1. Britta Beckstead, Coordinator When you sit down, please take a few minutes to fill out the “Waste Quiz” sitting on the desk. Don’t worry – these will not be graded!

2. Introductions Find a partner that you don’t know Introduce yourselves to each another Provide the following information for your partner Your name What you do or something you like to do Why you are taking the class Introduce your partner to the group

3. Syllabus and Expectations Readings due the next class Attendance is required at all lecture sessions and field trips unless you have a VERY important reason 30 service hours over 9 months (Graduation and title of “Master Recycler” awarded in December)

4. What is waste? And you thought this was a class about recycling…Most recycling will eventually end up as waste, even though it does help with reducing waste. More on this point in a later class.

5. Waste is… 1. The failure to use something wisely, properly, fully, or to good effect. 2. Something we have purchased and reduced to a value of zero or less. 3. Actions that don’t create or add value. 4. A sign of inefficiency. 5. Resources that can no longer support life or our current standard of living.

6. Why should we care?

7. Waste is connected to almost every major environmental issue… Climate Change Water Pollution Air Pollution Habitat Loss Ecosystem Disruption Toxic substances Resource Depletion And therefore many human issues.

8. In the U.S. we use… 60,000 plastic bags every 5 seconds 200 billion plastic bottles in a year 77 billion tons of packaging waste per year

9. Where does it all go?

10. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch Roughly the size of Texas The concentration of plastics is 7 times the concentration of phytoplankton

11. Exported to developing countries A Chinese child sits on e-waste, containing harmful chemicals such as mercury and lead, likely exported from the United States. 10 acres cells fill up quickly and cost millions of dollars to construct and operate. We won’t have this much open space forever. Buried in a landfill

12. Or it can end up in your own backyard… Waste and your present health and well-being right here in Josephine County Brad Carlson Environmental Public Health Specialist from the Josephine County Department of Environmental Health Member of the Solid Waste Agency

13. How else do we deal with waste here in Josephine County? What is the Solid Waste Agency? What projects are going on currently and for the next year? Terry Haugen Public Works Director from the City of Grants Pass Member of the Solid Waste Agency

14. OR Department of Environmental Quality Local governments (Josephine County, the City of Grants Pass, and the Solid Waste Agency) Franchised Waste Haulers Allied Waste Services (Picks up on one side of the river) Southern Oregon Sanitation (Picks up on the other side of the river) Reports to DEQ on progress towards recovery rate goal, use Environmental Program Fee to pay for programs to help meet that goal Pay franchise fees to local governments, create educational and promotional materials to help with progress towards recovery rate goal Sets recovery rate goal (total recovered/total generated) for wasteshed and state