Green Happenings in the Blackstone Valley

KBVB supports three missions: Ending Litter, Reducing Waste & Beautifying Our Communities so we all can have a clean, green and beautiful place to live.

50 Cigarette Containers
Now in Blackstone Valley

Keep Blackstone Valley Beautiful (KBVB) is pleased to announce our affiliate was chosen a 2018 Cigarette Litter Prevention Program (CLPP) recipient, by Keep America Beautiful, in the amount of $10,000.

The CLPP grant is designed to help communities combat cigarette litter, the number one littered item in the United States.

KBVB identified fifty needy Blackstone Valley locations, thirty being placed in RIPTA bus shelters, where smokers often congregate and larger volumes of cigarette litter were counted and identified. Sidewalk Buttler style cigarette collection containers were purchased and installed at bus stops in Central Falls, Cumberland, Lincoln, North Smithfield, Smithfield, Pawtucket and Woonsocket.

The additional 20 containers have been installed in municipal locations at transition points such as entrances to public buildings and outside parks. Installing the containers is the first step in solving this litter problem, the next step is emptying the containers. KBVB is pleased many community groups eagerly stepped up to help with this task, showing they will take action to make Blackstone Valley litter-free.

Partners for this project included Rhode Island Public Transit Authority (RIPTA) Street Smart Outdoor Corporation, the Cities of Central Falls, Pawtucket and Woonsocket, the Towns of Cumberland, North Smithfield and Smithfield, Anchor Recovery Community Center– Pawtucket, Community College of RI – Lincoln, FoxRock Properties – Lincoln, Property Advisory Group – Woonsocket, Stop and Shop – North Smithfield, Sunoco Gas Station – North Smithfield, Twin River Casino – Lincoln, Vose True Value Hardware – Woonsocket and Wakeman & Cushman – Lincoln.

“Never Drop Your Butts – Find a Bin” is a message KBVB is advertising throughout the Blackstone Valley. Ads will be placed in chosen local bus shelters and throughout our communities.
——————————————————-
Does Your Business Need a Cigarette Container? Keep Blackstone Valley Beautiful is able to offer additional businesses their own Sidewalk Buttler collection container at no charge. Supplies are limited, but all businesses that share their need and agree to install and empty the containers, will be considered. Requests must be made before the end of October 15th.  Email Donna Kaehler with your business details.

 KBVB Notices Local Green Businesses

KBVB wants to recognize the green habits of businesses in our communities. This window cling will be given to businesses that we learn are helping KBVB achieve it’s missions to end litter, reduce waste and beautify communities.

These organizations that have also aided in Keeping Blackstone Valley Beautiful during the year:
Bake My Day Bakery, Broadway Transmissions, CVS, Delin Design, Lowe’s Home Improvement, Narragansett Bay Commission, Pawtucket House of Pizza, Pawtucket Red Sox, Pawtucket YMCA and Stillwater Books.

We hope in the upcoming year, this recognition will be displayed in every business in the Blackstone Valley.

Pocket & Car Ashtrays
Available

Bikers, Walkers and Drivers – Please Don’t Litter those Butts

For those smokers who walk, bike or drive a car, KBVB has limited amounts of free pocket and car ashtrays. Over 600 pocket and car ashtrays have been handed out at various functions so far.

These metal lined ashtrays offer a safe way hold cigarette butts. Smokers are able to pick up a free ashtray at the Blackstone Valley Visitor Center, 175 Main Street, Pawtucket during normal hours. One ashtray per person is offered, while supplies allow.

America Recycles Day

KBVB Celebrates

Saturday October 13, 2018

Inside: Recycle Information Tabling
Outside: E-Waste & Mattress Recycling Event

9 am – 12 pm
Blackstone Valley Visitor Center, 175 Main Street, Pawtucket

Recycling Information @ Event

KBVB is getting a jump on America Recycle Day as we are hosting an event to make sure you are Recycling Right in RI. Did you realize you can recycle paint, mattresses and old shoes? These items, to name a few, are great recyclable materials. While these items NEVER go in the curbside blue bin, they can easily be recycled in our many RI community programs.

Come learn how to properly recycle all these items from the pros:

• Clothing, shoes & all kinds of textiles – Goodwill Industries
• Composting: Curbside collection – Rhodeside Revival
• Electronics & Computers – Indie Cycle
• Household Hazardous Waste – RI Resource Recovery Corporation
• Mattresses & Box springs – Mattress Recycling Council
• Paint – PaintCare
• Recycle in Your Bin / Cart – RI Resource Recovery Corp.
• Rigid plastic – Full Circle Recycling
• Scrap Metal – Full Circle Recycling

E-Waste & Mattress Recycling Event

Electronic waste, mattresses and box springs will be collected at this one-day event from 9 am – 12 pm. Recycling Event drop-off in parking lot on Roosevelt Avenue, across from Slater Mill, adjacent to our Visitor Center parking.

Please, ONLY bring what we accept.
Other items will not be taken and unfortunately will be sent back home with you.

E-Waste Items Accepted – RI residents are welcome to bring electronic waste, items include computers, printers, lamps, TVs; basically anything with a plug.

* Most items accepted at no charge, but there is a small fee for Freon items and laser jet printers. For more information for specific items- visit what we take.

Mattresses & Box Springs Recycling – Rhode Island residents are welcome to bring up to four (4) mattresses and/or box springs to this one-day collection. Items accepted in our recycling program, (meaning not wet, heavily soiled or mangled), will be accepted FREE of charge. Mattresses are 95% recyclable when we receive them in the right condition.

RECYCLING E-Waste & Mattresses is Working:

Last year alone, RI recycled over 83,000 mattresses equaling 3.2 Million pounds, and another 5.5 Million Pounds of e-waste. These programs are a huge help in reducing what we send to the landfill.

Plant Bulbs Along “Cherry Tree Lane”

Friday October 5th: 10 am – 12 pm

 In our schools, watch these young minds……

Stomp Out Styrofoam

Burrillville, RI – story run by Channel 6 News Wednesday, May 9th 2018, 6:16 pm EDT by Tim Studebaker.

Third Graders Take On School’s Use of Styrofoam Lunch Trays

When most of us go out to lunch or dinner, we throw away things like forks and straws in the trash without giving it a second thought. However, some third graders in Burrillville are giving it a second thought, trying to stop one-time use food items from going to the landfill.

When most of us go out to lunch or dinner, we throw away things like forks and straws in the trash without giving it a second thought. However, some third graders in Burrillville are giving it a second thought, trying to stop one-time use food items from going to the landfill.

It’s a familiar sight in school cafeterias everywhere: Styrofoam trays being dumped in the trash.
WL Callahan 3rd Grader Julia Breault says, “It stays on earth for 500 years or more and it just piles up in the landfill, and that’s not really good because we don’t have that much more space.”

Three third graders at WL Callahan School in Harrisville say they read an article about the Styrofoam that made them so concerned about all that waste, they decided they needed to do something about it.

They call the project “Stomp out Styrofoam.” WL Callahan 3rd Grader Adam DeCesare says, “We just wanted to make a little bit of a difference with this school so it might carry on to the next school.”

WL Callahan 3rd Grade Teacher Rachel Auclair says, “The three of them said ‘We will not work on other projects. We are dedicating our time to this project and this project only.’” The students started asking about solutions to reduce the number of trays going into the trash. WL Callahan 3rd Grader Sean Zanella says, “Biodegradable doesn’t really even help because you have to compost them.”

The school has plastic trays that could be washed and reused, but the budget doesn’t cover the cost of a dishwasher. Breault says, “We were actually thinking of missing a day of recess every single week and washing the trays.”

Instead, starting next year, the cafeteria has agreed to launch a new policy. One day per week, they will serve no–mess lunches and encourage students not to grab those Styrofoam trays.

The town’s recycling coordinator, Andrea Hall, says it’s a great first step that they hope to expand on. Hall says, “It’s been an awesome opportunity to work with these three kids. They have more drive and excitement about this than a lot of adults have about many things.

 Purchase Bulbs & Help KBVB

Learn how you can get involved, see upcoming events, make sure you are recycling right, & view listings of job opportunities.

KEEP BLACKSTONE VALLEY BEAUTIFUL