One of the first facts that grabbed my attention was that landfills are nearly 50% paper that could have been recycled. I have to say, it was a little hard to wrap my brain around that one. How could it be? While I fancied myself a natural when it came to the outdoors, the truth was that I knew very few facts on the matter.
The learning curve confronting me was the pathway to extraordinarily important knowledge for my family, my community and my feeling that I want to live at peace with the world. What's more it proved to be a joyful and empowering road of discovery that has easy 'level one' solutions and where one can find satisfaction and great people to meet along the way!
You might want to get a chair, but to get a more accurate picture of how well we collectively handle the issue to date, take a look at the table below showing the content categories of the average landfill.
Percent Natural Resource
35.7% Paper
12.2% Yard Waste
5.7% Wood
8.3% Metals
5.5% Glass
11.4% Food Waste
11% Plastics
7.1% Rubber & Leather
3.4% Trash
I think its fair to say that most people are shocked to learn that only 3.4% of the materials in landfills qualifies as trash and the rest of it is recyclable materials.
I recovered from my own disbelief by finding out if it was true, then I began a successful recycling program right inside my own kitchen. I kept on seeking out new information and refining my process one step at a time. The whole family got on board and now our trash to recycling ratio is a pretty respectable.
A Jump Start to your Recycling learning curve should included: Recycling is....Natural Resource Conservation, Energy Efficiency, Economics and the practice of it will help you learn to demonstrate respect for the earth. It can help your family develop good behavior patterns they can use for a lot of other things!
It makes you feel great and its an area where little improvements are statistically significant because there is so much room improvement!
by Gee McMaster
www.epa.gov/municipalsw/executivesummary
Take your Green Life to Work and School!
How many people do you know who wouldn't think of throwing a plastic bottle in a trash can at home, but do it at work and at school?
Why is that? Social Behaviorists believe that if the institution (school or business) doesn't promote recycling, students and employees find it confusing and give in to doing what they think isn't right rather than deal with the stress of doing something that goes against the culture.
Recycling is still a long way from 100% participation across all sectors in this country and those who can start recycling programs at their school or workplace are doing the rest of the folks a favor!
Today's economy Recycling's "Waste Not- Want Not" fundamentals could save someone's job! Energy and Recycling conservation are now recognized as part of the bottom line!
Recycling and it's cousins, Reduce, and Reuse have invited ReThink and ReNew to join them in their effort to encourage all of the 'At-Home' Greenies to speak up at work or at school and start a Recycling Program.
Recycling is a standard ....actually it's a Law and others will join you and support a Recycling Program. The truth is, if you don't take the opportunity to start a recycling program, someone else will and then they'll get all the credit for taking the initiative.
There is plenty of data out there to back up your claim that Recycling Pays. It's easy to track the savings and carbon emissions with the recycling calculator found on our resource page and it's something the you and your company will gladly mention in the next newsletter.
It does make you wonder if business schools have included the importance of Recycling as a Business Management Best Practice. Certainly it should be a line item in all businesses in today's financial downturn.
RECYCLING SOLAR PANELS
First Solar Corporation
DOE PV PANEL DISPOSAL & RECYCLING PROGRAM
RECYCLING PRODUCTS --
Majestic Mulch - Bensalem, PA - Recycling tires into playground surfaces in Bucks County PA
Windsor Barrel Works - Clear Canables, Kempton PA
RECYCLING LOCATIONS & COMMUNITY PROGRAMS
Carpet Carpet America Recovery Effort
Cell Phones
Electronics EPA e-Cycling Search
Foam The Foam Recycle Center, NJ
COMPUTERS- Temple Universtiy, Best Buy & Bucks County Recycling -- Check your township & county sites below!!
PENNSYLVANIA
State of Pennsylvania Recycling Page
Report Environmental Incident in Southeastern PA
BUCKS COUNTY PLANNING COMMISION
2010 Household Hazardous Waste Collection Program Flyer
2010Household Hazardous Waste Collection Program Brochure
Household Hazardous Waste Collection Site Directions
2010 Regional Household Hazardous Waste Map
Annual Report--2010 Household Hazardous Waste Collection Program
2010 Guide to Recycling in Bucks County
Where to Recycle Used Motor Oil and other Automotive Products
Drop-off Recycling Facilities--Bucks County
Where to Recycle Appliances that contain(ed) Freon
Bristol Township Waste Management
Bristol Township Recycling Drop-Off Locations
Materials, Chemicals, Telephone Books, Batteries, Motor Oil
Falls Township Waste Management
Lower Makefield Township Recycling
Newtown Township Waste & Recycling
Doylestown Township Waste & Recycling
Lower Makefield Corporate Center,
770 Township Line Road, Lower Makefield Twp.
Up to 25 gallons or 220 pounds Hazardous Products.
For example: Danger, Warning, or Caution. Other words or phrases that can signal hazardous products include: poisonous, hazardous, combustible, flammable, corrosive, volatile, caustic, irritant, explosive, toxic, use with adequate ventilation, or avoid inhaling.
If there are no words indicating it is a hazardous product, it likely isn’t. Why? Household products containing toxic chemicals, like pesticides, oil-based paints, solvents, cleaning products, weed killers and auto-motive batteries can be a threat to people and the environment if improperly discarded. Never throw these materials into the trash, as the toxic chemicals may harm sanitation workers, or result in fires in collection vehicles. It is also not safe to pour them into a sink or storm drain as they can end up in the environment polluting the air, water, or soil.
- CFLs (fluorescent lamps)
- Ammonia-Based - Car
Cleaners - Marine
- Household Lye - Motorcycle
- Oven Cleaner - Truck
- Drain Cleaner
- Metal Cleaner
- LATEX PAINT.....it is not toxic! – it is water based *Remove lid to allow to air dry or mix with kitty litter) until no longer a liquid and discard in plastic trash bag.
- Appliances (with or without Freon)
- Asbestos
- Biological Waste
- Explosives
- Gas Cylinders
- Household Batteries (regular alkaline)
- PCBs
- Pressurized CFCs (greater than 1 lb.)
- Radioactive Waste
- Tires
Bucks County Board of Commissioners and participating municipalities and is not open to business, industry or institutions. For additional information on disposal options,
contact:
2009 Results Announced and congratulations go out to over 510 schools from 50 U. S. states, the District of Columbia and Canada that took part. Over 4.7 million students and 1.1 million faculty and staff collectively recycled or composted just over 69.4 million pounds of waste over ten weeks.
RecycleMania Noted In Newsweek and College Guides As more colleges and universities look to institute sustainable practices on campus.
RecycleMania is receiving increased attention as a barometer of a school's efforts. Newsweek included a paragraph on RecycleMania in its August 18, 2008. While Princeton Review's new 2008 sustainability index of colleges and universities listed Recyclemania's achievements. Additional listings include the Kaplan and Peterson's college guides which refer to RecycleMania to highlight campus greening effort that is spreading across the country.
Back in the 1980s a Long Island garbage barge sailed 6,000 miles around the globe looking for a port to take its waste. Then 80% of all garbage collected was taken to landfills, in very densely populated areas, especially islands ground water contamination and limited space acute problems became crisis problems. Time has changed, and the crisis really has moved out to sea.
Plastic is a synthetic made from oil and is not biodegradable. It just breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces that float. Seventy five percent of plastic is not recycled and much of is never recovered and has gone out into the ocean forming what many are calling the largest landfill on earth.
McCaffrey's Recycles
Food Waste
Princeton, NJ-May 06, McCaffrey's goes Green as Converted Organics and Organic Diversion began working together last summer, to gain a true understanding of each other's needs, capabilities and requirements. The two companies brought McCaffrey's into the fold several months ago.
Steps in the process included conducting waste analyses, estimating recycling rates, recommending collection methods, developing an operations plan, developing training materials/program, developing a marketing plan, training management and staff, recommending and installing all collections containers and compostable container liners (supplied by Philadelphia-based Penn Jersey Paper), developing in-store signage, and launching and promoting the program.
Rueters.com feed story, March 09.
