A straw for your soft drink, a candy bar wrapper, a plastic bag to carry groceries: taken individually they seem undamaging but together they are overwhelming our natural systems. Since the 1950s, the production of plastics has outpaced other materials. Many of the plastics that are produced are meant to be thrown away after just one use. These include items such as grocery bags, food packaging, bottles, straws, containers, cups, cutlery, etc.  According to the US EPA, in 2018 landfills received 27 million tons of plastic.

Most plastics do not biodegrade. Instead they slowly break down into smaller fragments known as microplastics. Plastic waste causes a plethora of problems when it leaks into the environment. Plastic bags can block waterways and exacerbate natural disasters. By clogging sewers and providing breeding grounds for mosquitoes and pests, plastic bags can increase the transmission of vector-borne diseases like malaria. High concentrations of plastic materials, particularly plastic bags, have been found blocking the airways and stomachs of hundreds of species. Plastic bags are often ingested by turtles and dolphins who mistake them for food. There is evidence that the toxic chemicals added during the manufacturing of plastic transfer to animal tissue, eventually entering the human food chain.

Making small changes to reduce plastic in our everyday lives can help the plastic situation. Here are some ways that you can help reduce your consumption of plastics in your household:

1. Bring your own reusable straw with you to use in restaurants.
2. Use reusable produce bags and grocery bags and keep them in the car ready for use.  A single plastic bag can take 1,000 years to degrade.
3. Choose products that are boxed instead of bottled.
4. Reuse containers for storing leftovers or shopping in bulk.
5. Use a reusable bottle or mug for your beverages.
6. Pack your own reusable fork, spoon and knife.

When you cannot eliminate plastic completely, make sure to recycle plastic when you are finished with it.  Many options exist for recycling materials either through your municipality or other organizations.  From terracycling wrappers to recycling specialty plastics, make sure to contact your local solid waste district to find out local recycling options. For Warren County residents, you can contact Warren County Solid Waste District at 513.695.1209, or visit  https://www.co.warren.oh.us/solidwaste/

Often we hear the phrase "mother earth" and think about all the ways the earth helps us survive.  Yet we must care for the earth the way it cares for us, and women are increasingly filling that role, whether it be on their residence property, through business practices, or through agricultural practices.  Women not only are taking a greater role in farming operations, but they play a critical role protecting the land that sustains us.  Did you know that 43% of U.S agricultural land is now farmed or co-farmed by women?!

Unfortunately, women face gender-related barriers to managing their land for long-term sustainability. And while women are increasingly playing primary decision-making roles on farms and many are inclined towards conservation, they remain underrepresented in their utilization of USDA and state-based conservation programs.

The goal of this program is to connect with other women landowners and resource professionals as we learn about the fundamentals of land conservation. Warren County Soil and Water Conservation District will be offering programming geared towards women and land conservation topics in 2021 and beyond.

Are you one of these women? Do you help manage land and need help understanding where to find resources? Please help us identify topics that will help you by  taking this short survey!

(Article taken from USEPA – Composting at Home (https://www.epa.gov/recycle/composting-home) and Ohio EPA Citizens Guide to Composting - https://epa.ohio.gov/portals/47/facts/citizens_guide_to_composting.pdf )

During this unusual and challenging year many of us have looked for new hobbies to fill our time. Composting is a hobby that is not only fun, but it is beneficial to the soil and your wallet! Composting is nature’s way of recycling leaves, grass clippings, kitchen scraps and other organic wastes by converting them into a valuable soil amendment called compost. By composting at home, you’ll enjoy the financial benefits of free soil enrichment, reduce the amount of solid wastes sent to landfills and conserve resources.
Compost is organic material that can be added to soil to help plants grow. Food scraps and yard waste together currently make up more than 28 percent of what we throw away, and should be composted instead. Making compost keeps these materials out of landfills where they take up space and release methane, a potent greenhouse gas.
Composting at home is very easy and practical. Once you learn the basics, you’ll be turning out lush piles of rich compost in short order. Using compost yields faster-growing, stronger plants. The chief value in using compost is the beneficial effect on soil structure. Incorporating compost into the soil improves aeration and drainage and makes the soil loose and easy to work. Compost increases the organic matter content of clay and sandy soils, allowing them to better retain water and nutrients. It also helps control erosion, proper pH balance and plant disease.
All composting requires three basic ingredients:

• Browns - This includes materials such as dead leaves, branches, and twigs.
• Greens - This includes materials such as grass clippings, vegetable waste, fruit scraps, and coffee grounds.
• Water - Having the right amount of water, greens, and browns is important for compost development.

Your compost pile should have an equal amount of browns to greens. You should also alternate layers of organic materials of different-sized particles. The brown materials provide carbon for your compost, the green materials provide nitrogen, and the water provides moisture to help break down the organic matter.

What To Compost

• Fruits and vegetables
• Eggshells
• Coffee grounds and filters
• Tea bags
• Nut shells
• Shredded newspaper
• Cardboard
• Paper
• Yard trimmings
• Grass clippings
• Houseplants
• Hay and straw
• Leaves
• Sawdust
• Wood chips
• Cotton and Wool Rags
• Dryer and vacuum cleaner lint
• Hair and fur
• Fireplace ashes

 
What Not To Compost and Why

• Black walnut tree leaves or twigs
  - Releases substances that might be harmful to plants
• Coal or charcoal ash
  - Might contain substances harmful to plants
• Dairy products (e.g., butter, milk, sour cream, yogurt) and eggs
  - Create odor problems and attract pests such as rodents and flies
• Diseased or insect-ridden plants
  - Diseases or insects might survive and be transferred back to other plants
• Fats, grease, lard, or oils*
  - Create odor problems and attract pests such as rodents and flies
• Meat or fish bones and scraps*
  - Create odor problems and attract pests such as rodents and flies
• Pet wastes (e.g., dog or cat feces, soiled cat litter)
  - Might contain parasites, bacteria, germs, pathogens, and viruses harmful to humans
• Yard trimmings treated with chemical pesticides
  - Might kill beneficial composting organisms

 
Selecting and Building your Composting Site

• Select a dry, partial sunny spot near a water source for your compost pile or bin. Please take note that full sun locations can quickly dry out a compost pile and keep materials from breaking down. Alternatively, if the pile is in a very shady location, the contents will not breakdown quickly.

• Add brown and green materials in layers as they are collected, making sure larger pieces are chopped or shredded.

• Moisten dry materials as they are added.
• Turn pile once a week for two or three weeks, then once a month until compost is ready to use.
• The optimal size of a compost pile is 3’x3’x3’ or one cubic yard.

• Once your compost pile is established, mix grass clippings and green waste into the pile. Bury fruit and vegetable waste under 10 inches of compost material.

• Optional: Cover top of compost with a tarp to keep it moist. When the material at the bottom is dark and rich in color, your compost is ready to use. This usually takes anywhere between two months to two years.
  

Compost can be made in just two or three weeks during the summer if the leaves and other materials are finely ground or shredded, turned frequently to provide good aeration and supplied with sufficient moisture and nitrogen.
For more questions regarding Warren County Soil and Water Conservation District programs and/or technical assistance on water or soil questions, visit http://warrenswcd.com or call, 513-695-1337.

Products in our homes and garages that are flammable, toxic, corrosive, or reactive are considered household hazardous waste. Products such as pesticides, paints, pool chemicals, CFL light bulbs, cleaners, oils, automotive fluids, thinners/strippers, acids/bases, and batteries require special care when disposing of them and can catch fire, react, or explode under certain circumstances.

Why is household hazardous waste a problem? Household hazardous waste poses many dangers ranging from personal exposure to the substances during use, to contamination of water resources from improper disposal of chemicals down a storm drain or into a ditch, where they can be transported directly to bodies of water. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the average home can accumulate as much as 100 pounds of hazardous waste! That’s 100 pounds of household chemicals with labels that say: poison, corrosive, toxic, flammable, or keep out of reach of children/pets, in your home.

Paint is one of the most common household wastes and can be the most confusing to deal with.  First, read the label and identify whether the paint or stain is water-based or oil-based. Water-based products can be disposed of in your regular trash, but must be hardened first using kitty litter or other paint hardening product. Be sure to leave the lid off the can so your waste hauler can confirm the product is dry or else they may refuse to collect it.  If the product is oil-based it is considered a hazardous waste and should be taken to hazardous waste center where it will be properly recycled or disposed. Warren County has a latex paint only recycling drop-off location in Lebanon.  This is open weekdays and is for Warren County residents only. Questions regarding the drop-off site should be directed to the Warren County Solid Waste Management District, 513-695-1209.
What should you do with household hazardous waste if you have it or plan on using it?

• Before purchasing hazardous chemicals, have a plan for the excess or only buy what you know you will need. Some left-over products could be donated to neighbors, family or friends to use.
• Handle household hazardous waste carefully to avoid injury to yourself or the environment.
• Store wastes in their original container with the labels intact.
• Save household hazardous wastes until it can be properly disposed of at a certified disposal facility.
• For lists of local recycling and disposal sites, check the Warren County Solid Waste Management District website - https://www.co.warren.oh.us/solidwaste/ or email solid.waste@co.warren.oh.us for specific questions.”.

For more questions regarding Soil and Water Conservation District programs and/or technical assistance on water or soil questions visit, http://warrenswcd.com  or call, 513-695-1337.
 
Additional Resources:  

• Warren County Solid Waste Management District - https://www.co.warren.oh.us/solidwaste/
• Ohio State Extension Pesticide Education Program - https://pested.osu.edu/disposal
• Warren County Soil and Water Conservation District - https://www.warrenswcd.com/