Solid Waste Alliance Communities (SWAC)

09/03/2026

🌧️ September is National Preparedness Month! Is your home waste-ready for severe weather?

Late summer and early fall storms can bring sudden power outages, heavy rain, or localized flooding. When prepping your emergency kits and storm checklists, taking a few extra steps around your home, basement, and shed protects your property and keeps local waterways clean!

Emergency Prep & Safe Storage Checklist
⛽ Elevate Hazardous Liquids: Store gas cans, lawn chemicals, paint, and household cleaners on elevated shelves above potential floodlines in basements and sheds.

🔋 Check Flashlight & Radio Batteries: Keep fresh alkaline batteries on hand for power outages, and remember to save spent batteries in a safe container for transfer station recycling rather than the trash!

🥩 Plan for Power Outages: Keep freezer doors closed if power drops. If food spoils, separate items into your backyard compost or local food scrap collection bins instead of overloading standard trash containers.

📦 Secure Outdoor Containers: Anchor or move outdoor trash and recycling containers inside a garage or shed before high winds hit to keep loose debris from blowing into roads and storm drains.

Post-Storm Cleanup Reminders
🚫 Keep Chemical Spills Away from Drains: Never pour gas, oil, paint, or chemical cleaners down household sinks, toilets, or outdoor storm drains! Pouring toxic liquids down the drain damages septic micro-organisms, corrodes plumbing, and passes straight into local streams and groundwater.

🍂 Yard Debris & Branches: Fallen leaves, twigs, and garden debris can easily be composted right in your backyard pile or garden beds. For larger limbs or excess brush, check with your local transfer station or town drop-off area.

Taking simple steps today keeps your family safe and protects our regional environment!

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08/25/2026

🎒 Back to School, Back to Zero Waste!

With local Vermont schools starting up, cafeteria waste sorting is back in full swing. Under Vermont law, all schools separate food scraps from the trash, giving students a great opportunity to practice waste reduction every day at lunch!Packing a low-waste lunch helps cut down on disposable packaging and makes sorting in the cafeteria quick and easy.

Easy Ways to Pack a Low-Waste Lunch🍱 Swap Bags for Bento Boxes or Containers: Ditch plastic sandwich bags and foil. Durable reusable containers, bento boxes, or washable fabric snack bags keep food fresh without generating trash.

🍎 Buy Snacks in Bulk: Pre-packaged single-serve chips, crackers, and yogurt cups add up in cost and packaging. Buy larger boxes or tubs and portion them into small reusable containers.

🧃 Ditch Disposable Juice Pouches: Pack a durable, reusable stainless steel or BPA-free water bottle. Reusable bottles keep drinks cold all day and stop dozens of single-use pouches from ending up in local disposal containers.🍴 Pack Real Utensils and Napkins: Send standard silverware from home or thrifted sets instead of disposable plastic forks and spoons. Swap paper towels for washable cloth napkins.

🍏 Utilize Cafeteria Scrap Bins: Remind students that apple cores, banana peels, and leftover food scraps belong in the cafeteria’s dedicated food scrap bins, keeping organics out of the landfill!What to Look for When Back-to-School ShoppingBefore buying new school supplies, inventory what you already have at home:

✏️ Reuse First: Check last year's backpacks, lunchboxes, binders, and scissors to see what can be cleaned up and reused for another year.

📦 Choose Recycled & Durable: When purchasing new supplies, look for notebooks made with 100% post-consumer recycled paper and high-quality items built to last the full school year.Small daily habits add up to a big impact for our schools and environment!

08/17/2026

Avoid the Spark: Don't Let Your Batteries Turn Into Spicy Pillows! 🌶️🔋⚠️

Ever noticed a laptop or phone battery puffing up like a tiny, dangerous throw pillow? That’s not a feature—it’s a major fire hazard!Damaged or defective batteries pose serious risks and should never go into regular trash or recycling containers.

Warning signs your battery is throwing a tantrum:

Bulging or swelling (aka the "spicy pillow")

Getting unusually hot or smelling burnt Cracks, leaks, or visible smoke

What to do:

Stop using it immediately and move it away from flammable materials (outdoors on a non-combustible surface is best). Place it in a safe container with sand or kitty litter.

Visit batterynetwork.org/locator (select "Damaged/Defective") to find a certified drop-off site.

Keep your home and our local transfer station operators safe! Check your devices today!
🛑⚡

The Battery Network

08/10/2026

💊 Got unused or expired meds? Here is why you should NEVER flush them (and how to safely dispose of them in VT!)

When old pills or liquids sit in the medicine cabinet, it is tempting to wash them down the sink or flush them down the toilet. Environmental agencies, water quality experts, and public health officials all agree: you should NEVER flush ANY medication down the drain.

The Septic to Waterway Pipeline:
🚽 Septic systems do not filter them: Septic tanks only break down human waste and toilet paper, not chemical medicines. The active ingredients just sit in your tank.

🚚 Septic haulers take waste to treatment plants: When your tank gets pumped out, that waste is hauled directly to local municipal wastewater treatment facilities.

🌊 Treatment plants cannot filter chemicals: Wastewater facilities are not designed to process chemical medicines. The active ingredients pass right through into local rivers and streams.

🚜 Where do the plant solids go? Municipal facilities separate wastewater into treated water and residual solids. These solids are managed either through regulated land application or placement in lined landfills. Flushing meds means those active chemicals enter the regional waste stream and can return to our local soil, crops, and water cycle.

Safe Disposal Options (High Temperature Destruction)
Because flushing hurts our water and trash disposal can lead to chemical runoff in landfill leachate, Vermont provides 100% free options to hand over unwanted medications. These official programs ensure your meds are destroyed through high temperature incineration, stopping the chemical cycle entirely!

🚔 PERMANENT KIOSKS: Drop unused pills and patches in secure, anonymous drop boxes year round.

✉️ FREE MAIL BACK: Order free, pre paid envelopes directly from the Vermont Department of Health. Put your unused meds in the envelope and drop it right in your mailbox, no driving required!

🗓️ TAKE BACK DAYS: Participate in National Prescription Drug Take Back Day events hosted every spring and fall by local law enforcement and the DEA.

Permanent Kiosk Locations in Rutland County
Drop off pills, capsules, and patches anonymously at any of these local participating facilities year round (please remove or scratch out personal info from labels first):

📍 Rutland Pharmacy: 75 Allen St., Rutland | (802) 775 2545

📍 Castleton Police Department: 273 VT Rt 30 N, Castleton | (802) 468 5012

📍 Fair Haven Police Department: 3 North Park Pl., Fair Haven | (802) 265 4531

📍 Rutland County Sheriff Office: 88 Grove St., Rutland | (802) 775 8002

📍 Rutland Regional Medical Center: 160 Allen St., Rutland | (802) 747 1777

📍 Brandon Police Department: 301 Forest Dale Rd., Brandon | (802) 247 0222

What can you bring to a drop box or mail back?
Before gathering your items, double check what these programs accept:

✅ YES Accepted:

Prescription pills, capsules, and tablets

Over the counter medications and vitamins

Medicated patches and ointments

Pet medications

❌ NO Not Accepted:

🚫 Needles, syringes, and lancets (Use dedicated sharps drop offs)

🚫 Inhalers and aerosol spray cans (Pressurized containers can explode during destruction)

🚫 Liquids and cough syrups (Unless accepted at specific participating locations like RCSO or RRMC)

🚫 Thermometers and mercury items

How to Order Mail Backs or Find Take Back Events
✉️ Order Free Mailers: Visit HealthVermont.gov/DoYourPart to request pre paid envelopes sent straight to your house.

🗓️ Find Take Back Day Events: Search by ZIP code or town on the official DEA site at dea.gov/takebackday for spring and fall community collection sites.

📞 Call Vermont 211: Dial 211 on your phone to speak with an operator about local disposal options.

👉 Order free mail back envelopes or find state resources today:

HealthVermont.gov/DoYourPart

The drug overdose epidemic in the United States is a clear and present public health, public safety, and national security threat. DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day reflects DEA’s commitment to Americans’ safety and health, encouraging the public to remove unneeded medications fro...

08/06/2026

A little update on Vermont's new hazadous waste environmental responsibility law!

Submitted by tim on Thu, 08/06/2026 - 04:38 Vermont Business Magazine Reverse Logistics Group (RLG) has secured a contract through its new service offering, PRO Support Services (PSS) to provide operational support facilitating key provisions of Vermont’s Household Hazardous Product Stewardship Pr...

08/03/2026

📦 Did you know manufacturers are required to help you safely manage these 4 items for FREE in VT?
Ever wonder why you can drop off leftover paint, old electronics, or dead batteries in Vermont without paying out of pocket?

It’s called Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). In Vermont, state laws require the companies that make these products to help fund and coordinate their end of life management so the financial burden doesn't land on your town budget, property taxes, or you!

Here are 4 common household items covered by Vermont EPR laws and how they are handled:

🎨 Architectural Paint: Leftover latex or oil based paint is collected free of charge through the PaintCare program at participating local hardware and paint stores. Latex gets reblended or processed, and oil base is safely managed.

📺 Electronics (E-Waste): TVs, computers, and printers contain heavy metals and toxic chemicals. Vermont's E-Waste program ensures these are dismantled and processed safely instead of sitting in a landfill.

🔋 Batteries: All household batteries are banned from Vermont trash. Primary (single use) and rechargeable batteries can be dropped off at participating hardware stores and collection sites statewide through Call2Recycle.

💡 Mercury Lamps & Thermostats: Compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) contain mercury. Manufacturers fund drop off sites at participating local retailers to ensure toxic mercury is safely reclaimed and kept out of our air and water.

Find drop off locations and learn more:

You don't have to guess where to bring these items or how the programs work! The Vermont Agency of Natural Resources (ANR) provides easy drop off lookup tools, location maps, and full background on how product stewardship laws protect our state.

👉 Explore VT ANR Special Waste Sites & EPR Info:

dec.vermont.gov/waste-management/solid/product-stewardship

Product Stewardship Vermont has special recycling programs for some items that can be recycled, but NOT in the blue bin. Find drop-off locations for Batteries, Electronics, Paint, Fluorescent Lightbulbs, or Mercury Thermostats. Select your county from the dropdown list below and click “Search”...

07/29/2026

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNOi4IMFi_I

Do you know about the hazardous waste mobile unit called ROVER? Joi...

07/27/2026

Headlines about plastic in food have you stressed?

Recent news about plastic recalls in dairy products is a scary reminder of just how much plastic surrounds our food supply.

While we can't control factory mishaps, we can control the plastic we bring home and throw away. When plastic trash breaks down in landfills, it turns into microplastics that can work their way right back into local soil, streams, and pastures.

That’s where Pay-Per-Bag (PYT (pay as you throw) helps you take control:

🛒 Ditch the excess packaging: Choosing items with less plastic wrapping at the store saves you money at checkout AND means fewer trash bags to pay for at the transfer station.

♻️ Keep plastic OUT of local soil: Using your town recycling containers keeps plastic in a closed loop so it doesn't break down near our local farms and water supplies.

💰 Pay ONLY for what you waste: PPA puts the power back in your hands. The less single-use plastic you buy, the less you spend on disposal.When we reduce plastic at the store and dispose of waste properly, we protect our local environment AND our wallets.

Less plastic in your cart = less plastic in our environment = more cash in your pocket.

07/23/2026

https://foodwastepreventionweek.com/

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07/13/2026

🛒 Protect Your Wallet, Cut Down Waste, and Fuel Your Family

Let's face it: grocery shopping is expensive and exhausting. When you're busy, you don't have the time or energy to stand in the aisle reading confusing ingredient labels that look like a chemistry experiment. You are just trying your best to get the healthiest food possible for your family for every dollar you spend.

If you want a free shortcut that does the homework for you, try the Yuka app (https://yuka.io). It’s like having a nutrition expert right in your pocket!

🔍 Quickly Scan Any Item: Just scan any barcode with your phone. The app instantly decodes the label and gives it a clear score out of 100, showing you exactly what’s inside at a single glance.

What it looks like: You might scan a product you've always assumed was healthy, only to find out it is full of hidden sugars and chemical additives, earning a 22/100 (Bad) score. The app will immediately show you a cleaner, higher-rated alternative right on the same shelf that scores an 85/100 (Excellent).

💰 Stretch Your Budget & Cut Waste: Yuka spots the empty fillers that leave everyone hungry again in an hour. By choosing higher-quality, satisfying foods, less gets left to spoil—meaning fewer groceries end up in your food waste container and more hard-earned money stays in your pocket.

📣 Change the Food System with One Tap: If you scan a trusted brand and find low-quality ingredients, Yuka has a built-in feature that lets you email the manufacturer instantly to demand better. When we speak up together, companies listen.

It takes just two seconds to give you a complete nutritional breakdown on the product you are looking at buying, helping you buy healthier food for your family and stop waste before it ever hits your kitchen counter. Download it before your next grocery run and see how easy it is to use!

By being mindful of what you bring into your home and responsible for what you send out, you protect your family and the community air, soil, and water we all share.

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