The CVSWMD developed a pilot program to test how the cones work in small school settings, and we found that they offer a sound option for food scrap diversion for small programs. See the project report here.

As a result, we developed a how-to booklet to help small schools, day care centers, and other small programs to decide whether Green Cones might work for them and, if so, how to choose a site, determine how many cones are needed, and develop a food scraps-to-Green Cones Program.

The booklet is called  Green Cones for Small Schools: A food scrap management option for small schools, day care centers, low-residency colleges, and more, and you can download a low resolution version for viewing/using or a high-resolution version for printing:

• Download the low res version of the Small Schools booklet (916 KB PDF) here.
• Download the print-quality version of the Small Schools booklet (4.6 MB PDF) here.

We also developed a helpful poster for reference in areas where food scrap sorting is to take place, and two versions of that poster are also available for download:

• Download the low res version of the Green Cone poster (246 KB PDF) here.

• Download the print-quality version of the Green Cone poster (3.9 MB PDF) here.

Many thanks to the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources for the grant funding to develop the Small Schools Program, test the cones with this population, and produce the booklet and poster.

• More than 3 quarts of oil are used to produce each laser cartridge, and 25 million printer cartridges
  go to land fills each month. 1
• Remanufacturing cartridges decreases the amount of plastic, steel, aluminum and rubber sent to landfills and burned in incinerators. According to Recharger Magazine, cartridge remanufacturing reduced municipal solid waste by almost 38,000 tons in 1998. 2

What To Do

• Recycle them! Many office supply businesses take cartridges back for recycling.

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• Light bulbs (incandescent) cannot currently be recycled in central Vermont.

What To Do

• Broken incandescent light bulbs should be wrapped carefully to protect waste hauler and placed in the trash.
• For fluorescent bulbs, see Fluorescent Bulbs/Lamps in this A-Z Guide.

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• The largest source of aluminum in the municipal solid waste stream is aluminum used beverage containers and other packaging containers. 1
• The average aluminum can contains 40 percent postconsumer recycled aluminum. Recovering aluminum for recycling saves money and dramatically reduces energy consumption. The aluminum can recycling process saves 95 percent of the energy needed to produce aluminum from bauxite ore, as well as natural resources, according to the Aluminum Association. 2

What To Do

• Recycle cans with other recyclables. Contact your hauler to discuss their collection process. Many, but not all, haulers are now collecting items in a “single stream” recycling system, in which all materials are collected together and sorted at a Materials Recovery Center.

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• In 1996, the automotive industry consumed 35% of all iron produced in the U.S., over 14% of all U.S. steel, 27% of all aluminum, nearly 63% of all natural/synthetic rubber, and an estimated 4% of all U.S. plastic production. 1
• Recycling vehicles provides enough steel to produce almost 13 million new vehicles. 2

What To Do

• Donate working vehicles (or even those in need of repair) to a reuse outlet. Good News Garage in Burlington (802-864-3667) accepts vehicles, repair them, and gets them to folks who need them. Contact them directly for vehicle age/condition restrictions.
• See CVSWMD Junk Car Removal for information as soon as you’ve determined your vehicle is no longer usable or fixable. Do not leave unwanted vehicles to deteriorate. The fluids—antifreeze, gasoline and various oils—can leak out and contaminate the soil and water sources. Drain fluids before storage whenever possible.

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As a hauler, you are required:

• to communicate mandatory recycling to your customers;
• to ensure that recyclables are separated from the trash; and
• to ensure that no recyclables are disposed of as trash.

Note: Haulers found in violation of this Ordinance will be fined by the District according to Article VII of Ordinance #94-01.

For more information or for assistance in complying with mandatory recycling:

• phone: 802-229-9383 ext. 102
• e-mail: fieldprograms@cvswmd.org

See Mandatory Recycling Ordinance for more
details.

OVERALL

• Vermont Environmental Assistance Partnership
• Vermont Small Business Development Center
• Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility
• GreenBiz.com
• Grass Roots Recycling Network
• 10% Challenge

E-WASTE

• CVSWMD E-Waste section

GREEN PURCHASING

• The Green Guide
• Green Seal

RESIDENTIAL COMPOSTING

• Earth Girl Composting
• CVSWMD Home Composting Tools

REUSE & RECYCLING

Construction & Demolition Materials

• ReCycle North
• VT Agency of Natural Resources C&D Web site

Materials Exchanges

• Vermont Business Materials Exchange
• Freecycle

Reuse Businesses

• CVSWMD Reuse Business Database

Special Events

• NERC Special Events Recycling Guide

HAZARDOUS PRODUCTS

• CVSWMD Household Hazardous Waste Collections
• CVSWMD Hazardous Waste Handling for CEG’s
• Northeast Recycling Council, Inc.
• State of Vermont Resources
  1. Small Business Compliance Assistance Program
  2. Fact sheet about particular wastes
  3. Vermont Hazardous Waste Regulations
  4. Pollution Prevention & Compliance Assistance Hotline: 800-974-9559
  5. A Guide to Hazardous Waste Management: Conditionally Exempt Generators’ Handbook

CVSWMD Ordinances require that anyone who collects, receives, accepts for disposal, transports, or disposes of solid waste in the District and its member municipalities must obtain a hauler’s license from the District. A District license is required for commercial haulers (which includes those haulers providing curbside; dumpster; bag drop; and cleanout services), as well as for businesses that self-haul their waste such as a construction company or property manager.

Licenses are renewed annually. A license application can be downloaded from this page (see Forms for Haulers at right). Or request one: call the District office at 802-229-9383 ext. 101, or e-mail: adminmanager@cvswmd.org  The application fee is $10.00 per year for each vehicle.

As a hauler in the District you are required to:

• Report all solid waste, including recycling, hauled each month;
• Adhere to the District’s Ordinances including the Mandatory Recycling Ordinance; and
• Remit a surcharge to the District of $30.00 per ton on all waste disposed.

NOTE: As a solid waste hauler, you are also required to apply for a State Transporter License and may be subject to other local permits and licenses. More information can be obtained from the Agency of Natural Resources Web site or call: 802-241-3445. For local permit information, please contact your Town Clerk.

More Information

• Mandatory Recycling & Haulers

CVSWMD Forms for Haulers (PDF)

• Hauler License Application
• Vehicle Addition Form
• Monthly Solid Waste Report Form

CVSWMD Ordinances (PDF)

• CVSWMD Ordinance #94-01 Waste Management & Mandatory Recycling
• CVSWMD Ordinance Relating to the Imposition of a Solid Waste Disposal Charge
• CVSWMD Ordinance #92-01 Regulating the Collection, Transportation, Recycling, Resource Recovery and Disposal of Solid Waste Within the District

CVSWMD Notices for Haulers (PDF)

• CVSWMD Notification Regarding Hauling Used Tires
• CVSWMD Notification Regarding Appointment of Compliance Investigator
• Monthly Reporting FAQs

For more information, see the current Vermont Hazardous Waste Management Regulations (VHWMR)

Small and large quantity generators are subject to more stringent waste management standards, additional requirements for record keeping, employee training and contingency planning. They are also required to ship hazardous waste to certified treatment, storage, recycling or disposal facilities using a hazardous waste manifest-shipping document.

A conditionally exempt generator (CEG) is a hazardous waste generator that, due to the limited amount of hazardous waste generated and subsequently retained on site, is exempted from some of the regulatory requirements. CEGs are also able to access CVSWMD hazardous waste collections. This can be an important cost-cutting strategy, so it is important to determine your generator status accurately. For more information see A Guide to Hazardous Waste Management: Conditionally Exempt Generator’s Handbook

How to Determine Your Generator Status

Generator status is based on the quantity of hazardous waste you generate each month and the quantity that is accumulated on site. The Vermont Hazardous Waste Management Regulations and the Conditionally Exempt Generators’ Handbook can provide you with the necessary information for determining your generator status.

In brief:

• A Conditionally Exempt Generator (CEG) generates less than 220 pounds of hazardous waste per month and never accumulates more than 2,200 pounds of hazardous waste in a calendar month.
• A Small Quantity Generator (SQG) generates greater than or equal to 220 pounds, but less than 2,200 pounds in a calendar month and never accumulates more than 13,200 pounds of hazardous waste at any one time.
• A Large Quantity Generator (LQG) generates greater than 2,200 pounds or more of hazardous waste in a calendar month or accumulates more than 13,200 pounds of hazardous waste at any one time.

For reference, 220 pounds is about 1/2 of a 55 gallon drum of water; 2,200 pounds is approximately 5 full 55 gallon drums of water.

For Help in Determining Your Generator Status

Municipalities and Schools:
Please contact the Department of Environmental Conservation Municipal Compliance Assistance Program at 800-974-9559 or 802-241-3471. This free program is open to all Vermont schools and municipalities.

Businesses:
Please contact the Department of Environmental Conservation Small Business Compliance Assistance Program at 800-974-9559 or 802-241-3745. This program is free, confidential, and non-regulatory.

Vermont Hazardous Waste Regulations

How do I know if I’m a CEG?

How do I make an appointment?

Call the District’s Field Programs Coordinator at 802-229-9383 ext.106 or email: fieldprograms@cvswmd.org for assistance.

Sign up to be added to our CEG e-mail list and we’ll send reminders about upcoming hazardous waste collections and other helpful information.

What does it cost to safely dispose of hazardous materials?

Costs vary by the type and quantity of materials brought to the collection. The Field Programs Coordinator can estimate prices based on your inventory or can assist you with an inventory if needed.

In most cases, utilizing the CVSWMD Hazardous Waste Collection Program is the most cost-effective option for managing your hazardous waste. However, every business is unique and you may prefer to hire a licensed hazardous waste contractor who can pick up your hazardous waste directly from your location.

Contact the Small Business or Municipal Compliance Assistance Program (contact information provided below) for a free and confidential waste audit to help determine which hazardous waste management plan is right for you.

For a list of private hazardous waste vendors, contact the District office or download a copy of this free guide and vendor listing developed by the Northeast Recycling Council-Hazardous Waste Disposal Options for Vermont Businesses: For Use by Conditionally Exempt Generators.

Of course, if you don’t generate hazardous waste you don’t need to manage it! Take a good look at your business and identify those areas where non-toxic alternatives could be substituted or where best management practices could be employed to reduce the quantity and toxicity of waste you generate.

These compliance assistance programs can help:

• Small Business Compliance Assistance Program: 800-974-9559 or 802-241-3745.
• Municipal Compliance Assistance Program (800) 974-9559 or (802) 241-3471
• Online Compliance Resource for CEGs (free online tutorial) — www.vtceg.org