Solid waste districts and alliances throughout Vermont have joined together to form the Vermont Product Stewardship Council to promote a waste reduction concept that is gaining national momentum. The council, which is only the fourth of its kind in the United States, will work to encourage manufacturers to take responsibility for products that are problematic to dispose of, such as electronics and paint. Read more: vtpsc.org

Americans with older, analog televsions, which receive signals by antenna, must switch to digital by Feb. 17, 2009. Subscribers to cable or satellilte service should ask their providers if they need special equipment for digital reception. If you don't buy a digital model, a converter box will change digital signals back to analog. The boxes range from $50 to $75 each, but starting January 1, 2008 U.S. households may request up to two $40 coupons, to apply to the purchase of the boxes. The coupons must be used within 60 days. For more info, go to www.dtv.gov or call 1-888-225-5322. If you do decide to buy a new, more efficient, digital TV, all LRSWMD stations accept TV's for recycling.

With the cost of bagged trash going up in January 2008, and the cost of recycling going down, what better time than now to make big changes in the way you recycle. View and print a leaflet explaining what plastics can be now be recycled:
- Recycling Just Got Easier (PDF, 136 KB)