our own with the vehicles we drive, the electricity we consume and the waste we generate.

To improve our sustainability, we first need to track that footprint and evaluate how we’re doing and where the best opportunities to improve lie.

One of the ways we do that is through our Sustainability Report. In this report, you’ll find data on Ecology’s energy consumption, greenhouse gas generation, waste and water use. You’ll also find broader categories of sustainability, such as our employee mix, our commuting habits and our budget.

The goal of reporting is to not only improve Ecology’s sustainability but to advance sustainability across the state by providing the data that can inform our strategic planning. Our Sustainability Report uses a framework established by the Global Reporting Initiative, or GRI.

GRI is a nonprofit organization that has introduced standardized language and metrics for sustainability reporting. GRI’s framework is the widely used by companies and organizations across the world.

Using a standard yardstick to measure our performance allows us to set an example for others. Last fall, Ecology hosted a GRI workshop that 85 businesses, governments and organizations attended.

Ecology’s Sustainability Report also advances the charge given to all state agencies by Gov. Jay Inslee to track and improve performance through Results Washington.

Gov. Inslee’s goal is to ensure a faster, smarter and more accountable state government. Sustainability, environmental protection, and the health of our communities are key performance areas for Results Washington.

Want to know more?
www.ecy.wa.gov/about/gri/2014

By Seth Preston, communications manager, Toxics Cleanup Program

Large cleanup sites – both in terms of physical size and amounts of pollution – capture a lot of public attention. For example, big, old industrial sites around Puget Sound and other large urban areas come to mind.

Eastern Washington Clean Sites Initiative locations

But cleaning up relatively small sites in rural communities often can have just as big of a positive income for those communities’ environment, economy and quality of life.

That’s where the Toxics Cleanup Program’s Eastern Washington Clean Sites Initiative comes in.

The initiative takes in a variety of polluted properties – from an old mill in Cashmere to a deteriorating gas station in Buena, and from a former hard chromium electroplating operation near Walla Walla to a Stevens County site contaminated by wood-treating chemicals.

The reason behind this work is simple: Every community matters. Every cleanup site matters.

It all adds up to help improve, restore and protect this one Earth we have.

By Ginger Wireman, education & community outreach specialist, Nuclear Waste Program

Earth Day as celebrated in the Mid-Columbia communities of Kennewick, Pasco, Richland, and West Richland started out as a festival in the park.

Exhibitors showed native plants, taught about habitat and water, demonstrated solar-powered fountains, made art out of recyclables, and more. What was a small event at first grew large enough that organizers became worried that it was creating waste (from food vendors, unused coloring sheets, etc.) more than it was teaching or helping to change behavior.

The GGTC leaf mascot donned a superhero cape to promote the kids’ contest.

The plug was pulled on the event in the park. But Mid-Columbia Earth Day grew into Earth Month, and now stretches from Earth Hour on the last Saturday in March, to an electric car race at Columbia Basin College in April 25.


Ecology’s Nuclear Waste Program has helped organize and catalog these events over the years, which supports the agency Sustainability Plan’s goal to “contribute to the environmental well-being of communities that host Ecology facilities. Get involved in community activities to create a positive presence.”

Ecology staff has also helped with graphics, volunteered at some of the events, and assisted with special event planning, including getting electric cars involved in the annual classic car show “cruise,” an otherwise smelly and noisy affair!

We are proud of the partnerships we’ve built in the community.

BEACH Program Update

The Blue Ridge Community Beach in King County is closed to swimming as of April 14, 2015 due to a small sewage spill.  Seattle Public Utility will be sampling the beach to determine when it can be reopened.  The public is to have no contact with the water until further notice.

Contact with fecal contaminated waters can result in gastroenteritis, skin rashes, upper respiratory infections, and other illnesses. Children and the elderly may be more vulnerable to waterborne illnesses.

Stay updated about water quality at your beaches by keeping up with us on our blog Fecal Matters, on Facebook, or join our listserv.

Debby Sargeant is the BEACH Program Manager and is available at 360-407-6139 or debby.sargeant@ecy.wa.gov for questions.

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By Andrew Wineke, communications manager, Waste 2 Resources Program

When we talk about climate change, we usually talk about improving fuel efficiency or increasing use of public transit. That makes sense, because in Washington, transportation is the single biggest source of our greenhouse gas emissions.


But did you know that recycling can also have a significant impact on the amount of greenhouse gases we produce?

It’s true. Collecting, processing, and transporting recycled materials almost always uses less energy than extracting, refining, transporting, and processing raw materials.

Consider the humble aluminum beverage can: To make an ordinary 12-ounce can, using recycled aluminum instead of raw materials reduces energy consumption by 95 percent.

Let’s run the numbers on a larger scale:

• In 2013, 8 million tons of material were collected for recycling in Washington. This effort:
• Saved energy equivalent to 1 billion gallons of gasoline, or more than 128 trillion British thermal units (BTUs) of energy.Prevented 3.1 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions — about 905 pounds per person.
• That impact is similar to taking 2.4 million vehicles off the road.

Want to know more? We break the data down by category in this focus sheet.