After the holiday festivities end, Clark County Public Health urges residents to recycle their Christmas trees, rather than sending them to the landfill.

Before trees are recycled, all lights, tinsel, wire, ornaments and stands must be removed. Flocked and artificial trees cannot be recycled and should be placed in the garbage.

Waste Connections will pick up trees from customers with yard debris or organics collection or regular garbage service available in most parts of the county. Trees taller than 5 feet must be cut into smaller sections no longer than 5 feet, regardless… Read More

A new state vital records law that changes the ordering requirements for birth and death certificates goes into effect on Jan. 1.

The last day to submit 2020 birth and death certificate orders is Dec. 29. This deadline is to ensure all orders placed in 2020 are completed before the new law goes into effect. Orders placed on Dec. 30 and Dec. 31 will be returned. All orders placed in 2021 must meet the requirements of the new law.

Beginning Jan. 1, only individuals with specific relationships to the person on the record being requested – birth or death certificate – can… Read More

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last week announced options for shortening the recommended 14-day quarantine for people exposed to COVID-19. The Washington State Department of Health adopted those options, and Clark County Public Health and other health departments across Southwest Washington are also adopting the options for people who do not live or work in high-priority settings.

The CDC, state Department of Health and Clark County Public Health continue to recommend that people who have been in close contact with someone who tests positive for COVID-19 quarantine… Read More

During the holiday festivities, Clark County Solid Waste and Environmental Outreach encourages people to take steps to reduce their holiday waste.

Household waste in the U.S. increases by more than 25 percent between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day. Trash cans fill up with holiday food waste, shopping bags, bows and ribbons, packaging, and wrapping paper that contribute an additional 1 million tons a week to our landfill. But by taking a few simple steps to reduce, reuse and recycle, the holiday season can be a little greener.

The holidays may look different this year, with… Read More

Clark County’s Green Business program is hosting a virtual event on Dec. 8 for businesses to learn about the upcoming statewide plastic bag ban.

Beginning in 2021, single-use plastic carryout bags will be prohibited, and a fee will be charged for approved carryout bags at all retail, grocery and convenience stores. The ban also applies to restaurants offering takeout or delivery food or goods.

Shannon Jones, a materials management coordinator with the Washington Department of Ecology, will explain the purpose of the ban, the timeline for implementation, and the requirements… Read More

The Clark County Council is seeking applicants for two volunteer positions on the Solid Waste Advisory Commission.

One position represents north Clark County, and the other represents the county at-large. Applicants for the north Clark County position must live north of 179th Street or the extension thereof. The three-year terms begin Jan. 1, 2021. Upon expiration of a term, a member can apply again. There is no limit on how many terms a member can serve.

The commission advises the county council on solid waste issues, such as recycling, garbage collection, landfills,… Read More

Clark County Public Health continues to work through an influx of COVID-19 cases. Last week, more than 1,100 COVID-19 cases were reported in Clark County.

Last week, Public Health announced it was modifying its COVID-19 response to prioritize interviewing cases and identifying priority locations where exposures may have occurred. Public Health continues to work closely with priority locations, which include schools, long-term care facilities, the jail and food processing facilities, to prevent… Read More

Clark County’s Master Composter Recycler program is offering a series of free sustainable green living webinars this fall.

Here are the upcoming workshops:

• Green Cleaning: 7 to 8:30 pm Wednesday, Nov. 18.
• Recycling Done Right: 7 to 8:30 pm Wednesday, Nov. 25.
• Preventing Food Waste in the First Place: 7 to 8:30 pm Wednesday, Dec. 2.

The green cleaning webinar teaches participants how to use environmentally friendly alternatives to common household cleaning products that may contain… Read More

In the last month, COVID-19 case numbers in Clark County have increased 50%, with more than 2,000 new cases reported in four weeks. In the last week, Clark County has averaged more than 100 cases per day. Today, Clark County announced 277 new cases.

The dramatic surge in cases has strained Clark County Public Health’s ability to quickly reach people who have tested positive for COVID-19. And that has impacted Public Health’s ability to identify and notify close contacts in a timely manner, which reduces the effectiveness of the contact tracing process.

As a result, Clark… Read More

Clark County Public Health launched a new online data exploration tool called the Healthier Clark County InfoMap. The interactive tool offers a new way of learning about health issues and how they impact people in Clark County. Through data visualized on maps and charts, users can explore how health and the circumstances and environments that influence health are distributed across the county.

“Public Health is excited to make health-related data more easily accessible to the community through the Healthier Clark County InfoMap online tool,” said David Hudson, Healthy Communities… Read More