Upper St. Clair is taking steps to become more sustainable.

Ron Sarrick, Upper St. Clair Public Works' buildings/grounds and sustainability administrator, spoke to the Upper St. Clair Citizens of Land Stewardship about the efforts on Tuesday night.

Sarrick began working for the township in 1974 and had sustainability administrator added to his title 17 months ago.

"I think recycling is one of the biggest things we need to work on," he said.

Upper St. Clair was one of ten municipalities who participated in a 2011 recycling competition. The township came in third place for the most tonnage collected and tied with Mt. Lebanon for fourth place in the percentage of items collected compared to 2010's totals.

Sarrick said when he drives through the community, he sees many residents who set out the small milk crates of recyclables instead of using the township-provided 32-gallon recycling bins.

"I don't think we're doing a very good job at recycling in the community," he said. "I think we could probably step up the education."

However, Sarrick said he was pleased with the amount of recycling he sees happen at the Public Works building and said there's also a big recycling bin at the Upper St. Clair Volunteer Fire Department.

He was also satisfied with the township's first document shredding event that took place last September. He said 3,052 pounds of personal documents were destroyed and recycled. Two more events are scheduled in 2012 on May 12 and Oct. 13.

A CLS member asked Sarrick if the township would consider allowing residents to only have one issued garbage can that all the trash would have to fit into—a system that is being used in Cranberry Township. CLS member Preston Shimer, a former Upper St. Clair commissioner, said they looked at the possibility, but had concerns about Upper St. Clair's steep hills and driveways for the large garbage cans and lack of sidewalks and curbs for pickup.

Some CLS members also suggested the township bring back the recycling bin for cardboard boxes, since they said many residents now throw them in the trash instead of cutting them up into 14-by-14 inch squares.

Other ways the township is working to become more sustainable is by replacing all T12 Fluorescent light bulbs and using more LED bulbs, and by purchasing new faucets to save on water.

The fire department is saving on gas and electric bills with its sophisticated heating and air conditioning equipment installed five years ago.

Improvements are also being made to other township buildings and Sarrick said the problem of it being too warm in the second floor library was fixed this week.

The township is also looking to replace the three HVAC systems at the municipal building and purchasing solar panels for school crossings. The problem with solar panels is their high expense. Sarrick said it's "hard to get any return unless you get a grant."

A feasibility study is underway to see if it's possible to convert some township vehicles into natural gas vehicles. The study is being funded through a grant from The Heinz Endowment.

Sarrick is also attending a seminar next month to investigate lawn equipment that uses alternative fuels.

How do you think Upper St. Clair can become more sustainable? Tell us in the comments.