Clean City Things to Know and Do! Happy New Year, New Green Year Resolutions, Virtual Seed Swap, Christmas Tree Disposal, Community Cleanup, Help Our Pollinators!
RETIREMENT FAREWELL TO MY FRIENDS!
The Hampton Clean City Commission has been a part of my life since 1987. So you can guess I will continue to volunteer for it after I retire. But I did want to pass on some thoughts before I go.
There’s no larger nor more important volunteer force than all of you. With your passion, your effort, your dedication, and your support, you make Hampton a better place to live every single day, and your efforts are appreciated by me and every other Hamptonian.
You are needed more than ever, because people are using outside spaces more and, unfortunately, littering more. Despite the pandemic, we need your help cleaning up the mess, suggesting messages to touch the hearts of those who litter, and encouraging our staff as they take on additional responsibilities with my departure. Also, if you would like to help, I know Cynthia, Cris, and Wendy would appreciate your offers of assistance. HCCC has always welcomed all kinds of help, including but not limited to litter cleanup, throughout its history. Sign up for our social media, calendar notifications, and more to stay in touch.
I have met the best of Hampton’s people throughout my service with HCCC, and I appreciate each of you more than I can say. You hold a special place in my heart.
I hope that in 2021 and beyond, the Hampton Clean City Commission will continue to grow and enhance our city more than ever, and I hope you will be a big part of it all. Meet me on the volunteer trail!
Best wishes and fond memories,
Debbie
NEWS YOU CAN USE!
VIRTUAL SEED SWAP STARTS JANUARY 2! SIGN UP BY JANUARY 15
Our virtual seed swap will be done by email and mail. HCCC Staff will coordinate participants and their seeds so each participant receives a certain amount of vegetable and/or flower seeds by January 30. More details to come. Mark your calendar and plan to sign up and get a head start on spring!
For more information, contact wendy.iles@hampton.gov or call 757-690-6113.
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CHRISTMAS TREE DISPOSAL
Disposing of your live Christmas trees will be a wrap up for sure this year. Collection of live trees will begin December 26. You can:
- Put them out as part of your bulk trash collections on your designated collection day, or
- Take them to the Yard Waste site on North Park Drive.
Be sure to remove all stands, wires, lights, memorabilia, etc. from your trees before placing them for pickup or dropping them at the Yard Waste Sites. All trees collected will be taken to VPPSA and used for mulch and compost materials.
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START THE NEW YEAR OFF RIGHT WITH A COMMUNITY CLEANUP!
Start the New Year right joining us at 10am on Saturday, January 9th for the VERY FIRST 2021 Community Cleanup (weather permitting). The goal is to make Ivy Home Road sparkling clean and beautiful. Because of COVID-19 restrictions, we are limited to 25 or less volunteers. Register with Cris at causink@hampton.gov today! Once you register, details will follow.
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YOU CAN HELP OUR BEES AND OTHER POLLINATORS THIS WINTER!
One of the habitat supports that native bees and other pollinators need is a cozy natural place to overwinter. Xerces Society has published information about how to help. Check it out at this link:
https://xerces.org/sites/default/files/publications/18-014.pdf
Our local native bees and other pollinators will welcome your kindness and support.
Here are just three tips from the publication:
- Plant native shrubs (examples are elderberry, sumac, and raspberries), vines (passionflower, yellow jessamine, and Virginia creeper), and flowers (yarrow, milkweed, and tickseed coreopsis, among many others) in your landscape.
- Leave flower stalks and seed heads on the plants over the winter.
- If you prune flowers at the end of the growing season, leave the stalks on the ground in case there are baby bees overwintering in them.
For more information on native plants, visit our web page at https://hampton.gov/3762/Pollinators#idealpollinator.
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‘TIS THE GIFT GIVING SEASON! INCLUDE HCCC PROGRAMS ON YOUR LIST
Did you know that HCCC can accept donations for funds that support our programs? Here are our three donation funds:
Bee City USA – Hampton: this fund supports Hampton’s Bee City USA program, including planting pollinator gardens and buying supplies for educational programs.
Hampton Waterways Restoration Project: this fund supports waterway education and action projects, like oyster gardens, living shorelines, and educational materials.
Keep Hampton Green: this fund purchases trees and shrubs that are planted on public lands in Hampton. Most recently it paid for plantings at Bluebird Gap Farm and Armistead Pointe.
To donate to these funds, make your check payable to City of Hampton and put a note naming the fund you want to support with your donation. Donations to local governments are tax deductible. Charitable contributions to governmental units are tax-deductible under section 170(c)(1) of the Internal Revenue Code if made for a public purpose.
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HAVE A VERY GREEN CHRISTMAS!
Here are a few ideas for making your holiday season bright and green.
Outside Your House:
Use natural decorations as much as possible
Switch to LED lighting to reduce energy use
Reuse outdoor decorations year after year
Rake your leaves into your plant beds to keep their nutrients in your yard
Inside Your House:
Plan menus carefully to avoid food waste
Pour grease into cans for disposal in the garbage, or cool it and pour it directly into the plastic lined garbage can, wipe out pans with paper towels or throw-away rags
Recycle all the glass and metal food containers and all the plastic bottles and jugs that result from your Christmas festivities
Use natural decorations as much as possible, or reuse last year’s decorations
Use a plantable live Christmas tree, if you use a live-cut Christmas tree be sure to set it out for mulching collection
Give gifts of time, experiences, support, or food rather than “stuff”
Gift shop at thrift stores to reuse and reduce
For more information, contact the Hampton Clean City Commission at hccc@hampton.gov or 757-727-1130.
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HOW ABOUT SOME RESOLUTIONS THAT YOU CAN ACTUALLY KEEP?
https://www.hgtv.com/lifestyle/clean-and-organize/tips-for-a-green-new-year
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REUSE YOUR GREETING CARDS BY MAKING GREETING CARD BOXES!
Holiday greeting cards can have life beyond their greetings! Use them to make small gift boxes, gift tags, tree decorations, and more. So grab some cards and let’s make some boxes!
Select a Greeting Card to reuse. A card that is square or rectangular on the front and back half is essential. Make sure both halves of the card are the same size. You might need to trim the larger half so it is equal in size to the smaller half.
Cut the card in half at its fold. The front (with the picture) will become the top of the box, the back (with the message) will become the bottom of the box.
For the bottom box half, use a ruler (or the 1 1/16” (27 mm) guide on the instructions) to mark 1 1/16”-inch (27-mm) lines on each corner of the card very lightly with pencil—work on the back side of the card half so you don’t mess up the inside of the box.
The next bottom box half step is to make two 1-inch (25-mm) cuts at each of the shorter sides, be sure you cut 1 1/16 inch (27 mm) on the longer side.
For the top box half, use the 1-inch (25 mm) guide on the right to mark 1-inch (25-mm) lines along each corner of the card very lightly with pencil—work on the blank side of the card half so you don’t mess up the design.
The next top box step is to make two 1-inch (25-mm) cuts at each of the shorter sides, be sure you cut 1inch (25 mm) in from the longer side.
Fold the long sides of the box (top and bottom) toward the middle on the folding lines.
Fold the 1-inch “flaps” on the long sides toward the middle of the box.
Then fold the shorter ends of the boxes toward the middle.
Glue the folded short ends to the flaps, making sure that the flaps are INSIDE the box. You might need to reinforce the glue with tape inside the box.
Once the glue is dry your box will be ready to use!
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GIVE THE GIFT OF CLEAN WATER - PET WASTE IS LITTER TOO!
When walking your pet, take along a plastic bag. You can buy them from the pet store or reuse lunch or grocery bags. When your pet “goes”, pick up the poop with the bag, enclose it, and take it to the nearest trash can, or back to your trash can.
Be a good pet person, a good neighbor, and a good citizen and pick up your pet’s waste, whether it happens in public areas during walks or in your back yard. Your efforts will keep our local environment cleaner and fresher smelling. And all of us will be grateful to you.
If you have family or friends that need education about pet waste, we have pet waste disposal kits available – what a great stocking stuffer!!!
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SIX IMPORTANT RECYCLING TIPS:
- Place unbagged recyclables in your container. No plastic bags at all, please. None. Not one.
- The only plastics that can be recycled are bottles and jugs.
- Flatten cardboard and corrugated boxes to make more room for your other recyclables.
- Rinse or wipe cans, bottles, and jugs before putting them in your bin.
- Remember aluminum foil and foil pans (pie pans, baking pans, cookie sheets) can be recycled, just rinse or wipe.
- ONLY the recyclables listed in the most recent recycling chart can be recycled. Check here to make sure you’re recycling right: https://hampton.gov/DocumentCenter/View/14663/Acceptable-Recyclables-Information?bidId=
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EXTRA RECYCLABLES? LIVE IN AN APARTMENT OR CONDO?
With all the gift boxes arriving on your doorstep….
Take them to the Yard Waste Transfer Site, 98 North Park Lane. As you enter the site, the recycling containers are on the right.
The same rules apply for drop-off recycling as for curbside recyclables: paper (boxes, newspapers, mail, food boxes, clean and dry), household-food-beverage plastic bottles and jugs only; glass bottles and jars only; metal cans, foil, and disposable aluminum baking sheets and pans; and milk and food cartons. NO PLASTIC BAGS, dirty diapers, garden hoses, or other trash.
Questions? Call 311 (727-8311) or visit this link: https://hampton.gov/DocumentCenter/View/14663/Acceptable-Recyclables-Information?bidId=. Please don’t put anything else in either your home recycling container or the drop-off recycling container. Thanks!
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ARE YOU ALL WRAPPED UP IN THE CHRISTMAS PLASTICS? HERE’S HOW TO RECYCLE YOUR PLASTIC BAGS & OTHER FILM PLASTICS!
Plastic bags and plastic wraps of different kinds ARE recyclable, but they have to be taken to a drop-off site, most of which are retail locations that you might already be visiting. For more information and a list of plastic bag recycling sites: https://hampton.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=4565.
When they are littered, as far too many are, they blow or wash into our waterways and then into the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean, where sea turtles think they’re jellyfish and other marine animals get tangled up in them. And then, of course, they also get tangled around boat propellers as well, we hear. DO NOT LITTER anything, especially plastic bags!
For more information, contact the Hampton Clean City Commission at hccc@hampton.gov or 757-727-1130.
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ANOTHER FUN WAY TO RECYCLE WRAPPING PAPER
https://www.attainable-sustainable.net/recycled-gift-wrap/?fbclid=IwAR2qKgDCXGm4ksE9VBDnplozrfpK_ar5SXQeGZpn5qnikOsoA6RRjv4BJ1Q
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FOR REFERENCE
CONNECT WITH HCCC IN 2021:
HCCC’s Facebook page serves as an information source for all things “clean city” – beautification, community environment improvement, litter prevention, recycling, the 3Rs, and general environmental education. We share reputable information about these topics and provide information about our programs, activities, and volunteers. If you want a good overview of what’s happening in Hampton and the larger world of our topics of interest, the Hampton Clean City Commission page is a can’t-miss sign-up! Follow us on Instagram or Twitter, too, to help share information about topics that are important to you. By the way, have you been to the HCCC web page at https://hampton.gov/179/Clean-City-Commission?
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CHECK OUT THE BEE CITY USA – HAMPTON WEB PAGE!
Check out the information and resources on our new Bee City USA - Hampton web page! We hope you'll find it a useful source of information and support in your efforts to support Hampton's pollinators! https://hampton.gov/3759/Bee-City-USA
Hampton Community Gardens Check out the Community Gardens web page at https://hampton.gov/2798/Community-Gardens. Community Gardens has a wonderful Facebook page with great information about all things garden related. Like it at https://www.facebook.com/HamptonVAcommunitygardens.
HCCC sponsors two Facebook groups
The Hampton Waterways Restoration Project Group focuses on the HWRP Committee’s efforts to improve Hampton’s waterways through awareness and action projects. Among the posts you’ll see are reports on committee oyster activities, waterway cleanup announcements, information about various impacts on water quality, and volunteer reports on their various HWRP projects.
The Bee City USA – Hampton Group focuses on building a resilient habitat for bees and other pollinators. You’ll see educational posts about pollinators of various types, the plants they thrive on, how you can support a sustainable pollinator habitat, and occasionally cool educational resources.
You can find and sign up for volunteer opportunities with HCCC at https://volunteer.kab.org/.
Sign up for web page notifications (news flashes and calendars) at https://hampton.gov/list.aspx.
For more information, hccc@hampton.gov or 757-727-1130. Or look for Hampton Clean City Commission on each platform.
The HCCC Office is open to the public. We’re limiting the number of people in our reception area for the time being, so call 727-1130 before you come so we can make sure we don’t have a “traffic jam”.