Agenda - Council Work Session - 08/11/2009

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Simple Sort Recycling is Coming to Ramsey In just a few months, Simple Sort Recycling will begin in Ramsey. Simple Sort Recycling simply means that residents will no longer need to separate acceptable materials for recycling! So, that means one less step for residents while recycling. Under the Simple Sort Recycling program, each single family home will receive a mid-size 64-gallon cart and each townhouse will receive a 35-gallon cart. The carts will have wheels and a gray lid to distinguish it from your garbage can. The carts will make it easier to move the recyclables out to the street and they are larger than the current bins, meaning there is more room for recyclable materials. Even cardboard boxes can be put in the carts without being flattened and bundled together! Acceptable recyclable materials include the following: · Newspaper, magazines, catalogs, phone books · Direct mail advertising, envelopes of all types · Paperback books, file folders, notebooks, clean paper bags · Colored paper, fax and telex sheets · Boxboard: cereal, cake, and chip boxes and corrugated cardboard · Metal food cans and aluminum beverage cans · Glass bottles and jars · Plastic bottles such as soda, milk, shampoo, water and laundry contamers The collection schedule will remain the same, with recyclables being collected every other Monday. ACE Solid Waste will be sending out additional information regarding the Simple Sort Recycling program. Information will also be posted on the city's website. Outdoor Warning Sirens Warning sirens are the most effective method to warn the population at large of dangerous conditions. People may be outdoors at ball games or in their yard where they are not in contact with media outlets such as radio, TV or local public address systems. However, one of the most common misconceptions about warning sirens is that they will alert you to dangerous conditions even when you are indoors. While some people may live close enough to hear the sirens .indoors, this is not their intended purpose. They are deSIgned to advise people who are outside that a hazardous condition exists or is approaching. Newer structures are insulated better and are more likely to keep sound out and sirens cannot be made louder to penetrate buildings because doing so would pose a danger to the hearing of people who are outdoors. A battery operated radio or TV is the best way to stay advised of possible dangerous conditions when indoors. Sirens in Anoka County are tested on the first Wednesday of each month at 1 :00 p.m. The first test is comprised of a steady signal for approximately one minute. A second test follows, which consists of a series of short blasts or a wavering (warbling) tone. The second test also lasts approximately one minute. In an actual emergency, sirens will sound for longer than one minute, between three to five minutes, and then will be repeated when the emergency or situation has passed. Please Clear Snow From Hydrants Please help us keep snow away from fire hydrants. Snow piled or shoveled close to hydrants restricts operation during a fire emergency. After a snowfall the Public Works Department is responsible for clearing snow from city streets: Depending on the amount and type of snow thIS could take several days. We are requesting your help in keeping our fire hydrants accessible. Please clear a four-foot circle around the hydrant near your home to assure easy access for our Fire Department. If you have any questions or comments, please call N elson~RalI1St1Y Fire DepartlllGI1t at 763-:427-