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Did you hear about the great recycling event sponsored by the Salinas Valley Solid Waste Authority? It was called “Plug or Play” and was meant to target e-waste recycling. This was truly an event because it featured music and free gifts throughout the day. The “Plug and Play” aspect meant that if you had something that is plugged into the way and has a play button it can be recycled. Here’s their official pitch: “Recycling e-waste is important because it’s illegal to dispose of it in the trash or recycling bin. Bringing computers, TVs, monitors, VCRs, DVD players, cell phones, etc., to an environmentally responsible e-waste recycler like SVSWA ensures that toxic materials will be safely removed, personal data destroyed, and useful resources recycled.” Well said. Only there’s a slight problem with the “Plug and Play” event. It already happened. Did you miss it? You’re probably not alone.
Sponsoring an event like this does a lot for make the public aware of the need to properly dispose of e-waste. Even if you can’t make this event you’ll be on notice that you shouldn’t toss your old computer or TV out with the trash. That’s a good thing. But now what do you do with all your worn out or ancient “plug and play” gadgets and gizmos? Actually, you can do the same thing as you can do with the rest of your junk: hire professional junk haulers.
Believe it or not a professional junk hauling team really cares about your junk. In some ways, they’ll treat it with as much respect as you have by giving it a proper “send off.” This is especially true with your e-waste. There are many certified recycling centers located around the Monterey area. You don’t have to search them out when you’ve got the professional junk haulers at Junk King Monterey working on your behalf. They’ll do the drop off even if it means making several drop offs. That’s because not all recycling centers are the same. For instance, the big places will take in recycling materials like plastic or paper and just focus on that. For computer recycling, you need to go to a center that has trained technicians who are skilled at the “reverse manufacturing” process. They’ll be taking apart those computers, monitors and office equipment instead of putting them back together. Once they have been disassembled, the different components go into different bins all with the guarantee of not ending up in a landfill. But again, you don’t have to worry about any of that!
Junk King, who will take away your e-waste, can also handle any other bulky item in the same trip. If you’re getting a new computer why not set up a new home office? Clear out all the clutter and you’re good to go! So, what are you going to do with your e-waste?
For years there has been a battle raging in Monterey over one of the most pristine and scenic stretches of the Pacific Coast: Pebble Beach. At issue is a proposed expansion of the area put forth by developers who want to build a new hotel, expand existing hotels and develop 90 lots for new homes. All told this is a whooping 200 million dollar project that will be a boost for the local economy. What stood in the way were a group of environmentalists and local residents who all worried about the impact this project would have. After plenty of studies, hearings and debate the California Coastal Commission gave the green light to the plan. This comes as welcome news for the developers.
While there have been some signs that the foreclosure crisis is easing in certain parts of the country, California is still feeling the pain especially when it comes to Federal Housing Administration insured home loans. Even the homeowners that were offered relief with some refinancing options have slipped back into default. This has resulted in an increase of foreclosures in the state in the last several months. While this is obviously bad news for those homeowners, this could be turned into a “plus” especially in areas such as Monterey where housing is at a premium. If you are thinking about investing in the real estate market don’t discount the foreclosed home to provide you with a bunch of viable listings.
Ever since “Jaws” hit the movie theaters back in 1977 summer has become a time when Hollywood releases its big blockbusters. To the diehard aficionado there are some movies that simply must be experienced in a theater. However, thanks to advances in movie playback and television technology it’s easy to convert just about any room in your house into your very own private screening room. This will allow you to bring the blockbusters right into your theater at any time of year. First, you want to make sure you’ve got the very best in television technology. As you go shopping for new television you might want to keep the following tips in mind:
The Monterey City Disposal Service has some helpful hints for anyone who is moving into a new home or apartment. For instance, they recommend that if you know you have a move coming up you should start collecting useful items like empty boxes, bubble wrap or anything else you might use to wrap up your fragile items. The goal would be for you to reuse the kinds of boxes that are thrown out by stores instead of buying them new. They also recommend that when you change your address with the Post Office just file it as a temporary change versus a permanent change. This is because the U.S. Postal Service sells lists of permanent addresses to junk mail marketers but they don’t do so with temporary addresses. Thanks Postal Service!
Over at the official website of the city of Monterey, they provide some helpful information about getting rid of bulky items. Basically, you’re told that to get rid of something that won’t fit into your weekly garbage can pick up you can call for an appointment with the city. You need to tell them 24 hours in advance of your regular pickup. Then, and here is the catch, you’ve got to drag that item out to your curb and hope for the best. “Hope” is indeed involved with this process because as it clearly states on the website “For numerous items Athens Services might require more than one pick-up day for removal.” To demonstrate this point, the website features a photograph of a hideous pink sofa someone has dragged out to their curb waiting for a pick-up. By the looks of this sofa, it wouldn’t be surprising even if the garbage collectors drive on past.
As proclaimed by the Monterey County Herald, garden shows are in full bloom. Changing the clocks over for daylight savings time is a perfect reminder that spring is just around the corner and garden shows are great way to catch spring fever. This year the 27th annual San Francisco Flower and Garden show will be featuring vibrant exhibitions from many gardeners who called Monterey their home. What makes these types of garden shows unique is their ability to display the many wide varieties of drought tolerant plants. As the song goes “it never rains in California.” That means our gardens have to be adaptable to prolonged dry spells. That’s not a problem for these gardeners as they will be showing off literally thousands of varieties of plants and shrubs all grown to picture perfect perfection.
While it might be true that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, whether or not that day will turn out to be any good could come down to whether or not you had a good night’s sleep. Most doctors recommend at least 7 to 8 hours of rest per night. While that is certainly a noble goal to strive for, it is often out of the reach for many folks. However, there are some helpful steps you could take to increase your chances of getting that good night’s rest.
If there is one thing that Monterey residents enjoy it is spending time outside. Fortunately there are many community organizations that are happy to create fun activities throughout the year. These activities cover all the bases from intense physical exertion to mellow Zen like relaxation. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with engaging in both ends of that spectrum!
Whether you call it a swap meet, a flea market or yard sale there are plenty bargains to be had outside of the traditional brick and mortar type of retail stores. There have been many stories in the press about treasures found at a yard sale that turn out to be priceless objects of art or pieces of history. Most of us are just looking for good deal. Spending the weekend touring through the idyllic Monterey and Santa Cruz neighborhoods could have you overwhelmed with the opportunities of all the flea markets available to bargain hunt. One of the most popular in the Santa Cruz area is the Skyview flea market. No matter where you end up you should keep these helpful hints in mind especially if you’re shopping for a big item like furniture.