ORGANICS MPS: A Guide for Volunteers

O RGANICS R ECYCLING

WHY ORGANICS? Benefits  Diverts a large percentage of your school's waste from going to landfills and the incinerator  Contributes to the creation of a useful and environmentally friendly product --- compost  Creates an educational opportunity for your students  Cultivates thoughtful attitudes among students, teachers, and staff

WHY ORGANICS? Financial Benefits  Less disposal cost - The tipping fee paid by haulers to dispose of organics is less than the tipping fee for solid waste ($15 per ton vs about $41.85 per ton). As organics are much heavier than the plastics that are kept out, savings can be substantial.  Tax exemption - Source Separated Organics (SSO) is exempt from the county solid waste fee of 14.5% and state solid waste tax of 17%. If we recycle a lot of organics, this could save the district money.  Reduced pick up frequency - Organics customers are finding their trash hauler can pick up less frequently, saving labor, fuel, and truck maintenance costs which are built into your pick up fees.

O RGANICS R ECYCLING Thank you for Volunteering!  Organics is fun, easy, and important  You can have a real impact- on kids and on the planet!  Step-by-step procedures to follow…

PROCEDURES End of lunch period  Your job will be to supervise students as they move through the recycling stations

PROCEDURES Liquids  Students will dump all liquids (from milk cartons, juice boxes, etc.) into a bucket with a strainer that will remove any solids  Engineers will flush liquid down the drains  This process reduces the weight of garbage and saves money when it is hauled away

PROCEDURES Food Scraps  Students will deposit food scraps and other compostables (napkins, wax paper, milk cartons, etc) into the green organics barrel  The bag is compostable (and expensive!). Please make sure it is full before it is disposed of  Students will crush milk cartons to save space in the bags

PROCEDURES Mixed Recycling  Students will place all aluminum cans, tin cans, clean aluminum foil, cardboard, plastic bottles with necks (and their caps), and paper in the blue mixed recycling container.

PROCEDURES Trash  After disposing of all mixed and organics recycling materials, students will place all remaining garbage in red or gray trash barrels

PROCEDURES Lunch trays  Students will stack trays neatly. This reduces the amount of space that trays take up in the expensive compostable bags. The trays will then be placed in the compost barrel.

TIPS OF THE TRADE Examples of items to be placed in each container: Green-Organics Fruit and vegetables Meat, fish, and bones Bread, pasta, and baked goods Eggshells Dairy products Coffee grounds Paper towels and napkins Paper plates, cups, and containers Empty milk and juice cartons (not foil lined) Pizza boxes Egg cartons (not Styrofoam) Frozen and refrigerated food boxes Coffee filters and tea bags Plants and cut flowers Wooden sticks (corndog, popsicle, stir) Blue- Mixed Recycling Aluminum Cans Glass Bottles Plastic bottles with necks (caps OK) Office paper Cardboard Post-It Notes Red- Trash Candy and chocolate wrappers Cellophane Cereal or cracker bags (liner inside the box) Chip bags Condiment packets Dental Floss Drinking straws Foil yogurt lids Foil lined containers Gum Pens Plastic bags Plastic without a neck (yogurt container, molded food container, toys, etc.) Plastic plant pots and trays Saran wrap Styrofoam trays and cups Please visit mpsgoesgreen.mpls.mn.k12.us for a more detailed list

TIPS OF THE TRADE To ensure a smooth process  Check school lunches for content when you arrive. This will help you prepare for sorting materials at the end of the lunch period.  During the first five minutes of each lunch period, walk around to the tables and remind students: it is easiest to crush milk cartons while seated (before coming up to the barrels) and paper bags must be emptied of all plastic and other non-organics  Make sure that students form an orderly line around the containers. This will help you ensure that they are sorting correctly.  When students place paper bags in the green organics barrels, try to confirm that there is no non-organics material in the bags.

MPS Policies & Procedures for Volunteers IMPORTANT!! As a volunteer in the Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS), you are required to know the following district policies and procedures: Volunteers must always serve as role models. When serving as a MPS volunteer, an individual must refrain from inappropriate behaviors including, but not limited to, the following:  Use of profanity  Use of drugs or alcohol  Carrying weapons  Discussion of inappropriate topics  Making ‘sexual or emotional advances’ to a student  Selling merchandise or actively promoting his or her business  Proselytizing (persuading to a way of thinking or acting)  Giving gifts or money Volunteers’ attire should comply with the school’s dress code. All volunteers must sign in and out at a location designated by the principal before proceeding to their volunteer site and must wear an identifying nametag provided by the school Volunteers should not be left alone with a student. There should always be visual or auditory contact between the volunteer and a school employee. With the exception of verbally and politely requesting the students’ attention, volunteers are not to discipline students. It is all right to ask them not to use inappropriate or disrespectful language in your presence. All discipline concerns should be directed to the appropriate school employee. Volunteers must respect privacy of the students and students’ families by not talking about a student’s academic progress, behavior, or a school-related incident without permission from the student (if emancipated or 18+) or student’s parents/guardians. Any discussion of a student (other than the volunteer’s own child) is restricted to the student’s parent or guardian, the student’s teacher, the guidance counselor or another school employee or volunteer who has a need to know. When in doubt about whether information can be shared, check first with the student’s teacher.

Abuse: As you build trust with your students, you may become aware of abuse in their lives. This abuse may be sexual, physical, or emotional. By law, you are required to report any suspected abuse. You can report such suspicions to the teacher, principal, or school social worker. You CANNOT promise secrecy to your student, but you must maintain his/her confidentiality by not telling other students or your own friends. Student Contact: Do not ask students for their home phone number, address, or address; do not give them yours. Do not socialize with your student(s) outside of school. Do not give your student(s) gifts. Chances of misunderstanding are high and you do not want to be second-guessed. Tobacco Use: The use of tobacco products by staff, students, visitors (such as volunteers), or contractors is prohibited on school district property. School district property includes, but is not limited to; buildings, grounds, and vehicles owned, leased or contracted by the school district and school sponsored functions. Touch: We strongly urge you not to initiate physical contact with your students. You may be working with young people who may not be aware of appropriate boundaries. Keep in mind that your student(s) may see your physical contact as a sign of preferential treatment. Volunteer Dismissal: The school principal has the right to dismiss any volunteer who is deemed to have engaged in inappropriate behavior including, but not limited to, that described above. If a volunteer is dismissed, the MPS district and the office of Volunteer Services reserve the right not to reassign the volunteer at another school. MPS Policies & Procedures for Volunteers (cont.)

Volunteer Registration  Each volunteer must complete a registration form ( and be notified of their approval by Volunteer Services prior to the start of work.  MPS Volunteer Services will work as quickly as possible to get volunteer applications processed.  When a volunteer is approved, they and the school’s organics coordinator will be notified via .  Volunteers can help speed up the approval process by listing references that are available to answer the reference call during school hours. Also, volunteers should notify their references that the call is coming.

THANK YOU! Organics recycling can only succeed with your support and dedication. We thank you for your commitment to our students and our planet!