Hastings'
Zero Waste
Advisory Taskforce
A subcommittee of the Hastings-on-Hudson Conservation Commission
The TILI - Take It or Leave It - Garage is a free, volunteer-run initiative where you can drop off unwanted household items and/or take anything you like. This effort aims to reduce waste by diverting usable items from trash cans and helping them find new homes.
Please click here for accepted items, location, and to volunteer.
closed public holidays and in too wet/too hot/too cold weather
(check TiLi page for updates)
NEWS
Happy birthday, TILI!
Join us April 6th from noon-2pm for our 3rd birthday party. We'll provide music and snacks.
Thanks to funding from Bloomberg Philanthropies' Youth Climate Action Fund, HHS students Ella and Maya Tadmor have created a new look for a better-functioning TILI. Learn more.
Hajeong Lee and Ella Cajigao (with mentor Megan Roe) have used their grant from the Bloomberg Youth Climate Action Fund to create a microbusiness that focuses on making gorgeous jewelry out of plastic bottle tops. Bottle tops are notoriously difficult to recycle. Learn more.
Books are not recyclable in curbside recycling, nor in the dumpsters at the DPW yard. And, it is technically illegal in Hastings to throw out textiles; they must delivered to a bin.
Our Textile Bin and Book Bin are in the Zinsser Commuter parking lot (aka train station parking lot) near 115 Southside Ave. Learn more about why we have selected these recyclers: not all textile and book handlers are the same!
WHAT IS ZERO WASTE?
ZW is the conservation of resources by means of responsible production, consumption, reuse, and recovery of products, packaging and materials without burning and with no discharges to land, water, or air that threaten the environment or human health. From Zero Waste Alliance International.
Hastings' Zero Waste Advisory Taskforce
Hastings' ZWAT is a group of concerned Hastings-on-Hudson residents passionate about reducing our waste and helping raise awareness in our community. ZWAT is a subcommittee of the Hastings-on-Hudson Conservation Commission and works closely with Hastings' Climate Smart Communities Task Force. Its members research and implement community-wide solutions to help diminish the tonnage that is trucked to, and incinerated at, the WIN Waste facility in Peekskill. A total of 36 communities, representing approximately 90 percent of Westchester County’s population, send materials to this incinerator.
Join us!
Get in touch at hastingszwat@gmail.com
where should i start?
First, visit Hastings' Village website to make sure you're familiar with basic rules and schedules.
Next, get into the mindset of decreasing consumption. Use what you have, reduce purchases with excess packaging, and choose quality over quantity. With these simple shifts, you will begin to reduce your waste and its impact on our community and the communities around us.
Think: refuse, reduce, repair, compost, recycle—discarding should be a last resort. Do a trash audit and examine what your household is throwing out and recycling. Refuse what you don't need (especially freebies). Can you buy less? Can you do without? Can you find a reusable or a previously owned alternative? The less waste you create, the lighter your footprint.
Have you ever thought about where your trash, recycling and compost go once it is picked up? It doesn't just go "away." Understanding where it goes an important first step in reducing your waste. Learn all about it here!
"Use it Up, Wear it Out, Make it Do, or Do Without"
Use what you have, shop locally, borrow, buy used, and avoid packaging. Learn how to acquire things more sustainably.
Repairing is one of the best ways to reduce consumption and waste. Learn how and where to repair your beloved items.
It's easy to put things out to the curb, but it's better to find ways to give things new life. These are our preferred methods and resources.
Food waste is a huge problem, but your scraps can be turned into compost in your backyard or you can bring them to Hastings commercial food scrap drop. There's even a local pickup service business!
Many Hastings' downtown businesses embrace low-waste efforts. Did you know a local dry cleaner offers a reusable garment bag? Support local and go low-waste at the same time.
Our favorite links to resources where you can learn about the issues and how you can help .