1. J enny H alpin Recycling Information Specialist (209) 723-3153, ext. 315 Jennifer.Halpin@MCAGov.org www.MercedRecycles.com

2. Topics: Topics:  The waste stream  The diversion law  The recycling process  Reasons to recycle  Recognizing recyclables  Making new items  Reduce & reuse Topics:

3. Topics: Topics:  The waste stream  The diversion law  The recycling process  Reasons to recycle  Recognizing recyclables  Making new items  Reduce & reuse  The waste stream Topics:

4. Topics: Topics:  The waste stream  The diversion law  The recycling process  Reasons to recycle  Recognizing recyclables  Making new items  Reduce & reuse  The waste stream  The diversion law Topics:

5. Topics: Topics:  The waste stream  The diversion law  The recycling process  Reasons to recycle  Recognizing recyclables  Making new items  Reduce & reuse  The waste stream  The diversion law  The recycling process Topics:

6. Topics: Topics:  The waste stream  The diversion law  The recycling process  Reasons to recycle  Recognizing recyclables  Making new items  Reduce & reuse  The waste stream  The diversion law  The recycling process  Reasons to recycle Topics:

7. Topics: Topics:  The waste stream  The diversion law  The recycling process  Reasons to recycle  Recognizing recyclables  Making new items  Reduce & reuse  The waste stream  The diversion law  The recycling process  Reasons to recycle  Recognizing recyclables Topics:

8. Topics: Topics:  The waste stream  The diversion law  The recycling process  Reasons to recycle  Recognizing recyclables  Making new items  Reduce & reuse  The waste stream  The diversion law  The recycling process  Reasons to recycle  Recognizing recyclables  Making new items Topics:

9. Topics: Topics:  The waste stream  The diversion law  The recycling process  Reasons to recycle  Recognizing recyclables  Making new items  Reduce & reuse  The waste stream  The diversion law  The recycling process  Reasons to recycle  Recognizing recyclables  How to prevent waste  Reduce & reuse Topics:

10. What is a waste stream?

11. The Waste Stream: A waste stream is whatever is going into the garbage to be wasted into a landfill.

12. Landfills not only take up space, but give off bad gases and can also let poisons escape.

13. 1. Purchase a product 3. Throw away the product 2. Use the product 4. Collect/transfer materials The Waste Stream Process: The Waste Stream Process: 5. And dump in the landfill

14. The law that changed it

15. The Diversion Law In 1989: The California Integrated Waste Management Act (AB 939) called for a 50% diversion rate from landfills by the year 2000. All towns and cities had to divert half of what they threw away in their landfills. Image from: http://www.sprucegrove.org/Assets/Reduce+your+waste+line.jpg

16. The Diversion Law Because of the law that required them to divert 50% of their waste, cities started: Recycling programs (such as drop off programs, CRV and other buy-back programs, and curbside recycling), Composting programs (for grass clippings, leaves, and other organic material), Finding ways to reduce or reuse what they had, and/or Sending materials to be burned for energy. Recycling programs (such as drop off programs, CRV and other buy-back programs, and curbside recycling), Composting programs (for grass clippings, leaves, and other organic material), Finding ways to reduce or reuse what they had, and/or Sending materials to be burned for energy. Image from: www.derbyshiredales.gov.uk

17. The Recycling Process

18. $ 1. Buys a product The consumer ( you ): Recycling Process: 2. Uses a product 3. Turns in recyclables to drop off centers, buy-back centers, or in your curbside recycling container

19. 4. Collected & processed Afterwards, it’s: Recycling Process: 5. Manufactured into new products 6. Purchased by you

20. Waste Stream Process: Product You Collected/transferred Landfill Manufacturer Collected/Processed You Recycling Process:

21. Lead, mercury, & cadmium - from batteries and electronics Mercury - from fluorescent tubes and energy-saving lights bulbs (CFL’s) Toxins also come from motor oil & other car fluids, electronics, paints, pesticides, pool chemicals, and other hazardous waste. The Waste Stream Process: When you throw certain items away, they contain toxins that leak out of landfills and into the surrounding environment or into underground water systems Don’t throw it away You can take these items to scheduled hazardous waste collections in your area or to the environmental health’s free drop off area in front of the landfill (off Hwy 59).

22. Recyclable items: Other things to keep out of the landfill: Don’t throw it away, Part 2 80- 100 years 700 years 1,000,000 years How long does it take for them to start breaking down?

23. Reasons to recycle

24. Reasons to Recycle: Reasons to Recycle:  It’s the law (saves landfill space)  Saves energy & resources  Releases less greenhouse gases & water contaminants

25.  Saves energy & resources  Releases less greenhouse gases & water contaminants  It’s the law (saves landfill space) Landfills take up space. Once things are placed into a landfill, they will usually stay there. Scientists, called “garbologists,” can dig things out of landfills that have been there for decades. Reasons to Recycle: Reasons to Recycle: *according to Garbologist William Rathje *Most often found are: 1)Newspapers and magazines 2) plastics 3) glass, metal, food waste 4) construction & demolition materials (which can all be recycled or composted)

26. Reasons to Recycle: Reasons to Recycle:  Releases less greenhouse gases & water contaminants  It’s the law (saves landfill space)  Saves energy & resources It’s more efficient to make things out of recycled resources rather than making things out of new resources. For example, it takes 95% less energy to make an aluminum can out of other aluminum cans instead of making it out of bauxite ore (a mineral brought in from Australia)

27.  It’s the law (saves landfill space)  Saves energy & resources  Releases less greenhouse gases & water contaminants Since it takes less energy and resources to make things out of recycled materials, then less pollution, greenhouse gases, and chemicals are produced. Recycling keeps toxins from batteries, fluorescent lights, and electronics from contam- inating underground water. Reasons to Recycle: Reasons to Recycle:

28. What is recyclable?

29. Metal Emptied & rinsed Glass containers All #1- #7 Plastics ( NO Styrofoam) Unsaturated Paper Recyclables in Merced County: Recyclables in Merced County: 1)Ask yourself what it’s made of 2)If it’s made out of any of these four materials, then there’s a good chance it’s recyclable

30. Making New Items from Recycled Ones Can you guess what material it comes from? Plastic Glass Paper Metal Creative Idea - video

31. What’s better than recycling?

32. Before you recycle: 1)Reduce the amount of materials and items that you take in 2)Reuse, sell, or donate what you can Reduce & Reuse (…then Recycle) Made from aluminum can openers Packaging around a product. Same box, with 5 of the same product.

33. Be Aware Do your Part whenever you can See the Results

34. What are the things I can’t throw away and why? Can I recycle____? Is ____ recyclable? Why can’t I throw away batteries? Why can’t I throw batteries away? Is ____ recyclable? How come we don’t just send all the trash into space? Can I recycle my ____? What are the things that I can’t throw away and why? Any questions?

35. Thank you

36. J enny H alpin Recycling Information Specialist (209) 723-3153, ext. 315 Jennifer.Halpin@MCAGov.org www.MercedRecycles.com