Brush and Bulky Directions

 Keep it out of the landfill! Please, donate before resorting to Brush and Bulky. 

TELL YOUR NEIGHBORS! BRUSH AND BULKY TOMORROW

HAVE YOUR ITEMS FOR BRUSH AND BULKY AT THE CURB BY 6 AM ON MONDAY! There is no way of knowing the route the crew will take so you need to have your items at the curb by Aug. 19. Once they go down your street, the crew will not come back. Putting stuff curbside after they have picked up your street, will not get them to come back.   Brush and Bulky uses a Bobcat to pick up items to put them in the truck, so make a single pile at the curb in an easily accessible spot. Brush and Bulky will NOT enter your property to pick up piles.  Be sure the pile is NOT near a fire hydrant, your mailbox, trees, power poles, your wall, gas meter, etc.  Items in the pile cannot be longer than 5 feet or they will not fit in the truck.

Brush and Bulky Pick Up Starts Monday, August 19.    Please make sure your neighbors are aware of Brush and Bulky AUG. 19   The City discontinued the expense of the notification flyers,  so no one will receive a door hanger notifying them.   Brush and Bulky uses a Bobcat to pick up items to put them in the truck, so make a single pile at the curb in an easily accessible spot. Brush and Bulky will NOT enter your property to pick up piles.         Be sure the pile is NOT near a fire hydrant, your mailbox, trees, power poles, your wall, gas meter, etc.   Items in the pile cannot be longer than 5 feet or they will not fit in the truck.   WILL YOUR BRUSH AND BULKY PILE BE PICKED UP? Channel 9 did a great segment a few years ago on making Brush and Bulky easy AND safe for the crews to pick up. Click HERE to view.  https://www.kgun9.com/news/local-news/keeping-tucson-clean-how-to-help-make-brush-bulky-crews-jobs-easier?fbclid=IwAR2Dsfbj4nOE1ln790I0aPIyqcnITFyaLO1NKjv-b9ke81KQkyiij_GOETU Brush & Bulky will collect: Brush, tree trunks, branches and other green waste (up to 5 feet long and 24 inches in diameter) Lumber (up to 5 feet long and stacked in a separate pile) PVC and metal pipes (up to 5 feet long) Railroad ties (limit 5) Furniture, carpet, and doors Lawn mowers with fuel tank and crank case removed Scrap metal (bicycles, swing sets, etc., broken into 5 foot lengths) Cacti (must be contained - up to 25 lbs.) Appliances (remove freezer/refrigerator doors) Car tires (limit of five automobile tires) Metal drums (empty and cut in half)   Brush and Bulky will NOT collect: Any excess over the 10 cubic-yard limit Any items other than those listed above, such as Stone/bricks/concrete/aggregates Construction debris Hazardous waste like paint/oil/pesticides/solvents/liquids Glass/mirrors Television and computer monitors Compressed gas/air cylinder(s) Vehicle parts Commercially generated material City Brush and Bulky schedule map: https://www.tucsonaz.gov/files/sharedassets/public/v/1/egsd/documents/2024_brushbulky.pdf

DONATE ITEMS INSTEAD OF SENDING THEM TO THE LANDFILL

BUY NOTHING FACEBOOK PAGE or REALLY, REALLY FREE MARKET at Himmel Park - on the third Saturday of every month. BRINGING OUT THE BEST THRIFT SHOP on Speedway. Beyond what they can sell, they recycle everything: rags, old shoes, appliances, etc. etc. They don’t even have trash service for the shop.    TUCSON REPAIR CAFE - check with them first through their Facebook page, but they often accept electronics and appliances, small household items, etc, that can be repaired or be taken apart to use for parts.   SUBURBAN MINERS is near Garden District neighborhood and located one block west of Alvernon They repurpose and recycle all kinds of electronic equipment. They also accept other household items and have a "Free Store" open to the public. Suburban Miners is located about a mile away on Blacklidge just a block off Alvernon. ELECTRONICS RECYCLING: SWS Computers on Speedway, just west of Alvernon quite near us, recycles nearly anything electronic for free. A few of the many Charities where you can make donations: ·Assistance League on Alvernon between Pima and Speedway. Will pick up large items. https://altucson.org/donate/ Thanks to Meg for sharing this in the Garden District e-letter.

Leaving the Nest

The day had finally arrived - when Jeremy left us to go off to college. We had been preparing for this day since we read him his first board book.  But there were still mixed feelings as our last child left the nest. I was excited to witness this move towards independence and exploration, but I was going to miss him. I hoped that we had prepared him to live a sustainable lifestyle on his own.

As the departure date grew closer, we started gathering what he would need for his first apartment. Jeremy drafted a list and I kept adding to it. I was pleased to see that he included vinegar in the cleaning supplies section (instead of some poisonous chemical cleaner.) I added baking soda to the list. I figured out what utensils he would need to make his favorite vegetarian foods and went through our cupboards in search of them. I started stacking them - along with our extra pots and pans, silverware, etc - on the dining room table. 

In addition to the usual household items, I gathered what he would need to continue our reduced plastic life-style. Just because he was going off to college, there was no need for him to resort to single-use plastic convenience items. I grabbed some sturdy reusable cloth grocery bags and filled them with reusable produce bags and bulk bags. I figured they wouldn't go to waste, since Jeremy was already accustomed to using them. 

I also included some reusable takeout containers that Jeremy had gotten in the habit of bringing for his leftovers when he ate out. 

I have to admit that I was a little concerned because Jeremy hadn't really cooked much. Cereal, PB&J sandwiches and quesadillas - that was pretty much it. He usually ate what I prepared or the left-overs from eating out with his dad. He didn't even heat up his leftovers! I had shown him how to make a few of his favorite dishes like roux for scalloped potatoes. I hoped he was paying attention. And he knows how to make our style of enchiladas since we compile them together as a family. As it got closer to the departure date, Jeremy started asking how to make some of our vegetarian staples - like veggie broth from kitchen scraps (onions, celery and carrots are the basics) and marinara sauce. I even tested the mini crockpot to make sure it worked so he could use it to make beans. (I reminded him that they would need to be soaked overnight.)  

I was surprised when Jeremy asked me for cloth scraps for cleaning. That's my boy! I cut up some old tee-shirts for him and they went into the bag. 

Since he left, we have chatted on the phone a few times. He told me about all the dishes he made. He hasn't eaten out once! One time he messaged me about how to make spinach dip. (He remembered how to make the roux! He WAS paying attention!) He's even posted pics of his creations on social media - like some burnt spaghetti from a technique he learned online. I think he's gonna be alright. 

This weekend he came home for the first time since he went off to college. You guessed it! He brought home his laundry! lol 

 

He wanted to use our washing machine because the water goes into our greywater basin to nourish the fruit trees! 

I couldn't be prouder. 

Jeremy will be coming home next week to join me in performing environmental stories at the ¡Agua es Vida! Celebration of Water in the Desert and Short Film Showcase at Watershed Management Group! Looks like I could be prouder...

More stories about Jeremy's journey: 

Reduced Waste Road Trip

Engaging the Next Generation

Teachable moment for the boys

Illuminating Christmas

It's that time of year again when I try to wrap my head around the meaning of a Christmas without all the commercial trimmings and trappings. 

In our quest to have a more sustainable lifestyle, our little family does what we can to cut back on our consumption of single-use plastic. We have gotten into the habit of toting our reusable water bottles on the bus and bringing our reusable grocery bags to the store (including canvas bulk bags and produce bags). Our son Jeremy is great at bringing reusable dishes to take home his leftovers when he eats out. Reduced Waste gets trickier at Christmas time. We no longer buy wrapping paper or gift bags. We started by using what we already had. (There are all kinds of articles on how to creatively wrap gifts without paper.) We already have more Christmas decorations than we can use. We enjoy using real plates, glasses, silverware and even cloth napkins at our family gatherings and backyard carol singing parties.  

I guess the biggest struggle for me was dealing with gift giving. Growing up poor, a big part of our family tradition was opening gifts on Christmas Eve. I would use my birthday money to buy inexpensive presents for my sisters. I loved  playing Santa - getting up in the middle of the night and putting soda flavored lip gloss in the stockings. Buying stuff was a way of expressing love. After years of struggling to find gifts for distant relatives, sending cheap plastic "thinking of you" presents, and collecting a houseful of knickknacks (that I hear are out of style), gift giving has lost much of its appeal to me. 

It's no secret how commercialized Christmas has become. I remember when I was a child my parents trying to put "Christ back in Christmas" by having a birthday cake for Jesus. The whole idea of surprising people with gifts is so profit driven. It encourages people to buy items that the recipient may not want or need. What happens to all those well-meaning, unwanted gifts? We don't have enough closet space for all of ours. Sometimes they get re-gifted, but often they ended up at the thrift store. Some of the toys got broken and end up in the trash. The landfill is full of broken toys. In Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer, there is the Island of Misfit Toys. Santa finally gets them to children who will love them. Yep, buying presents has been ingrained in us since we were old enough to watch an animated Rankin/Bass Christmas special. How could we be happy at Christmas without that special gift? 

Now that our Christmas Eve celebrations no longer center around opening gifts, we have had to find new traditions like having family game night or bringing back old traditions like our Christmas Sing-a-long party. I've discovered that what I really care about is being with friends and family. The last few years, we weren't able to get together due to COVID, so we got creative and had a Christmas talent show on Zoom. My sister and I made a real effort to share our lives by calling more often - and sometimes including the whole family on conference calls. That effort has really paid off with a closer relationship. This year we were blessed with visits from both sides of the family. Since we didn't have to do Christmas shopping, we had more time to spend together! The highlight was hiking in our beautiful desert.  I hope that becomes a holiday tradition.

All those family activities inspired another tradition... sending Christmas Newsletters via email. No paper waste! It's fun and much more personal than paper cards. 

Wishing you and yours a joyous holiday season! 

If you need something to do with your old cards...

https://www.sustainablelivingtucson.com/2016/12/making-holiday-gift-boxes-from-reused.html

More thoughts on sustainable holidays: 

Recreating Christmas Traditions: Harking Back to Simpler Times

Celebrating new traditions that represent our values