Save money and the environment at the same time!

Your home uses energy every day, all day long. It uses energy to keep you warm in the winter and cool in the summer. It uses energy to provide you with light when you need it. It uses energy to provide you with hot water. And it uses energy to run all of your appliances and home electronics.

As concern for our environment has increased in recent years, so have the federal and state demands on our local water treatment and pollution control plants to improve their processes and facilities. This has greatly increased the costs that the City of Iowa City must transfer on to its utility customers. In the face of rising costs for water and sewer services, conservation can be a way for citizens to do themselves a favor to the environment and to their pocketbook at the same time. You pay for every drop, whether it's used wisely or wasted, so water conservation is something we should all practice.

When you conserve water, you also save on other services. When you use less hot water, there is less energy needed to heat that water, thereby reducing your gas and electric bill. When you use less water, you also put less water down your sewer drains, thereby reducing your sewer bill. So you can see, by implementing a simple conservation program, you are helping the environment by helping ease the burden on water storage, purification, distribution and treatment facilities.

See the following web sites for tips on conservation:

Recycling

If you live in an apartment building or house with 4 rental units or less, your landlord should provide a covered, blue recycling bin. If a bin is not supplied by your landlord, contact the Streets Department at 356-5180 and they will provide one to you.

If you live in an apartment that has more than 4 units your landlord will probably use a contracted garbage service and provide a dumpster behind your apartment. Recycling services will not usually be provided. If you wish to recycle, you can take your recyclables to several sites that are open 24 hours a day:

• City Carton Recycling
  3 East Benton Street
  Newspaper, white paper, corrugated cardboard, glass (clear, brown, green), #1 and #2 plastics, metal cans, magazines, chipboard (cereal boxes), phone books
  
  
• Hy-Vee Food Store
  1201 North Dodge Street
  Newspaper, glass (clear, brown, green), #1 and #2 plastics, metal cans
  
  
• Eastdale Plaza
  1st Avenue and Lower Muscatine Road
  Newspaper, #1 and #2 plastics
  
  
• DrugTown
  1st Avenue and Rochester
  Newspaper, #1 and #2 plastics
  
  
• Iowa City Landfill & Recycle Center
  3900 Hebl Avenue SW, Iowa City
  7 AM - 4:30 PM, Monday-Saturday... Closed when windy; call 356-5185