Lake County Master Gardeners plan a garden walk in Dyer, Schererville, and St. John on June 22, 2013, from 10 am to 4 pm with tickets sold at the first garden at 106 Wellington in Dyer, IN. For additional information call (219) 755-3240, the Purdue Extension Office.

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Porter County – Churches, schools, towns and anyone planning events in Porter County can encourage their guests to recycle aluminum cans and plastic bottles by using recycling event containers, provided free of charge by the Recycling and Waste Reduction District of Porter County.

The district lends out ClearStream recycling collection containers that can be placed next to garbage cans in high traffic areas at events. The district even supplies the clear plastic bags that fit into the collection containers.

“When presented with the option to recycle their waste, most guests choose to do the right thing,” said Therese Davis, executive director of the district. “Organizations and individuals without a supply of recycling containers or the money to purchase them need only borrow ours.”

The containers are perfect to use at fundraisers, church functions, block parties, street fairs, picnics, baseball games and tournaments, open houses, and any gatherings that could potentially generate large amounts of waste. No event is too small to borrow containers. By allowing event guests to separate their waste, organizations can help prevent large amounts of waste from ending up in landfills. 

To borrow the containers, call the district, 219-465-3695, at least one week prior to the event to confirm the availability of the number of ClearStream containers necessary. Once reserved, renters can download a reservation agreement from the district’s website, www.ItMeansTheWorld.org , sign the form and return it into the district.  More information on the program is available on the district’s website, www. ItMeansTheWorld.org.

The Recycling and Waste Reduction District of Porter County is a government agency dedicated to improving the environment and quality of life for Porter County residents by providing convenient, voluntary waste reduction programs. The district promotes environmental stewardship among individuals and businesses through education programs, waste reduction services and other outreach programs to meet the statutory waste reduction goals set by the State of Indiana.

Information from Recycling and Waste Reduction District of Porter County

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To help others grow in the knowledge of what plants may thrive in local gardens, the Lake County Master Gardeners with a membership of over 300 request the home owners in Dyer, Schererville, and St. John to share their gardens with the public for the garden walk planned for June 22, Saturday, this year. Wanting to learn more about the event, please contact Kathy Kick, garden walk chairman at 219-308-6035 or Diana Cook at the Purdue Extension Office, 219-755-3240.

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The Lake Michigan Districts 2013 Household Waste Collection schedule is out.  There are several household hazardous waste events scheduled through October 26 in Lake, Porter and LaPorte Counties, and many of them offer the NIRPC Gas Can Exchange. Here's a link to this year's schedule:

http://www.nirpc.org/media/21703/gas_can_2013__read_only_.pdf

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Porter County – The Valparaiso compost site, 2150 W. Lincolnway, and the Boone Grove site, 400 West 550 South, will open for the season April 1, to give Porter County residents the opportunity to drop off yard waste from their spring cleanups.

Regular hours for the Valparaiso compost site will be 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays. Currently, the Valparaiso compost site is open Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. through March 30. Regular hours for the Boone Grove site will be from noon to 5 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays. Currently the site is closed.

Materials accepted at either site include organic yard waste, leaves, garden clippings, household plants, brush, limbs, logs and firewood. Treated wood or lumber is not accepted at either site. Grass is not accepted at the Valparaiso site. Compost and mulch will be available at both locations for residents to take, while supplies last.

Other materials accepted at the compost sites for proper disposal include old or unusable electronics (anything with an electrical cord or powered by batteries); cell phones; compact and tube fluorescent light bulbs; household batteries; toner cartridges; and old media, such as cassette and VCR tapes, CDs, etc.

These large scale municipal composting operations allow the Recycling and Waste Reduction District of Porter County and select municipalities to manage organic material, composting yard waste and grinding organic wood waste to create large amounts of finished compost and mulch. The resulting compost and mulch are also available for public use.

The Recycling and Waste Reduction District of Porter County is an agency dedicated to improving the environment and quality of life for Porter County residents by providing convenient, voluntary waste reduction services.

For more information about public compost sites in Porter County, visit the District’s website, www.ItMeansTheWorld.org, or call 465-3694.

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