Recycling for Pottawatomie County Residents

Do you live in the county? Do you wish you still had access to the Recycling Center Drop Off Bins formerly at Homeland? Then here's what you do. Call or email your county commissioner and request funding a recycling drop off center for the county residents' use.

Call:

Melissa Dennis, District 1 Commissioner (405) 273-1564

Randy Houser Thomas, District 2 Commissioner (405) 598-2046Eddie Stackhouse, District 3 Commissioner (405) 275-9753

Email:

pott-cocomm@sbcglobal.net

Sustainable Shawnee formally requested that the county enter into negotiations with Central Disposal to locate and fund one drop off center to recycle glass, paper, cardboard, plastic and metal at the April 30^th meeting. The rest is up to you. Together we can make this happen but those of you living in the county MUST call and email. Thank you!!

And There They Sit.....

And there they sit.... Please encourage your friends, neighbors and family to bring their recycling bins up to the house from the street. Many people have no idea why the bins are there or know that they now belong to them. Take a minute to explain the program to folks that may not be aware. It will be a great help to the community as we begin curbside recycling in Shawnee. Thank you.

Curbside Recycling Begins in Shawnee!

After many years of effort on the part of Sustainable Shawnee and others, curbside recycling is underway! The blue bins are being delivered this week (February 24-28th) and the first recycling pick up is scheduled for Monday, March 3rd.

Here are some facts you need to know for next week:

• Place your recycling bin next to your trash polycart on your regularly scheduled pick up day. Recycling and trash will be picked up on the same day.
• Washing out food cans or bottles is optional but recommended especially during the summer months.
• Cardboard and Glass can be recycled at the Central Disposal Drop-off Center (45th and Railroad tracks), 9am-5pm, M-F
• Paper, Cardboard and Metals can be taken for recycling to the Faith 7 Center located at 301 S. Kennedy, 8:30-2pm, M-F. The large blue roll-off containers will be placed there. Call 275-4223 for more information.
• The drop off center located at Homeland on Kickapoo and Independence will close on March 1st.
• For households with 1-3 people, call Central Disposal and ask for a smaller trash polycart. They will deliver the bin to your house at no cost and you will save $3.00/month on your bill making curbside recycling free for you!

More additional details on what exactly to recycle and other information, visit http://www.shawneeok.org/PublicWorks/Sanitation/curbside.asp.

Thank you for your support and let's get started recycling!

Shawnee Creek: The Path No Longer Travelled

Jim Kinnamon of Shawnee Proud, Pott. County Strong gave us an inspiring presentation of his vision for Shawnee Creek. With Mayor Mainord, Commissioner Harrod and representation from the City Planning Department present, we heard about the history of this forgotten area of Shawnee and how we might envision it's future.

Mr. Kinnamon described waterfalls, flocks of turkeys, wooded areas and beauty places of all kinds along the railroad tracks between the Shawnee Mall and downtown. "Why do people travel to Arkansas when they have something like this here?" Jim asked the audience. Much of the creek and the adjacent "Old Katy Line" was long ago abandoned by the railroad but much clean up is required to make the area accessible to the community. "I'd like to see mountain bike and walking trails along with recreational areas for everyone to use. What's holding us back is the fact that many residents use the creek to dump trash and the need for money to do proper clean up. We have the volunteers but the cost of renting the clearing equipment is $863/day." He is in talks with the Avedis Foundation and others to find the money to get the work done. "The City of Shawnee has been a great partner but they can't do everything. We need to do our part, too."

Sustainable Shawnee will be organizing a walk in March for its members and interested parties to join Mr. Kinnamon to see all that Shawnee Creek has to offer. The date is not yet set but will be advertised. "Shawnee has a great deal more to offer than we are presently enjoying," said Shawna Turner, President of Sustainable Shawnee. "We look forward to working with Jim and the City of Shawnee to make our community a more attractive and healthier place to live."

Jim concluded his talk by saying, "We have big dreams but we have to start somewhere." Indeed. Thanks to Jim and the Shawnee Chamber of Commerce for providing the AV equipment for the meeting. More to come....

Sustainable Shawnee Elects New Slate of Officers

Welcome to our 2014 Sustainable Shawnee Officers:

 

Shawna Turner, President
Cody Deem, Vice President
Shelby Shackelford, Secretary
Carole Turner, Treasurer

2014 is going to be a great year for community life in Shawnee. Curbside Recycling will begin across the city on March 1st. Sustainable Shawnee will be working with the City and Central Disposal to help get the word out about the program and encourage participation. We'll start off the year with a presentation on Multi-Purpose Trail opportunities for Shawnee scheduled for February 13th. I think we'll be suprised just how many scenic areas Shawnee has and what the opportunities for hiking, biking and walking in our area. Finally there's a great deal of interest in community gardening and nutrition! We hope to expand our garden as well as aid in opening another in Shawnee this year. There's a lot of good work to be done.

I invite our members to serve on a steering committee for one of the three activities I've mentioned above:

Curbside Recycling Education
Community Multi-Purpose Trails
Community Gardening

Email us at sustainableshawnee@gmail.com to volunteer or with questions about the upcoming year. Thank you for your continued support!

 

 

 

Sustainable Shawnee/Shawnee Peace Fellowship Christmas Dinner

Sustainable Shawnee and the Shawnee Peace Fellowship Christmas Dinner has been set! Join us at the Owl Shoppe on Main St. for a very festive gathering on Tuesday, Dec. 17th at 6:30 pm. We'll have a wonderful 4 course meal with wine (or the non-alcoholic beverage of your choice). BYOB if you wish. Musical entertainment will also be provided. The price is $25/person and we will need an RSVP. We have only 50 seats available so let us know right away if you wish to attend. RSVP to sustainableshawnee@gmail.com or by message to Facebook by Friday, December 13th and confirm whether you'd prefer a Vegetarian, Beef or Salmon entree.

25 Tons of Electronic Waste Recycled at Community Event

25 tons of electronics collected
Local recycling event diverts two truckloads from landfill.
By SNS
Posted Nov. 21, 2013 @ 11:37 am
SHAWNEE

Sustainable Shawnee, the Absentee Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma, Natural Evolution of Tulsa and Direct Colors Inc. held a free electronic waste recycling event recently for Shawnee and surrounding communities.

“We diverted two truckloads or approximately 25 tons of electronics from the landfill at this event.” said Shawna Turner, President of Sustainable Shawnee and general manager for Direct Colors. “All the material collected will be shredded and responsibly recycled in the United States.”

Traci Phillips with Natural Evolution, an electronics recycler from Tulsa, told Sustainable Shawnee members that “over 2.5 billion tons of electronic waste is created worldwide each year.

Electronics contain everything from the benign to the extremely hazardous and virtually everything can be recycled in some way. Toxic materials like lead and heavy metals can easily leach out of irresponsibly disposed of electronic waste into surrounding soils and water. Recycling saves landfill space, allows for reuse and prevents unnecessary pollution.”

For the complete article, visit the Shawnee News-Star Website.

Join Us for the Don't Waste: Create! Art Reception at Mabee-Garrer!

Friday, November 8thReception, 7pm
Mabee- Gerrer Museum of Art, St. Gregory's University
2013 Regional Art Exhibition at Mabee-Gerrae Museum at St. Gregory's University featuring art made from repurposed materials.Sustainable Shawnee has been selected as this year’s community charity so enter your art project, www.mgmoa.org/exhibitions/upcoming-exhibits/regional-2013-entry-info/, and bring newspapers, magazines or other paper to recycle for free museum admission.

2013 Tapas at Twilight 5th Annual Local Foods Dinner

 

 

Special Thanks to Harvest Creek Farms, Jerri Parker, Grangeville Tea Room, The Old Owl Shoppe, Giorgio's Pizza, Kim's Place, Gliori's, SPAR (Saving Pets At Risk) and our own Sustainable Shawnee members for preparing what must have been the best food ever for our event. Remember that these businesses are open year round and I hope you'll continue to give them your support.

 

We look forward to seeing everyone again next year!