The Great Neck Water Pollution Control District from its inception in the early 1900's has always strived to lead the way in preserving and protecting our environment.
When it comes to running the District Facilities for the citizens of Great Neck and beyond, we believe in conservation and protecting our environment while still providing the best service we possibly can. We minimize waste and use recycled materials whenever and wherever we can, while constantly looking for ways to reduce energy consumption all the while. Besides our Recycling Programs, the District also makes conserving and protecting our environment a top priority in every way possible. The littlest of changes, can make the biggest of effects. Is the easy way always the green way? No, it isn't always. But it sure is the right way and we hope to lead the way for others to follow as we head deeper into the 21st Century.
The Great Neck Water Pollution Control District strives to follow four basic principals on saving our planet and helping our community. RECYCLE -- We recycle all the goods and materials used in the office and in our sewers, as well as buy only recycled materials when available to do so. REDUCE -- Instead of just buying more copy paper to use, we buy 100% Recycled Copy Paper that not only helps reduce waste but saves the trees. When it comes to lighting we use energy saving bulbs and only have lights on when someone is currently occupying it. Thus reducing energy consupmtion and use. REUSE -- Biofuels is an example of how we can reduce fuel costs and demand. Reusing the very oil made in resturants in our own District to power our vehicles and generators rather than just wasting said fuels is a great way of reusing resources instead of just buying more. PRESERVE -- It is our hope that our efforts can help to preserve not only Great Neck, but the entire planet. We don't just clean the sewage that we process, but everything we do great or small, we hope will somehow save the planet we all share and live on for a long time to come.
The Great Neck Water Pollution Control District recycles every bit of paper and plastic that is to be discarded. Paper products including: Copy Paper to be thrown out, shredded papers in our various shredders, newspapers and even scrap paper are all placed into the various recycling bins we have around the plant.
Plastic products including: Plastic cups, soda bottles, plastic found in shipped boxes and any other plastics that are recyclable are also placed into the various recycling bins around the plant. All materials collected in the bins are taken personally by our employees to the Village of Great Neck Recycling drop off to be reused and reprocessed properly. Even the garbage bags we use for throwing out the non recyclables are 100% biodegradable that are purchased from the New York State Industries for the Blind.
When it comes to office supplies we know that there are many choices in both quality and cost. But the District goes that extra step to make sure that we find quality office goods that are made from 100% recycled materials. It's that little extra step that helps save and preserve our environment.
The District also saves power and energy by conserving the power and natural resources required to run the plant efficiently. For instance all medium base light bulbs used are energy saving spiral econo light bulbs. They use less energy and have to be changed less frequently than conventional light bulbs. All other lighting at our plant, is either T8 or T12 long fluorescent tube light bulbs that also conserve and save on energy and power usage.
The light switches themselves are sensor activated meaning that they will turn on when someone enters a room and turn off automatically when they are no longer there. Also saving energy and making sure that the power isn't running when it isn't needed.
Bio Fuel is a great way to help Recycle, Reduce, Reuse and Preserve. The Great Neck Water Pollution Control District produces about 150 gallons per month in Bio Fuel. At a cost of $1.18 a gallon. And a total time of 4 hours per month to create said fuel. Biofuels are defined as: a solid, liquid, or gaseous fuel produced from organic (once-living) matter. The District uses vegetable oil that would otherwise be discarded by these restaurants and convert it into useable fuel for the trucks that normally would run on Diesel fuel. Not only does this help to preserve our environment by keeping the oil out of the sewers, landfills and drains, but it helps save on fuel necessities and is cleaner and friendlier to our environment. By reusing the oil again, we reduce our need for fossil fuel based products and also do our part to help the environment. Bio Fuel emits significantly lower levels of Carbon Dioxide, Carbon Monoxide and particulate matter. Plus it actually smells like fried food when it is burned. We will be continuously expanding our Bio Fuel programs as we head deeper into the 21st Century.
As you can imagine, a government building such as the sewer treatment plant, can go through a lot of batteries and printing cartridges in a short amount of time. When people don't recycle these, they just wind up being thrown out where the chemicals within them can leak into the soil or water supply. For printing, we at the District buy only cartridges that use recycled ink and toner that are able to be recycled once they are empty of ink. And the battieries we use are recycled. And that goes for any and all batteries that are used at the District in any capacity.
These can include regular alkaline batteries that are used for our portable devices for use on the road away from the District facilities and while maintaining the sewers of the District, as well as the larger more industrial type batteries used on the property itself. All of these will be recycled and sent to proper recycling facilities so that they can be refurbished in environmentally safe manners. Cell phone batteries as well will be recycled back through the company that provided them before we will replace them with a new one for our various District cellular phones.
The same is true of our printing cartridges. The District has eight various printers and/or copiers in active use and whether they are laser or ink jet all have cartridges or toners that have to be disposed of when they run out. The empty cartridges are sent back to the particular company themselves as part of their own green programs that will have them recycled for use again. The District will ONLY buy from companies that have green programs, and that will recycle the cartridges in the proper Earth friendly methods. Keeping them out of the environment and allowing them to be used again also saves valuable resources.
We at the Great Neck Water Pollution Control District are proud to continue our efforts to keep our District "GREEN" and hope that others will join us and help save the environment in any way they can. It doesn't take much to make a difference.
Not only is it the District's responsibility to keep the water and sewage maintained properly as it heads back into Manhasset Bay, but we feel it is our duty to keep all aspects of our plant's daily activities environmentally friendly and ecologically efficient. If you have any more questions about the District's Green Program or any suggestions or ideas on how we can do even more to help recycle, reduce, reuse and preserve, please don't hesitate to contact us at:
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