New program drawing recyclers

Renee Allemand Simpson
The parish has seen great participation in the recycling bin program that began March 1. Currently, parish officials are looking into solutions for managing the higher-usage bins, especially at Lakewood Elementary in Luling and Ormond Fire Station in Destrehan.

Please help us keep the bins safe and usable for all residents by adhering to these rules:

Before recycling, make sure to remove all food and liquid from bottles or cans. Rinse them and remove caps. Items do not need to be sorted but should be placed together in a bag or box.

Materials accepted include plastic containers (numbers 1-3 and clear drink bottles), white or colored paper, cardboard (without food residue), paperboard (including cereal boxes), newspapers with inserts, magazines, phone books, junk mail and steel, tin and aluminum cans.

Materials not accepted include glass, plastic shopping bags (these may be recycled at local stores), aerosol cans, pots and pans, furniture, toys, Styrofoam, pizza boxes, hardback books and paper napkins, cups or plates. Please do not dump garbage in the bins.

Residents interested in getting information from the parish about recycling and other topics are invited to sign up for e-mail alerts by logging on to stcharlesparish-la.gov and clicking 'E-Newsletters' at the top of the page. A recycling locations flyer is available at that web address for download.

The parish continues to seek feedback on the location of the bins and suggestions on possible additional locations. Residents may call (985) 783-5182 or e-mail publicinfo@stcharlesgov.net.

Severe weather outlook
Severe spring weather made its debut with a vengeance last week, with two tornado warnings and about three inches of rain within 45 minutes in some parts of St. Charles Parish.

The St. Charles Parish Emergency Operations Center uses the parish's outdoor warning sirens to alert residents to tornado warnings as instated by the National Weather Service. Because tornadoes present an immediate threat to life and property, emergency personnel use all tools available to them to make people aware of the situation and inform residents of any protective actions recommended.

Sirens mean serious business. Residents should tune in to local media or Government Access Channel Cox 6 for further instructions. But please be aware that in severe weather situations, the best meteorological information will be found on network or radio news.

For definitive information, turn to weather.gov, the website of the National Weather Service. On the front page, simply type in your zip code and click 'Go.' There you'll find the full text of any tornado warning with storm location details.

Tornado warnings mean that a tornado has either been spotted in the area or indicated on radar, and residents should move to the lower level of their homes, avoid windows and take any other necessary protective actions.

During a warning, the emergency coordinator on duty at EOC is busy making notifications via sirens, Channel 6, the emergency alert system, AM radio and more.

To sign up for emergency text, e-mail and phone alerts from St. Charles Parish, log on to stcharlesparish-la.gov and click on 'Emergency Alert System.'

Look for more details on the celebration in further editions of the Herald-Guide and at scptrashbash.org.