Recycling, Reusing and Waste Reduction

1. Recycling, Reusing and Waste Reduction Protecting Our Resources for Future Generations

2. 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.

3. 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

4. What’s In the Landfill? Metals 8.5% 15.3 MT Glass 7% 12.5 MT Yard Trimmings17.6% 31.6 MT Plastics8% 14.4 MT Other-Rubber, Leather, Textiles, etc11.6% 20.8 MT Paper 40.4% 71.6 MT Food Scraps7.4% 13.2 MT MT=Million Tons Image Courtesy of US EPA

5. 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

6. How Long Does That Trash Really Stay There? • 700 Years: Plastic Bottle • 1 Million Years: A glass bottle • FOREVER: Styrofoam

7. Recycling-Viewing Trash in a Whole New Light! • Reusing waste to save resources Because Glass Doesn’t Grow On Trees! Courtesy of Glassco Recycling

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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

13. Clustering Recycling Bins Is Critical! • Clustering: Placing all disposal bins together in one area

14. Signage! • A study found that positioning sign prompts over receptacles resulted in a 29% higher rate of recycling

15. Odds and Ends • Electronics and Computers • Local drop-offs for batteries • Printer and toner cartridges, and cell phones www.perscholas.org

16. 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

17. 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

18. 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

19. 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

20. 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

21. 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

22. 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

23. 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!

24. 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

25. 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%

26. 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

27. 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

28. 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

29. Recycled Content Paper

30. 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.

31. Many Recycled Paper Options

32. 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.

33. 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

34. 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

35. 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

36. Questions? Photo Courtesy of Satish Hanumantha Rao