Out with the old

Seattle's "Use It Again" event is not the give-and-take proposition it has been in years past.

Residents who want to get rid of usable furniture, tools, baby items or exercise equipment but don't want to throw stuff away or bother with selling it can drop those items off at no cost at a North Seattle disposal station. But this year, those items will be donated to charity rather than put up for a public free-for-all.

The program is only for drop-off items this year. Some salvaged items will be offered to the public at a future event.

The next drop-off time is Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Seattle's North Recycling and Disposal Station at North 34th Street and Carr Place North in Fremont. Drop-off dates also are scheduled the following Saturday and three Saturdays in May and three in June.

The event will be held just outside the disposal station, and the station will remain open for regular disposal.

Seattle is still trying different ways to keep stuff out of landfills, said a spokesman with the sponsoring agency, Seattle Public Utilities. Clean items in good condition may be brought to any drop-off event, as can bicycles, old tools and some appliances, but not refrigerators or freezers.

Also not allowed are tires or hazardous wastes, mattresses or box springs, or water heaters. Usable clothing will be given to charity.

Late-model TVs, computers and monitors in working condition will be accepted until a quota is reached. No garbage or household recycling will be accepted free, but that stuff can be left inside the recycling and disposal station for the regular fee.

Information about the free drop-off program and what's acceptable is online at www.seattle.gov/util/services/recycling, or call 206-615-0701.

More on Earth Day

• Hundreds of volunteers are needed to help weed and plant trees Saturday at Duwamish River Park and four other restoration sites along the Duwamish River. Those sites are listed online at www.pugetsound.org/index/earth_day_2006, or call 206-382-7007.

• More than 20 exhibitors representing eco-friendly businesses, community organizations and government groups are providing examples of green products and services during King County's free Earth Day Expo from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. today at Westlake Plaza at Fourth Avenue and Pine Street in downtown Seattle.

• King County's West Point treatment plant, which processes millions of gallons of wastewater before it reaches Puget Sound and Lake Washington, will be open for public tours from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. The plant is in Seattle's Magnolia neighborhood, at 1400 Utah St. W., past the Government Way entrance to Discovery Park.

• More information about Earth Day activities in King County is online at www.dnr.metrokc.gov/dnrp/pa/earthday/, or call 206-296-1980.

• The state Department of Ecology has an Earth Day 2006 Web site — www.ecy.wa.gov/earthday/index.html — listing a number of Earth Day activities across the state.

Earth Day's national theme this year is "Solutions to Climate Change."

Sign of the season

April Pools Day is another of those signs of springtime. A number of public pools in King County will be open for free swims Saturday to celebrate April Pools Day and promote water safety. For a list of pools taking part, call the Red Cross at 206-726-3544 or visit www.seattleredcross.org.

Getting around

Metro Transit is resuming its Pony Express bus service to Emerald Downs racetrack in Auburn on weekends, starting Saturday. Each Saturday and Sunday through Oct. 1, the Pony Express bus will leave from Second Avenue and Lenora Street in downtown Seattle at 12:47 p.m., and after a few downtown stops, is scheduled to arrive at the racetrack by 1:30 p.m. The return trip leaves 10 minutes after the last race, about 6:40 p.m. The fare is $2 each way. The service is offered on holidays.

On weekdays, Metro's Route 150 from downtown Seattle connects at the Auburn Park-and-Ride lot with a free Emerald Downs shuttle.

Here & Now is compiled by Seattle Times staff reporter Charles E. Brown and news assistant Suesan Whitney Henderson. To submit an item, e-mail herenow@ seattletimes.com or call 206-464-2226.