San Anselmo: Elder's Garden Work Party, Green Waste Reminder, Reduce Food Waste, and Water District News

Elders’ Garden Work Party

Get ready for the biggest work party of the year at the Elders’ Garden on Saturday, May 17, starting at 9:30 a.m.  There will be Peet's coffee and cookies to express appreciation for the work that keeps the Elders' Garden going.  They need as many volunteers as possible to get the job done.

San Anselmo residents are allowed to set out five 32-gallon containers of yard waste each week, along with the 64-gallon green cart provided by Marin Sanitary Service.  This can equal up to a total of 224 gallons of green waste material. 

However, there’s a problem.  The 32-gallon cans that are purchased separately, and often are very heavy, have to be emptied manually.  Customers often set out cans that are larger than 32 gallons and weigh well over the 60-pound maximum that drivers are allowed to lift.  Over time, this manual lifting of overloaded cans has caused many injuries to drivers.

Marin Sanitary will no longer pick up overloaded or overweight cans, nor will they pick up more than the equivalent of seven 32-gallon cans.  If you have green waste that is not picked up, here are your options:

·         Lighten the cans and set them out the following week, keeping to the weight and volume limits (5 extra 32-gallon cans under 60 pounds)

·         If you need all the extra materials collected, call Marin Sanitary and schedule an extra pick-up for which there is a charge of $8.57 per container.

·         If customers have a lot of extra yard waste, they can rent a temporary 3-yard debris box for $99.  If the yard waste is loose and not in plastic bags, it will be composted.

Another solution is to rent up to three additional green carts from Marin Sanitary for an additional $1.88 each per month. For more information, please call Marin Sanitary at (415) 456-2601.

Help Food Scraps Get New Life

Zero Waste Marin wants to pass along a few tips to help San Anselmo residents reduce waste and help improve your garden this season.

•          Put Food and Yard Waste in the Green Cart— It’s easy to recycle food and yard waste in San Anselmo! Just throw your leaves, tree trimmings, weeds, eggshells, chicken bones, and food scraps into your green cart. Food-soiled paper napkins, tea bags and coffee filters can also be thrown into the green cart.

•          Use Compost in Your Garden—An easy and inexpensive way to make sure your plants flourish this season is to use compost in your garden. Compost improves your soil, allowing it to retain nutrients and moisture for your plants and making your garden healthier and more beautiful.

Spring is a great time of year for us all to begin new healthy practices at home. Together, we can work together to keep San Anselmo beautiful and thriving.

Zero Waste Marin works with cities and towns throughout Marin County to educate residents about reducing the amount of waste that goes into our local landfills. For more information, visit www.ZeroWasteMarin.org.

Water District News

The Marin Municipal Water District (MMWD) is offering free table tents to local restaurants to help them spread the word to their customers about conserving water.

Under the District’s water conservation code, restaurants may serve drinking water only upon request. In response to the current drought, MMWD is reaching out to restaurants to remind them about the code requirement, which was adopted by MMWD’s Board of Directors in December 2009. The table tents are designed to make it easy for restaurants to educate their customers about the requirement and to save water and money.

“When you think of the number of people who dine out in Marin, the number of water glasses that go untouched, and the hot water needed to wash all those glasses, the water and energy savings really add up,” said Keith Bancroft, MMWD conservation specialist supervisor.

So far this year, MMWD has given away about 2,000 table tents to local restaurants. The table tents are available free of charge to businesses within the district while supplies last. To order, contact MMWD’s Water Conservation Department at 945-1520 or conservation@marinwater.org.

In addition, Marin restaurant-goers are invited to participate in a new social media campaign to thank local restaurants who are saving water by serving drinking water upon request. Diners can show how their favorite restaurants are promoting drinking water upon request by emailing photos to publicinformation@marinwater.org.  MMWD will share the photos on Facebook and Twitter, credit the photographers, and “tag” the restaurants to let them know their conservation efforts are making a difference.

2013 was the driest calendar year in MMWD’s records, which date back more than 130 years. Fewer than 11 inches of rain fell at Lake Lagunitas in 2013, much lower than the prior record of 19 inches in 1929 and substantially lower than the annual average of 52 inches. Though recent rains have buoyed the water supply, rainfall totals and reservoir storage remain below average. A 25-percent voluntary reduction in water use remains in effect.

San Anselmo News, published weekly on Fridays, is available at the San Anselmo Town Hall, Library, and on the Public Notice Bulletin Board. It is also available on the Town’s website, www.townofsananselmo.org, and by email subscription.