Transcript Slide 1

Recycling, Reusing and Waste
Reduction
Protecting Our Resources for Future Generations
P.O. Box 6806 Falls Church, VA | o 703-237-2249 |f 703-237-8389 | www.chej.org
What’s In the
Landfill?
Metals
8.5%
Yard Trimmings
17.6%
31.6 MT
15.3 MT
Glass
7%
12.5 MT
Plastics
8%
14.4 MT
Other -Rubber,
Paper
Leather, Textiles, etc
11.6%
20.8 MT
40.4%
71.6 MT
Food Scraps
7.4%
13.2 MT
MT=Million Tons
Image Courtesy of US EPA
P.O. Box 6806 Falls Church, VA | o 703-237-2249 |f 703-237-8389 | www.chej.org
This Decade In the US We Will
Throw Away…
 1 million tons of aluminum
cans and foil
 More than 11 million tons
of glass bottles and jars
 Over 4.5 million tons of
office paper
 Nearly 10 million tons of
newspaper
P.O. Box 6806 Falls Church, VA | o 703-237-2249 |f 703-237-8389 | www.chej.org
How Long Does That Trash
Really Stay There?
 700 Years:
Plastic Bottle
 1 Million Years:
A glass bottle
 FOREVER:
Styrofoam
P.O. Box 6806 Falls Church, VA | o 703-237-2249 |f 703-237-8389 | www.chej.org
Recycling-Viewing Trash in a
Whole New Light!
 Reusing waste to save resources
Because Glass
Doesn’t Grow On
Trees!
Courtesy of Glassco Recycling
P.O. Box 6806 Falls Church, VA | o 703-237-2249 |f 703-237-8389 | www.chej.org
Why Recycle?
It’s Good for the Environment!
 Recycled glass generates 20% less air pollution and 50% less
water pollution
 Recycling one glass bottle saves enough electricity to light a
100-watt light bulb for four hours
 Recycling one aluminum can saves enough energy to run a
TV for 3 hours 1
 Annually, enough energy is saved by recycling US steel to
supply Los Angeles with electricity for almost 10 years 2
P.O. Box 6806 Falls Church, VA | o 703-237-2249 |f 703-237-8389 | www.chej.org
Why Recycle?
Trash Incineration is an Environmental and Social Justice
Issue
 Incinerators release Dioxin, Mercury and other Toxins
According to US EPA and the National Academies,
Dioxin, even at very low levels, causes cancer, birth
defects, and developmental problems
 Incinerators are often sited in minority or
impoverished communities
P.O. Box 6806 Falls Church, VA | o 703-237-2249 |f 703-237-8389 | www.chej.org
Why RRR?
Save Money for Your School
 Each time you reuse paper it is less paper
you have to buy
 You can hold fundraisers for toner and
printer cartridges, as well as cell phones
P.O. Box 6806 Falls Church, VA | o 703-237-2249 |f 703-237-8389 | www.chej.org
Recycling Begins With You
 If everyone in the U.S. recycled just 1/10 of their
newsprint, we would save the estimated equivalent of
about 25 million trees a year
 Recycling all of the waste newsprint, cardboard, glass,
and metal in one home can reduce carbon dioxide
emissions by 850 pounds a year
P.O. Box 6806 Falls Church, VA | o 703-237-2249 |f 703-237-8389 | www.chej.org
Recycling Begins With You-How
to Do It Correctly
 Lids + Liquid = Unfit for
Recycling
 When In Doubt, Leave It
Out
 NO pizza boxes, napkins,
or anything with
permanent food residue
Photos Courtesy of P. Hayes
P.O. Box 6806 Falls Church, VA | o 703-237-2249 |f 703-237-8389 | www.chej.org
Clustering Recycling Bins Is
Critical!
 Clustering: Placing all disposal bins together in one area
P.O. Box 6806 Falls Church, VA | o 703-237-2249 |f 703-237-8389 | www.chej.org
Signage!
 A study found that positioning sign prompts over
receptacles resulted in a 29% higher rate of recycling
P.O. Box 6806 Falls Church, VA | o 703-237-2249 |f 703-237-8389 | www.chej.org
Odds and Ends

Electronics and Computers
www.perscholas.org

Local drop-offs for batteries

Printer and toner cartridges, and cell phones
P.O. Box 6806 Falls Church, VA | o 703-237-2249 |f 703-237-8389 | www.chej.org
Recycle Those Odds and Ends
for Money!
 Recycle empty printer, fax, and copier cartridges,
as well as cell phones.
 Raise money for a school fundraiser or towards your
favorite charity.
Half a gallon of oil is conserved for every
laser cartridge returned!
http://www.collectcartridgesforcash.com/
http://www.tonerbuyer.com/
http://www.oxfam.org.uk/what_you_can_do/recycle/toner.htm
P.O. Box 6806 Falls Church, VA | o 703-237-2249 |f 703-237-8389 | www.chej.org
Involve Your Students
 Make artwork out of trash!
 Recycling activities enable them to
learn and have fun
 Research projects
 Visit a landfill or recycling center
 Use food scraps or yard waste as
compost for a school garden that the
students attend to
 Town or river clean up to collect
recyclables and trash
P.O. Box 6806 Falls Church, VA | o 703-237-2249 |f 703-237-8389 | www.chej.org
Composting
Hands-on Science Lessons for
Your Students
2/3 of trash is biodegradeable
and can be composted
Composting is possible
with student and staff
cooperation
Photo courtesy of Mansfield Middle
School, Connecticut
P.O. Box 6806 Falls Church, VA | o 703-237-2249 |f 703-237-8389 | www.chej.org
What You Will Need To
Compost
 Compost bin that allows aeration, but prevents
waterlogged conditions and deters pests
Photo courtesy of Mansfield Middle
School, Connecticut
P.O. Box 6806 Falls Church, VA | o 703-237-2249 |f 703-237-8389 | www.chej.org
What You Will Need To
Compost
 Leaves and Wood Chips to
place over each food
addition
 A collection barrel
 Tools
Photo courtesy of Mansfield
Middle School, Connecticut
 Schoolwide
participation from
custodians, teachers
and students
P.O. Box 6806 Falls Church, VA | o 703-237-2249 |f 703-237-8389 | www.chej.org
In Summary
Recycling saves…
 Energy
 Resources
 Landfill space
 Money for your school
It is an easy, good environmental choice that can enhance
your curriculum!
Courtesy of Waste to Wealth
P.O. Box 6806 Falls Church, VA | o 703-237-2249 |f 703-237-8389 | www.chej.org
Methods of Success for Reduction,
Recycling and Reuse At Your School
 Survey the facilities to identify problems
 Measure baseline usage; look at bills and purchasing records
 Have a recycling audit to determine initial rates of recycling
 Make a To-Do List
 Start with easier steps that save money for more elaborate
programs
 Measure your success! Compare records before and after.
 Publicize to educate and gain support
P.O. Box 6806 Falls Church, VA | o 703-237-2249 |f 703-237-8389 | www.chej.org
How To Do A Waste Audit
Materials Needed:
 A Worksheet to record all
information
 Trash and recyclables for a given
period
 Scale
 Plastic Tarp
 Gloves and nose pinchers!
P.O. Box 6806 Falls Church, VA | o 703-237-2249 |f 703-237-8389 | www.chej.org
How To Do A Waste Audit
TRASH BAGS

Sort out the rubbish in the trash bags into categories: trash vs. recyclables. Place recyclables into separate piles based on type
- Cans and bottles
- Paper
- Compostable items: food, leaves

Weigh the different piles

RECYCLABLES BAGS

Weigh the recyclables based on type
P.O. Box 6806 Falls Church, VA | o 703-237-2249 |f 703-237-8389 | www.chej.org
How To Do A Waste Audit
 Calculate the percentages of total recyclables found in
the trash by using the recorded weights.
For example:
5 lbs of paper found in the trash
10
lbs of paper recycled
Total
paper= 15 lbs
Percentage of
paper thrown
away: 33.33%
P.O. Box 6806 Falls Church, VA | o 703-237-2249 |f 703-237-8389 | www.chej.org
An Integral Part of Any School:
Paper !
Empowerment Through Reduction and
Green Purchasing
•Make a big difference through purchasing
recycled content paper and using less
paper overall
Courtesy of PADEP
P.O. Box 6806 Falls Church, VA | o 703-237-2249 |f 703-237-8389 | www.chej.org
Easy Ways to Cut Back on Paper
Use
 Make a scrap paper bin easily
available for use in printer or for
students
 Print and copy double-sided if
possible
 Allow students to print
assignments on scrap paper
 Print single spaced to save room
Courtesy of Amazing Recycled Products
 Utilize online capabilities for
assignments
P.O. Box 6806 Falls Church, VA | o 703-237-2249 |f 703-237-8389 | www.chej.org
Why Purchase Recycled Content
Paper?
“Ton for ton, replacing virgin kraft pulp with deinked
pulp will have the greatest positive environmental
impact on forest resources”1
 1 tree makes 16.67 reams of copy paper or 8,333.3
sheets, therefore 1 ream (500 sheets) uses 6% of a tree
(and those add up quickly!)2
 Every ton of recycled office paper saves 380 gallons of
oil 2
P.O. Box 6806 Falls Church, VA | o 703-237-2249 |f 703-237-8389 | www.chej.org
Recycled Content Paper
P.O. Box 6806 Falls Church, VA | o 703-237-2249 |f 703-237-8389 | www.chej.org
Understanding Terms
Pre and Post Consumer Waste
 Post’ refers to products or materials generated that have
already served a particular function, and were subsequently
recovered or otherwise diverted from the solid waste stream
to be recycled
 ‘Pre’ refers to materials generated within the production
cycle of a product that have been recovered from or
otherwise diverted from the solid waste stream to be
recycled.
P.O. Box 6806 Falls Church, VA | o 703-237-2249 |f 703-237-8389 | www.chej.org
Many Recycled Paper
Options
P.O. Box 6806 Falls Church, VA | o 703-237-2249 |f 703-237-8389 | www.chej.org
Performance Guaranteed!
 The age, capabilities, and operation of papermaking
equipment have a greater impact on the properties of
the finished product than its recycled or virgin content
 Based on extensive interviews with paper and
equipment manufacturers, it was found that the
frequency of copy machine jams is not correlated with
the use of recycled content paper.
P.O. Box 6806 Falls Church, VA | o 703-237-2249 |f 703-237-8389 | www.chej.org
Cost Effective!
Many times recycled content paper is the same price or cheaper
than virgin paper
However, if recycled content paper is more expensive through
your supplier you have options:
 Try to find other areas to cut paper costs and use money
saved to buy recycled products
 Work with suppliers to reduce the costs of other factors
within the supply system
 Accept a lower level of recycled content within the paper if
need be
P.O. Box 6806 Falls Church, VA | o 703-237-2249 |f 703-237-8389 | www.chej.org
Paper Is A Key Ingredient to Any
School-You Can Make A Big
Difference!
 You directly save trees, resources
and energy with reducing paper
use and buying ‘green’
 Students understand the
importance of conserving resources
with each and every assignment
P.O. Box 6806 Falls Church, VA | o 703-237-2249 |f 703-237-8389 | www.chej.org
Summary
 Recycling, Reusing and waste Reduction are great
for the environment, student learning and savings for
your school
 There are many ways to make a difference, including
recycling, purchase of recycled content products, and
reuse of paper
 It is not an overwhelming change—REMEMBER
SMALL CHANGES SAVE SIGNIFICANT
RESOURCES!
P.O. Box 6806 Falls Church, VA | o 703-237-2249 |f 703-237-8389 | www.chej.org
Questions?
P.O. Box 6806 Falls Church, VA | o 703-237-2249 |f 703-237-8389 | www.chej.org