Have you seen this receptacle before? In 2016, four cigarette butt receptacles were installed in downtown Millbrae to help smokers have a place to stash their cigarette butts. The receptacles installed reduced butts by 49% near the installation area over a four month period.
Four million disposable one pound propane cylinders are sold every year in California alone. Consumers are spending around $4.00+ per disposable cylinder, just to be able to use about $0.30 worth of propane gas inside.
We are so lucky to be able to catch and eat fresh seafood from the San Francisco Bay, but does it always make a healthy dinner?
There are now over 20 locations where you can go to get rid of unwanted or expired medicine!
Find a location near you that now includes local pharmacies at smchealth.org/RxDisposal. Don’t see your local pharmacy on the list of collection locations? Ask the owner or manager to join the MED-Project Safe Disposal Program to make medicine disposal more convenient for you and your neighbors!
Here are five ways to reduce the amount of hazardous waste generated in your home and the time you have to spend disposing of it.
1. Clean Safer
You don’t bake with bleach, but did you know you don’t have to clean with it either? Many ingredients you cook with can also be used to clean your home. Think lemon, vinegar, and baking soda. For cleaning recipes, visit: smchealth.org/safercleaning
Does your favorite nail salon have one of these?
Certified Healthy Nail Salons that provide acrylic nail services in San Mateo County do!
The filtration system allows you to breathe easier knowing it’s there to protect your health by reducing hazardous fumes and dust that are emitted from chemicals in acrylic powders and liquids, nail polishes, and removers.
For over three years, San Mateo County has continued to partner with certified salons by providing a filtration system and continuing education on how to protect everyone’s health while in the salon.
Today the Program proudly recognizes 14 salons in the County and over 100 salons throughout the state of California, and the number of certified salons
keeps growing.
Is your go-to salon not certified? Give us a call, and we’ll help your salon “get the
stink out” by asking them to join the Healthy Nail Salon Program for free at (650) 339 9526.
For a complete list of certified salons, and to get text or email discounts to a certified salon of up to $5 off, visit smchealth.org/healthynails
Each time you make an appointment to drop-off household hazardous waste through San Mateo County’s program you are protecting the environment. However, we all recognize it can be a burden to sort and shuffle all that waste into your car, make an appointment, and then drive to get rid of it! But what if we told you there was a way to reduce the amount of drop-off trips while also protecting the environment? Good news, there is a way!
If you reduce the amount of hazardous materials you purchase, the less waste you accumulate, and the less trips you have to make! Not only does it make your life more convenient, it’s safer, may save some cash, and does even more to save the environment.
Today there are so many less-toxic alternatives to replace products that end up as hazardous waste. Here are some to consider….
Follow these tips to stay food safe this holiday season whether you are making a Christmas ham, Kwanzaa jerk chicken or Hanukkah latkes.
What food tips or recipes do you have to share with us? Comment below!
Happy Holidays from Environmental Health Services!
San Mateo County’s Healthy Nail Salon Program Coordinator, Kathryn Cooke, ventured to Boston in November to accept the 2016 Roy Family Award for Environmental Partnership given by Harvard University on behalf of the County.
The program is a partnership between nail salons, the California Healthy Nail Salon Collaborative, Asian Health Services, and the counties of San Mateo, San Francisco, Alameda, Santa Clara, and the City of Santa Monica. The purpose of the program is to improve ventilation and protect nail salon workers and customers from hazardous chemicals found in nail products.
Have you seen these PASS placards around San Mateo County?
It’s been eleven months since Environmental Health Services (EHS) started putting up color-coded food placards as part of routine food inspections in San Mateo County.
Since January 2016, 86% of restaurants, bakeries, grocery stores and other food facilities have enrolled in the program and are now displaying green “PASS” placards. EHS staff initially issued 38 yellow “CONDITIONAL PASS” and 29 red “CLOSED” placards, however through technical assistance provided all of these food facilities are now displaying green “PASS” placards.
Since the placards went live we’ve received some questions from you about the program, so we’ve summarized some quick facts about what the green, yellow and red colors mean and where to look for them the next time you head out to your favorite restaurant, cafeteria, or café.
