Downtown Recycling Program

An innovative downtown-recycling program initiated by Sustainable Fairfax was officially launched on January 22, 2001, with the placement of the first two bins in downtown Fairfax – one in the park on Bolinas Road and the other in the picnic area of Peri Park.

The Fairfax Downtown-Recycling program was originally planned in 2000 and was made possible through support by a coalition of Sustainable Fairfax, Marin Conservation Corps, Town of Fairfax, Fairfax Chamber of Commerce, Fairfax Refuse and Recycling, and local artists and school children. White Hill School art teacher Gray Dean and Sustainable Fairfax member Odessa Wolff co-coordinated the project. Other members of the Recycling Committee include Fairfax Town Council member Lew Tremaine, Fairfax Chamber of Commerce staff person Molly Graham, and Green Party candidate for Congress Justin Moscoso. Ardis Ashton and Kimberly Fox organized the involvement of the Marin Conservation Corps.

Battery Recycling Program

Each household in the United States discards an estimated 2 pounds of batteries annually – that’s 2.5 million pounds of batteries entering the waste stream each year. These batteries contain such metals as mercury, cadmium, lithium, and copper. All of these metals pose a potential threat to our health and the environment if they are improperly disposed of by dumping or burning. Recycle household batteries!

Battery Facts:

• The metals in all household batteries can be reclaimed and used in other products.
• Alkaline batteries are the most common household battery and include AA, AAA, C, D, 9 volt, and lantern type batteries.
• In spite of recent reductions in mercury content, alkaline batteries still contribute a significant amount of mercury to the waste stream.
• Button batteries are so-called because of their size and shape. They are used in watches, cameras, calculators, hearing aids, and electronic games. Mercuric oxide and silver oxide are their primary components.
• Rechargeable batteries can be reused many times, but they do eventually wear out. These batteries can be recycled with your other household batteries.
• The new rechargeable alkaline battery has the advantage that it contains no added cadmium.

What To Do:

Just drop your household batteries at Sustainable Fairfax, 141 Bolinas (across from Town Hall). Leave them in the battery container on the front porch. We’ll take care of the rest. Fairfax is a model to other communities being one of the few cities in the Bay Area that is collecting batteries for recycling!

Recycling Containers

Sustainable Fairfax has been successful in obtaining seven sets of public recycling containers to be built, installed, and maintained by Marin Conservation Corps job training program. The containers are constructed from recycled plastic lumber. A group made up of local children, teachers, parents, and artists are creating nine mosaic plaques depicting native species of plants, animals, and insects to be installed on these bins. Tilly Nylen, the mosaic artist who organized the artwork for Millennium Park in San Anselmo, has trained several artists and middle school children to work together on this project.

In addition to the seven bins for the parks, Sustainable Fairfax has worked closely with the Town of Fairfax in obtaining a grant from The California State Department Office of Waste Management to provide an additional three sets of recycling bins for the downtown business area. These bins will be serviced by Fairfax Refuse and Recycling and are also made from recycled plastic lumber.