Step into the future of recycling with The Woodlands Township! The Environmental Services Department is hosting the annual 3R Bazaar, an America Recycles Day celebration, on November 11 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 8203 Millennium Forest Drive.

Bring the whole family to learn how fun and easy it can be to reduce, reuse, and recycle beyond the curb. The 3R Bazaar is the perfect opportunity to refresh your recycling knowledge, support your village, and enjoy eco-friendly games and festivities. Participate in expanded collection opportunities to reuse and recycle commodities beyond curbside with local businesses and charitable organizations.

Reduce
Visit participating booths to learn about commodity items that are destined for recycling, not wasting away in a landfill.

Reuse
Residents are invited to donate usable clothing to The Salvation Army and eyeglasses to the Lions Recycle for Sight program.

Recycle
Give new life to old products by recycling them at one of our collection booths.

Participate in the 2017 Village Challenge! Earn scholarship funds for your village by bringing CD/DVD disks and jewel cases for recycling with The CD Recycling Center of America.

Watch nature’s method of recycling by enjoying an outdoor compost class offered at 9:30, 10:30 and 11:30 a.m. Scouts who attend a class receive a  badge!

Repurpose
Meet Grant Manier, the eco-impressionist as he creates one of his “coolages” using only recycled items. Bring your worn t-shirts to upcycle into fashion accessories or dog toys at the No-Sew Boutique. Explore other creative outlets to breathe new life into waste and turn trash into treasure.

ReBuy
Complete the cycle by shopping at the award-winning Buy Recycled Boutique hosted by Woodlands G.R.E.E.N. Find eco-chic items created from recycled or sustainable materials. All products are made in the United States or certified Fair Trade. Every product has been gifted an extended life! From Green Toys™ to jewelry, view the current lines from new and favorite manufacturers.

The 3R Bazaar is brought to you by The Woodlands Township Environmental Services with sponsorship from The Woodlands G.R.E.E.N. and Waste Management. For more information, volunteer opportunities, or participation in a collection for next year, please visit us online or contact the Environmental Services Department at 281-210-3800.

 

Recycling Guidelines
LISTED ITEMS, ONE DAY ONLY!

• Alkaline Batteries
  • AA, AAA, C, D and 9 volt ONLY
  • NO rechargeable; NO lead-acid
• Clothing and Shoes
  • Clean and usable condition – Salvation Army
  • Unusable condition – Simple Recycling
• Electronics
  • Small electronics such as cell phones, mp3 players, and tablets
  • NO TVs
• Eyeglasses
  • Prescription and reading glasses, sunglasses
  • Plastic and metal frames; cases
• Flip Flops
• Oral Care Products
  • Collected by Girl Scout Cadette Troop 11953
  • Used toothbrushes, empty toothpaste tubes, and floss containers
• Yard Signs
  • Corrugated plastic signs

Village Challenge

• CD/DVD Disks and Jewel Cases
  • Disks must be separated from case and paper insert

Secure Document Shredding by Southern Shred

• Boxed or bagged personal documents
• Residential only
• 5 cans of food or $5 per box benefits Interfaith Food Pantry
• No limit

Eco-Carnival

• Live Music
• Eco- Friendly Games
• Prizes

Are you on a budget, but your landscape needs a face-lift? Transform your landscape into a water efficient landscape. Come learn basic design principles, plant placement, and hardscape so you can do it yourself.

Saturday, October 28, 2017
9 a.m. to noon
The Woodlands Township Emergency Training Center
16135 I-45 South
The Woodlands, TX 77385

FREE to attend, registration required.

Visit: http://www.thewoodlandstownship-tx.gov/gardeningevents to register.

Featured speaker: Patrick Dickinson, Horticulturist and Project Coordinator

Patrick Dickinson is a Horticulturist with Water University. His programs focus on landscape water use efficiency. He specializes in landscape design, plant selection, rainwater harvesting and irrigation design, drip irrigation and new technologies.

Join Environmental Services as we host Mary Anne Weber, Education Director at Houston Audubon Society. During this Walk in the Woods, she will reveal the wonder of songbirds.

Thursday, October 12
7:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
McCullough Junior High
L.G.I. Lecture Hall
3800 S Panther Creek Drive
The Woodlands, TX 77381

FREE to attend, no registration required.

Morning chorus, daytime chatters and nighttime cooing! Ms. Weber reveals them all in the program about why birds sing and how they sing. Meet some of the noisy raptors from Houston Audubon as you discover the amazing world of bird vocalizations.

Featuring exquisite photography and occasionally live specimens, Walk in the Woods appeals to nature enthusiasts of all ages and levels of interest, from students to retirees.

The mission of The Woodlands Township Environmental Services Department is to empower informed choices for the sustained health of our community and environment. The department coordinates a wide variety of programs that provide information and resources for healthy, sustainable living.

For more information, please visit us online at https://www.thewoodlandstownship-tx.gov/105/Environmental-Services or call 281-210-3800.

 

Environmental Services Department Presents: FREE how-to gardening event!

The Environmental Services Department invites you to a morning of learning and fun! The Woodlands Landscaping Solutions is an interactive educational experience, where attendees visit with experts and explore the grounds learning simple ways to care for their garden and the environment.

Join us this coming Saturday, September 30 from 9:00 a.m. until noon. This is a wonderful program for everyone from the seasoned gardener to the youngest child creating their first garden.

Already made plans to attend? Click here —> YES! I’m coming. 

Saturday, September 30
9:00 am – Noon
The Woodlands Township Parks, Recreation and Environmental Services
8203 Millennium Forest Drive
The Woodlands, TX 77381

For more information, please CLICK HERE.

Hear from experts || Purchase plants & compost bins || Visit “how-to” booths

How ironic is it that our fast-paced lifestyles have led us to the new trend of idling?

Too little time to run errands, go into the bank, have a nice sit-down lunch, or walk the children to school has plunged us into what may seem like an endless idling cycle. That time spent with your engine running increases the amount of air pollutants coming from the tailpipe – yuck! Stay diligent by checking out the current air quality index for updates. You’ll observe a critical difference in the months of March-November.

Don’t be vexed about vehicle emissions – the solution is simple! Break the cycle and reduce your emissions by turning off the engine when you would be idling for more than 10 seconds outside of traffic.  Join us in this simple pollution source reduction initiative during Pollution Prevention Week September 18-24, 2017.

Don’t stand idly by, sign the pledge to stop idling and join us for the October Walk to School Initiative.

The Township will be promoting air quality in October during the Walk to School activities at 12 schools in The Woodlands.

Read more about what you can do to prevent pollution here.

 

 

 

Environmental Services is pleased to announce that Woodlands Landscaping Solutions is celebrating its 20th Anniversary! Join us for this FREE how-to gardening event.

In celebration, here is a snapshot of 20 things you will learn or experience: (We promise there’s much more!)

1. Landscape and yard design
2. Greenscaping
3. Attracting beneficial bugs to your garden
4. Build and use your own rain water barrel
5. Gardening with native plants
6. How to compost (and buy a bin!)
7. Vegetable gardening tips
8. Buy native plants for your own garden
9. How to conserve water
10. Hear from local experts
11. Listen to Dulcimer Doins’
12. Receive current program information from Environmental Services
13. How to identify and preserve antique rose varieties
14. Learn about native wildlife
15. Hear from Texas Parks and Wildlife Rangers
16. Meet with representatives from PoliNation
17. Understand invasive species and how to identify
18. TREES! TREES! TREES!
19. Bluebirds (and other friends of the Avian species)
20. Meet and mingle with friends, knowledgeable volunteers and your friendly Environmental Services Staff!

Mark your calendars and join us on Saturday, September 30 from 9 a.m. to noon at The Woodlands Township Parks, Recreation and Environmental Services facility. (8203 Millennium Forest Drive, The Woodlands.) Please CLICK HERE for more information.

Join Environmental Services as we host Dr. Christopher Comer, Assistant Wildlife Professor at Stephen F. Austin University. During this Walk in the Woods, he will reveal the wonder of black bears.

Thursday, September 14
7:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
McCullough Junior High
L.G.I. Lecture Hall
3800 S Panther Creek Drive
The Woodlands, TX 77381

FREE to attend, no registration required.

Bears capture the imagination, fascinating both children and adults. Intelligent, shy and adaptable, black bears were once plentiful throughout the state. According to Dr. Comer, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department documents three to ten credible sightings of the Louisiana black bear in Texas each year. More common in our neighboring state, Louisiana black bears are a subspecies of the American black bear.

Enjoy an evening dedicated to black bears with Dr. Comer. Learn about their habits, range and challenges. A Discovery Trunk will enable attendees to touch a bear pelt, claws and skull replica; gauge the growth of cubs; and enjoy other hands-on activities.

The mission of The Woodlands Township Environmental Services Department is to empower informed choices for the sustained health of our community and environment. The department coordinates a wide variety of programs that provide information and resources for healthy, sustainable living. For more information, please visit us online at https://www.thewoodlandstownship-tx.gov/105/Environmental-Services or call 281-210-3800.

As the flood waters recede, Environmental Services would like to remind residents to take precautions against mosquitoes, as their population can greatly increase. Help to control population growth – today!

From the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: 

Prior to Hurricane Harvey, no local spread of  Zika, dengue, or other viruses spread by Aedes aegypti or Ae. albopictus mosquitoes had been reported in Houston or the areas affected by flooding. Although the flooding caused by Hurricane Harvey is severe and an increase in mosquito populations is expected in the coming weeks, CDC does not expect to see cases of Zika appear in the area because of flooding.

West Nile virus is primarily spread by Culex mosquitoes. Cases of West Nile virus have been reported in Texas this summer. CDC does anticipate additional cases of West Nile virus to be reported throughout the summer, but not as a result of flooding from Hurricane Harvey.

The best way to protect yourself from mosquito bites and viruses spread through mosquito bites is to prevent mosquito bites.

Here are some basic tips for you, your family, and your home:

Enjoy the outdoors
• Wear repellent with DEET, picaridin, IR3535, oil of lemon eucalyptus, para-menthane-diol, or 2-undecanone.
• Cover up with long, light, loose clothing.
• Use oscillating fans to keep air moving across porches and decks and weak-flying pests away.
• Keep mosquitoes outside by using air conditioning and keeping windows and screens in good shape.

Prepare your home
• Remove standing water where mosquitoes could lay eggs
• Once a week, empty and scrub, turn over, cover, or throw out any items that hold water like tires, buckets, planters, toys, pools, birdbaths, flowerpot saucers, or trash containers. Mosquitoes lay eggs near water.
• Tightly cover water storage containers (buckets, cisterns, rain barrels) so that mosquitoes cannot get inside to lay eggs.
• For containers without lids, use wire mesh with holes smaller than an adult mosquito.
• Use larvicides to treat large containers of water that will not be used for drinking and cannot be covered or dumped out.
• If you have a septic tank, repair cracks or gaps. Cover open vent or plumbing pipes. Use wire mesh with holes smaller than an adult mosquito.

 

 

 

The Environmental Services Department is excited to invite residents to participate in a Water-Wise Challenge!

Pledge today and earn triple points for your village!

To become water-wise, residents pledge to turn off sprinklers for a 6-month period from October 15, 2017 through April 15, 2018. To pledge, submit online or in person at the Environmental Services Department located at 8203 Millennium Forest Drive (77381).

How does your village win the challenge?
One pledge per household will earn a point for their village. The three water-wise villages that receive the most pledges will earn a cash donation for their scholarship fund from program sponsors.

Early pledges receive bonus points!
Triple points: Pledge made today until October 31, 2017.
Double points: Pledge made between November 1 – December 31, 2017.
Single point: Pledge made between January 1 – April 15, 2018.

Did you know? 
Turf grass, particularly St. Augustine, naturally goes dormant during winter months and uses all available energy to grow and strengthen the root system, resulting in healthier spring lawns. Lawn watering accounts for up to 80 percent of the water usage by residents of The Woodlands Township during the peak summer months. Turning off automated sprinkler systems over the winter has helped to reduce total water usage significantly over the past five years.

Please visit us online or call the Environmental Services Department at 281-210-3800.

 

Noticed all the orange popping up these days?

That’s the sign that curbside textile recycling has begun. So join the crowd, fill up your orange bags, and set them out beside your carts.

Simple Recycling automatically picks up your bag on your regular solid waste service day – no ordering necessary! They even leave a replacement bag for the next round.

It’s that simple.

Textiles in any condition are accepted, along with shoes, books, toys, and housewares. Everything is re-used or recycled – reducing materials placed in landfill.

Didn’t receive a bag in the mail or need extras? You can request them online or call 866-835-5068.

Consider donating your quality items to a charity. Then stuff the rest in your orange bag and set it out.

For more information on the program, simply visit Simple Recycling online or contact The Woodlands Township Environmental Services Department, 281-210-3800.