Christmas Tree Recycling

Boy Scout Troop 27 will be picking up Christmas trees for recycling in Redmond, Terrebonne, and Eagle Crest on Sunday, January 2 and Saturday, January 8.

Trees will be recycled so please have trees cleaned of all lights, decorations and tinsel. Place trees at the end of the curb or a location that is visible from the road by 9:00 a.m.

A tax-deductible donation of $5.00 is appreciated. A check is preferred and should be made payable to “Boy Scouts of America.” Place donation in a plastic bag and securely attach to your tree with a rubber band. Proceeds go to support Redmond Boy Scout troop activities throughout the year.

Residents in Eagle Crest, Terrebonne and outside Redmond city limits, please call 541-385-3989 to provide the pickup address. All other areas, no reservation is required.

At no charge, Negus Transfer Station in Redmond will take Christmas trees Monday – Saturday, through January 31. Other locations include Northwest Transfer Station located on Fryrear Road, Sisters Recycle Center, Deschutes Recycling located at Knott Landfill in Bend and Southwest Transfer Station located between Sunriver and La Pine. Contact the Department of Solid Waste for guidelines and transfer station hours at 541-317-3163. Trees cannot have tinsel or flocking.

High Country Disposal Holiday Collection Schedule

This year, Christmas Day and New Years Day fall on Saturday so there will be no interruption in the garbage & recycling collection schedule for High Country Disposal customers.

The High Country Disposal office will close at 2:00 p.m. on Friday, December 24th and will reopen on Monday, December 27th.

For more information, please contact 541-548-4984 or visit www.highcountrydisposal.com

Holiday Recycling Tips

This time of the year with gifts, holiday cards and catalogs, it can be difficult to figure out which items can be recycled and which ones are non-recyclable.

Holiday items you can recycle:
• Regular gift-wrapping paper
• paper shopping bags
• gift boxes
• holiday cards and envelopes
• packing paper & cardboard packing pieces
• holiday catalogs and advertisements

Holiday items you can’t recycle:
• Liners and tissue paper from shopping bags and shoe & gift boxes
• ribbon
• foil backed wrapping paper
• plastic bags and wrappers
• Styrofoam packing peanuts
• rigid Styrofoam

Most mailing services will accept clean, bagged Styrofoam peanuts for reuse.

No-Waste Gift Wrapping Ideas

Here are some ideas that don’t include wrapping paper for your holiday gift giving:

• Make the wrapping part of the gift. For example, a kitchen gift can be wrapped in a colorful dish towel or oven mitt.
• Wrap gifts in a drawstring fabric bag or use leftover fabric or material.
• Reuse old holiday cards and cut into gift tags. Most ribbon can be reused as well.
• Add bows to holiday shopping bags or gift boxes instead of wrapping.
• Decorate brown paper bags and use as gift-wrap.
• Use a stocking to put your gifts in. No wrapping paper needed and the stockings can be used year after year.
• Give gifts in baskets, tins, jars or buckets.
• If you purchase store bought wrapping paper, look for the kind with recycled content.

High Country Disposal's Holiday Collection Schedule

On Thanksgiving Day, November 25th, High Country Disposal's collection schedule will operate as usual.

High Country Disposal office will be closed on Thanksgiving and will reopen on Friday, November 26th at 8:00 a.m. 541-548-4984.

This year, Christmas Day and New Years Day both fall on Saturday which means there will be no interruption in your garbage & recycling collection schedule.

Local Bend and Redmond Garbage & Recycling Companies Offer Commercial Customers New Food Waste Collection Program

High Country Disposal, Bend Garbage & Recycling and Cascade Disposal are excited to announce a new program for their commercial customers; Food Waste Collection.

This new program provides commercial customers another opportunity to further reduce their waste, recycle more and keep organic waste out of the landfill. Food waste material includes all food waste; meat, seafood, fruits, vegetables, dairy and bakery items.

The food waste material will be composted by Deschutes Recycling and is the only facility in Central Oregon and the second facility in the state to be permitted to accept food waste material. Deschutes Recycling is located at Knott Landfill in Bend.

“St. Charles Health System partnered with Bend Garbage and Deschutes Recycling on a pilot food waste composting program and has been instrumental in providing Bend Garbage with the material and collection experience to allow us to expand this program,” said Brad Bailey, president. “Food waste is a significant amount of the waste stream and we are excited to be able to recycle it and offer collection services to our commercial customers.”

“The Department of Solid Waste is pleased to have our composting facility permit renewed under new DEQ composting rules,” said Timm Schimke, Deschutes County Solid Waste Director. “Due to environmental factors such as low annual precipitation and depth to groundwater, our facility has been determined to be low risk for potential environmental and operational problems. This has given us the ability to consider additions to the compost operations such as food waste."

"This is an important step forward for waste recovery and the environment in our community," said Mike Riley, executive director of The Environmental Center. "Not only will this new service reduce greenhouse gas emissions from Knott Landfill, it will also recycle nutrient rich waste that used to be thrown away into valuable compost for local gardens and landscapes. Deschutes Recycling deserves a lot of credit for finding and testing a system that works for our community."

City of Sisters Free Fall Clean-up Event

High Country Disposal's free fall clean up event for City of Sisters Residents is scheduled for Tuesday, November 16 or Thursday, November 18, 2010.

Collection will be the same day as your regular garbage service during the week of November 15th and is for City of Sisters residents only. All materials should be set out by 7:00 a.m. in the same general area as garbage roll carts.

Bulky Waste items include:
Up to 4 yards of yard debris and/or miscellaneous household waste.
(four yards = a regular pickup truck filled to the cab)

Up to 4 appliances. All appliances need to be emptied.

Unacceptable items include: large furniture (i.e. couches), mattresses, hazardous waste, chemicals, paint, tires, heavy metal objects, and computers.

TVs, computers, monitors, microwaves and other e-waste items can be taken to Negus Transfer Station in Redmond for recycling at no charge. Also, for an additional charge, High Country Disposal will come to their customers location and load up and haul away any items they may have.

For more information regarding this free event, please contact High Country Disposal at (541) 548-4984.

FREE Tire Recycling Event

On Saturday, September 18th from 7:00am - 4:30pm, residents can bring old snow tires and balding retreads to Knott Landfill for recycling.

Knott Landfill is located at 61050 SE 27th Street in Bend.

Limit of 12 tires per load. If you have more than 12 tires, please contact the Solid Waste office at 541-317-3163.

Tires can be on or off the rim but please keep them separated. Only tires with rim size of up to 24 1/2" will be accepted. No heavy equipment tires, retailers or fleet tires.

Free Document Shred Event in Terrebonne

SecureShred and the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office have partnered for this free shred event to give residents a safe method to dispose of private documents and learn identity theft prevention tips.

This event is for residential shredding only - no commercial business shredding.

Saturday, September 18th
10:00 am - 2:00 pm
Terrebonne Sheriff's Office
8154 11th Street

At this event, there will be a deputy on hand to collect prescription and over the counter medication.

Residents are asked to bring a non-perishable food item to donate to the food bank.

No advance document sorting is necessary, the SecureShred truck can destroy paperwork with paper clips and staples attached. File folders may also be shredded.

SecureShred offers complete on site document destruction at your home or business, servicing all of Central Oregon. You can schedule weekly, monthly, on-call or one- time service, whatever best fits your needs. Call today for more information on SecureShred at 541-382-2263.

Labor Day Collection Schedule

On Labor Day, Monday, September 6th, High Country Disposal's collection schedule will operate as usual.

High Country Disposal office will be closed and will re-open on Tuesday, September 7th at 8:00 a.m.

541-548-4984

Free Appliances Recycling Event in Bend

Knott Landfill is having their annual Free Appliance Recycling Event on Saturday, August 21st from 7:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Knott Landfill is located at 61050 SE 27th Street in Bend.

This event is for residents only, no businesses please.

Acceptable items for free recycling include: stoves, ovens, washers, air conditioners, dishwashers, water heaters, refrigerators, trash compactors, dryers, freezers and furnaces.

For more information, contact Deschutes County Solid Waste at 541-317-3163.

New Changes at Sisters Recycling Depot

Effective August 16, 2010, the Sisters Recycling Depot will have New Operating Hours.

The Sisters Recycling Depot will still be open 7 Days-A-Week

New Hours will be:
Open 7:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
(no longer open 24 hours)

This is in response to cutbacks in the Deschutes County Solid Waste program budget for recyclable hauling.

The county provided funding to start these programs and helped make them successful. Unfortunately with the county budget cuts; the funding is no longer available.

Reducing the hours the depot is open is a cost cutting measure required to keep the depot operating because of this loss in funding.

For questions, please contact High Country Disposal at 541-548-4984 or the City of Sisters at 541-549-6022.

High Country Disposal Expands Curbside Recycling Program

High Country Disposal is pleased to announce the addition of curbside commingle recycling to customers in their rural service area surrounding the City of Sisters.

Customers will receive a 95-gallon commingle recycling cart for their plastic bottles and containers, aluminum cans, newspapers, junk mail, cardboard and more. The recycling cart will be collected every-other-week on the same day as their garbage service.

“We are excited to expand our curbside recycling into this area. The new program will make it easier for our customers to recycle their commingle recyclables at home with this convenient curbside collection. Curbside recycling is the most effective way to achieve maximum participation and volumes of recycling and will help better reach the recycling goals in place with the county,” Brad Bailey, President of High Country Disposal.

Effective August 1, 2010 collection rates will increase for this new program. Glass will not be collected curbside, but can still be recycled at the Sisters Recycling Center. Customers will start taking advantage of this recycling service in August.

For more information about the program, contact High Country Disposal at 541-548-4984.

High Country Disposal Offering Customers Online Bill Pay

High Country Disposal is pleased to offer their customers the convenience of online bill pay. Customers can log onto www.highcountrydisposal.com and click on the 'online bill pay' buttom.

It's easy, secure and free! And it's a great way to go green and save on paper bills.

For more information, contact High Country Disposal at 541-548-4984.

Negus Transfer Station Closed Sundays

Effective July 1, 2010, Negus Transfer Station in Redmond will be closed Sundays.

New Days of Operation after July 1, 2010 will be:
Monday - Saturday (closed Sundays)
8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

For more information, visit Deschutes County website at www.co.deschutes.or.us/sw

CAN Cancer - Donations to Date

High Country Disposal along with the other Central Oregon Garbage Haulers asked their customers to help Pitch-In for CAN Cancer and we'd like to thank everyone who has been able to donate! To date we've raised close to $12,000.

We are so excited to see our communities come together and help support this worthy cause, especially in these continued tough economic times. Our hopes are to exceed our fundraising from last year which was just over $13,000 - we are so close.

CAN Cancer provides community assistance to local families with expenses not covered by insurance, such as fuel, travel, lodging and food. 100% of donations stay right here in Central Oregon and 100% of your donation goes directly to CAN Cancer!

For more information on CAN Cancer or how you can Pitch-In, please visit www.cancancer.org

New Days of Operation at Negus Transfer Station

Effective July 1, 2010, Negus Transfer Station in Redmond will be closed Sundays.

New days of operation will be Monday - Saturday; 8:00 am - 4:00pm, closed holidays.

For more information, contact Deschutes County at 541-317-3163

Memorial Day Collection Schedule

On Memorial Day - Monday, May 31st, High Country Disposal's collection schedule for garbage & recycling will be as usual.

Please have your carts out by 6:00 a.m. in Redmond and out by 7:00 a.m. in Sisters.

The High Country Disposal office will be closed on Memorial Day and will re-open on Tuesday, June 1st at 8:00 a.m.

City of Sisters FREE Spring Cleanup Event

High Country Disposal will provide free collection of yard debris, miscellaneous household waste and appliances on Tuesday May, 4 or Thursday, May 6, 2010.

Collection is for residences within the City of Sisters only.

Collection day will be the same day as regular garbage service on May 4 or May 6.

Acceptable items include:
Up to 4 yards of Yard Debris and/or Miscellaneous Household Waste
(four yards = a regular pickup truck filled to the cab)

Up to 4 Appliances

Please no large furniture, mattresses, tires or hazardous waste.

For more information, contact 541-548-4984.

New Changes for High Country Disposal's City Yard Debris Program

Customers who subscribe to High Country Disposal's yard debris service, can now add Raw Fruits and Vegetables to their yard debris carts. The raw vegetative waste can be added to the yard debris already going in the cart.

This material will be taken to Deschutes Recycling and made into compost.

Acceptable Materials for the Yard Debris Cart include:
Yard trimmings, leaves, pine needles, grass clippings, branches, raw fruit & vegetable scraps and coffee grounds (minus the filter).

Unacceptable Material for the Yard Debris Cart include:
Plastic bags, fruit or vegetable stickers, plastic wrap or plastic containers, egg shells, processed or cooked fruits or vegetables, tea bags, animal product or any kind of biodegradable food ware such as paper plates, cups, etc.

For more information regarding High Country Disposal's yard debris program, please contact 541-548-4984.

FREE Yard Debris Recycling Event

Recycle your needles, leaves, small branches and brush for FREE during the FireFree event.

Redmond: Negus Transfer Station
May 15 - 16, 2010
Saturday - Sunday, 8:00am - 4:00pm

Sisters: Fryrear Transfer Station
May 15 - 16, 2010
Saturday - Sunday, 8:00am - 4:00pm

Bend: Knott Landfill
May 1 - May 9, 2010
Monday - Sunday, 7:00am - 4:30pm

For more information, contact 541-322-7129 or visit www.firefree.org

Free Shred Event & Food Drive

SecureShred and Mid Oregon Credit Union have partnered up to provide a free shred event and give residents a safe method to dispose of private documents.

This event is for residential shredding only - no commercial business shredding.

The shred event is scheduled for Saturday, April 17, 2010 at 4 Mid Oregon Credit Union Locations. Please bring a non-perishable food item to donate for the food bank.

Olney Branch in Bend: 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Madras Branch: 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Redmond Branch: 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Prineville Brach: 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.

The SecureShred truck can shred paperwork with paper clips and staples attached.

For more information regarding the services SecureShred provides, please contact 541-382-2263 or visit www.highcountrydisposal.com

Nominations Being Accepted for High Country Disposal's 'Commercial Recycler of the Year'

High Country Disposal is accepting nominations for their Commercial 'Recycler of the Year' Award. Guidelines for nominations are that the business be a customer of High Country Disposal.

Send in a brief description of the business or restaurant being nominated and tell why they are being nominated. For example, what are they doing to go the extra mile to recycle more or how are they innovative in their efforts with recycling.

Criteria are based on volume of recycling, frequency, consistent care with preparation, and an overall effort to recycle everything possible. Last year's winner for Commercial Recycler of the Year was Altrec.com / GreatOutdoors.com.

Mail your nominations to:
High Country Disposal / Recycler of the Year
PO Box 296
Redmond, OR 97756

Or visit www.highcountrydisposal.com and click on 'contact us' and send an email with your nomination. Make sure to include the business name and a brief description why they are being nominated.

CAN Cancer - 'Please Pitch In'

CAN Cancer, Community Assistance for Neighbors with Cancer, was founded in 2009 by the Central Oregon Haulers to provide community assistance to cover non-medical living expenses for local families fighting all forms of cancer. In 2009, Central Oregon Haulers mailed their customers a purple envelope asking for support and their customers responded! Thanks to everyone who helped collectively raise $13,000 - helping local families throughout Central Oregon including; Lakeview, Prineville, Bend, Redmond, Sunriver, Madras, Burns, Crooked River Ranch, La Pine, Warm Springs, Sisters, Terrebonne, Black Butte Ranch, Crescent, Gilchrist, Prairie City, Toledo and Hines.

One survivors story - When Mark was diagnosed with head/neck cancer, Mark wasn’t able to work during his treatment, nor the next few months after he recovered. The couple eventually exhausted their savings and retirement fund. They had been keeping afloat through the grace of friends and family and had just begun reaching out to see what assistance might be available. That’s when they heard about CAN cancer. The fund was able to help them meet their utility obligations. “When you’re facing cancer; just having people come alongside you and reach out – that’s a fabulous blessing,” Mark & Mary.

100% of money donated stays in Central Oregon and 100% of every dollar goes to the CAN Cancer program. Be looking for those purple envelopes or visit www.cancancer.org for more information.

City of Redmond FREE Spirng Clean up

High Country Disposal will provide free collection of miscellaneous household waste and appliances the week of April 19 -April 23, 2010.

Collection is for residences within the city of Redmond only.

When and where to set out materials:
Collection day is the same day as the regular garbage service day, during the week of April 19th. All materials should be set out by 6:00 a.m. in the same general location as garbage roll carts.

What to set out:
Free collection is limited to the following:
1. Four cubic yards of miscellaneous household waste that is bagged or in garbage cans. (Four yards = a regular pickup truck filled to the cab.)
2. Two appliances. All appliances must be emptied of food, water, clothing, etc.

What not to set out:
Items that cannot be accepted include Yard debris, TVs, microwaves, furniture, mattresses, hazardous waste, chemicals, paint, tires, wood stoves, heavy metal objects, toilets, lawnmowers and computers.

For more information, contact High Country Disposal at 541-548-4984.

Scholarship Opportunities

High Country Disposal offers two $1000 scholarships to local high school seniors in our community. Eligible high schools include: Redmond High School and Sisters High School.

Seniors planning to attend an accredited trade school, college, university or community college as full-time students for the fall term of 2010 are encouraged to apply. Contact Redmond or Sisters High School for criteria and applications. Application deadline is April 16, 2010 and all applications must be turned in to the school.

FREE Tire Recycling Event

Knott Landfill, located at 61050 SE 27th Street in Bend, is offering FREE Tire Recycling on Saturday, March 20th from 7:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Residents can bring their old tires to Knott Landfill and recycle them at no charge.

Tires can be on or off the rim but please keep them separated. Limit 12 tires per household. If residents have more than 12 tires, they need to contact Deschutes County Solid Waste for approval.

This free event is not available for Businesses, Retailers or Auto Dismantlers.

For more information, contact Deschutes County Solid Waste at 541-317-3163.

City of Redmond Yard Debris Collection Schedule

Yard Debris every-other-week collection service resumes the week of February 1st for High Country Disposal customers who subscribe to yard debris service within the Redmond city limits.

Every-other-week yard debris collection service runs February - November and goes on-call December & January.

If customers need a collection schedule, please contact High Country Disposal at 541.548-4984.