United States
Environmental Protection Agency
Region 3
Solid Waste Programs 903-K-92-001
841 Chestnut Building May 1992
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19107
RECYCLING WORKS
IN REGION 3!
SOLUTIONS TO SOLID WASTE
MANAGEMENT PROBLEMS
CASE STUDIES OF NATIONAL & REGIONAL
ROLE MODELS
Region III National Award winner Robert Keriinger (center) ofPoquoson, Virginia
with EPA Administrator William K. Reilly (left) and EPA Region 3 Administrator
Edwin B. Erickson (right)
Printed on Recycled Paper
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Recycling works in Region 3 : solutions to solid waste management
problems : case studies of national & regional role models /
United States Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Solid Waste and
Emergency Response, Solid Waste Programs,
1992
903-K-92-OO1 ; EPA 9O3-K-92-001
49676945
Recycling (Waste, etc.) ; Refuse and refuse disposal ; Salvage (Waste, etc.)
38 p. : ill. ; 28 cm.
LIBRARY CALTNUMBER LOCATION
EJAD 9O3/K-92-ooi Region 3 Library/Philadelphia, PA
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"903-K-92-o0-i^-"May. 1992" "www.epa.gov/ceppo/"
United States. Environmental Protection Agency. Office of Solid Waste
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Solutions to solid waste management problems Case studies of national &
regional role models Case studies of national and regional role models
1992.
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INTRODUCTION
W— On May 15, 1991, William K. Reilly, Administrator of the United States
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) held the first annual EPA Administrator's
Awards Ceremony. The Awards Program was established by Reilly to recognize
excellence in efforts to work toward a cleaner environment. Each year, the awards
program will highlight different areas of environmental progress. The first year's (1990) program
showcased achievements made in municipal solid waste through recycling. The 1991 program
honored achievements in pollution prevention. Award-winning projects serve as national models to
inspire us all to help solve our environmental problems through innovative programs and activities.
Awards were presented by Reilly to nine categories of recipients: citizen; college or university;
community, civic, or nonprofit organization; educational institution (K-12); federal agency; large
business or industry; local government; small business or industry; and state agency.
No awards were presented in the tenth category—trade or professional association. A special award
was presented to HDR Engineering in White Plains, New York for their outstanding achievements
in environmental education.
Award nominations were submitted to each of EPA's ten Regional offices for preliminary judging.
The Regional offices then submitted up to three nominations in each category to EPA Headquarters
in Washington, D.C. for national judging. At EPA Headquarters, a panel of non-EPA experts,
representing a broad spectrum of fields, narrowed the sphere of Regional nominations to a select
group of finalists which were then submitted to the EPA Administrator for national award selection.
Winners were announced during Earth Day 1991 celebrations.
As mentioned above, these award-winning projects were selected to serve as national models. The
purpose of this document is to showcase the national winners and the EPA Region 3 regional award
winners that were nominated for national recognition. EPA Region 3, located in Philadelphia,
services the mid-Atlantic region states (Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, West
Virginia), and the District of Columbia. The Region 3 Office received over sixty applications and
nominated twenty-six applicants for national consideration after a cross-section of regional
employees reviewed the applications. Of those nominees, one was national award winner in the
Citizen category, Robert Kerlinger: Three national award finalists by category were: Federal
Agencies~U.S. Department of the Navy, Commander Naval Base, Norfolk, Virginia; and the
National Park Service, Washington, D.C.; and Large Business—Giant Food, Inc., Landover,
Maryland. Below are the winners and finalists, their affiliations, and categories.
Region 3 National Winner Award Category
Robert Kerlinger. Poquoson Recycling Center. Poquoson. Virginia Citizen
Region 3 National Finalists Award Category
Resource Recovery & Recycling Program. Commander Naval Base. Federal Agency
Norfolk, Virginia
National Parks Recycling Partnership. Washington, D.C. Federal Agency
Environmental Initiatives at Giant Food. Inc.. Landover. Maryland Large Business or Industry
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Reeional Finalists
James Rudy, Sunbury Municipal Authoriy's Recycling Program,
Sunbuiy, Pennsylvania
Monocacy Elementary School Parent-Teacher Association Community
Recycling, Potomac, Maryland
Frostburg State University, Frostburg, Maryland
Millersville University Recycling Project, Millersville^. PA
Thomas Jefferson University Hospital Reeyelmg Program,
Philadelphia, PA
Block Comer Recycling, Queens Vftfygp, Pfat
Keep Fauquier Clean, Warreftfott, VA
The East Brandywine Recycling Cyntey^ £>ewxinjpown, PA
Recycle for D.A.SLK, Soyerf&vn, PA
US Postal Service %Q*s Recycling Program, Washington, DC
CORE Program-EFantemart Chstmcal Corporation,
Chesapeake, VA
Waste Management of North America Urban Recycling,
Philadelphia, PA
Recycling Plus, Bradford, $utlivm and TtQgct Cowttw, PA
Rural Recycling Can W&& Bfo6mbur£ PA
York Recycles Program, York, PA
Goodwill Industries Recycling Center, Danviite, VA
Delaware Reclamation Plant, Dover, DE
Pennsylvania Statewide Recycling Program, Harrisburg, PA
Virginia Used Oil Recycling Program, Richmond, VA
PaperMaicher Directory— American Paper Institute, Washington, DC
Recycling Promotion and Education Activities— National Solid Waste
Management Association, Washington, DC
Award Category
Citizen
Citizen
College or University
College or University
College or University
Community, Civie, or Nonprofit Organization
Community, Ctvic, or Nonprofit Organization
Community, Civic, or Nonprofit Organization
Educational Jto&mution (K-12)
federal Agency
Large Bx$1w$$
Large Bmimss ofiftdwsttv
Local Government:
Local <3&vemmnt
Local Government
Small Butfwss or Industry
State Agency
State Agency
State Agency
Trade or Professional Association
Trade or Professional Association
Right Choices for a Cleaner Tomorrow— How Can We Make Recycling
Work— Air & Waste Management Association, Blossburg, PA
Trade or Professional Association
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National Winners
Award Category
University of Wisconsin, "Recycling, Reuse, and Reduction (3R's)
Program, " Steven's Point, Wisconsin
Seattle Tilth Community's Composting Education Program, Seattle,
Washington
Aurora Public Schools, "Municipal Solid Waste Management Teacher's
Guide," Aurora, Colorado
U.S. Navy, Naval Submarine Base-Bangor, "Comprehensive Recycling
Program," Silverdale, Washington
Fort Howard Corporation, "National Recycling Advocacy Programs, "
Green Bay, Wisconsin
City of Newark Recycling Program, Newark, New Jersey
eegee 's Inc. Recycling for "People First!, " Tuscan, Arizona
State of Rhode Island Recycling Program
College or University
Community, Civic or Nonprofit
Organization
Educational Institution
(K-12)
Federal Agency
Large Business or
Industry
Local Government
Small Business or Industry
State Agency
These programs are profiled in this document to serve as case studies for the design and
implementation of new programs or to improve upon existing programs. The program summaries
are excerpts from the original applications received by EPA in February 1991. Any program
modifications that may have occurred since that time were not included in this report. Contacts for
each of the programs are provided if you would like to learn more about a particular program.
EPA Administrator
William K. Reilly
welcomes winners and
guests to the first annual
EPA Administrator's
Awards Ceremony.
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Sr RECYCLING WORKS IN REGION 3!
CASE STUDIES OF
NATIONAL AND REGIONAL
ROLE MODELS
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REGION 3 NATIONAL WINNER
CITIZENS
Robert
Kerlinger,
The Poquoson
Recycling
Center
One person can make a
difference, and Robert
Kerlinger, a businessperson
from Poquoson, Virginia has
done just that. When Bob
found taking his household
recyclables to numerous drop-
off points in his town too
burdensome, he decided to
consolidate recycling at one
central location in Poquoson by
coordinating with the various
civic groups already involved
in recycling. Achy-owned
municipal parking lot was
selected as the site for the new
Center which now houses a
permanent structure to shelter
the equipment. Kerlinger
expanded the scope of
collectibles and today the
Center collects glass, aluminum
(cans and bulk), steel cans,
cardboard and paper
(newspaper, mixed, computer,
and ledger), plastics (PET and
HDPE), passenger tires, car and
boat batteries, and used oil.
Kerlinger's role has evolved
from coordinating the
establishment of the facility to
identifying new markets for
recycled materials.
The- success of the facility has
been tremendous. When the
Center first opened in January
1990, the original goal was to
recycle 250,000 pounds of
trash in the first year. This
goal was far exceeded;
more than 777,600 pounds or
20 percent of the city's trash
was recycled during that year.
This saved the city of
Poquoson over $7,000 in
landfill fees. In addition, the
Center brought in over $6,000
from sales of the collected
materials, which was divided
among the civic groups who
operate the Center to fund
community improvement
projects.
According to Kerlinger, the
reasons for the success of the
Poquoson Recycling Center are
threefold. First, the Center is
staffed by citizen volunteers.
Also, the City plays a
supportive role and picks up
the costs for taking collected
materials to marketplaces.
Finally, all proceeds received
from recycled materials are
returned to the volunteer
groups who work at the Center.
These three elements ensure
that city officials as well as
residents are directly involved
and that those who perform the
work see the benefits of the
financial savings first-hand.
Kerlinger is aware of a growing
interest in recycling,
particularly in the youth of the
community. In order to take
advantage of that interest, plans
are being made to further
encourage recycling through a
"block captain" program. This
program would designate
individuals as block captains
who will be responsible for
helping their neighbors recycle
and acting as a source of
recycling information.
Kerlinger also plans to help his
community with backyard
composting. He will use other
successful municipal
composting programs,
including the city of Seattle's,
as models for his community.
Bob Kerlinger's successful and
creative approach to diverting
valuable commodities from the
waste stream to the
marketplace, and turning trash
into treasure for the residents of
Poquoson serves as an
outstanding role model for
other concerned citizens
throughout the nation.
Contact: Mr. Bob Kerlinger
Poquoson Recycling Program
Poquoson, Virginia
(804) 868-7199
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REGION 3 NATIONAL FINALIST
FEDERAL
A
G
E
N
C
Y
Resource
Recovery &
Recycling
Program,
Commander
Naval Base
James J. Hoyt, the Resource
Recovery and Recycling
Manager at Commander Naval
Base, in Norfolk, Virginia is
always looking for new
products to recycle and new
markets for their use. At
present, Norfolk recycles 23
percent of its municipal waste
stream, or 50,000 cubic yards
of recyclables per year with an
avoided cost of over $800,000.
All of the solid waste generated
at the Naval Base (an average
daily volume of 3,500 cubic
yards of refuse) is processed
six-days a week by a two-shift
operation at an on-base transfer
facility.
Over 250,000 pounds of clean,
dry corrugated cardboard is
baled on-site per month. The
site also processes an additional
200,000 pounds of dry
corrugated cardboard that is
generated at the Norfolk Naval
Hospital, Portsmouth and the
Naval Air Station, Norfolk.
The cardboard is sold on the
local market with a 50-50 split
on sales profits, half to the
contractor who staffs the
operation, and half to the
recycling program.
Sixty to ninety thousand
pounds of high grade paper are
recycled per month. Most of
these high grade papers are
source-sorted at 20 sites where
high volumes are generated.
Over 10 million pounds of
metals were processed in FY
'90 and the profits from the
sale of scrap metals are
returned to the recycling
program. An on-site
Aluminum Recovery Facility,
in operation since June 1990,
has processed over 30,000
pounds of aluminum cans.
The facility is set up to credit
back 50 percent of the current
sale price to the participating
command's Morale, Welfare,
and Recreation (MWR) fund.
To date over $39,000 has been
returned. Densification/ baling
equipment has also been placed
on board two ships to increase
participation in this program.
Since June, 1990, over 27,000
pounds of shipboard plastic
have been recovered, 15,000 of
which was processed into
lumber. They have also
recovered over 6,000 pounds of
household plastic (HDPE and
PET) from the Navy housing.
Sixty park benches and fifteen
picnic tables, and eight curb
stops made from recycled
plastic adorn the base as part of
the ongoing base-wide
beautification program.
Glass is also recovered and
crushed on-site into glass cullet
to reduce transportation costs.
Between three and five million
pounds of oak pallet lumber are
recycled per year. Non-
recoverable pallets, that were
landfilled due to metal
contamination, will be sold in
the future for fuel.
Curbside recycling has begun
in portions of the navy housing
area. With onlyone housing
area on line, between 700-1000
pounds of recyclables were
collected each week from 440
residents.
The Base's recovery program
also handles hazardous waste
and materials that are difficult
to recycle. Oil-based paint was
recently brought under Defense
Reutilization Marketing Office
(DRMO) contract for sale as a
fuel source in the manufacture
of light aggregate. One
hundred and ten thousand
gallons per year are now
recycled at a savings of $1.1
million. Security shredded
paper will be used in sludge
bulking for both compost and
incineration, or used as an
absorbent for booms to pick up
the lightest oil sheen to the
heaviest crude oil, for animal
bedding and other uses. Dry-
dock oak is currently being
tested for use hi flooring or the
manufacture of furniture. The
Base is also exploring the
recyclability of other waste
products.
Contact: Mr. James Hoyt
Code N5R, Commander Naval
Base, Norfolk, Virginia 23511-
6002, (804) 445-9683
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REGION 3 NATIONAL FINALIST
FEDERAL
National Parks
Recycling
Partnership
The National
Parks Recycling Partnership is
a cooperative effort between
the U.S. National Park Service
(NPS), Dow Chemical
Company, and Huntsman
Chemical Corporation to
effectively deal with the
garbage generated by the
increasing visitorship to the
national parks each year.
Several national parks have less
than five years of landfill space
available. The National Park
Service began looking to
recycling as an important
solution. Knowing the
financial and technical
limitations of the Park Service
to implement a large-scale
recycling effort, Dow Plastics
and Huntsman Chemical
Corporation, both plastics
producers, approached the NPS
with the idea of forming a
partnership to recycle plastic,
glass and aluminum in some of
America's most popular parks.
The goals of the recycling
program are: (1) to reduce the
waste stream in the parks, and
(2) to encourage a national
recycling ethic. As the
nation's leading conservation
agency, the NPS also saw the
recycling program as a model
for other communities.
To identify parks where the
recycling program was most
needed, the partnership
considered visitorship and solid
waste volume in major parks.
Four national parks were
initially selected to begin
recycling: the Grand Canyon
in Arizona, the Great Smoky
Mountains of Tennessee and
North Carolina, Acadia
National Park in Maine and
Yosemite in California.
Beginning in June, specially-
designated recycling bins were
placed near visitor centers and
concession stands in each park.
To make it especially easy for
visitors to participate, plastic,
glass, and aluminum
recyclables are placed into a
single bin. Visitors only have
to separate food, paper, and
other wastes and place them
into regular garbage containers
conveniently located next to
each recycling bin. Campers
and hikers are provided with
plastic "recycling" bags in
which to collect recyclables.
The bags are also recycled.
A creative and unique
education program was
developed to inform visitors
about the program and the
benefits of recycling. A visitor
center exhibit features a "home
video" of a fictional family as
it encounters recycling for the
first time hi a national park and
returns home with a new
recycling ethic. The video
kiosk is constructed from
recycled materials and
resembles a recycling bin to
attract high visitor attention.
An outdoor wayside exhibit
explains the similar ways that
nature recycles its own
resources. Other educational
components include an
informative brochure for adults
and kids, posters, radio
information bulletins, and
ranger talks. — —
Dow and Huntsman also are
returning recycled plastic to the
parks hi the form of picnic
tables, park benches, and other
outdoor products to show
visitors, hi an identifiable way,
the value of recycling.
After just the first summer
season, visitors recycled more
than 150,000 pounds of plastic,
glass, and aluminum from three
parks.
The program is setting the
example beyond park gates, hi
communities surrounding the
parks which have begun
studying recycling plans, and
around the nation. Legislation
was introduced by Congress hi
the fall of 1990 to expand such
recycling initiatives to more
public lands citing the program
as a model. The U.S. Forest
Service also has expressed
interest hi modeling a recycling
program after the park service's
achievements. State park
services are developing similar
programs as well.
Contact: Mr. Joe Gorrell,
Associate Director, National
Park Service, P.O. Box 37 127,
Room 3126, Washington, D.C.
20013-7127, (202) 208-6953
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REGION 3 NATIONAL FINALIST
LARGE BUSINESS
A
V
OR INDUSTRY
Environmental
Initiatives at
Giant Food, Inc.
When Giant
Food, Inc. of Landover,
Maryland in the Washington,
D.C. metro-area decided to
undertake environmental
initiatives in its stores, offices,
and distribution center
facilities, it decided to go well
beyond just recycling plastic
bags. In fact, their programs
involve more than 27,000
company associates as well as
many of Giant's customers.
Giant does in fact recycle
plastic bags They are shipped
to Mobil Corporation where
they are remade into other
plastic products. Giant
purchases products made from
recycled plastic including
plastic benches, plastic slats to
replace broken wooden slats on
existing benches, and plastic
parking lot stops.
Giant also provides an
alternative to plastic shopping
bags. In December 1990, all
Giant stores began stocking
reusable grocery sacks. These
shopping bags are
manufactured by Blind
Industries of Maryland, an
organization that supports
handicapped workers. All
monies from the sale of these
bags go to Blind Industries.
Over 25,000 bags were sold in
the first forty-five days of the
program.
Giant has been collecting
white paper/computer paper
and cardboard since 1965. Last
year over 49,000 tons of
cardboard was recycled. Forty
Giant stores serve as drop-off
collection centers for
newspapers, and any profits
received from the sale of the
newspaper have been given
back to the community. Since
the inception of their old
newspaper (ONP) collection in
1976, they have recycled
53,000 tons of ONP and
contributed $168,000 back to
the community.
Aluminum soft drink cans are
collected from store staff
lounges. Profits from the sales
of these cans are donated to
United Way. In addition, Giant
in cooperation with Reynolds
Aluminum places recycling
trailers in store parking lots.
Since the program began in
1984, the company has assisted
in recycling over one million
pounds of aluminum cans.
Over 650,000 wooden pallets
are repaired annually hi Giant's
pallet repair facilities to avoid
the purchase of new pallets.
Also over 66,000 unrepairable
wooden pallets are shipped for
fuel and other uses. Almost
200 tons of plastic film used to
wrap pallet loads to protect
products during shipping are
recycled annually. They also
return over 117,000 used crates
and baskets annually to
produce growers.
Giant's environmental
programs also extend to their
fleet vehicles. It is testing the
use of natural gas in a limited
number of vehicles. Natural
gas is slightly cheaper than
gasoline and may be more
environmentally Beneficial.
This program is being closely
monitored, and if successful,
will be expanded. For over
twenty years, they have been
using retread tires with a
savings over new tires of
$2,240 per tractor-trailer per
year. Twenty-thousand gallons
of oil from fleet maintenance
operations are also rerefined
each year.
Giant's meat departments
salvage 20 million pounds of
fat and bone per year. The
bone and fat contain an oil
called tallow, which is sold and
used in soap-making. Bone is
also used as a protein
ingredient for the agricultural
feed industry.
Giants's Photograph
Department reclaims ten
pounds of silver annually from
used-film-processing
chemistry. Reclaiming the
silver assures Giant that their
liquid waste is heavy-metal
free.
Contact: Mr. Mark Roeder,
Public Affairs Coordinator,
Giant Food, Inc. P.O. Box
1804, D.599, Washington, D.C.
20013, (301) 341-4710
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REGION 3 REGIONAL FINALIST
CITIZENS
James J. Rudy,
"Total Recycling
Commitment"
James J. Rudy
took on the task of recycling
coordinator because the
Sunbury Municipal Authority
in Sunbury, Pennsylvania did
not have a full-tune
coordinator. The program is
run on a break-even basis and
costs the citizens nothing. A
transfer station for municipal
waste subsidizes the recycling
program. In 1990, the 1,500
tons of recyclables collected by
the Authority, business/
industry, and community
activities represented a cost
avoidance of $84,000.
Soon after James Rudy began
his duties as the General
Manager of the Sunbury
Municipal Authority (Water,
Sewer, and Solid Waste
Authority), in January 1990,
Sunbury's curbside recycling
hauler wanted to quit due to the
low volume of recyclables.
Rudy analyzed the situation
and came up with some unique
innovations and amazing
results. These innovations
included a contest and a
comprehensive public
education plan. Three sections
of the City are designated as
teams to compete for the most
weight in each of three
categories (glass, aluminum,
and newspaper). Each of the
recyclables are weighed on
pick-up day. Standings are
posted at the Authority or
advertised in the Sunday paper.
As the self-appointed
"Recycling Judge," each pick-
up day Rudy selects random
addresses with good
recyclables to be eligible for
quarterly prize drawings.
Prizes including cash and
groceries/merchandise are
contributed by local businesses,
and t-shirts with a "Reminder
to Recycle" logo are sold to
generate additional funds for
the contest.
The Recycling Judge conducted
24 different recycling classes
during three weeks around
Earth Day 1990 for 1,500
elementary school children
including schools outside the
City of Sunbury. The classes
were so successful that the
Judge held classes for church
groups, scouts, senior citizens,
and various professional groups
throughout the PA mid-state
region.
Curbside and drop-off
recycling tonnages increased to
400 tons hi 1990, an increase of
24.5 percent over 1989.
Additionally, beginning in
September 1990 as a result of
Pennsylvania law, commercial,
institutional, and community
activities were required to start
recycling high-grade office
paper and cardboard. These
facilities recycled another
1,100 tons that year. The
commercial and residential
programs combined totalled
1,500 tons or 15 percent of
Sunbury's municipal solid
waste, not including sixty tons
of appliances and six tons of
tires recycled by the
Authority's transfer station.
Other program improvements
include a recycling hotline that
makes available the latest
recycling information 24 hours
a day, 7 days a week. The
recording provides curbside
pick-up dates, drop-off center
hours, categories of recyclables
accepted and allows for
messages from citizens if they
have questions or comments.
A recycling newsletter, "The
Green Reports," was developed
with funding from a state
recycling grant, printed, of
course, on recycled paper.
On his own tune, Rudy wrote
268 letters to executives in the
soda industry, bottlers, grocery
chain executives, and food
distributors to voice his
concerns about the use of
bimetal packaging rather than
the highly recyclable
aluminum. His nine-month
effort paid off when Pepsi-Cola
announced that the company
would discontinue the use of
bimetal hi Pennsylvania,
Virginia, and Maryland.
Contact: Mr. James J. Rudy
Municipal Authority
225 Market Street, Sunbury,
Pennsylvania 17801
(717)286-5858
8
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REGION 3 REGIONAL FINALIST
NS
Monocacy
Parent-Teacher
Association
Community
Recycling
The Monocacy Parent-Teacher
Association's Community
recycling project in the
Barnesville-Monocacy area of
Maryland began on October 15,
1988 as one rural community's
way of participating in
Community Services Day (a
clean-up, fix-up, help-the-
needy Saturday) sponsored
annually by the County
government. Spearheaded by
Linda Gates, a Parent-Teacher
Association (P-TA) volunteer,
the sponsoring organizations
put out the word that recycling
would begin in Barnesville on
that Saturday and everyone
should come. They did and the
response was greater than
anyone anticipated. The day's
haul was 129 pounds of
aluminum cans, 1,743 pounds
of glass, and 3,550 pounds of
newspapers.
The project continues on the
first Saturday of each month,
year-round, rain or shine.
Volunteer school students greet
recyclers as they drive in and
record how many individuals
and how many households are
participating. The number of
households has increased from
fewer than 100 to more than
300. The recycling ethic has
taken hold in Barnesville and
through Linda Gates' tireless
efforts to find markets for other
materials than those that
constituted the first day's
"take," the Monocacy
Recycling Project now accepts
high density polyethylene
(HDPE), polyethylene
terephthalate (PET), polyvinyl
chloride (PVC), and
polystyrene containers;
cardboard, brown paper sacks,
office paper, both white and
colored; and scrap aluminum.
The County Government soon
saw that the success of this
project required help, and so
the Department of
Environmental Protection
offered dumpsters brought to
the school parking lot early
Saturday morning and removed
at the end of the weekend with
their loads of commingled
recyclables.
The Monocacy project was so
successful that it was soon
replicated in Poolesville,
Damascus, and Germantown,
also rural communities.
The County Government
started a county-wide
mandatory curb-side pickup of
newspapers on a weekly basis.
The next step in the program
will be curb-side pick-up of
plastics, cans, and yardwaste.
The program will begin in
Barnesville, Poolesville, and
the surrounding rural areas,
since the residents
demonstrated their belief in
recycling through their ever-
increasing success of the
Saturday drop-off centers. As
the mandatory program takes
hold, the Monocacy
Elementary and Poolesville
Junior-Senior High School
projects will be phased out.
Their dumpsters will be made
available to communities not
yet served by the curbside
pickup program and Linda
Gates will be there to advise the
next group of volunteer
recyclers how to start their
programs.
The hope of the Barnesville-
Monocacy area community is
that they can reduce
substantially the County's need
for a mass-burn incinerator
and/or future landfills. Then-
efforts have raised an entire
community's consciousness
about the need for recycling
valuable resources.
Contact: Ms. Linda Cates,
Coordinator, Monocacy
Elementary School Parent-
Teacher Association, 20530
Beallesville Road, Beallesville,
Maryland 20842
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REGION 3 REGIONAL FINALIST
Frostburg State
University
The State of Maryland requires
that institutions such as
Frostburg State University
(Frostburg, Maryland) reduce
solid waste 15 percent by 1994.
A self-imposed goal of 17
percent was established by the
Campus Recycling Committee,
which has already been
surpassed with over 22 percent
of the solid waste being
recycled. A projected
reduction in solid waste of 35
percent appears to be attainable
if the current momentum is
sustained.
The program started by
targeting paper. Collection
points were selected and
containers were built and
distributed. Next, aluminum
can collection points were
established and containers
were distributed with an
emphasis on residence halls.
The program then moved on to
collecting wood chips, leaves,
scrap metal, copper, brass, oil,
batteries, tires, glass, and
antifreeze. In addition, a
university-community
education program was
initiated, incorporating surveys,
classes, promotional materials,
and special events (e.g., Earth
Day).
The program goals are to:
1. Encourage students to
become conscious of important
ethical, moral, and
environmental issues and
aware of their responsibility to
society. This was accomplished
through classes in various
departments and the Residence
Life groups.
2. Continue to improve
communications to keep the
university community and
others informed about the
recycling program and services
sponsored by the University
through promotional
campaigns, flyers, award
ceremonies, newsletters and
news stories, and student-
oriented activities.
3. Improve the environment
while increasing the quality of
the university's co-curriculum
programs.
To date, the program has
recovered over:
56.63 tons of paper
2,233 Ibs. of*aluminum cans
1,335 gallons of oil
42.62 tons of wood chips
86.42 tons of leaves/grass
16.24 tons of scrap metal
23,386 Ibs. of copper/brass.
Contact: Mr.ArtFaura
Frostburg State University,
Stangle Building,
Frostburg, Maryland, 21532
(301) 689-4125
10
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REGION 3 REGIONAL FINALIST
Millersville
University
| In November
1989, Millersville University in
Millersville, Pennsylvania
implemented a recycling pilot
program at selected locations
on the University campus. The
University Administration
issued a policy directive which
establishes the responsibilities
of students, faculty, and staff,
recycling policy, directs the
program, and establishes
operating procedures. The
mandated program was
scheduled to begin in
September 1990.
The Administration directed
the Department of Physical
Plant to implement the
recycling program. The
Physical Plant staff set out by
interviewing various
administrators, faculty, and
students to determine the
perceived problems and
expectations of a recycling
program.
The program began by
recycling cardboard and
bimetal cans from the Food
Service Department, scrap
metals, and oil from the
Physical Plant Department, and
aluminum cans by various
campus groups at selected
locations.
The University's objectives
were to develop a program
which would: (a) recycle 25
percent of the generated waste
stream by 1993, (b) create a
program which was convenient
for the waste generator, and (c)
operate the program with
existing personnel.
To determine what materials to
recycle, the staff conducted a
waste composition inspection.
Custodial personnel were
assigned to remove glass and
alumrnum beverage containers
from the trash chutes in
selected dormitories. This
information was compared to
published data on trash
composition. Based on this
information and market
outlooks, they decided to
recycle office paper, cardboard,
aluminum, glass, bimetal cans,
wood waste, scrap metals,
waste oil, vehicle batteries,
metal barrels, photographic
film, telephone books, and
some newsprint.
At the beginning of each
semester, information is
provided to students, faculty,
and staff. In addition,
Millersville has developed a
poster campaign, a periodic
newsletter, and brochures, as
well as routine educational
meetings with students, faculty,
and staff. The University
newsletter provides space for
articles, and the University
radio station has taped fifteen
second public service
announcements. Also,
the Communications and
Theater Department have
assigned communications
11
majors with projects and labs to
develop presentations--
speeches, commercials, and
video-taped programs.
A telephone hotline has been
provided for staff and students
to call with questions,
suggestions, or complaints on
the recycling program.
Initial participation rates in the
program started at roughly 22
percent of the generated waste
stream.
The operational success of the
program was based largely on
the planning and Involvement
of constituents from various
levels within the University.
During the period from April 1,
1990 to September 30,1990,
the total tonnage of recyclable
materials was 462 tons. Based
on the 1991 tipping fee, this
amounted to a savings of
$24,024. This six-month
period included three months
(June, July, and August) of
reduced activity. Based on the
above figures, projections show
an annual average savings in
excess of $55,000. Current
statistics show that 62 percent
of the total waste stream is now
being recycled at Millersville
University.
Contact: Mr. Dennis Coleman,
Director of Grounds and
Recycling, Millersville
University, Palmer Building,
Millersville, Pennsylvania,
17551, (717) 872-3275.
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REGION 3 REGIONAL FINALIST
Thomas
Jefferson
University
Hospital
In conjunction with Earth
Week 1990, Thomas Jefferson
University Hospital (TJUH) in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
implemented its recycling
program. A Waste Recycling
Task Force was assigned the
challenge of developing and
implementing a university-wide
recycling program.
Procedures were developed for
keeping the recyclable
materials separate from the
general, hazardous chemical,
and infectious waste streams.
Arrangements were made for
daily transportation to the
waste station of the vendor
contracted to recycle these
materials.
A logo and signs were designed
and applied to special recycling
containers furnished to all
meeting and eating areas. A
Recycling Education
Subcommittee of the task force
developed a payroll sniffer and
articles for the employee
newsletter. In conjunction with
the Marketing Department, the
subcommittee created posters
and pins in preparation for a
kick-off campaign which also
included an information booth
where free promotional items
and prizes were distributed.
Training sessions were held for
key departments and employees
directly involved in the
program. Progress reports and
continuing education about the
recycling program are placed in
the employee newsletter
periodically.
The success of Jefferson's
program can be witnessed in
their statistics of recycled
material from April 1990 to
December 1990 (in pounds).
Cardboard
Office Paper
Glass
Steel
Aluminum
120,842
25,894
5,574
8,377
8,352
Following is a brief description
of how each of the recyclables
are handled:
Aluminum Cans—Aluminum
cans are deposited into
recycling bins placed
throughout all university and
hospital buildings, collected,
and sent to a recycler.
Tin fallov') Cans-Tin (alloy)
cans are generated from the
food services activities. These
cans are deposited directly into
compactors located in the
kitchen food preparation areas.
The crushed cans are collected
and delivered to the waste
management company for
recycling.
Cardboard—The University
purchased one large baler and
two small balers. The average
weight of bales taken for
recycling is roughly 600
pounds for a large bale, and
180 pounds for a small bale.
12
Paper—The task force studied
the possibility of recycling
paper from all office areas and
started a pilot program on one
office floor hi the hospital and
another campus building. In
just two weeks, the program
yielded more than a ton of
paper. The task force then
expanded paper recycling
throughout Jefferson.
Glass—The only glass currently
recycled is a small amount
generated in the Department of
Nutrition and Dietetics. The
task force decided early on that
lab glass would not be recycled
due to potential contamination.
The task force is researching
other options for recycling such
glass.
The University estimates a
possible savings of $1,000 per
week by reducing the number
of trash compactor removals.
There is a potential therefore to
save a minimum of $50,000 per
year by eliminating one trash
removal per week.
Contacts: Ms. Martha Anderson,
Assistant Vice President for Safety
and Security, Thomas Jefferson
University Hospital, 130 South
Ninth Street, Suite 1620,
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
19107, (215) 955-5339, or
Mr. Ed Barr, Manager, Support
Services, Thomas Jefferson
University Hospital, 1020 Sansom
Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
19107-5004, (215) 955-6100
-------
REGION 3 REGIONAL FINALIST
Block Corner
Recycling
Block corner
recycling,
pioneered by the Queen Village
Neighborhood in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania in 1985, relies on
citizens to carry recyclables to
designated block corners for
collection. In the Queen
Village model, now used in ten
Philadelphia neighborhoods,
the community association
organizes blocks, educates
citizens, and disburses program
income to neighborhood
projects. The City of
Philadelphia provides the
collection service. Block
corner recycling is a highly
cost-effective urban alternative
to curbside collection of
recyclables.
In the spring of 1985, the
Queen Village Recycling
Committee was formed under
the auspices of the Queen
Village Neighbors Association.
The committee's goal was to
establish a recycling program
in the community of 7,000
people to help the City of
Philadelphia ease its solid
waste crisis by diverting
materials from landfills and
incinerators, and to reduce the
costs of disposal.
When tonnages were low and
the recycling hauler needed
greater participation to
continue, the committee struck
upon the idea of asking
neighbors to carry their
recyclables to designated block
corners for collection rather
than a central drop-off point.
The City's Streets Department
provided a truck and crew for a
route serving the designated
corners. The block corner
program expanded rapidly from
12 corners and 12 coordinators
to 25 corners and 46
coordinators in a six month
period. The Queen Village
program serves about 1,200
homes and about 8 percent of
the waste stream is diverted to
recycling. Materials collected
are newspaper, three colors of
glass, and aluminum cans.
In late 1986, a handbook on
block corner recycling based on
the Queen Village experience
was prepared and circulated
informally to Philadelphia's
recycling community. Since
then, nine other neighborhoods
have established their own
block corner programs, with
the City providing the
collection service.
Since 1985, Queen Village has
collected 600 tons of
recyclables and together with
the other neighborhoods, they
collect over 1,500 tons a year.
Each neighborhood uses the
income from the sale of the
materials to support local
projects such as park and
garden projects, block
improvements, and nursery
programs for children of
teenage mothers.
In 1987, Philadelphia passed a
mandatory recycling ordinance.
A curb-side collection program
was established by the newly
created Philadelphia Recycling
Office. It soon became
apparent that the innovative
block corner collection
technique was significantly
more cost effective than
curbside - $65 per ton vs. $180
per ton. Since the cost of trash
collection and disposal is $135
per ton, block corner collection
has the potential to save the
City $70 per ton rather than
costing it $45 more per ton to
collect the materials as trash. If
block corner collection were
established for even half of the
City, there would be a $4.5
million annual savings over
trash collection or $7.8 million
savings over the curbside
collection method.
Block corner recycling owes its
efficiency to the far fewer stops
that the truck and crew have to
make. The success of the
program in Queen Village is
attributed to local organization,
supervision, public education,
and income from the sale of
materials returned to the
participating blocks.
Contact: Mr. Bob Pierson,
President, Queen Village
Neighborhood Association
852 South Second Street,
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
19147, (215)271-7166
13
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REGION 3 REGIONAL FINALIST
COMMUNITY,
JONPROFTTv
ORGANEA1
Keep Fauquier
Clean
Keep Fauquier
Clean (KFC) is a
volunteer citizens organization
financially administered by
Fauquier County General
Services Department and
established to promote and
facilitate recycling, pre-cycling,
roadside litter clean up, junk
car removal, and environmental
preservation. To support these
efforts, KFC promotes the
planting of tree seedlings, the
procurement of products to
implement county recycling
policies and initiatives, and the
setting up and improvement of
recycling container sites, and
citizen Adopt-A-Road teams.
The organization's goals are to
develop simple, convenient,
and cost effective programs to
support Fauquier County's
commitment to reaching state
mandated recycling rates and to
preserve Fauquier County's
environment.
Prior to its inception in
November 1987, no formal
recycling arrangements existed
in Fauquier County. KFC
began researching the county's
solid waste stream, proposing
solutions to the problems its
presented, and encouraging
citizen participation through
educational and promotional
programs. The backbone of
KFC's success has been
vigorous public education,
particularly hi county schools.
It developed an Environmental
Education Handbook from
resources collected for Earth
Day, a copy of which is now hi
every school hi the County and
is being acquired by other
counties for use hi their
schools. KFC has also
established a monthly drop-off
site for seven recyclable
materials. It continues to
promote recycling programs
through local newspapers, radio
stations, schools, and special
events while continually
seeking new ways to educate
county citizens on the financial
and environmental benefits of
participating hi recycling, litter
control, and environmental
preservation.
KFC's efforts have resulted hi
the recycling of 10 percent of
all waste through a multi-
faceted system. The county,
under KFC's prodding, has
provided recycling sites near
trash dumpsters for used
newspapers, glass containers,
aluminum, and motor oil.
Scrap metal, junk cars, car
batteries, corrugated cardboard,
and office paper are also being
recycled at these and other
locations. Eleven drop-off sites
have been established. The
Town of Warrenton has
curbside collection of
cardboard, leaves, and
newspapers, and it is
cooperating with the rest of the
County in offering to bale
14
cardboard and plastic. In early
January, old Christmas trees are
collected for chipping into
mulch or to be used by the park
system as animal and fish
habitat. Donors are then given
seedlings on Arbor Day for
planting throughout the area.
The breadth of public support:
was unexpected. The County,
Chamber of Commerce, and
several businesses are using
recycled paper; there is some
sort of recycling program in 14
out of 15 county schools;
disposables are being phased
out hi the school lunch
programs; the Northern
Virginia Builders Association
and Fauquier Board of Realtors
have come to KFC for
environmentally sound
suggestions for new homes.
In the northern part of Fauquier
County, where the program has
been running the longest period
of time, KFC estimates over 60
percent of the f amilies are
participating. The program has
been slowly building hi the
southern part of the county,
where, as of December 1990,
the framework was finally fully
in place.
Contact: Ms. Paddy Katzen
20 B John Marshall Street,
Warrenton, Virginia, 22186
(703) 347-6830
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REGION 3 REGIONAL FINALIST
COMMUNITY,
•JONPROFTT>
ORGANEAI
The East
Brandywine
Recycling Center
The East
Brandywine
Recycling Center in East
Brandywine, Pennsylvania, was
created as a voluntary drop-off
Center to reduce the tonnage
that the Township produced
and sent to the landfill. The
Center is run by volunteers
from Brandy wine-Wallace
Elementary School, East
Brandywine Fire Company,
other community groups, and
citizens from the community.
Items collected are: glass
(clear, green, and brown),
polystyrene, paper
(newspapers, magazines, junk
mail, cardboard, corruagated
paper, and computer paper),
and plastics (HOPE and PET).
Paper profits are donated to the
East Brandywine Fire
Company. The Township
shares the profits from
aluminum and glass with the
recycling committee to run
environmental programs and
for the development of a
community park.
The goals of the program are
to: inform and educate the
school community and public
of their environmental
responsibility to recycling,
organize recycling programs
with a voluntary participation
system, reduce the cost of solid
waste removal, and extend the
life of existing landfills in the
immediate area.
This program began when two
volunteers from the
Brandywine-Wallace
Elementary School Recycling
Committee, Shelley Francies
and Kathy Robinson, got
together and came up with a
recycling program proposal.
They presented the proposal to
the school principal and to the
East Brandywine Township
Supervisors in August 1989.
After the idea was accepted,
they worked with the
Elementary school faculty to
turn their ideas into actions.
By October 1989, the entire
faculty, staff, and student body
began participating in a
voluntary paper recycling
program within the school.
Parent volunteers were
organized to transport recycled
paper each week to the fire
house from the school building,
to publicize information with
local businesses, and to recruit
volunteers for the new Center.
Arrangements were made with
the Township Supervisors to
open a Recycling Center the
first Saturday of every month
beginning in January.
During the first month of
Center operation, only
aluminum cans were collected
and by the next month,
Township Supervisors agreed
to take paper and glass. The
Township also provided
transportation of the
recyclables to a redemption
center. Flyers were inserted
into the trash bills for publicity.
15
A few months later polystyrene
was added to the list of
recyclables and over one
hundred cars were dropping off
recyclables.
The recycling committee grew
to encompass a "district-wide
committee made up of parents
and teachers. Publicity for the
program continued by way of
Earth Week celebrations which
included the goal of paper
recycling in every building in
the district by Earth Week and
updated flyers inserted hi tax
bills.
By May 1990, the program
experienced a 1,000 percent
increase hi participation and
soon afterward they began
taking HOPE and PET plastics.
Although a very successful
program, the Committee also
had its share of difficulties.
They lost two months of profits
from the sale of glass and
aluminum when then- recycler
declared bankruptcy. Then
their plastics recycler informed
them that then- plastics will no
longer be accepted. They did
locate new recyclers for their
plastics, aluminum, and glass.
Contact: Ms. Shelly Francies
P.O. Box 112, Lyndell,
Pennsylvania 19354
(215) 942-4426
Ms. Cathleen Weisser
1100 Hopewell Road
Downingtown, Pennsylvania
19335-1207, (215) 873-0234
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REGION 3 REGIONAL FINALIST
EDU'
iTIONAL
C-12)
INS'
ON
Recycle for
D.A.R.E.
Recycle for
D.A.R.E. began
as a fundraising arm of
D.A.R.E. TO CARE, a project
to support the continuation of
Drug Abuse Resistance
Education (D.A.R.E.) in the
elementary schools in Douglass
Township, Pennsylvania. The
concept involves the local
community in collecting and
recycling aluminum cans as an
alternative to traditional fund
raising.
D.A.R.E. TO CARE applied
for and received a $500 mini-
grant from the Berks County
Office of Drug Intervention/
Prevention in January 1990.
The grant was used to produce
collection containers, posters,
and fliers to promote Recycle
for D.A.R.E. hi Douglass.
These materials were
distributed to township
businesses, churches, and
central locations.
A monthly drop-off site was
established, with all volunteer
labor from Crime Watch, the
local boy scout troop, and
residents. With local media
attention and visual promotion
materials, cans were soon
rolling in.
As Earth Day 1990
approached, a tremendous
interest hi recycling grew. In
conjunction with Earth Day,
D.A.R.E. Director, Randal
Doaty planned the "Great
Aluminum Can Tournament"
in two elementary schools.
School classrooms were pitted
against each other in a month-
long competition, which hi the
end, would result in the naming
of the "1990 Can Champs" and
a class party as the reward.
The plan was to hold all of the
cans until the end of the month
to make a visual statement to
the students of the value of
recycling. Student enthusiasm
was outstanding. They grasped
the "trash to treasure" concept
so well that storage space was
overwhelmed the first week.
At the end of the tournament, a
total of 3,602 pounds of
aluminum cans filled 60 cubic
yards of space.
Local businesses provided a
storage trailer and support.
"Can Champ" t-shirts were
donated and a special
recognition assembly was held,
complete with a Pennsylvania
State Senator and a State
Representative as speakers.
Plans were soon made for a fall
"October Can Fest." The
student goal was to reach 4,000
pounds. Parents helped by
setting up collection sites at
their workplaces and helped the
children scour their
neighborhoods for cans. The
Can Fest total was 5,159.
Another awards ceremony was
held, with gold, silver, and
bronze medals awarded to
individual collectors as
16
students, teachers, parents, and
staff cheered their successes.
By the end of the October Can
Fest, over 5 tons of cans were
collected by D.A.R.E. By the
end of the year, the total was
over 6 tons.
Their success is attributed to
the enthusiasm of the young
and their "can-do" spirit. The
desire of the community to be
part of the solution to one of
the nation's leading problems
while protecting their children's
futures was evident
everywhere. Many expressed
the thought that using one
problem to solve another was
innovative and energy saving.
Overall, the children "rescued"
200 cubic yards worth of cans
and raised enough funds to
continue D.A.R.E. hi Douglass
for the 1991-1992 school year,
with a head start on the 1992-
1993 school year.
Contact: Ms. Betty Burdan,
Douglass-Berks Crime Watch,
R.D. 7, Box 418, Sunrise Lane,
Boyertown, Pennsylvania
19512, (215)369-1382
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REGION 3 REGIONAL FINALIST
FEDERAL
United States
Postal Service
Headquarters
Building
Recycling
Program—Savings of
America's Resources (SOAR)
Established at the Washington,
D.C. Postal Headquarters
Building in October 1990, the
SOAR program is a dynamic
multi-material, office-based
recycling and waste reduction
program. Recyclables
collected include: high-grade
and mixed office paper, newspaper,
corrugated cardboard, metal soft-
drink cans, and polystyrene food
containers. Glass containers,
wooden pallets, telephone books,
and ferrous metals were targeted
to begin the next year.
The program's goals and
objectives are to:
Comply with the District of
Columbia recycling law,
Contribute to achieving local
and national waste reduction
and recycling goals,
Develop a successful model
program with a unified logo and
theme worthy of high exposure
that will be expanded to
additional Postal Service
operations nationally,
Develop a simple and effective
program that employees would
participate in,
Reduce operational costs by
cutting disposal fees, and
Build on the idea of
""reduce, reuse, recycle".
The program has received a
very positive response by
administration and employees
and has successfully reduced
the disposal waste stream at the
Postal Service Headquarters by
approximately 40 percent with
expected savings of
approximately $20,000 on
disposal fees. In addition, the
office will realize
approximately $10,000 from
the sale of recyclables.
With the assistance of a solid
waste management consulting
firm, Gershman, Brickner, and
Bratton, Inc. of Falls Church,
Virginia, program planning and
implementation began.
To avoid confusing employees
by introducing too many
recyclable materials at once,
the program used a phased-in
approach, beginning with office
paper, newspaper, corrugated
cardboard, and aluminum cans.
The systems that were selected
were designed to be as
convenient as possible for
participation and collection,
and aesthetically suited to fit
into professional work space.
Special consideration was
maintained throughout the
planning of SOAR for
housekeeping staff responsible
for collecting and consolidating
recyclables. The types,
location, and number of
container locations and the
collection mechanism were
carefully designed to provide
ease of handling, access for
housekeeping into office areas
and avoidance of excessive
accumulation of recyclables in
containers.
17
SOAR developed an extensive
promotional program with the
goals of being understandable,
highly visible, aesthetically
acceptable to an office
environment, and applicable
nationally. A recycling logo
was developed and placed on
all SOAR promotional
materials and program signage.
Promotional materials included
post cards, signed by the
Postmaster General, given to
all employees, which described
the program; brochures; signs
at collection locations; posters
and three twenty-foot banners
which were posted across
building entrances.
Additionally, a narrated slide
presentation was presented at a
day-long kick-off event to
familiarize building personnel
with the SOAR program.
SOAR t-shirts were given away
to all that attended the fifteen
minute presentation.
The SOAR program recycles
approximately 22 tons each
month which includes: 28,000
Ibs. of high grade paper, 5,800
Ibs. of corrugated cardboard,
7,000 Ibs. of newspaper, 2,500
Ibs. of mixed and shredded
paper, and 200 Ibs. of
aluminum cans.
Contact: Mr. Scott Bashore,
USPS Headquarters Recycling
Program Coordinator, USPS
Headquarters, Room 1P-020,
475 L 'Enfant Plaza, S. W.,
Washington, D.C. 20260-6442
(202) 268-4710.
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REGION 3 REGIONAL FINALIST
LARGE BUSINESS
OR INDUSTRY
T
Conserve
Resources
(CORE)
Program-
Huntsman
Chemical Corporation
CORE, the Huntsman
Chemical Corporation's solid
waste recycling program, was
designed to reduce the
Company's impact on the
environment through source
reduction and recycling.
CORE is part of the operating
philosophy of every plant and
office. The program utilizes
the suggestions of the
employees to reduce waste and
inefficient operations,
recognizes those employees
who have made suggestions,
and communicates the
recycling message to the
community.
Huntsman's most
comprehensive source
reduction and recycling
program, involving over twenty
recyclable materials, is located
at their flagship plant and
operational office in
Chesapeake, Virginia.
In 1990, the Chesapeake
facility diverted a total of 11.7
million pounds from the local
waste stream. This is an
increase of 4.6 million pounds,
or 64 percent over the amount
diverted in 1989.
As a result of their success, the
facility has been singled out for
its recycling activities by the
Chesapeake Environmental
Improvement Council, Keep
Virginia Beautiful, Keep
America Beautiful, Virginia
Take Pride in America, the
National Environmental
Awards Council, WVEC-TV
Channel 13's Earth Watch
Program, and many local
newspapers.
This recycling program is
unique because markets did not
exist for many of the materials
that they wished to recycle.
One employee located a market
for wooden pallets (a local
shipping company which uses
the wood for ballast) that
could not be reused, diverting
132,000 pounds from landfills.
weight and volume and recover
entrapped polystyrene beads,
which Huntsman could then
sell. This sludge has been
reduced from 7.6 million
pounds in 1988 to 1.8 million
in 1990, a 76 percent reduction
in two years.
The Huntsman plant has
become so proficient and well-
known in recycling that other
businesses and companies, the
U.S. Navy and schools have
asked for assistance in starting
their own programs.
All Huntsman facilities
together have diverted 57
million pounds from landfills
in 1990, saving 2,670,000
The Chesapeake source reduction and recycling program incorporates the
following materials:
white, computer, and mixed
paper
aluminum cans
waste-water sludge
polystyrene beads
used office equipment
pallet give-away
wood pallets and sides
metal drums
polystyrene scrap
printer ribbons
volatile compounds
employee waste oil
polyethylene bags
waste oil
cardboard
glass bottles
scrap metal
fiber drums
HDPEjugs
mineral spirits
telephone
books
Also, large polyethylene bags,
each weighing 2.5 pounds are
given to a local firm for use in
landscaping. Another
employee located a company
that could use 5,000 five-gallon
polyethylene jugs to deter .
evaporation from a cooling
pond.
The most resourceful program
involves the processing of non-
hazardous sludge to decrease its
18
cubic feet of landfill space, and
saving the company nearly
$5,000,000.
Contact: Mr. Donald J.
Daveau, Director Resource
Conservation, Huntsman
Chemical Corporation,
5100 Bainbridge Blvd.,
Chesapeake, Virginia 23320,
(804) 494-2560
-------
REGION 3 REGIONAL FINALIST
.RGB BUSINESS
OR INDUSTRY
Waste
Management of
North America
Waste
Management of North
America, Inc. of Bensalem,
Pennsylvania (WMNA) and the
City of Philadelphia have been
partners in creating an
integrated waste disposal and
recycling scheme for the
municipal wastes produced by
637,000 households. Through a
combination of subsidiaries,
WMNA provides transferring
and landfilling operations,
commercial hauling services,
and recycling processing to the
City of Philadelphia.
With passage of Bill 1251A in
June 1987, Philadelphia's City
Council set ambitious recycling
and waste reduction goals,
calling for a 50 percent
reduction hi disposed wastes by
June 1991. Regulations were
adopted requiring recycling
collections for single family
households, residential
buildings of six dwellings or
less and commercial generators
for whom the City provided
waste service. Beginning in
January 1989 and through
1990,169,000 households of a
total of 637,000 eligible, were
phased into the program
devised by the Philadelphia
Recycling Office and the
Department of Streets with
guidance from a network of
Advisory Committees.
Response to the distribution of
bright blue recycling buckets
for commingled glass bottles
and jars, steel, bimetal and
aluminum cans, plastic soda
(PET) bottles, and milk, water,
and juice (HOPE) bottles, and
newspapers resulted in an
overwhelming 70 percent to 90
percent participation rate. The
quantities of recyclables
requiring separation and
processing for market quickly
exceeded local capabilities.
The City's need activated a
synergism of WMNA
operations to help quickly
address the problems wrought
by the City's own recycling
success. The Philadelphia
Transfer and Recycling Center
(Phila Transfer) hi Southwest
Philadelphia, and the Forge in
Northeast Philadelphia, were
already waste transfer points
under contract with the City.
In addition, the Forge had
major baling and storage
capabilities to offer. WMNA's
Recycle America processing
and waste reduction program
experience were applied to the
situation facing the
Philadelphia program.
Temporary sorting operations
were established at Phila
Transfer by June 1989 pending
permanent installations. The
procedure for the municipal
crews was to deliver their
recyclable loads to either of the
two designated sites. All
newspapers would be processed
at the Forge and all
commingled bottles/cans would
go to Phila Transfer for
separation. Transfer operations
19
were established at each site to
shift the recyclables to their
processing location. The
facilities process about 40 tons
per shift of commingled bottles
and cans through a series of
screening, magnetic separation,
manual sorting, air
classification and crushing
operations.
During 1990, Philadelphia and
WMNA removed a total of
24,342 tons of recyclables from
the waste stream; a
combination of 9,790 tons of
bottles/cans and 14,552 tons of
newspaper. Every pound was
guaranteed a market secured
though a series of joint
ventures between WMNA and
international end users: The
Plastics Recycling Alliance with
DuPont, The Paper Recycling
International with Stone
Container, and the Container
Recycling Alliance with American
National Can.
The City has benefitted by
savings of avoided landfill
costs (average $65/ton),
reduced trash collection costs,
and revenues received from the
markets.
Contact: Ms. Barbara
O'Brien, Waste Management
of North America,
3 Greenwood Square, 3329
Street Road, Bensalem,
Pennsylvania 19020
(215) 244-9514
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REGION 3 REGIONAL FINALIST
LOCAL
GOVERNMENT
'Recycling Phis'
Northern Tier
Solid Waste
Authority
(NTSWA) has
implemented "Recycling
Plus" an innovative, multi-
structured, aggressive
recycling program
encompassing 5,000 square
miles and a population of
106,000 in a three-county
region (Bradford, Sullivan &
Tioga) of rural Pennsylvania
containing 114 municipalities.
The program is comprised of
two recycling processing
centers, thirty-one
municipalities serviced by
curbside collection programs,
thirty-plus drop-off sites, a
buy-back system for
aluminum and glass at each
center with a satellite
component, innovative
combinations of NTSWA and
municipal-private hauler-
service club-organization
partnerships and aggressive
public education promotions.
This recycling effort and all
of its components are financed
by the NTSWA Municipal
Waste Management "user fee"
system resulting hi no tax
monies or special assessments
being utilized.
One of the innovative
developments of "Recycling
Plus" is the processing and
marketing of newspaper as
animal bedding. While many
recycling programs have
storage problems or market
price fluctuations causing a glut
of newspaper - NTSWA could
use more newspapers to satisfy
the area farmers! The bedding
is 3 times as absorbent as hay
and the newspaper is 100
percent recyclable.
And, what is more remarkable
is the fact that at the time of
this application, none of the
municipalities in the entire
three county region had a
mandatory recycling population
under PA's Act 101. The
largest community, Sayre
Borough, is 6,900 pop. Yet,
voluntarily through NTSWA -
Bradford, Sullivan and Tioga
counties initiated "Recycling
Plus". The unique idea of
mini-barns for recycling drop-
off centers add to the rural
flavor. Co-sponsorships of
programs with municipalities,
civic groups, fire companies,
private refuse haulers, etc.
ensures continued success.
NTSWA has tapped into rural
resources!
The "Buy- Back" component of
the program was the first of its
type to be operated by a
municipal authority in PA.
This is the backbone of the
recycling system. Individuals
and groups can bring aluminum
cans and glass bottles to a
processing center, drop them
off, and be paid for the
material. It is a positive
incentive for individuals,
municipalities or service groups
to join the "Recycling Plus"
partnership with NTSWA.
Recycling works and it pays in
more ways than one! The
Buy-Back system enabled the
Authority to provide markets a
clean and reliable volume of
materials which has resulted in
yearly contracts.
Furthermore, NTSWA
"Recycling Plus" processes the
following recyclables: clear,
brown, and green glass;
aluminum cans; newspaper;
corrugated cardboard; plastic
(PET, PVC, HDPE); office
paper (white ledger and
computer) and tin/bimetal cans
along with scrap metals;
batteries; waste oil; and white
goods.
Another plus for "Recycling
Plus" is a new NTSWA-
Industry "connection"...a local
foundry is making use of the
collected tin cans in their cast
iron manufacturing process.
This market development
innovation is another reason
why NTSWA is succeeding
with its recycling program!
In 1990, approximately
5,000,000 Ibs. of recyclables
were marketed by NTSWA
and participants hi the
program!
Contact: Mr. David T. Terrill,
Executive Director, Northern
Tier Solid Waste Authority,
P.O. Box 34, Blossburg,
Pennsylvania 16912
(717) 638-2107
20
-------
REGION 3 REGIONAL FINALIST
LOCAL
GOVERNMENT
Rural Recycling
Can Work
When the
Columbia County
(Pennsylvania) Commissioners
threatened to close the State-
approved landfill in 1977, the
Bloomsburg Branch of the
American Association of
University Women held a
public meeting to determine
what options might be
available for the disposal of
the County's municipal solid
waste. That meeting, attended
by 80 people from various
groups including Pennsylvania
Department of Environmental
Resources (DER), the electric
utility, Regional Planning
Commission, the County,
municipalities, businesses,
haulers, recycling
organizations, and residents
resulted hi the formation of a
task force. They concluded
that recycling could
significantly reduce waste
needing disposal by other,
more economical and
environmentally beneficent
means. This was the Inception
of a partnership that designed
a recycling system that would
be a model for rural areas
across Pennsylvania.
Using a vacant, unheated
railroad station for processing,
in five months the task force
started a multi-material
curbside recycling pickup
program in Bloomsburg,
adding surrounding
municipalities within the next
few years. The program
continued to grow, providing
recycling drop-off services in
those areas of the county too
rural for curbside collection.
The town of Bloomsburg
applied for an equipment grant
from the DER as the recycling
program, now incorporated as a
nonprofit organization, outgrew
its primitive quarters.
Weis Markets offered the town
a piece of land for a recycling
center. The State approved the
grant, with the provision that
Bloomsburg enact a mandatory
recycling ordinance, which the
town did.
But then misfortune struck. A
fire destroyed the recycling
center and all of the recyclables
stored there, wiping out four
years of progress. Once again,
the community started from
scratch. A local distributor
allowed the program to use its
parking lot to bale newsprint.
A soda bottler donated trucks
for collecting recyclables. And
countless persons donated
money and labor to assure
recycling's continuance.
The recycling partnership has
recycled approximately 20,000
tons of aluminum cans, glass
containers, newsprint,
corrugated cardboard, high
grade office paper, magazines,
plastic beverage containers, and
steel and bimetal cans. Not
only does this represent a
saving of 60,000 cubic yards of
landfill space, but also the gas
21
and vehicle wear of 2,500 70-
mile roundtrips to the landfill.
In addition, the tonnage recycled
saved approximately 300
million BTUs in the production
of products from recycled
materials over the energy
needed using virgin materials.
The program's continuous
public education program of
news releases, radio interviews
and public service
announcements, flyers, public
meetings and residents' surveys
assured a widespread
understanding of the need to
recycle and participate in the
recycling project. The
mandatory ordinance enacted by
Bloomsburg hi 1983 increased
participation dramatically, with
a survey of 50 percent the
town's households one year later
revealing an 85 percent
participation rate.
The first DER grant application
(1981) projected a goal of
recycling 1 million Ibs. or 10
percent of Bloomsburg's
municipal solid waste. The
town exceeded this goal the first
year, and every year since, with
about 16 percent of municipal
solid waste recycled each year.
This does not include leaf waste
which the town composts.
Contact: Ms. Florence Thompson,
Council Member,Town Hall,
Main Street,
Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania 17815
(717) 784-9659
-------
REGION 3 REGIONAL FINALIST
LOCAL
GOVERNMENT
York Recycles
In York,
Pennsylvania
refuse is collected
under contract twice a week
from residential and
commercial properties.
Recyclables are placed at the
curb in commingled containers
by residents and small
businesses and collected on the
first refuse collection day of
each week. Glass and metal
food and beverage containers
are placed in 14 gallon bins or
6 1/2 gallon buckets which are
provided by the City and
funded 90 percent by the State.
Newspapers are bundled or
placed in brown paper grocery
bags for collection. Small
businesses also bundle
cardboard for recycling
collection. About 600 small
businesses participated in the
curbside program.
Each month the City receives a
report on each material that
was collected. Large
commercial generators and
office paper generators must
make private recycling
arrangements. About 1,200
businesses contract
independently for recycling
services.
During the first year (1989)
1,318 tons were collected from
private commercial
establishments. Since 1990
was the first year of the
commercial program, not all
businesses were on line
throughout the year. A better
view of commercial recycling
is expected after 1991.
In 1990, the City introduced a
special collection of bagged
leaves which use special
recycled bags sold at
convenience stores in York.
City crews collect the bagged
leaves and transport them to the
City's leaf site for composting.
Christmas trees are also
collected. In all, over 415 tons
of leaf and woody waste were
composted during 1990. Plans
are underway for a monthly
collection of yardwaste and a
drop-off and pick-up for
compost.
Initial participation in the
program was at an estimated
rate of 30 percent when the
program was initiated, but has
grown to approximately 70-80
percent. Tonnages collected
vary from refuse area to refuse
area and fluctuate seasonally.
While the City receives
monthly reports on its
residential and small business
recycling program, commercial
recycling reports are collected
annually. The first commercial
recycling reports were due
January 15,1991. Commercial
recycling efforts are expected
to impact favorably on the
City's 26 percent goal by 1997.
While participation rates may
indicate who is recycling and
who is not, the expense of
accurately determining
participation rates outweighs its
usefulness. Judging
22
unofficially through drivebys
of every neighborhood and by
virtue of door to door
inspections, most
neighborhoods boast 80-90
percent participation. Problems
include low-income areas with
a high percentage-of rental
units. Because the property
owner receives all refuse
billings, the City does not know
who the tenants are and when
they move. As a result, new
tenants move in who may not
be familiar with recycling
requirements.
York has a sizeable Hispanic
population, so most of the
literature is translated into
Spanish. Pictures are used to
illustrate requirements where
possible to aide those with
reading disabilities.
Contact: Ms. Ginger L
Bucher, Administrator of
Environmental Services
Division, City of York, Public
Works Department, 50 West
King Street, P.O. Box 509,
York, Pennsylvania 17405
(717)849-2245
-------
REGION 3 REGIONAL FINALIST
L BUSINESS
OR^DUSTRY
Goodwill
Industries
Recycling
Center
The Goodwill Industries
Recycling Center in Danville,
Virginia became a part of
Goodwill Industries 10 years
ago with the beginning of an
aluminum buy-back program.
In the last 2 years, the program
has expanded to include a glass
beverage-bottle recycling
program and a bimetal can
recycling program.
Through the Anheuser-Busch
aluminum can recycling
program, Container Recovery
Corporation, the largest
aluminum can recycler in the
nation, Goodwill's program
ranked #1 in the
Commonwealth of Virginia,
and in the top 8 percent hi the
nation for aluminum can
recycling. Through the Owens-
Brockway glass recycling
program, they ranked #1 hi
Virginia and #11 in the nation
for glass beverage recycling.
In 1989, they received the "The
Virginia Eagle Award" by
Anheuser Busch for
achievement hi conserving
Natural Resources and Energy.
Then in 1990, they were
presented with the "National
Pace Setter Award" for
leadership in advancing
recycling, Under the "Keep
Virginia Beautiful" program,
they received a third place
award for local businesses and
industry. Also hi 1990, the
Mid-Atlantic Glass Recycling
Program awarded the program
for excellence and promotion
of curbside recycling.
Goodwill Industries has been
working with the City Beautiful
Committee on a competitive
recycling program during the
school year to involve schools,
clubs, and religious institutions
in recycling. These groups
bring their glass and aluminum
cans to Goodwill for weighing,
and prize money is awarded at
the end of the school year to
the winners. Totals for the
1989/1990 school year from
these groups were:
cans: 4,309.5 Ibs.
glass: 54,282.0 Ibs.
Goodwill also approached
businesses and shopping
centers to build and install
drop-off boxes for glass and
aluminum cans. There are now
a total of six locations and the
total poundages since May are:
Within the Goodwill
organization, efforts were made
to recycle hi each department.
They recycled office paper,
textiles, shoes, white metal,
cardboard, aluminum and
bimetal cans for a total of
2,845,439 pounds^and 361,393
cubic feet of landfill space
saved.
Contact: Mr. MarkStegall
304 N. Main Street,
Danville, Virginia 24520
(804) 792-2511.
glass:
cans:
42,337.0 Ibs.
1,495.0 Ibs.
Additionally, Goodwill is
working with the City of
Danville on a curbside
recycling program targeting
roughly 1,000 homes hi four
communities. They are also
working with the County of
Pittsylvania on a drop-off site
located at the County landfill.
23
-------
REGION 3 REGIONAL FINALIST
Delaware
Reclamation
Plant
LJ II UJ U fcJ
AGENCY
The Delaware
Reclamation Plant (DRP) is a
large-scale resource recovery
plant located in northern
Delaware. The DRP
mechanically processes 1,000
tons of municipal solid waste
daily from New Castle
County, diverting select
materials to recycling
markets. Since commercial
operations began in March
1984, through December
1990, the DRP has recovered
and sold for reuse 9,543,000
million Ibs. of aluminum,
89,541,000 Ibs. of steel scrap,
and 13,324,000 Ibs. of glass.
This volume of resource
recovery alone is responsible
for a state recycling rate of 8
percent, after processing only
New Castle County's
household solid waste.
The DRP is designed to
remove those materials from
the waste stream which have
established markets. To
further enhance the
productivity of the plant and
the percentage of resources
recovered, a composting
operation combines the
organic fraction of the waste
stream with de-watered
sewage sludge to produce
humus, some of which is sold
to horticulturalists as a soil
conditioner under the name of
Fairgrow. The unscreened
humus is beneficially used in
lieu of topsoil at the Cherry
Island landfill which serves
New Castle County. Humus
produced through 1990
amounts to 644,458,000 Ibs.,
and brings the recycling rate up
to 28 percent of household
solid waste for the State and 35
percent of household solid
waste specific to New Castle
County. This is before any of
the light fraction of the waste
stream (paper and plastic) is
conveyed to the Energy
Generating Facility for steam
and electrical generation. The
DRP has provided over 1.5
billion Ibs. of refuse derived
fuel (RDF) to the waste-to-
energy plant.
The DRP has long functioned
as a working example of the
value and viability of large
scale resource recovery.
Professionals from around the
world and neighboring states
tour the DRP regularly to see
this important process first
hand. Many take back
information helpful to
developing similar plans. The
DRP is the first known solid
waste management facility to
apply proven technology to
mechanical separation of
waste, utilizing resource
recovery, composting, and
energy generation at one
facility.
In an effort to foster awareness
of recycling and solid waste
management issues, the
Delaware Solid Waste
Authority (DSWA) developed
24
"Trash Can Dan," as a goodwill
messenger. They also
developed a coloring book and
video to demonstrate the
reclamation process and to
teach children about trash
collection, landfilling, and
recycling. —
The DRP has been retrieving
valuable commodities from the
waste stream for over seven
years, and it is for this reason
that waste disposal costs for
Delaware residents remain as
low as seven cents per day.
Even with the success of the
DRP, Delawareans are actively
participating in a voluntary
drop-off program called
"RECYCLE DELAWARE."
DSWA has established to date
36 centers state-wide, with a
goal of 100 by the end of 1992.
The centers collect brown,
green, and clear glass, plastics,
newspapers, and cans, and
provide for the safe disposal of
household batteries and used
motor oil. This DSWA
program has realized high
volumes of materials collected.
Contact: Mr. N.C. Vasuki,
P.E., DEE, Chief Executive
Officer, Delaware Solid Waste
Authority, 1128 South Bradford
Street, P.O. Box 455, Dover,
Delaware 19903-0455
(302) 739-5361
-------
REGION 3 REGIONAL FINALIST
STATE
DDC
JET: rftr IDC
IDC
AGENCY
Statewide
Recycling
Program-
Commonwealth
of Pennsylvania
In 1988, Pennsylvania
Governor Robert P. Casey
signed Act 101 to make
recycling mandatory in
Pennsylvania's larger
communities. The purpose of
the law was to address
environmental concerns,
particularly those resulting
from Pennsylvania's
dwindling municipal waste
disposal capacity and the need
to promote alternative waste
management methods. Its
recycling goals were to: (1)
attain a 25 percent statewide
recycling rate by 1997; (2) teach
each person living or working in
the Commonwealth the economic,
environmental, and energy value
of recycling, and encourage
recycling participation; and (3)
procure products made of
recycled and recyclable materials
for use in state government
offices.
To fund Act 101 programs, the
law imposed a fee of $2 per
ton on all municipal waste
processed or disposed at waste
management facilities in
Pennsylvania. The
Pennsylvania Department of
Environmental Resources
(DER) collected over $57
million in recycling fees for
the period between October
26, 1988, when the fee went
into effect, and December 31,
1990. The fee funds six grant
programs to encourage county
and municipal recycling and
waste management planning.
DER has awarded more than
$44 million to 695 grant
applicants. Of this amount,
$38.5 million were awarded
under the Recycling
Development and
Implementation grant, which
provides 90 percent funding to
municipalities for
implementing curbside
recycling programs, recycling
processing centers, and leaf
composting programs.
Only 75 municipalities had
curbside recycling programs in
1987, before Act 101 was
passed. By December 1990,
412 municipalities had curbside
programs, serving half (5.5
million) of the state's
population. More than 100
municipalities had leaf
composting programs in
operation or under
development.
To meet the procurement goal
in state government offices and
stimulate recycling markets,
Pennsylvania offers bidders on
state government contracts a 5
percent price preference for
products with recycled content.
The Governor's Recycling
Market Development Task
Force was established in 1989
to further stimulate markets for
materials collected by
Pennsylvania's recycling
programs. Its initial priority, to
increase markets for recyclable
25
newsprint, met with success
when the Pennsylvania
Newspaper Publishers
Association (PNPA) agreed to
a goal to use at least 50 percent
recycled newsprint in the
state's newspapers by 1995. A
1990 PNPA survey revealed
that, within 10 months of
accepting the goal, the use of
recycled newsprint by
Pennsylvania publishers
increased from 8.8 percent to
17 percent. The use of
shredded newsprint for animal
bedding increased the market
still further. By May 1990, 673
Pennsylvania dairy herds were
bedded with old newspapers.
To encourage recycling
businesses, the Task Force
created the Environmental
Technology Fund (ETF), which
consolidates the resources of
various state government
agencies to offer recycling
grants and low-interest loans
totaling $445,000. Fourteen
grants, totaling nearly
$900,000, have been awarded
to develop new products and
demonstrate new technologies.
Contact: Mr. James P. Snyder,
Director, Bureau of Waste
Management, Pennsylvania
Department of Environmental
Resources, P.O. Box 2063,
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
17105-2063
(717) 787-9870
-------
REGION 3 REGIONAL FINALIST
Virginia Used
Oil Recycling
Program
lAGENCY
Each year in
Virginia, do-it-yourself (DIYs)
oil changers improperly
dispose of over 4.4 million
gallons of used motor oil.
Used motor oil represents a
serious threat to the
environment by polluting
ground water, rivers, lakes,
and the Chesapeake Bay if
disposed of improperly.
To combat this problem, the
Department of Mines,
Minerals, and Energy has
established a statewide
network of over 400 used oil
collection centers. The
collection centers are primarily
retail service stations that
accept used oil for recycling.
Through this network, DIYs
have an environmentally sound
and energy efficient alternative
to dumping their used
crankcase oil into backyards,
trash cans, dumpsters, or down
a nearby storm sewer.
The Department also operates
a toll-free Energy Hotline
Monday-Friday from 8:00
a.m.-12:00 noon and
1:00 p.m. -5:00p.m. A
trained energy analyst is
available to answer any
questions regarding used oil
recycling and can direct a
caller to the nearest used oil
collection center. The Energy
Hotline is also set-up to
answer a host of other
questions regarding various
economical and innovative
ways to conserve energy. The
line is accessible to the hearing
unpaired through a
telecommunications device for
the deaf (V/TDD).
The Used Oil Recycling
Program began in the
Richmond area hi July 1982, in
Northern Virginia in November
1982, in the Tidewater area in
April 1983, and in the
remainder of the state in
August 1983.
The success of this effort rides
on the service station owners
that volunteer their stations to
serve as used oil collection
centers and the cooperation of
the thousands of motorists who
change their own oil. There is
a number of private recycling
companies that retrieve oil
from service stations for
recycling.
In 1989, the Virginia General
Assembly enacted a mandatory
used oil signage program.
House Bill 1744 requires
anyone who sells motor oil at
the retail level to post a sign
which encourages the recycling
of used motor oil and gives the
locations of nearby collection
centers. The Department of
Mines, Minerals, and Energy
maintains and updates the
signs, that are distributed to
retailers yearly.
Each year, the Department of
Mines, Minerals, and Energy
conducts a survey of current
and former participants in the
Used Oil Recycling Program to
determine the on-going success
of the effort. In 1990, the
survey found that the total
estimated monthly amount of
oil brought in for recycling
equaled 38,178 gallons or
87.97 gallons per station per
month. This can be projected
to an annual estimate of
458,372 gallons (10,914 barrels
of oil) or an average of 1,055
gallons per station per year.
Every year, there has been a
steady increase in the amount
of used oil collected.
There are 26 other states with
some type of oil recycling
program. Most are statewide,
but some exist solely hi
metropolitan areas.
Contact: Ms. Susan Thomas,
Energy Conservation Program
Analyst, Department of Mines
Minerals, and Energy,
2201 West Broad Street,
Richmond, Virginia, 23220
(804) 367-6851
26
-------
REGION 3 REGIONAL FINALIST
OR
PROFESSIONAL
ASSOCIATION
PaperMatcher™ Directory-
American Paper Institute
The American paper industry
observed that local
communities' attempts to start
paper recycling programs were
hindered by a lack of
information about how to
match local recycling needs
with local resources. As a
result, the American Paper
Institute (API) created
PaperMatcher™, a project
which also advances the
industry's ambitious goal to
boost paper recovery—for
domestic recycling and export-
to 40 percent by the end of
1995.
The 204-page directory is
designed to provide a handy
reference for communities
seeking to identify markets for
paper recovered for recycling.
PaperMatcher™ was published
in December, 1990 and sent
free to companies,
organizations, and individuals
involved in paper recycling,
including over 2,000 state and
local recycling officials.
PaperMatcher™ lists the names
and^addresses of over 6,000
resources, including U.S. paper
and paperboard mills that use
recovered paper as a raw
material; waste paper dealers
that sort, pack, and sell waste
paper; and recycling centers
that accept a variety of
recovered materials.
To assure that communities
understand how to establish
and maintain a successful paper
recycling program, the
directory also features an
introductory section that
outlines specific steps for
achieving positive results.
It also includes an appendix of
publicly announced plans by
U.S. paper companies to
expand current facilities or
build new mills that will be
able to use recovered paper as a
raw material source. These
announcements range from
firm commitments for
expansion to feasibility and
engineering studies.
API will update
PaperMatcher™ regularly to
ensure the accuracy of facility
listings, paper recycling
information, and related data.
The directory has been well
received and demonstrates the
usefulness of a practical
resource to promote the
development of efficient
collection systems capable of
recovering clean, recyclable
paper, as well as the
identification of potential
markets for recovered paper.
27
Contact: Robert McKernan,
American Paper Institute, 1250
Connecticut Avenue, N.W.,
Suite 210, Washington, D.C.
20036, (202) 463-2420
-------
REGION 3 REGIONAL FINALIST
iOR
PROFESSIONAL
ASSOCIATION
Recycling
Promotion and
Education
Activities
The staff of the National Solid
Wastes Management
Association's (NSWMA's)
Waste Recycling Programs
fosters recycling activities by
promoting recycling
information on markets,
legislation, and trends in
recycling technologies. The
NSWMA's publications,
articles, special reports, and
personal contact with
businesses, municipal
officials, the press, and the
public have improved the
quality of information
available to individuals
launching successful recycling
programs.
Although much of NSWMA's
activities focus on promoting
specific policy positions in the
interest of the solid waste
industry, the Waste Recycling
programs has broadened its
scope to provide credible
research and educational
materials to benefit a broader
constituency. In the interest
of promoting recycling, the
Association has published a
number of factual publications
of value to the public and
private sectors:
1. Recycling in the States!
Published annually, this report
summarizes state laws relating
to recycling. Disposal bans,
source separation
requirements, procurement
laws, and grant/loan programs
are examples of the information
provided in its most popular
publication. Distribution in
1990 was: 30,000.
2. Recycling Solid Waste: This
report provides an overview on
national recycling activities,
including descriptions of how
recycling programs work and
what is currently being
recycled. Distribution hi 1990
was: 20,000.
3. Recycling Tiniest Published
twice a month, this newspaper
tracks recycling markets prices
for each region of the county,
and covers the latest
innovations in recycling
collection, processing, and
manufacturing technologies.
There are 5,500 subscribers.
4. Directory of Waste Recycling
Companies,. Services.
Equipment; Public officials
and waste generators use this
guide to find recycling
companies to collect and
process recyclables,
manufacturers of recycling
equipment, consultants who
design recycling programs, and
recycled product
manufacturers. Distribution in
1990 was: 2,500.
5. The Future of Newspaper
Recycling! Given the pervasive
glut in old newspapers
collected for recycling,
NSWMA published a study
predicting when adequate
28
capacity will be available to
alleviate the oversupply. In an
accompanying article on the
topic, NSWMA published
advice for communities on
surviving the temporary glut in
newspaper markets.
Distribution in 1990 was:
18,000.
6. Walt-Wastenot and the Mini-
Page: Educational materials
developed for children on
recycling and waste
management issues.
Distribution in 1990 was:
20,000.
In addition to the above
mentioned publications,
NSWMA's Waste Recycling
Programs staff have developed
information packets on critical
segments of the recycling
industry such as, "Office Paper
Recycling" and "Directory of
Recycling Resources." During
1990, NSWMA handled an
average of 650 recycling
information requests per month
from private and public
recycling program operators,
the press, business, and the
public. Staff also speak at
numerous national and regional
conferences to promote
recycling education.
Contact: Ms. Darlene Snow,
Manager, Waste Recycling
Programs, National Solid
Wastes Management Assoc.
1730 Rhode Island Ave. N. W.,
Suite 1000,
Washington, D.C. 20036
(202) 659-4613
-------
REGION 3 REGIONAL FINALIST
OR
PROFESSlO'NAL
ASSOCIATI?ffo
Right Choices
for a Cleaner
Tomorrow-
How Can We
Make Recycling
Work?
For a number of years,
members of the Air & Waste
Management Association
(A&WMA) had been
discussing their role in
educating the general public
about environmental issues.
They wanted to share their
technical expertise in an open
forum so that the public could
learn first hand about
environmental issues. The
Association decided that their
Annual Meeting was a good
vehicle to exchange its
expertise on ah- quality and
waste issues.
The site of the 1990 A&WMA
Annual Meeting in Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania dictated the
theme and topic of the
program, Right Choices for a
Cleaner Tomorrow—How Can
We Make Recycling Work?
Pennsylvania Act 101, passed
in July 1988, mandated
recycling in Pennsylvania. By
September 1990, the City of
Pittsburgh and surrounding
areas would have to begin
recycling programs.
Ther Association gathered city
and county officials, the
corporate community, and
grass roots organizations to
assist in presenting a program
that would provide the general
population with an
understanding of our
environment and need for each
person to be active in
protecting it.
The program involved four
components: Clean Product
Event, Recycling Demonstration,
Recycling Public Forum, and
Student Poster Exhibit.
CLEAN PRODUCT EVENT:
Since conferences generate
large amounts of solid waste,
the Association decided to
make a conscious effort to
reduce unnecessary waste by
making this a "clean product
event." It was the first time an
organization attempted to do
this with a conference of this
size (5,500 attendees). They
would minimize the amount of
waste generated, reuse where
waste could not be minimized,
and recycle waste that could
not be reused.
RECYCLING
DEMONSTRATION: This
demonstration exhibited the
recycling process from the
point of solid waste generation
to its reformulation as a new
product on the grocery store
shelf. It included: a model
kitchen and model office with
recycling containers and
materials labeled for recycling,
the equipment for and process
of collection, the preparation of
and recycling processes for
recyclables, and a model
grocery store shelf with
recycling products or products
29
packaged in recyclable
materials.
RECYCLING PUBLIC FORUM:
A panel of recycling experts
from local government, the
corporate community,
recycling concerns, and grass
roots organizations participated
hi a discussion with audience
members on obstacles to
implementing recycling
programs, the need for
adequate markets, various
methods in sorting and
processing, marketing
recyclables, etc.
STUDENT POSTER EXHD3IT:
The local county health
department and the Association
sponsored a county-wide
pollution prevention theme
poster contest for students K-
12th grades. More than 900
posters were submitted and
each received a certificate of
recognition for their effort.
The overall program was
effective in presenting facts
about recycling in a positive
and accurate manner. The
forum and demonstration did
not present recycling as a cure-
all to the solid waste crisis, but
as a means to manage the crisis
successfully.
Contact: Ms. Beth A. O'Toole,
Education Program Manager,
Air & Waste Management
Association, P.O. Box 2861,
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
15230, (412)232-3444
-------
NATIONAL WINNER
Recycling
Program Uses
3R'S
The University of
Wisconsin-Stevens Point
Recycling Program uses the 3
R's of recycling (Reduce-
Reuse-Recycle) to save money
and valuable environmental
resources.
REDIJCR-Tti 1987, the
Wisconsin Department of State
Facilities Management
investigated the feasibility of
using processed waste paper
pellets from the paper-making
industry as fuel in its coal fired
boilers. Tests were performed
at UW-Oshkosh, the nearest
heating plant to the source of
the pellets, to determine
whether the pellets could be
handled and burned efficiently
with no adverse environmental
effects. The results of the tests
at UW-Oshkosh were positive
from both operational and
environmental considerations.
In the spring of 1990, pellets
were tried in the boiler at the
UW-Stevens Point Campus and
burned successfully. During
the calendar year 1990
approximately 452 tons of
paper pellets were consumed,
displacing approximately 313
tons of coal. The fuel cost
reduction as a result of burning
the paper pellets was
approximately $3,426.00
during 1990.
Besides the reduction in fuel
cost, there were several
beneficial environmental
effects from burning the paper
pellets. The waste paper
material would have otherwise
been put into a landfill, taking
up valuable landfill space. The
paper pellets produce negligible
sulfur dioxide emissions
compared to burning coal.
Ash generated from burning
coal and refuse-derived fuel in
the heating plant during the
months of October through
mid-May is recycled into
roadfill. The University's
power plant generates
approximately two loads per
week. In 1990, the University
recycled 60 loads or
approximately 456 tons of ash.
To landfill this amount of ash
would not only have taken up
valuable space, but would have
cost the State approximately
$13,224 hi landfill tipping fees.
After deducting the hauling
fees, the net savings for 1990 is
approximately $7500.
BEHSE-UW-Stevens Point
started the S.E.A.R.C.H.
Program (Students, Employees,
and Administration Recycling
for Community Health) in May
1990. This program was
started to recover items for
reuse, which were normally
disposed of at the end of each
semester by students moving
out of the residence halls.
Posters, campus television and
radio stations are used to get
the word out. The program
30
starts three weeks prior to the
end of each semester. The
items collected are distributed
to charitable organizations. The
following items were collected
by the volunteers:
Clothing, toaster ovens, popcorn
poppers, pizza ovens, hot pots,
coffee makers, irons, televisions,
stereos, typewriters, lamps, skis,
ski poles, boots, fishing poles,
hair dryers, drying racks,
furniture, mirrors, dishes,
baskets, slightly used notebooks
and other school supplies and
food.
In 1990, this project saved
UW-Stevens Point $860 in
landfill costs. The value of
items recovered for reuse was
$6,870.00.
EECXCLE-The University
recycled 39 percent of its
refuse in 1990, which included
mixed paper, cardboard,
plastic, glass, oil, scrap metal,
tires, batteries, tin, and yard
waste.
In order to handle the monthly
volume of over 18,000 Ibs. of
mixed paper, the University has
installed a thirty-yard packer
box in the physical plant area,
which saves approximately 24
hours of labor per month.
Contact: Mr. Gerald L Burling,
Director of Purchasing,
Old Main Building, Room 041,
2100 Main Street,
Stevens Point, Wisconsin 54481
(715) 346-2721
-------
NATIONAL WINNER
COMMUNITY,
JONPROFIT>
ORGANEA1
Seattle Tilth's
Community
Composting
Education
Program
Seattle Tilth in Seattle,
Washington has established
itself as a national inf ormation
resource for home composting
education. Since many cities
no longer permit yard waste in
their landfills, backyard
composting is a type of on-site
recycling that can help
householder and city alike. Not
only does it save the cost of
hauling to a centralized area, it
also yields a soil amendment
that benefits the yard itself,
taking the place of purchased
materials such as peat moss.
In late 1984, Seattle Tilth
proposed a program to the City
of Seattle to produce
educational materials and train
volunteer community educators
called "Master Composters."
In late 1985, a contract to
coordinate this Community
Composting Education
Program was signed between
Seattle Tilth and the City.
Master Composters are given
thorough training hi the basic
techniques of composting yard
wastes and vegetable kitchen
wastes, the biology of compost,
system design and trouble-
shooting as well as techniques
for dealing with the public.
Theoretical knowledge is
backed-up with hands-on
experience hi composting.
After training and supervised
internships, Master Composters
spend a minimum of 40 hours
hi public outreach—spreading
the word about composting.
Since 1986, Tilth has trained
more than 100 Master
Composters. Their public
outreach activities have
included:
*160 slide presentations to
more than 4,000 viewers
*portable displays at fairs and
festivals with 28,400 recorded
contacts
*parade displays that reached
more than 20,000 viewers;
*tours of compost
demonstration sites with 8,800
registered participants
*classroom presentations to
more than 6,200 students and
teachers
*distribution of 75,000 "how-
to-compost" and 36,000 bin
design brochures.
In addition, more than 9,000
questions and requests for
information have been
responded to on the Compost
Hotline maintained hi Seattle
Tilth's office.
Five compost demonstration
sites have been set up around
the City in the form of self-
guided tours, with
informational signage
explaining the various methods
of composting, safe ways to
deal with food wastes, and
some of the options available in
compost bins, both commercial
and home-constructed. All of
the bins and systems are shown
hi use, so that people can see
what compost looks like at
different stages.
The City's consultants
estimate, conservatively, that
5,300 tons of yard waste per
year are being diverted from
the waste stream as a result of
this program. In Seattle this
amounts to an average annual
savings to the City of $378,000
after subtracting costs of the
education program.
Tilth's ground breaking
compost education programs
have attracted attention all over
the U.S. and Canada. Many
cities and Extension Services
have adapted Tilth's home
composting brochure, slide
shows, bin design sheets,
Master Composter training
manual and the training
program to educate their
citizens and help reduce local
solid waste streams.
The long-term effect of the
program, besides the reduction
of waste, is a change hi
people's attitudes, away from
the throw-away behavior that
has aggravated landfill and
pollution crises everywhere.
Contact: Ms. Madelon Boiling,
7318 23rd Ave. NE,
Seattle, Washington 98115
206-633-0224
31
-------
NATIONAL WINNER
EDU
fcTIONAL
(K-12)
INS1
ON
Municipal Solid
Waste
Management
Teacher's Guide
The Aurora Public Schools in
Aurora, Colorado recognized
the importance of teaching
students about recycling,
source reduction, sanitary
landfills and safe incineration.
Since no teacher's guide had
been prepared on this topic in
the Rocky Mountain States, the
Aurora Public Schools
proposed to prepare such a
guide, using curriculum
specialists and teachers from
their schools and four other
school districts.
The Aurora Schools believed it
was important not only to
provide students with
awareness and knowledge
about recycling and the waste
dilemma, but also to give them
assistance in decision-making
and commitment to individual
responsibility for taking
appropriate action.
The Aurora Public Schools
along with the four other
participating school districts
enroll about 100,000 students.
The students in these districts
come from the full spectrum of
economic, social and ethnic
backgrounds.
The Municipal Solid Waste
Management teacher's guide
contains thirty-one lessons for
students in grades kindergarten
through twelve. Each lesson
follows a consistent format.
Five appendices and a glossary
are included. The guide was
printed by the print shop of the
Aurora Schools and recycled
paper was used.
The project is unique in that it
is perhaps the only municipal
solid waste guide prepared by
public school teachers and
curriculum specialists. Further,
the project is successful in that
the five districts are committed
to implementing the guide.
The Aurora Schools printed
1,525 copies of the guide. Six
hundred of these are being used
by the participating school
districts. Nine hundred and
twenty five were given to EPA
Region 8 in Denver, Colorado
for use in their Region and
distribution nationally to all
EPA Regions and
Headquarters. Region 6, in
Dallas, Texas, has received
permission to duplicate the
guide for distribution hi their
Region. Region 9 in San
Francisco, California has
recommended that the guide be
made available through the
International League of Cities.
The project was supported by a
$20,000 EPA grant. The final
document is top quality as a
teaching instrument. The cost
of producing such a document
through a contractor would be
many times this amount. The
Aurora Schools and the other
participating districts have
contributed several hundred
32
hours to the project.
It is also noted that one of the
additional benefits of this
project is the commitment of
these school districts to
building recycling programs
and procurement of recycled
paper.
The major purpose of this
project was to provide students
in these districts with
instruction on recycling, source
reduction and proper waste
management. This has been
accomplished with the
professional talent in these
districts. The cost has been
minimal and the commitment
to implement the curriculum
makes this an outstanding
project.
The process can be used by
schools throughout the nation.
The product is camera-ready
and may easily be copied for
use throughout the nation.
The leadership of the Aurora
Public Schools deserves
recognition for their concern
about the municipal solid waste
dilemma, their understanding
of how to reach students and
the professional quality of the
teacher's guide they produced.
Contact: Mr. J. William Geise,
Jr., Chief, RCRA Management
Branch, Region V3 (8HWM-
RM), 999 - 18th Street, Suite
500 Denver, Colorado 80202-
2405, (303) 294-7540
-------
NATIONAL WINNER
FEDERAL
Naval
Submarine Base,
Bangor
Comprehensive
Recycling
Program
Starting in April 1989 with a
recycling program to collect
newspaper and aluminum cans
that all 10,000 base personnel
could participate in,
environmental awareness took
roots and bloomed. The
original idea was expanded to
include the establishment of an
innovative, 24-hour, 7-day-per-
week, drop-off center for six
different commodities:
newspaper, glass (3 colors),
plastic, tin, aluminum, and
magazines. Military and
civilians were encouraged to
participate hi the drop-off
center which has since added
bins for cardboard and scrap
metals.
Their recycling efforts have
paid double dividends. By
reusing scrap materials, they
restored former storage areas
to open land for wildlife and
avoided the high cost of
depositing materials in the local
landfill.
*In 1989,1/2 million pounds of
material were collected and
diverted;
*In 1990,1.7 million pounds were
diverted; and
*Tn 1991, the program projects
the diversion of 2.6 million pounds
of recyclables.
SUBASE Bangor is also an
active participant in the
Washington State Recycling
Association, Kitsap County
Solid Waste Management
Board, and Kitsap County
Recycling Subcommittee.
There have been many visits to
their recycling facilities by
members of local communities,
schools and other military
commands. Several military
bases have started their own
programs with instructions and
lessons learned at SUBASE.
Working with Brem-Aire Inc.
of Bremerton, Washington,
Banger's program made use of
30-yard newspaper containers
to collect all six commodities.
They have since added
cardboard and metal containers.
To the applicant's knowledge,
this is the first time that items
other than newspaper have
been collected hi these large
covered containers. There are
now plans to use this same type
of collection hi private areas
throughout the county.
These versatile, covered
containers keep the recycling
center hi top shape by
preventing the blowing of
debris, allowing easy
maintenance by the recycling
crew, making drop-off
convenient for customers, and
providing for the collection of
large volumes of material.
The curbside collection vehicle
is a recycled product; a
discarded trailer was retrieved
33
and converted into a "no-cost",
efficient collection device.
Other innovations include:
* Using 40-yard dumpsters to collect
and haul cardboard for
compacting,
*Obtaining "free"desktoppaper
collection containers from
Weyerhaeuser Corp^ ...
transferring 7 old ammunition-
type boxcars to the Department of
Energy for use as reinforced
storage.
*Selling discarded railroad ties at
public auction,
*Establishing a comprehensive
program that has reutilized
thousands of gallons of paint,
solvents, glues, and other
hazardous material previously
disposed of at great cost by a
private contractor.
*Conducting a base-wide cleanup
which resulted in the central
accumulation of 40 years worth of
construction debris and unused
material.
*Over$2 million worth of material
has been returned to government
use.
Finally, plans were developed
to build a permanent recycling
facility for $200,000 that will
pay for itself in less than two
years.
Overall, the program has netted
over $160,000 earmarked for
Morale, Welfare, and
Recreation projects to benefit
the entire base. Also, the
program saved roughly
$56,000 in landfill costs.
Contact: CDR Michael D. Moran,
Code N5, Naval Submarine Base,
Bangor, Silverdale Washington
98315-5000, (206) 396-4545
-------
NATIONAL WINNER
LARGE BUSINESS
OR INDUSTRY
Fort Howard
Corporation:
National
Recycling
Advocacy
Fort Howard Corporation is a
recognized leader in wastepaper
recycling and technology and its
commitment to recycle is evident
in all aspects of its business.
Fort Howard is a leading
manufacturer of tissue paper
products which are sold in both
commercial and retail markets.
All Fort Howard products are
manufactured from virtually 100
percent recyclable wastepaper. In
producing products, Fort Howard
recycles more than 1.2 million
tons of waste paper each year.
That amount would fill a 100-acre
landfill to a depth of 18 feet. If
Fort Howard consumed wood
pulp instead of wastepaper as a
raw material supply, it would
require the harvesting of 20
million trees each year.
The company's recycling and
deinking technology has
developed over five decades, and
today ranks among the world's
most efficient. Fort Howard
recycles over 50 different grades
of wastepaper, including many
others find difficult to recycle:
colored or coated stocks, window
envelopes, carbonless forms, files
including manila folders, rubber
bands, staples and paper clips,
spiral-bound notebooks and many
others.
In 1990, Fort Howard became the
first U.S. Company to introduce a
national line of tissue products
made from 100 percent recycled
paper. Green Forest products
received considerable public
attention as company-sponsored
promotional programs educated
millions about the advantages of
recycling and the need to buy
products made from recycled
materials.
Fort Howard was also the first
domestic company to introduce a
full line of commercial tissue
products —Envision- that meets
or exceeds EPA guidelines for
post-consumer wastepaper
content.
Fort Howard works cooperatively
with other large corporations to
establish recycling programs. Fort
Howard recycles the collected
wastepaper in its operations. The
partner company then "closes the
recycling loop" by specifying Fort
Howard recycled products for use
in its offices.
In 1989, to help increase office
paper recycling, Fort Howard
launched Ecosource, a subsidiary
which uses a new technology to
sort mixed office wastepaper by
grade — ready for recycling.
Ecosourse processes nearly a
quarter of a million pounds of
paper each day from office
buildings throughout the Midwest.
Fort Howard is involved in a pilot
program with Granulation
Technologies (Grantech) to
convert sludge from Fort
Howard's recycled paper making
operations into granules suitable
for carrying agricultural
chemicals.
In Oklahoma, Fort Howard is
participating in a unique program
to develop effective ways to
recycle boiler fly ash created at its
operations. Experiments are
underway to test the ash as a
possible agent for oil base cutting
34
and stabilizing.
Fort Howard has an ongoing
program to reduce water usage,
principally by recycling millions
of gallons of water each day from
the company's paper making
process.
Fort Howard cooperates with the
State of Wisconsin in a pilot
program to burn used tires for fuel
— and prevent landfilling. Fort
Howard's Green Bay facility
bums almost 8 million tons of old
tires each year. That number will
triple with expansion underway at
that mill.
In addition to recycling all its
office wastepaper, company
employees at all U.S. mills
recycle thousands of aluminum
cans daily, with the proceeds
going to local charities.
Working with regional telephone
companies, directory publishers,
municipalities and civic groups,
Fort Howard designed and
implemented local programs to
collect and recycle phone
directories. The company has
collected and processed thousands
of tons of phone books and helped
raise community recycling
awareness.
Fort Howard executives play key
roles on important organizations
formed to promote recycling at
many levels such as the National
Recycling Coalition's Recycling
Advisory Council (RAC).
Contact: Mr. Clifford A. Bowers,
Director of Communications,
Fort Howard Corporation,
P.O. Box 19130,
Green Bay, Wisconsin 54307-
9130, (414) 435-8821, Ext 4087
-------
NATIONAL WINNER
LOCAL
GOVERNMENT
City of Newark,
New Jersey
Recycling
Program
If asked to name a city known
for recycling success, Seattle,
Washington or Berkeley,
California might come to mind.
You probably would not think
of Newark, New Jersey, a
former smokestack city in the
northeastern "Rust Belt."
The effectiveness of Newark's
program of fostering recycling
is evident by the tonnages of
materials being recycled,
adding up to a recycling rate of
over 50 percent of its municipal
solid waste.
The majority of recycling was
performed by approximately
100 commercial recycling
firms located in Newark. In
addition to many private
commercial recycling ventures
and ongoing recycling
endeavors, the City began a
city-wide curbside recycling
program in 1988.
The City recently formed a
"Recycling Rangers" Program
in which local youth are
"deputized" as special
assistants to the Mayor. The
children pledge to help family
and friends recycle, and receive
a badge and card symbolizing
theur membership in this unique
corps of public servants.
Newark has also developed
materials on "precycling"~the
practice of purchasing goods hi
reusable and recyclable
containers as well as goods
wrapped in a minimum of
packaging.
A strong public/private
partnership has developed that
promotes a working
relationship between the
municipality and all levels of
government, the community,
and the business sector.
Recycling business seminars
are held for service station
owners, retailers, office
complexes, and industry to
provide them with an
understanding of the mandatory
recycling requirements of the
City and to demonstrate how
they can save money through
source reduction and recycling.
In February 1989, Newark
became the first city hi the U.S.
to adopt and implement a ban
on the use of plastic packaging
in retail food establishments.
Only those businesses that
recycle 60 percent of their
plastic packaging waste are
exempt. Violators can be
punished by fines up to $1,000
per violation per day.
In October 1989, Newark
adopted a landmark ordinance
requiring the recycling of
ozone depleting compounds
within city limits.
Refrigeration, air conditioning,
and fire extinguisher repair
services are required to recycle
all ozone depleting compounds
encountered hi the course of
their work. This law became
effective on April 22, 1990-
Earth Day.
Purchasing recycled products is
an important component of
Newark's comprehensive
recycling program. In 1988,
Newark began its preference
purchasing with the purchase of
crumb rubber from recycled
tires to pave its streets. The
City has purchased, among
other products, benches made
from recycled plastics and
recycled paper. Newark also
acquired state-of-the-art
equipment to recycle oil, anti-
freeze, and chlorofluorocarbons
(CFC's) from its vehicular
fleet. The City is presently
experimenting with the use of
remolded tires (new tires
molded around the carcasses of
old ones).
While the informal program
since 1988 has been voluntary,
Newark adopted a
comprehensive procurement
ordinance in December 1990,
formalizing a mandatory
preferential purchasing policy.
Contact: Mr. Frank Sudol,
Manager, Division of
Engineering, Room 410-920
Broad Street, Newark,
New Jersey 07102
(201) 733-4356
35
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NATIONAL WINNER
BUSINESS
QRlfrPUSTRY
Recycling For
"People First!"
Recycling has
been part of
standard
operating procedures (S.O.P)
for eegee's Inc. since 1987.
eegee's is a chain of fifteen
Arizona fast food restaurants
based in Tucson, Arizona. Mr.
Irving started the recycling
program for all eegee's
restaurants in 1987 when he
learned that cardboard was
treated as trash, eegee's
operates from a central
commissary and warehouse so
all supplies from meats,
cheeses, and produce to
bathroom tissue come into the
commissary where items are
prepared and/or repacked for
shipment to the individual
restaurants. Prior to initiating
the recycling program, the
commissary maintained two,
twelve-cubic-yard dumpsters,
each of which was emptied
everyday. One, eight-cubic-
yard dumpster is now emptied
three times per week. Pick-up
frequency and trash dumpster
sizes at all restaurants have
been reduced as well. In trash
pick-up alone the company is
saving about $600 per month.
Computer and office paper,
recyclable resources had
previously been relegated to the
waste stream. Fifty-five gallon
drums in which bakery flour
was shipped to the commissary
were reused as containers for
collecting the paper. Five-
gallon pickle buckets were also
removed from the waste stream
and donated to local medical
facilities for medical waste.
Employees were encouraged to
think "Reuse" and "Recycle"
and an audit of all departments
was conducted to determine
what products might be
diverted from the waste stream.
Proceeds from the sale of
recyclables are given to the
homeless and needy of Tucson
under the umbrella of "People
First!" eegee's matches the
recyclable revenue from the
sale of its own recyclables.
In 1990, Mr. Irving expanded
"People First!" to include
recyclables from other Tucson
businesses. He introduced
Recycling for "People First!" to
an organization of Tucson
businesses, the Tucson
Business Coalition. Through
this network, recycling audits
are conducted for businesses
interested hi recycling. The
success of recycling businesses
is dependent upon an easy, "no
cost" system. Collection has
been handled by eegee's
employees using company
vehicles. Meetings are now
being conducted with local
non-profit organizations that
are interested in providing
labor and vehicles for
collections.
Eegee's is the first business in
Tucson to recycle polystyrene
foam (PSF) food service
products. Customers are asked
36
to dispose waste into trash bins
and toss their foam cups into
designated bins. Information
for customers is posted above
the bin. The post-consumer
PSF is used by Environmental
Building Materials for
insulation and an exciting new.
product, a fifteen pound
building block similar to the
standard concrete building
block.
Education about recycling is
certainly a component of the
success of any recycling effort.
With businesses, the emphasis
is on cost savings through a
reduction of trash pick-up.
Positive public relations for the
businesses is a side benefit
since proceeds from recycling
go to local charities. Mr. Irving
speaks to school groups from
elementary age through high
school about the benefits of
recycling. He has appeared on
local television and radio talk
shows to discuss recycling.
Apart from the obvious
environmental benefits realized
by recycling, eegee's has
demonstrated the benefit that
comes from a program such as
Recycling for "People First!" —
that businesses care about
community and environmental
needs.
Contact: Mr. Edmund Irving,
eegee's Inc., 5521 East
Speedway Boulevard,
Tucson, Arizona 85712
(602) 298-1829
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NATIONAL WINNER
Rhode Island's
Recycling
Program
With the passage
of the 1986 Solid Waste Act
Amendments, Rhode Island
adopted the first statewide
mandatory comprehensive
recycling law hi the country.
The program requires that
homeowners and businesses
recycle. The Solid Waste
Management Corporation and
the Department of
Environmental Management
work hi partnership with
municipalities and businesses
to administer the program.
Centralized administration has
led to management efficiencies
and economies of scale hi
planning, public education,
procurement, research and data
collection.
Rhode Island mandates the
collection of a broad range of
recyclables including glass,
aluminum, newspapers, office
paper and commercial
cardboard, plastic soda bottles
and milk jugs, used oil, white
goods, tires, and car batteries.
Methane is also recovered to
produce electricity.
Municipal Recycling— Eighty-
five percent of the state's one .
million residents served
participate hi the program at
least once a month, recycling
14 percent of the residential
waste stream.
Strong state leadership and a
centralized structure have
allowed the state to develop
and test programs, gather
information and measure
results, and serve as a model
throughout the United States
and Europe. Pilot programs,
research and new developments
include:
- pilot f or curbside collection of
plastic soda bottles and milk jugs
(1987)
- study of recyclables recovered
in curbside program (1988)
- truck fleet model isolating
collection factors and increasing
accuracy (1988)
-plastic densification studies
(1989)
- statistical modeling of impacts
of adding materials (1990)
-four-season waste composition
study with emphasis on
plastics (1990)
- curbside residential cardboard
pilot (1990)
- glass breakage study (ongoing)
Materials Recycling Facility--
Rhode Island's two year old
$5.5 million dollar MRF is one
of the most technically
advanced recycling facilities in
the United States, mechanically
sorting and processing 50,000
tons of recyclables per year at a
cost of $35 per ton. Revenue
from the sale of the recycled
material averages $1.3 million
per year.
Recovering aluminum foil and
pie plates added $5,000 per
month to revenue. An ongoing
study conducted with funding
from the Glass Packaging
Institute seeks to reduce glass
37
breakage which results hi the
loss of more than $1 million
per year. Glass that is color
commingled is difficult and
expensive to separate once it is
broken. The study has
implications for many
programs with similar losses
from broken glass.
Commercial Recycling—The
commercial program applies to
all 28,000 businesses hi Rhode
Island. Large businesses must
submit waste reduction and
recycling plans and annual
reports quantifying results.
The State provides technical
assistance. Companies report
annual savings from $1,000 to
$108,000 from avoided
disposal costs and revenue
from recycled materials.
Commercial waste disposed at
the landfill decreased by 24
percent since the program
began in July 1989.
Other projects include a pilot to
collect dry cleaning bags at
three locations, a program to
exchange wire hangers between
department stores and dry
cleaners, and a composition
study at the RI Hospital
Cardiac Care Unit to identify
waste components that could be
eliminated, reused or recycled.
Contact: Mr. Thomas E. Wright,
Executive Director, RI Solid
Waste Management Corp., 260
West Exchange Street,
Providence, Rhode Island 02903
(401) 831-4440
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SPECIAL RECOGNITION
ENVIROl
EDUCATION
Preschool
Recycling
Education
Initiative
HDR Engineering of White
Plains, New York, in
cooperation with the children's
television show, "Mr. Rogers'
Neighborhood" sponsored the
first major recycling and
conservation education
program aimed at preschoolers.
This preschool initiative aims
to guide emerging generations
of citizens to learn at their first
opportunity to care for
themselves and their
environment, and develop good
habits (resource conservation
and recycling) before bad ones
are learned.
The program consists of a
video developed by
psychologists and educators
that produce "Mister Rogers'
Neighborhood" for public
broadcast television. The
program is complete and
readily available for use in any
community. Chicago broadcast
the program fifteen tunes
during June, 1990 on public
access television; Houston
adopted the videotape and
guide in nearly 150 Head Start
Programs; Los Angeles County
distributed 2,000 guides to
preschool and kindergarten
teachers; Omaha used the
material for an Earth Day
exhibit at the local zoo.
Since initial development and
production costs have already
been incurred and funded, the
only continuing costs of the
program include the actual
reproduction of videotapes,
printing the accompanying
activity guides, and processing
requests. Prices have been
fixed at $20.00 for each
videotape (including shipping)
and less than $ 1.00 for each
activity guide. No commercial
endorsements are made and
HDR is precluded from
realizing a profit from the sale
of the material.
The program is successful
because nearly 90 million
Americans have grown up with
Mister Rogers. Today's
children, along with
yesterday's, realize the value of
Mister Rogers' conversations
and take his suggestions to
heart. In addition, HDR
estimates that nearly 40 million
people will be exposed to the
program through its
distribution.
Contact:
Mr. John F. Williams, VP,
HDR Engineering, Inc.,
709 Westchester Avenue,
White Plains, New York 10604
(914) 328-8505
38
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