Blog Archives

Changes at the Swarthmore Recycling Center: they have added a used clothing drop off but no longer collect plastic, glass, and steel

5/26/2022

You can now recycle clothes at the Used Clothing Drop-Off Shed at the Swarthmore Recycling Center at 121 Dartmouth Avenue. The shed is serviced by Turnkey Enterprises, LLC, which pays the Borough for items collected. They accept used clothing, shoes, sneakers, belts, purses, blankets, linens and stuffed toys. The clothing collected is intended for continued use as clothes, so please do not deposit cut cloth or rags. They also do not accept pillows, fabric scraps, toys, or household goods.

Another change at the Swarthmore Recycling Center is that they no longer accept glass, plastic, or steel cans; those bins have been removed from the site. However, these items can still be recycled in the curbside pickup. According to the Borough web site, residents are still encouraged to take cardboard, newspaper, office paper, and aluminum to the Recycling Center instead of including it in their curbside collection bins. The Borough sells these valuable source-separated products on the local recycling market. Also note that shredded paper is accepted at the recycling center but not curbside.

As a reminder, hours of operation of the Borough Recycling Center are:

7:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. Weekdays
9:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. Weekends
Please be considerate of nearby neighbors and observe the posted hours.

Reduce the amount of lawn in your yard; convert little used or poorly growing turf into native landscaping

5/19/2022

While lawns are ubiquitous in our suburban landscape, this monoculture of grass is of little value to the native ecosystem. It is a time and money sink due to required maintenance, especially under trees and on hills where grass tends not to grow well. The way we maintain lawns also does direct harm to the environment: fertilizers and pesticides that we apply to keep it full and green kill beneficial insects and pollute waterways. Let go of this burden and rethink the structure of your yard by shrinking the size of your lawn to reduce the negative impacts on wildlife and replacing it with landscaping filled with native plants!

How to get started:
Make an assessment of your lawn. Ask yourself what parts you use and what parts you don’t. Are there areas where you struggle to get grass to grow well? Keep the lawn that you use for relaxing and playing outdoors, and convert the rest to landscaping. You don’t have to do this all at once. Start by planting a tree or shrub. Expand areas that are already landscaped.

Also consider mowing your lawn less frequently, particularly in April and May when spring ephemerals pop up in the lawn. As suggested by the “No Mow May Movement”, you can support pollinators by delaying mowing while the spring flowers (such as violets) are blooming.
Photos by Susan O'Donnell

Keep lights out at night through June while birds are migrating

5/12/2022

Migrating birds can become disoriented by artificial lights while they are migrating at night, causing them to fly off-course, wasting crucial energy needed for their long flight, or worse, being killed in window collisions. You can do your part to protect birds all year, but especially during the peak months of migration in the spring and fall. The Audubon Society outlines a number of steps that you can take to reduce light pollution affecting birds. At home, turn off decorative lighting facing up into trees, shrubs, and buildings. Install motion sensors for outdoor safety lights, and shield those lights so that they only face down. If you work in a tall building, talk to the building manager about turning off indoor lighting at night or pulling shades and eliminating unnecessary decorative outdoor lighting. These measures will also save money on energy costs!

Photo by Sean O'Donnell

Take advantage of Mother’s Day weekend native plant sales to restore wildlife habitat in your yard.

5/5/2022

Plants native to our area are vital parts of the local ecosystem, providing shelter and nesting sites as well as being a source of food and flowers to support pollinators. Native plants make a wonderful addition to your landscaping because they are adapted to the local climate and require less maintenance once established. Importantly, they are also add beautiful splashes of color and greens to the landscape!

Mother’s Day weekend offers a great opportunity to find native plants to add to your home. Brandywine Conservancy in Chadds Ford holds its annual wildflower, native plant and seed sale on May 7-8th this year, and they have volunteers on hand to answer questions about which plants work best in your yard. The plant sale at Tyler Arboretum in Media is also this weekend and includes a variety of native plants. Check out their list of natives to plan your visit. If you miss the special sales this year, you can purchase native plants throughout the season at Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve in New Hope and Redbud Native Plant Nursery right here in Media.

Changes at the Swarthmore Recycling Center: they have added a used clothing drop off but no longer collect plastic, glass, and steel

Reduce the amount of lawn in your yard; convert little used or poorly growing turf into native landscaping

Keep lights out at night through June while birds are migrating

Take advantage of Mother’s Day weekend native plant sales to restore wildlife habitat in your yard.

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