1. Albemarle county public schools Recycling & Waste Management update
April 11, 2019

2. State of Recycling - Global
Global imports of single-use & disposable plastics grew 723 percent, to around 15 million megatons, from 1993 to 2016 (NPR, 2018)
China received ~40% of recycling market until 2017 when some recyclable imports were banned and acceptable contamination levels were tightened (Wall Street Journal, 2018)
March 2019: India announces it will prohibit scrap plastic from being imported (Resource Recycling, 2019)
“Over 90% of the total energy for polystyrene foodservice products is from fossil fuels. This includes not only the use of fossil fuels for process and transportation energy, but also the energy content of the crude oil and natural gas used as material feedstocks for production of polystyrene resin” (Polystyrene Packaging Council)

3. State of Recycling - Local
County began Solid Waste Advisory Committee in Spring 2016 with a focus to provide program support for public education and engagement for sustainable materials management.
Van der Linde’s mixed waste facility closed in February 2018
Recycling in Albemarle County: Separating is Back!
Beginning July 1, 2019, RSWA will stop accepting Plastics #3-#7 (e.g., PVC piping, sandwich bags, vehicular plastics, Styrofoam and acrylic)
Waynesboro stopped accepting all plastics for recycling due to lack of markets for plastic recyclable material

4. State of Recycling - ACPS
Environmental Management Policy EBAC approved in 2006
Issued RFP for trash and commingled recyclable service in June 2018
County Waste collects commingled recyclables and waste from schools (2 separate streams)
Commercial composting is active at AHS, MHS, WAHS, Murray High, Crozet, Meriwether Lewis, & Henley

5. ACPS Success Stories MHS Recycling Recycling Carts – New Service
Murray High Composting

6. Child Nutrition Program
Why use disposables?
Need for fast service- grab and go
Open lunch periods and limited number of lunch periods
Staffing shortfalls
Emergency needs
Equipment and Kitchen layout
Cost

7. Child Nutrition Program
Current Practice
Washable trays - Elementary and middle schools.
Disposable items- combination of recyclable, compostable and non-compostable.
25 different disposable items used at point of service.
16 compostable, 5 recyclable.
In , 11 compostable, 3 recyclable.

8. Child Nutrition Program Disposable Container Types

9. Child Nutrition Program
Cost Impact
$10,000 – estimated additional annual cost to maintain present status.

10. Next Steps Extend Composting/Recycling programs at school sites
Piloting compostable serviceware and tray recovery at Western Albemarle High School
Monitor effectiveness of composting/recycling
Continue efforts in exploring affordable products and effective practices which support ‘use less, recover more’

11. References
refused-to-recycle-the-wests-plastics-what-now
recyclables/
scrap-ban
timeline/
Bleached-and-Corrugated-Paperboard-Foodservice-Products/