Transcript Recycling and Waste Reduction

Recycling, Reusing and Waste Reduction
Protecting Our Resources for Future Generations
Why Should We Care?
Caring for the Environment Is A Religious
Issue
God made the earth and is its rightful,
ultimate owner.
God creates, sustains and
values life.
Why Should We Care?
We are stewards.
• Humanity is an “embedded steward”
called by God to care for the
creation of which we are a part.
• People grow spiritually through
modest, restrained consumption.
Image Courtesy of Xochitl Guerrero and
Giving-in-Gratitude
What’s In the
Landfill?
Metals
Yard Trimmings
17.6%
31.6 MT
8.5%
15.3 MT
Glass
7%
12.5 MT
Plastics
8%
14.4 MT
Other -Rubber,
Leather, Textiles, etc
Paper
40.4%
71.6 MT
11.6%
20.8 MT
Food Scraps
7.4%
13.2 MT
MT=Million Tons
Image Courtesy of US EPA
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
How Long Does That Trash Really
Stay There?
• 700 Years:
Plastic Bottle
• 1 Million Years:
A glass bottle
• FOREVER:
Styrofoam
Recycling-Viewing Trash in a Whole
New Light!
• Reusing waste to save resources
Because Glass
Doesn’t Grow
On Trees!
Courtesy of Glassco
Recycling
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
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
WhyRRR?
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
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
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
Clustering Recycling Bins Is Critical!
• Clustering: Placing all disposal bins
together in one area
Signage!
• A study found that positioning sign
prompts over receptacles resulted in a 29%
higher rate of recycling
Odds and Ends
• Electronics and Computers
www.perscholas.org
• Local drop-offs for batteries
• Printer and toner cartridges, and cell phones
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
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
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
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
What You Will Need To Compost
• Leaves and Wood Chips to place over each
food addition
• A collection barrel
• Tools
• Schoolwide
participation from
custodians, teachers
and students
Photo courtesy of Mansfield
Middle School, Connecticut
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
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
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!
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
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%
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
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
• Utilize online capabilities for
assignments
Courtesy of Amazing Recycled Products
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
Recycled Content
Paper
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.
Many Recycled Paper Options
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.
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
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
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!
“The designer and maker of the earth established the
earth, not creating it to be a waste, but designing it to be
lived in.”
Isaiah 45:18
Questions?
Photo Courtesy of Satish Hanumantha Rao