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5 Ways To Conserve Water in Your Delaware Home

10/14/2014 by Ashley Welch Leave a Comment

Water Conservation Delaware

Fresh and clean water is considered a limited resource. Natural occurrences such as droughts limit our access to fresh water, making it especially important to reduce the amount of water we use each day. Not only does water conservation help prevent pollution in our local lakes and rivers, but it can also help with lowering your utility bill.

Want to know how you can start conserving water in your Delaware home? Read below to get started!

Check for leaks. A small drip from your faucet can waste 20 gallons of water every day and even more if the leak is larger. You should regularly check for leaks in your faucet, pipes, and toilets to prevent wasted water.
Take a shorter shower. Try to keep your shower less than five minutes as much as you can. A four minute shower uses somewhere between 20 to 40 gallons of water. By keeping your shower under 5 minutes you will ultimately save 1,000 gallons of water per month!
Water Yard Early. Waiting to water the plants later in the day when the temperatures start to increase is extremely wasteful because most of the water is evaporated before the plants are able to drink it. We suggest watering the yard early when temperatures are cool, however if this is not possible then you should wait until late evening.
Turn off water when brushing teeth. There is really no point in having the water kept on in between brushing. You can save up to 8 gallons by turning the water off while brushing your teeth!
Use a bucket and sponge. When washing your car and/or bike, you should always fill up a bucket and use a sponge to rinse rather than using a hose. Leaving a hose running can potentially waste 6 gallons of water every 60 seconds.

If you have questions about water conservation, contact the experts at Waste Masters Solutions

What Should You Recycle From Your Delaware Home?

10/08/2014 by Ashley Welch 1 Comment

Waste Solutions Delaware

Recycling is the process of separating and/or collecting used waste in order to transform that object into something else. Recycling is one of the best ways for anyone to make an impact on our planet. Not only does recycling help decrease the pollution caused by waste, but recycling also helps to reduce gas emissions from greenhouses. On average each person in the US produces roughly over 4 pounds of waste every day. Multiply that by the population and you will understand why recycling is so important.

So what household items should you start recycling?

Paper and Cardboard. Any kind of paper and cardboard can be recycled. Paper with staples, paperclips, tape, and so forth are also ok to recycle. It’s important to keep in mind that tissues napkins, and/or paper with food residue should not be considered as a recyclable.
Plastic, Glass, and Metals. Any type of glass or metal should be recycled. When separating your plastics you should always look on the bottom of the container, anything number 1 through 7 should be considered as a recyclable. Keep in mind that food waste, unnumbered plastic, Styrofoam, and light bulbs should never be recycled.
Printer Ink Cartridges. Ink cartridges contain toxic materials and should never be thrown away just as trash. You can often receive a discount on new cartridges by bringing yours into major office supply stores to be recycled (You should always check with the store first before doing so).
Batteries. Before throwing away household batteries next time you should keep in mind that they also contain toxic materials that pollute our landfills. Separating them into the recyclables is highly recommended.
Old Televisions. Most households contain 3 to 4 televisions, which often get replaced depending on what is in demand. Instead of leaving outdated TV’s curbside, you should check with your local waste company for a solution beforehand.

If you need help with your household recycling, contact the experts at Waste Masters Solutions | 302-824-0909

Every Year Americans Create 251 Million Tons of Trash

09/16/2014 by DeniseB Leave a Comment

164 Million Tons End Up in Landfills,

But It Doesn’t Have to!

CHECK OUT THIS ‘TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE’ INFOGRAPHIC

Let Waste Masters help your Delaware business make a difference!

We are Delaware’s top commercial waste solution provider, Waste Masters has a dedicated team of seasoned professionals committed to excellence — always striving to minimize client costs, optimize efficiency and reduce (or completely eliminate) environmental impact. We also ensure that we satisfy regulatory requirements, which means you can rest assured you’re in compliance.

Interested?

Get in touch | 302-824-0909

Delaware’s Goal of a Fifty Percent Recycling Collection Rate by 2015 Just Might Be Attainable!

09/02/2014 by DeniseB 1 Comment

Recycling Collection in Delaware is improving at a steady rate and the state’s landfills are being filled at a lower rate. The state’s 2013 recycling diversion rate hit 40% in 2013 and is only expected to improve due to the Universal Recycling Law signed by Gov. Jack Markell in 2010.

It is possible that Delaware will reach the recycling diversion goal of 50 percent by 2015. Back in 2006, the state’s recycling rate was about 23 percent, one of the lowest in the nation.

The Delaware Solid Waste Recycling Law required the commercial sector implement comprehensive recycling no later than January 1, 2014. This should help increase the recycling collection in Delaware, thus making the 50% recycling diversion rate an attainable goal.

The national rate was 34 percent as of 2009, according to the Keep American Beautiful campaign. Delaware’s rate was just a few percentage points lower.

New material recovery facilities and the expansion of recycling activities and operations have resulted in new investment and dozens of new jobs for Delaware.

The first implementation of the Universal Recycling law was single-family residential recycling that went into effect September 2011. The next stage was multi-family residential recycling that went into effect January 2013. The final component of this law went into effect this past January 2014 and required recycling compliance of the commercial sector – which includes Delaware businesses, non-profits, and institutions.

“Delawareans are recycling more, throwing out less and saving money in the process,” said DNREC Secretary Collin O’Mara. “All of this is reflected in our rising diversion rate. Over the next few years, we’ll be working with the commercial sector to help double the rate for commercial recycling in Delaware to help businesses, companies and institutions achieve the statewide goals of the Universal Recycling Law.. We want every Delawarean to have access to recycling at home, at work and everywhere in between – and the commercial sector opportunities will push us toward the statewide goal of 50 percent diversion.” – ‘Delaware recycling rate hits 40%’, by Doug Rainey, November 24, 2013

According to the article, – ‘Delaware recycling rate hits 40%’, “The recycling rate rose dramatically when single-stream recycling came into play, with haulers required to offer a separate container for recyclables under the legislation.”

While it is now the law for businesses to recycle, it is still up to the individual to carry through their recycling efforts at home. The DNREC has implemented many programs to make it easy to recycle.

So what are you waiting for? Share with us on Facebook how you help make your community greener!

Waste Management Solutions has been helping Delaware go Green and is a leading provider of recycling collection in Delaware. Contact us to find out how you can help us make the world a better place.

Want to find out about your community’s environmental health?

Click this EPA Link and enter your zip code to get a personalized report on your community’s air, water and land quality and more!

Ever Wonder How Delaware Compares to Other States With Green Initiatives? Well, it’s not Pretty and definitely NOT Green!

08/19/2014 by DeniseB Leave a Comment

Produced by MPHOnline.org

In fact, Delaware rated the worst in ‘per capita gasoline usage’ and renewables, second to last for percentage of recycled waste, and 49^th for water quality. These are truly disturbing statistics for the state of Delaware. However, there is some good news, as it rated 15^th in air quality.

Green initiatives have become one of the largest growing trends in the United States and many states are taking note by creating and instituting more and more environmentally friendly programs to make their state’s greener.

While Delaware’s ratings are concerning, the state recently enacted The Delaware Solid Waste Recycling Law*, which requires all businesses to implement a recycling program. There are several other initiatives being undertaken in Delaware to educate and improve the voluntary recycling efforts of Delaware residents.

Here is a Recycling Booklet issued by the state governor’s office with encouragement by Governor Jack Markell for all residents to participate:

“The more Delaware recycles, the less trash we send to our landfills, and the less demand we’ll have for future landfill expansion. This “How to Recycle” guide is a collaboration between our Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) and the Delaware Solid Waste Authority (DSWA). We hope you’ll find it useful. Thank you in advance for recycling.” Sincerely, Jack Markell, Governor

Delaware’s top commercial waste solution provider, Waste Masters has a dedicated team of seasoned professionals committed to excellence — always striving to minimize client costs, optimize efficiency and reduce (or completely eliminate) environmental impact. We also ensure that we satisfy regulatory requirements, which means you can rest assured you’re in compliance.

*The Delaware Solid Waste Recycling Law, 7 Del. C. § 6053 (d), requires that “… the commercial sector implement comprehensive recycling no later than January 1, 2014.”