RECYCLING REVIEW You should have received a garbage and recycling schedule in this issue of Mt. Lebanon Magazine. If you did not, you can pick one up at the Mt. Lebanon Municipal Building, or download one from the public works section of the municipal website, www.mtlebanon.org.

Mt. Lebanon’s trash contractor is Waste Management.

Here’s a quick overview of what items are
acceptable for recycling:

Plastic bottles, jugs, jars and tubs marked 1 or 2. Plastic tubs of the type that held food such as yogurt, cottage cheese, cream cheese, and butter. Lids and all food must be removed before the container can be recycled.

Paper, cardboard and paperboard. Place paper loose in the recycling container. Don’t put anything in plastic bags and don’t shred paper. Mt. Lebanon schedules special recycling events for shredding paper and for recycling electronic devices.

Food and beverage cans. As with the plastic containers, all food debris must be removed before placing containers in the recycling bin.

Items not accepted in curbside recycling
include:

Glass. The Pennsylvania Resources Council holds several glass recycling events across the region. Mt. Lebanon Magazine will publicize these events throughout the year. Also, you can take glass, separated by color, to Michael Brothers, 901 Horning Road.

Plastic bags and plastic film. Find ways to recycle this material at www.plasticfilmrecycling.org.

Plastics marked with numbers 3-7. Michael Brothers will also accept these plastics.

CHRISTMAS TREE PICKUP Waste Management will be collecting Christmas trees at curbside on Saturday, January 8 and Saturday, January 15. Please have your tree at the curb the night before either collection date. Trees must not be in a bag and must be free of all lights and decorations, including tinsel. The trees will be recycled into wood chips and any foreign material on the tree could potentially damage the equipment.

DRIVE SAFELY It’s that time of year again, when we use colorful and imaginative language as we renew our acquaintance with the snowblower and the ice scraper. Most important thing to remember: Don’t warm your car up inside your attached garage. Carbon monoxide from the exhaust fumes can reach inside the house. Give yourself extra time to negotiate the slick roads and vehicle crashes and other emergency scenes. Keep emergency supplies, like blankets and reflective road-marker triangles, in your vehicle.

SAFE AND WARM Always plug space heaters—and any other appliances—directly into a wall outlet. Don’t use surge protectors or extension cords, because the heavy electrical load could cause them to overheat. Make sure you have a three-foot space around any heating appliance, and don’t leave the heaters unattended. If you have a fireplace, be sure to have a screen in front.

WHEN IT SNOWS When we get an inch or more of snow, residents have 24 hours and businesses have four hours after the end of the snowfall to clear the sidewalk in front of their property or be subject to a citation. If you’re a snowbird, sitting out the winter someplace warm, you still need to make arrangements to have your property cleared of snow and ice. If you are a senior who needs help with shoveling snow,  call Mt. Lebanon High School Chore Corps at 412-344-2105 or email jkolko@mtlsd.net.

And while you are gone, remember that the Mt. Lebanon Police Department is happy to check in on your home. Stop by the Public Safety Building, 555 Washington Road, to pick up a request form. If you have any questions, call 412-343-4143.

AND SNOWS SOME MORE When snow is in the forecast, move your car off the street between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. Even if you previously received permission to park on the street, that permission is suspended when the plows need to get through.

Kids home on a snow day? Have them do a good deed by shoveling around your neighborhood’s fire hydrants. This will save precious time in the event the fire department needs access to water.

BE SEEN This time of year it gets dark pretty early. Like insanely early. It’s like you wake up in darkness, then before you know, bam! Dark again. So if you plan on going for a run or a walk after work, while you’re cursing the dark, dark darkness, put on something highly visible. Because it’s so dark, man!