Tips & Important Reminders
Animal Welfare Committe Pet Tip of the Month:
FROST BITE & HYPOTHERMIA
During the extreme cold temperatures it is possible that your pet could rapidly develop frostbite or hypothermia. Dogs that have short fur, are small, or are geriatric, may be at greater risk. Try to minimize time spent outside and consider using sweaters/coats or booties to keep your pet warm.
STRAY CATS & CARS
An outdoor cat or stray cat may find a warm car engine a great place to take a nap. If the car is started while a feline is under, this could cause injuries or death once the fan belt starts moving. When starting your car after a quick trip to the store or from your garage it is best to bang on the hood or honk the horn of the car to scare away any stray sleepers.
ICE MELT
When you bring your dogs in from a walk, you should be sure to wash their paws and undersides as many ice melt products can irritate them.
Antifreeze has a very sweet taste which attracts pets. Antifreeze can leak from a car radiator onto the ground. Be very careful when walking your dog that it does not lick anything on the pavement as even a small amount can be toxic.
Other hazards that you should be aware of are toxic plants to include poinsettias, holly and mistletoe, all of which are often used in plant arrangements.
If you believe your pet has ingested a poison, you should call your vet immediately. If your vet is unavailable, you should contact the ASPCA Poison Hotline at (888) 426-4435. This is a 24/7 service.
Committee for a Better Environment Tip of the Month:
APPLIANCE RECYCLING PROGRAM
Pepco with EmPOWER Maryland can recycling your old, working refrigerator or freezer.
Recycling old appliances can help reduce energy consumption, lower emissions of ozon depleting substances and greenhouse gases, prevent the releases of PCBs, mercury, and used oil into the environment, and reduce the need for new raw materials such as steel, aluminum, copper, glass, and plastic.
For more information including how to participate, please visit https://homeenergysavings.pepco.com/appliance-recycling-program.
Bulk Trash and Special Trash Collection
The City collects four different types of special trash on Thursdays and Fridays by appointment. Each source separated collection is performed by a different truck and crew.
· Bulk trash (furniture, mattresses wrapped in plastic, large bulky items, etc.)
· White goods & metals (washers, dryers, mowers, bikes, metal file cabinets, etc.)
· Electronics for recycling (TVs, computers, printers, etc.)
· Brush and Logs
You may see a truck on your street and wonder why they didn’t stop to pick-up your collection; it may be because they are collecting a different type of item. These different types of items should be separated to facilitate collection.
Don’t place items at the curb until you have scheduled an appointment. Call early in the week to assure a collection, because appointments are scheduled on a first call-first-serve basis. Contact DPW at publicworks@collegeparkmd.gov or 240-487-3590 to schedule a collection. Have your items at the curb by 7:00 a.m. on your scheduled day.
Food Scrap Drop Off Program
Five-gallon food scrap buckets are still available at Public Works. Pick up during regular business hours (Mon-Fri 7:30 am to 4:00 pm). The buckets are useful to transport collected food scraps to the drop off location. Free compostable bags are available at the Public Works location.
Over 10 tons of food scraps have been diverted from the landfill since the start of the drop-off program in April. Collecting food scraps and food soiled paper products is easy. When preparing meals, separate food scraps from other garbage to divert this organic material from regular household trash that is disposed at the landfill. Food scraps that are collected separately are taken to the Prince George’s County Organics Compost facility for processing into a product that can be used for gardening projects.
Acceptable items: fruit and vegetable scraps; coffee grounds and tea leaves; dry goods - breads, pasta, nuts, rice and grains; dairy products, eggs and egg shells; meat, fish, poultry and bones – cooked or uncooked; food soiled paper products – napkins, paper towels, coffee filters, and tea bags.
Please DO NOT include plastic products of any kind, pet or human waste, diapers, clam or oyster shells, grease or fats, or ash from wood or charcoal. Bring your food scraps to Public Works, 9217 51st Avenue, College Park any time – 24/7, transfer into our designated yellow food scrap cart located in the public parking area. Empty contents loosely into the cart, or you can deposit the compostable bag full of food scraps (NO PLASTIC BAGS).
NEW! An additional drop off location will be opening in late January at the Community Garden in Old Town. The garden is located in the southern part of the City, near the corner of Norwich Road and Columbia Avenue, just north of the Old Town Playground.
For more information about how to collect or drop-off food scraps, please visit collegeparkmd.gov/foodscraps.
