Protecting the Environment at Work

In this slideshow… We are going to look into: Putting the 4R’s to work (at work). Reduce Reuse Recycle Recover

Putting the 4 R’s to work Wasted materials not only harm the environment, but they can cost money as well. We can prevent unnecessary waste with the 4 R’s. By using these 4 R’s, we can cut down on our need for trees, mines and oil. We can also save the energy needed to make these products.

Video Field Trip – Landfill video

1. Reduce “Don’t use so much!” Reduce means to cut down on the amount of waste that we produce. Easiest way to reduce waste. Also cuts down on the secondary carbon footprints.

Example: When companies switched to emails from faxing, a lot less paper was needed.

Example: Making or buying products with less packaging helps prevent more garbage from filling the landfill.

2. Reuse “Don’t just use it once!” Reuse means to use something again. A simple example is using both sides of a piece of paper. That cuts the need for paper in half.

Things that could be reused in the workplace: Containers, boxes, barrels, bottles, packaging, parts, fasteners, cables, ropes, cords, plastic sheeting, bags, wooden pallets, building materials…

3. Recycle “Make something else out of it.” To recycle is to break something down into its basic parts and use those parts to make new products.

The next two videos show the process that recyclable materials go through in some automatic recycling plants. Other recycling plants are all sorted by hand.

How does a Material Recovery Facility (MRF) work? video

How recyclables are sorted video

4. Recover “We can use the waste.” To recover is to get usable substances or energy from waste. Best done after wastes are first reduced, reused and recycled.

For example, paper, some plastics and other wastes can be compacted and burned in special incinerators to produce heat.

However, open air burning of just any garbage is a bad idea However, open air burning of just any garbage is a bad idea. It releases toxic chemicals into the air.

Methane, a gas that is produced by rotting garbage in landfills, can be collected and burned for energy. The next video explains.

Watch to 1:29

Closing the Loop, Waste to Energy video

Waste Audit Schools and companies can perform a waste audit. This is basically sorting out the garbage that the students or employees are producing and figuring out where and how waste could be reduced.

UGA Waste Audit video