What's New
Home Depot Offers Recycling for Compact Fluorescent Bulbs
Click the heading to read more.
2008 Imagination & Place Environmental Award Winners Announced
Recipients of the 2008 Imagination & Place Environmental award, in the category of outstanding volunteer or volunteer group, were Lawrence-based Friends of Hidden Valley, Cans for the Community, Friends of the Kaw, Schwegler Elementary School PTA, and Marie Stockett. The awards were presented during a ceremony at the Lawrence Arts Center on Earth Day, Tuesday, April 22. Each of the five winners received framed watercolor awards by Lawrence artist Lisa Grossman.Compost Bins Available to Lawrence Residents!
Would you like to turn your excess yard "waste" into beneficial compost right in your
own back yard? The City is offering discounted bins to help you do just that.
And by backyard composting, the number of cans, carts, or compostable bags needed on
Monday morning will be reduced or eliminated.
Click here for more information.
2007 Home Energy Conservation Fair a Success!
Close to 500 people attended this year's fair and sustainable homes tour. Click below to see pictures and a summary of the event.
Home Energy Conservation Fair 2007
PDF 540KB | Requires Acrobat Reader
Lawrence Joins EPA in Signing Green Power Partnership
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently recognized the city of Lawrence for its efforts in reducing the risk of climate change through the EPA's Green Power Partnership Program. The partnership encourages individuals, businesses and organizations to buy "green" power, reducing the negative environmental impacts associated with conventional electricity production.
The Green Power Partnership is part of a multi-year process, and adds to the city's initiative in climate protection. During the term of Mayor Boog Highberger, the mayor signed the United States Mayor's Climate Protection Agreement and the adoption of a Cool Cities Campaign. Current Mayor Sue Hack recently launched the City's Green Power Community Campaign, which encourages the purchase of green power by individuals, companies and organizations. Once 2 percent of all electricity used city-wide is offset through the purchase of renewable energy certificates, Lawrence will receive EPA recognition as a Green Power Community. Citizens are encouraged to learn more about the benefits of green power by visiting the EPA web site, www.epa.gov/grennpower.
7th Annual Earth Day Parade and Celebration at the Park a Success
On Saturday, April 21st, 2007, the City's Waste Reduction & Recycling Division (WR/R) hosted the 7th annual Earth Day Parade for the Earth and Celebration at the Park. Events included a parade down Massachusetts St. from 7th to 11th Streets with over 200 participants ending at a celebration in South Park. Celebration goers enjoyed live music, children's activities, a Water Festival for Douglas County, and visited over 40 informational booths. At noon, Kevin Doyle, Infrastructure and Development Coordinator for the City of Lawrence made the announcement that Lawrence has become an EPA Green Power Partner and accepted the Certificate of Partnership on behalf of Mayor Sue Hack from EPA Region 7 Representative and Pollution Prevention Expert, Chet McLaughlin. The Lawrence Transit System offered free rides all day, providing the experience and benefits of public transportation on all fixed routes. More than 500 people attended this year's event.
Earth Day 2007 event photos.
PDF 1.9MB | Requires Acrobat Reader
Imagination & Place Environmental Award Winners Announced
Artist Laura Ramberg and writer Ken Lassman, both of Lawrence, are the 2007 winners of the Imagination & Place Environmental Award. Ramberg and Lassman received artworks by Lawrence photographer Rick Mitchell at a ceremony at the Lawrence Arts Center on Wednesday, April 18.
The I&P Environmental Award is designed to recognize Douglas County community members who have made a demonstrable and positive impact on the local, regional, and/or global environment. The awards honor one of the following categories (in a four-year cycle): businesses, educators, artists and outstanding volunteers.
The award was established by the Committee on Imagination & Place of the Lawrence Arts Center in partnership with the Lawrence Waste Reduction & Recycling Division.
Specially commissioned artworks constitute the awards themselves. The inspiration for the award comes from the idea of giving something beautiful for something beautifully done.
The award ceremony took place in conjunction with the Community Mercantile’s Annual Earth Day Forum, featuring remarks by Dan Nagengast, director of the Kansas Rural Center, and the showing of a feature documentary film "The Future of Food."
Play the new "What's In Your Trash?" Game!
What's In Your Trash? This is a question the Solid Waste Division researches frequently in order to divert the most amount of waste from the landfill (through recycling and composting) in the most cost effective manner to you - our community! Click on this game and test your perception of how much municipal solid waste ("trash") we generate, what the facts state, and what the City is doing about it. Enjoy the game!
City Employees "Caught" Recycling
In participation with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment's "Get Caught Recycling" program, the City of Lawrence has caught some of its employees in the act of recycling. Click to visit our "get caught" page.
Articles of Interest
2005 Recycling Annual Report
Cooperative efforts by the city’s Solid Waste Division, University of Kansas, Wal-Mart, 12th & Haskell Bargain Center and other private recycling efforts resulted in a 33% recycling rate for the City of Lawrence in 2005! This recycling rate is higher than the Kansas recycling rate of 23% and higher than the national average last listed by EPA as 30.4%
View or print the 2005 Recycling Annual Report below.
Recycling Annual Report for 2005
PDF 166K | Requires Acrobat Reader
2004 Report: Evaluation Of Waste Diversion Strategies For Lawrence- Special Focus On Curbside Collection Of Recyclables
Description: Periodically the Solid Waste Division evaluates the potential for increased recycling and waste reduction within the City of Lawrence, including the feasibility of establishing curbside collection of recyclables. Read More
Education Key to Better Community Compost
The City's Solid Waste Division decided to cancel the distribution of compost to the community in 2003 and 2004 due to laboratory findings of unacceptable levels of the herbicide ingredient Clopyralid in the finished compost. The herbicide is believed to have been brought in on lawn clippings primarily from residential lawns. This particular herbicide does not degrade through the composting process unlike other herbicides and can damage susceptible plants such as tomatoes, peas and beans. These susceptible plants are the very plants most often found in backyard gardens and nurseries - the most prevalent user groups of the finished compost. The finished compost does not create problems in turf-only applications and is currently being utilized for City turf-only projects. Read more.
