Ecology Center

Election season is fastly coming to an end. What to do with all of the campaign mail and yard signs? If you’re having trouble distinguishing material types and unsure of what is or is not recyclable, don’t fret! The Ecology Center HelpDesk is here to help! Most political yard signs are made of a corrugated polypropylene (#5) plastic sheeting, with a steel wire frame. To recycle it, you will need to separate the various components (paperboard or corrugated plastic from wire) b...efore it will be acceptable for curbside recycling. Berkeley Residents: paperboard should be placed in the paper side of your blue cart. All wire materials may be recycled as scrap metal at Berkeley Recycling Center (1231 Second St). (All rigid metal wire materials [e.g. wire hangers] must NOT go into the blue cart, since they can cause injury to recycling workers and may get caught in the recycling machinery, causing repair delays.) The corrugated plastic sheeting should also be taken to the Berkeley Recycling Center. Wooden stands can be placed in the green (yard waste) cart. If you are not a Berkeley resident please check with your local recycling provider to find out how to dispose of your campaign materials. Is your campaign mail recyclable? To be sure, check to see if it passes the tear test. If the paper tears easily, it is recyclable. If not, it is likely landfill material, please place in your grey, landfill cart. Learn more about yard sign recycling on the Resourceful App- Your Path to Zero Waste!

Dia De Los Muertos: A celebration of "Amor Eterno" With its roots in Mexico, Dia de Los Muertos celebrates eternal love and honors those who have passed on. In years past, the Ecology Center has hosted a robust Dia de Los Muertos community celebration at our Tuesday Farmers Market with traditional songs, poems, activities and the food of the holiday, including tamales offered by our vendors Tamales la Oaxaqueña and Donna Tamales.... Because we are not able to celebrate in person this year, Cal Berkeley’s Mariachi Luz de Oro de Berkeley has recorded the traditional Amor Eterno for us to enjoy virtually this year. Enjoy the music and don’t forget to purchase your Fall harvest vegetables and tamales, a traditional food of Dia de Los Muertos, at our Farmers Markets this week!

Get in the spirit! Stop by the #downtownberkeley #farmersmarket to #castyourvote...for best vendor Halloween costume that is! Winning vendor gets a discounted stall fee + Hallowqueen status for the year! #halloweencostume #trickortreat #farmersmarketspirit #dressupeatup

Each year Americans produce over 300 tons of plastic, 50% of it intended for single-use. Plastic often doesn't get recycled and ends up in our waterways, streets, and landfill. Plastic pollution is destroying our planet, our oceans, and disproportionately impacting low income and communities of color. The Ecology Center recognizes that we can’t recycle our way out of the plastics crisis- so how do we kick the habit? Step 1 is to become aware of the different kinds of plastics and the reasons to avoid them. Swipe through to learn more about Plastics #1-7 and the issues associated with them. To learn more about How to Get Plastic Out of Your Life, visit our website for factsheets and more information https://ecologycenter.org/factsheets/