Green Initiatives 2020 Calendar Northwest of Hylo Christmas Tree JANUARY 2020 Recycling If your New Year’s resolution is Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday to recycle more, you can start by recycling your Christmas tree. From Waste and Recyclables 1 2 3 4 January 2-10, residents who receive Pickup Days curbside pickup service can call Hamlet of Lac La Biche (780) 623-6739 to have their trees picked up and recycled. If you don’t Plamondon and subdivisions receive curbside service, or if you miss the deadline, you can bring your Lunar Cycle tree to any County landfill or transfer New Moon Full Moon station. Christmas tree First Quarter Last Quarter New Year’s Day pickup begins Only natural trees will be accepted, and trees must not have any 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 decorations left on them. If you have an artificial tree that you don’t want anymore, consider leaving it in a Reuse Centre for someone else to take home. Reuse Centres can be found at all of our landfills and transfer stations. Christmas tree For every tree that we recycle, a new pickup ends one will be planted in a local park. 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Not Just A Landfill Did you know County landfills and transfer stations can recycle specialized items like electronics that can’t be recycled through the curbside pickup program? Flip to the back of this calendar for a complete listing of what goes where for both curbside pickup customers and 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 landfill/transfer station users. Did You Know? Residents can recycle small amounts of used automotive oil at any County landfill or transfer station. Commercial oil producers, or people with large amounts to recycle, can find a list of registered collectors at albertarecycling.ca. 26 27 28 29 30 31 Notes Lac La Biche Lake Keep Your Load From FEBRUARY 2020 Becoming Litter We’ve all seen litter in the ditches Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday along local roads and highways. Some of that flew out of vehicles and Waste and Recyclables Lunar Cycle 1 trailers. Did you know you can be Pickup Days New Moon Full Moon fined for transporting an unsecured Hamlet of Lac La Biche First Quarter Last Quarter load? Please make sure loads are covered with tarps or nets before you Plamondon and subdivisions hit the road. The maximum fine for infractions can be up to $776. Green Rebate Program The County wants to reward residents who take steps to consume less 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 water and energy. Whenever you buy certain Energy Star or WaterSense- certified appliances, you could earn some money back. Please call the County’s Utilities department at (780) 623-6730 for more details. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 1) You must be a resident of Lac La Biche County. 2) Your purchase must have been made between January 1, 2020 and December 31, 2020. 3) Your appliance must be an Energy Star or WaterSense- certified item from the following categories: Valentine’s Day Category Rebate 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 Clothes washer $100 Dishwasher $75 Water heater $150 Furnace or boiler $400 Low-flush toilet $50 2020 Green Rebate Program Family Day applications need to be submitted no 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 later than January 25, 2021. Notes Leap Day Sir Winston Churchill Provincial Park Fire Season Begins MARCH 2020 Permits are required for all burning except for campfires from March 1 to Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday October 31. Burning and campfires alike are prohibited when fire bans 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 are announced. This is to protect you, public safety and the natural environment. Please call (780) 623- 6767 to ask about permits, what you can and can’t burn, and more. Burning Waste: Not Just A Fire Hazard Fire Season begins It’s against the law to burn waste in 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Lac La Biche County, and it can harm you and the environment. Burning waste releases pollutants and toxic substances that can end up in the air, water and soil, affecting plants, animals and people. HOW IS BURNING WASTE HAZARDOUS? Spring ahead! Daylight Saving Time 1. Smoke potentially carrying harmful pollutants and 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 particulate matter. 2. Potential release of dioxins and furans, toxic chemicals that can settle in soil or water or on plants, where animals may eat them. The chemicals can stay in the food chain until humans consume them. Exposure to dioxins and furans has been linked to a variety St. Patrick’s Day First day of spring of health concerns. 3. Risk of reactions like explosions 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 or uncontrolled burning, depending on the waste materials involved. 4. Disproportionate environmental impacts, if wind or water carry pollutants away from burn sites or if pollutants enter the food chain. The County’s Fire Protection Bylaw forbids burning waste. Residents who are caught doing so could be fined up 29 30 31 Waste and Recyclables Lunar Cycle to $1,000. Pickup Days New Moon Full Moon Hamlet of Lac La Biche First Quarter Last Quarter Remember that local residents are allowed to bring up to 500 kg. Plamondon and subdivisions (about 1,100 lbs.) of waste to a landfill or transfer station at no charge. Disposing of waste there is a much healthier choice for you, your family and future generations. Fork Lake Community Garden APRIL 2020 The Community Garden in Alexander Hamilton Park has 40 plots available Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday for residents to grow their own plants and produce. You can apply for a plot Waste and Recyclables 1 2 3 4 in-person at the County Centre office Pickup Days on Highway 881, or download the form from the County website and Hamlet of Lac La Biche email it to green@laclabichecounty. Plamondon and subdivisions com. Lunar Cycle Applications for plots will be accepted from April 14 to June 1. New Moon Full Moon First Quarter Last Quarter Tree orders available Put Down Roots 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Starting April 1, you can order bundles of native tree seedlings through our Environmental Services department. They’re great for beautifying your property, growing a shelterbelt or just adding to the environment in your area. Call (780) 623-6739 for more information about species, prices and availability. Good Friday We choose native tree species 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 because they grow naturally in this area, so they overwinter better and don’t compete with other plants. PLUS: WATCH FOR OUR FREE LARGE ITEM PICKUP PROGRAM STARTING SOON. Registration is required to participate. Community Garden Easter Sunday Easter Monday applications available Please call (780) 623-6739 or email [email protected] for 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 more details. Did You Know? The County routinely tests water quality in four of the most visited lakes in the area. Lake reports from 2017 and 2018 can be found online at laclabichecounty.com. 26 27 28 29 30 Notes Christy Creek Clean Sweep Programs MAY 2020 The County does some spring Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday cleaning every year in May. Clean Sweep programs like our free Large 1 2 Item Pickup service help us all get Waste and Recyclables Lunar Cycle spick and span in time for summer. Pickup Days New Moon Full Moon Registration is required to participate Hamlet of Lac La Biche First Quarter Last Quarter in Large Item Pickup, so please call (780) 623-6739 or email green@ Plamondon and subdivisions laclabichecounty.com for details. Community Cleanup, in partnership with Boom 103.5 FM: Join us to tidy up the local area. Individual residents and community groups come 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 together to pick up litter. Stay tuned for this year’s date and more details. Aquatic Invasive Species Boating season starts this month, so it’s time to keep your eyes open for aquatic invasive species. Non-native plants and animals, like zebra mussels 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 and flowering rush, can attach to watercraft and “hitchhike” between water bodies. Both can spread very quickly. That’s why it’s important to clean, drain and dry your watercraft every time it leaves the water. Not-so-fun fact: Flowering rush spread through Isle Lake in Alberta over two years. If left unchecked, the Mother’s Day plant has the potential to completely 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 infill bodies of water. Victoria Day 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 Zebra mussels Flowering rush Notes 31 Environment Week “No Spray” (May 31-June 6) applications deadline Lac La Biche Lake JUNE 2020 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Environment Week 1 2 3 4 5 6 Environment Week is a time to think about and improve our relationships Community Garden application deadline with the land, air and water. Events will be held from May 31 to June 6 this Tree order application deadline year. Watch for the latest information on local activities. The week starts with a public launch Environment Week party with family-friendly activities (May 31-June 6) HHWR in McArthur Park, and ends with a 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Household Hazardous Waste Round- Up (HHWR). You can safely dispose of items that are flammable, toxic or corrosive – items that could harm the environment if they simply went to the landfill.