Recycling Erikka Hallback PUBH-6165-4 Environmental Health Instructor: Stephen Arnold Good morning ladies and gentlemen….my name is Erikka Hallback and today I will be talking about recycling.

Learning Outcomes Identify and appraise the factors that influence the viability of different waste management strategies for schools. Know the benefits of recycling. Understand which programs will be helpful for your organization. Upon the completion of my presentation you will be able to identify and appraise the factors that influence the viability of different waste management strategies for schools, know the benefits of recycling, and understand which programs will be helpful to your organization.

What is recycling? Turns used materials into new products. Waste management Prevent waste useful materials. Reduce the consumption raw materials. Reduce energy usage, reduce air pollution, water pollution, and lowers greenhouse gas emissions. Recycling is the process of turning old or used materials into new products. This prevents the waste of useful materials, reduces the usage of raw materials, energy, air pollution, and water pollution. Recycling is a key component of modern waste management.

Recyclables Recyclables include: Glass Paper Metal Plastic Textiles Electronics. Recyclables range from a variety of products which include many types of glass, paper, metal, plastic, textiles, and electronics.

Fun Facts *In 1988 we used 2 billion pounds of HDPE just to make bottles for household products. That’s about the weight of 90,000 Honda Civics. *If only 100,000 people stopped their junk, mail, we could save up to 150,000 trees annually. If a million people did this, we could save up to a million and a half trees. *The junk mail Americans receive in one day could produce enough energy to heat 250,000 homes. *The average American still spends 8 full months of his/her life opening junk mail. In a lifetime, the average American will throw away 600 times his/her adult weight in garbage. If you add it up, this means that a 150-lb. adult will leave a legacy of 90,000 lbs of trash for his/her children. *$1 out of every $11 Americans spend for food goes for packaging. *Americans dump the equivalent of more than 21 million shopping bags full of food into landfills every year.

Public Schools Schools can recycle too. “Over 600 tons of office/classroom paper, cardboard, magazines, newspaper, aluminum, steel, plastic and glass are now recycled from the schools annually. This compares to 14.7 tons recycled in 1988 - a 4100% increase. As the collections have expanded, many schools have been able to cut their trash service by one third, providing substantial savings to both districts” (eco-cycle, 2008). Eco-Cycle (2008). Boulder/Broomfield County School Recycling and Environmental Educational Program. Retrieved July 19, 2009 from http://www.ecocycle.org/atschool/school_info.cfm. D Those of you that work at or attend schools in the Durham public school system can assist in the go green projects across the country. Schools contribute to over 600 tons of recyclable products each year, this has increased 4100% since 1988.

Tips for Durham Public Schools “Using age-specific group discussions, activities, field trips, slide shows, crafts and games, our educational presentations help students understand the relationship between solid waste issues and many other environmental problems such as pollution, resource depletion and deforestation” (eco-cycle, 2008). Eco-Cycle (2008). Boulder/Broomfield County School Recycling and Environmental Educational Program. Retrieved July 19, 2009 from http://www.ecocycle.org/atschool/school_info.cfm. A tip for the local school system is to use age appropriate activities, field trips, slide shows, crafts and games to help children understand the relationship between solid waste issues and environmental problems.

Projects for Schools, YMCA, & Boys & Girls Club Kids Conference for the Earth Rainforest and Recycling Fundraiser America's Forest, Our Own Backyard Green Star Kids Project Waste Wise Conference Waste-Free Lunch Contest Locker Leftovers Project Sneakers for Schools Contest Here are some recycling ideas from Boulder County Schools for those of you who are teachers or principals. These projects can also be useful to those of you who work at the YMCA or the Boys & Girls Club. The first project is the Kids Conference for the Earth, in which children and parents are able to attend and participate in environmental workshops. Rainforest and Recycling Fundraiser, teaches students the benefits of recycling to the rainforest and they also save aluminum cans to raise money to adopt acres of rainforest. Americas Forest, Our Own Backyard teaches students about forestry and how to reduce waste before they are able to plant trees. Green Star Kids Project, encourages students to buy recycled products at back-to-school time. Wise Waste Conference, teaches middle school kids about the current environmental issues. This next project can be used at employers as well…so those of you from the State and Government agencies can implement this for your employees to follow. Waste-Free Lunch Contest, schools and other companies compete with others throughout the county or state to make the least amount of trash during lunch. Durham County Health Department can compete with Wake or Orange County Health Department. Locker Leftovers, the students collect the materials from their lockers at the end of the school year and recycle and or donate them to charity; which aims to reduce waste. The last project is Sneakers for Schools Contest, in which schools collect worn out athletic shoes to recycle.

Recycling in the Workplace “In workplaces across America, nearly 15.7 million tons of printing-writing papers were recovered in 2006, up from more than 10 million tons in 1995. Still, less than half of all office papers are recycled” (Earth911, 2009). Earth911. (2009). Paper Recycling at Work. Retrieved July 19, 2009 from http://earth911.com/paper/paper- recycling-at work/. This is important for the State and Government agencies in here….workplaces in this country alone produced about 15.7 million tons of printing writing papers, yet less than half of all office papers are recycled. If we were to implement recycling more in the workplace it would save a lot of money, energy, and reduce pollution.

Workplace and Recycling Assess the discards Target materials for recycling Talk to your recycler Engage and coach employees Get management support Measure and share results Earth911. (2009). Paper Recycling at Work. Retrieved July 19, 2009 from http://earth911.com/paper/paper- recycling-at work/. There are numerous of things you can do to recycle in the workplace. To begin with assess the discards, an audit will inform you of the amount and types of materials that are recoverable or recyclable. Target materials for recycling, certain materials maybe easier for you to collect and separate so these materials should be targeted for recycling. Talk to your recycler, ask your local recycling center how much will it cost to start recycling as well as any other questions you may have. Engage and coach employees, inform other employees about the recycling program and encourage them to participate. Get management support, before starting a recycling program you will need to gain support from top management but you have to first gather information and data that shows how valuable the program will be. Lastly, measure and share the results, tracking the results will encourage others to continue or start recycling.

The End Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Implement programs. Encourage others. www.recyclespot.org/business_tips.asp www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/swfa/kidsPage/ www.wral.com/news/local/noteworthy/story/5087762/ This completes my presentation I hope it motivates you to implement recycling programs in the local schools, YMCA, Boys & Girls Club, and State and Government agencies. Also, remember to reduce, reuse, recycle, implement programs, and encourage others. I also have here a list of other websites you are more than welcome to visit. Thank you.

References Earth911. (2009). Paper Recycling at Work. Retrieved July 19, 2009 from http://earth911.com/paper/paper- recycling-at work/. Eco-Cycle (2008). Boulder/Broomfield County School Recycling and Environmental Educational Program. Retrieved July 19, 2009 from http://www.ecocycle.org/atschool/school_info.cfm.