cnitnj States
Environmental Protoction
Agency
Washington DC
20460
SW-770
1979
Solid Waste
OPERATING A RECYCLING PROGRAM:
A CITIZEN'S GUIDE
recHC\e &
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This guide was prepared for EPA's Office of Solid Waste
by Portland Recycling Team, Portland, Oregon, in coop-
eration with Resource Conservation Consultants, Inc.,
under grant number T-900S4901, Design is by Zonnie
Bauer.
Publication does not signify that the contents neces-
sarily reflect the views and policies of the U.S. Environ-
mental Protection Agency, nor does mention of
commercial products constitute endorsement by the
US. Government.
An environmental protection publication CSW-770) in
the solid waste management series.
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OPERATING A RECYCLING PROGRAM:
A CITIZEN'S GUIDE
This guide CSW-770) was written by Kevin Mulligan and
Jerry Powell of the Portland Recycling Team, Portland,
Oregon, under EPA training grant T-90084901.
U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
1979
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Chapter
Introduction
Markets
Market Constraints
Locating Markets for Recyclables
Paper
Glass Bottles and Jars
Steel Cans
Aluminum
Contacting the Buyer
Marketing Strategies
Open Market Selling
Contract Sales
Page
7
7
9
9
10
10
11
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Chapter
Page
Chapter
Page
II. Models of Operation 14
Drop-off Centers 1 5
Attended Drop-off Centers 16
Unattended Drop-off Centers 17
Periodic Projects 1 B
On-call Collection 20
Commercial Collections 21
Buy-back Programs 23
III. Handling, Processing, Equipment & Labor 24
Project Site Selection 26
Processing Requirements and Methods 29
Newspaper 29
Corrugated and Kraft Paper 30
Mixed Scrap Paper 30
Computer Cards & Paper 31
High Grade Papers 31
Metals 32
Glass 32
Collection and Storage Containers 35
Steel and Fiber Barrels 35
Bins and Nesting Containers 35
Large Corrugated Cartons 36
Self-dumping Hoppers 36
Refuse Containers and Crop-boxes 36
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Chapter Page
Trucks 37
Standard Vans and Flatbeds 37
Dump Trucks 37
Additional Equipment 38
Balers 38
Glass Crushers 38
Paper Shredders 3B
Paper Cutters 39
Strapping Machines 39
Can Flatteners and
Magnetic Separators 39
Fork Lift Trucks 39
Conveyors 40
Hand Trucks and Dollies 40
Labor 40
Chapter Page
IV. Publicity fi Education 43
Newspapers 44
The Press Release 46
The News Conference 47
Media Mailing Lists 48
Timing a Press Release or Conference 48
Newspapers and Magazines 49
Radio Publicity 49
Sample Public Service
Announcements 50
Television 51
Speakers Bureau 51
School Programs 52
Public Displays 53
Newsletters 54
Other 54
Last Words on Publicity 56
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Chapter
Page
'Somerville Saves" Poster
\J. Funding and Business 57
Types of Organization 57
Single Proprietorship 57
Partnership 57
Corporation 58
Non-profit Corporation 58
Business and Legal Requirements 60
Loans 63
Gi-ants 65
Fundraisers 69
VI. The Proof It Can Be Done: History
of the Portland Recycling Team 70
VII. Additional Resources 84
Information Resources 87
VIII. Glossary
SB
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That you secured a copy of this booklet indicates
you are aware of and concerned about a national
problem—our ever-dwindling resources—and you are
considering ridding a portion of the American public of
its "throw away mentality." Congratulations!
Recycling programs can be and have been success-
ful. Those which have oftentimes proven the most
beneficial to the public and have been responsible for
recycling the largest volumes of materials have suc-
ceeded because of organization members' determina-
tion'and willingness to implement any of a number of
recycling options available to them as the need and
opportunities arose.
In the following pages of this guide you will discover
an assortment of recycling program alternatives, an
assortment of procedures for handling and marketing
recyclables, and suggestions for financing and publi-
cizing the program you choose to develop. By no
means is this booklet able to discuss any of these
topics in depth. Its intent, rather, is to give you solid
information at your project's outset, to give you
encouragement and advise of possible pitfalls, and to
provide you with names of organizations which will be
of further use to you as new circumstances present
themselves.
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o
CONSTRAINTS
The U.S. EPA recommends that the first activity of
a new community recycling program be to determine
and locate the area's available markets for recyclable
materials. The program may then be planned accord-
ing to what materials these markets will and will not
buy. In other words, the market situation determines
what will be recycled and how it will be recycled.
The importance of securing markets for processed
materials is heightened by the unique nature of many
recycled materials markets. As a general rule, recy-
cling growth is limited by demand rather than by
supply. As the long-used adage from the salvage
industry indicates, "Scrap is not sold, it is bought." So,
because of their dependence on the wider economy,
waste materials markets are volatile; a gentle ripple in
the national economy may generate severe waves
through the recycling marketplace, forcing buyers to
purchase only what they are confident they can sell.
In addition to waste materials markets' dependence
on existing conditions of the economy, other factors
inhibit their growth and fail to foster their stability.
While a full review of these market barriers is beyond
the scope of this manual, a listing includes:
• The lack of tax incentives for secondary
materials use in comparison to advantages
accorded to virgin resource consuming
industries.
• the general slowness of industry to re-
search the economic feasibility and to
develop methods of incorporating recycla-
ble materials into their plant operations.
• the disinterest by government to procure
products containing reclaimed materials.
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LOCATING MARKETS
PAPER Most wastepaper is used by mills that
produce newsprint, stationery and book papers, tow-
els, tissue, napkins, insulation, roofing paper, box-
board, paperboard, and wallboard. The value of waste-
paper is determined by its category and grade, with
top quality ratings given to materials containing the
longest paper fibers and the least contamination.
(Contamination is measured in terms of two varia-
bles: 1) the percentage of the paper's prohibitive
materials or its unusable components such as carbon
papers, rubber bands, staples and organics, and 2) the
percentage of outthrovus—that paper unsuitable for
consumption at the grade specified.)
Generally, recycling program operators sell their
wastepaper to paper stock dealers and processors
who grade and prepare paper for shipment, and to
paper brokers who buy and sell wastepaper as a usa-
ble commodity. On occasion they are also able to sell
to final users such as mills and manufacturers.
Listings of potential paper buyers can be found in
newspaper want ads and in the yellow pages of the
telephone book under "Waste Paper" or "Recycling
Centers." Most of these dealers and brokers pur-
chase on a regional basis so if you are located in a small
community, contact buyers in nearby larger cities. The
following institutes may also provide dealer infor-
mation:
• Paper Stock Conservation Committee
American Paper Institute
260 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10016
• Paper Stock Institute of America
330 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10017
Note: As a paper recycler it would be to your benefit
to obtain a copy of the Paper Stock Institute of Ameri-
ca's brochure "Paper Stock Standards and Practices,
Circular PS-77."
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GLASS BOTTLES AND JARS As a rule,
most recycling center programs market their cullet to
the final user which is generally a bottle manufacturing
plant. Although some recycling projects have found
other cullet buyers such as glass bead, asphalt, flat
glass, and refractory brick producers, or else market
their material to commercial cullet processors, most
recycling centers sell cullet under standard price ar- '
rangements provided by local bottle manufacturing
plants. Processing requirements for this glass, which
may include color sorting and metals removal, vary
from plant to plant. When higher prices are offered for
color sorted than they are for mixed or uncontami-
nated cullet, you may wish to plan your processing
techniques accordingly.
To locate the nearest glass bottle manufacturing
plant accepting cullet near you, contact the Glass
Packaging Institute, 1800 K St., N.W., Washington,
D.C., 20006.
STEEL CANS The majority of waste coated
steel and bi-metal cans are sold to de-tinning plants
and copper ore precipitation facilities and prices vary
considerably from plant to plant. We urge you to re-
search scrap can markets carefully before accumu-
lating any large volume of cans.
Information about potential buyers and their mater-
ial preparation requirements may be acquired from
The Can People, 110 E. 59th Street, New York, N.Y.,
10022. You might also contact scrap metal buyers
listed in the telephone book under "Scrap" or "Junk
Dealers."
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CONTACTING THE BUYER
ALUMINUM The reclamation and marketing of
waste aluminum items may be a high income compo-
nent for your program due to market demands for
aluminum scrap. Besides checking the telephone book,
you may get market information from the fallowing
sources:
• Your state solid waste management
agency
• Recycling program operators in your area
• EPA Publication SW-51S. "Market Loca-
tions for Recovered Materials"
• The Aluminum Association
818 Connecticut Avenue, M.W.
Washington, D.C. 20006
The initial inquiry to a potential buyer should not be a
simple "How much do you pay?" You should ask a
number of other questions such as:
• When are we paid? Upon delivery? Weekly?
Monthly?
• How are we paid? By cash or by check?
• Do you provide containers and/or trans-
portation?
• How much contamination of material is
acceptable?
• What processing and preparation are
required? What additional processing and
preparation would increase the marketabil-
ity of the material?
• Is there a minimum quantity standard?
• Is there a maximum quantity standard?
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MARKETING STRATEGIES
• Do prices increase after delivery of a spe-
cific minimum tonnage?
• Are there hours set aside especially for
delivery?
The answers to these questions will guide you in
developing your program. While one buyer may offer a
better price per ton, the lack of special preparation
requirements or the availability of free transportation
from your center to the buyer's site may attract you
to a second buyer. Top dollar is not necessarily top
deal.
A note of caution is needed here. Many recycling
projects have failed because their operators did not
institute marketing, sales, and income controls. While
negotiating and trading with secondary materials buy-
ers, be sure to keep clear written records. You should
not jeopardize your program's success with lazy busi-
ness practices.
As a general rule, open market sales and contrac-
tual agreements arethetwomajormarketingarrange-
ments implemented.
OPEN MARKET Unfortunately, growth in the
number of buyers of recycled materials has not kept
pace with the interest in recycling. The potential recy-
cling program organizer may find limited marketing
opportunities for certain reclaimable materials. The
market shortage may be particularly true for glass
bottles and steel cans. The recycling group can find
itself at the mercy of a single buyer.
Another potential limitation for the recycling cen-
ter's organizer in terms of price negotiation opportun-
ities is the fact that certain buyers use an industry-
wide pricing structure, particularly for glass bottles
and aluminum cans. The recycling group may find two
aluminum can buyers with the same 20 cent per pound
price and two glass bottle plants with £30 per ton
cullet prices.
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Where more than one independent buyer does exist,
open market arrangements have both advantages and
limitations. Reliance on the open market requires a
stable condition. The recycling program operator
needs to gauge carefully the depth and reliability of a
particular market situation. What has the range of
prices been in the recent past? How many potential
buyers are available? How long have they been in con-
tinuous business?
Given market stability, an open sales strategy can
allow a group to achieve higher prices due to the flexi-
bility of the marketplace. In addition, it allows for the
switch of buyers in the case of deteriorating relation-
ships or inadequate service. But open market trading
does require managerial control, and lack of stability
must be accepted. Realization of top prices during the
best of times must be balanced against recognition of
potential high losses during market weakness.
12
CONTRACT SALES As presented above, the
issue is basic: should you trade off the possible high
profits of the open market against the possible catas-
trophe of declining demand by marketing under a con-
tract? Contract sales will likely mean lower prices
during a high market but better prices during a low
market. For the recycling group desiring stability over
income, three contractual arrangements should be
considered:
1. Fixed price agreements involve a pre-
determined price relationship between buy-
er and seller. As a rule, these arrangements
are short-term.
2. Floating price arrangements provide for
protection to the buyer and the seller by
tying them both to changes in the market.
These agreements are longer in term than
fixed price contracts and they may call for
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occasional review and adjustment. The
price is pegged as a percentage of a pub-
lished market quotation. Several California
recycling programs, for instance, receive
72 percent of the published Official
Board Markets price for newspapers for
that region. (This magazine is published
weekly by Magazines for Industry, 20 N.
Wacker Drive, Chicago, Illinois, 60606, and
is widely employed to establish the base
for floating prices for wastepaper.)
3. A variation of the above contractual state-
gies is the floor/escalator pricing struc-
ture. With this plan the buyer offers a floor
price below which the sales figure will not
fall during the contract period. In addition,
the buyer includes an escalator price clause
in the agreement which is similar to the
floating price arrangement described
above.
Typical contracts include minimum tonnage re-
quirements with a penalty clause for lack of specific
volume, the period of the agreement, purchase specifi-
cations, and the pricing structure.
Advantages of the contract market structure
include the guaranteed pricing system plus the likeli-
hood of higher quality service from the buyer in the
forms of technical advice, handling equipment, and
storage containers. On the other hand, the inflexible
nature of the agreement may create severe pres-
sures during high market conditions. Since most
recyclers are not trained or skilled in the art of market
negotiations., the EPA strongly recommends that
recyclers seek contracts for materials whenever
possible.
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D
ffl
Just as the recycling materials market determines
what you can recycle in your area, so also does your
group's particular circumstances—time, money and
labor resources—play a role in determining a suitable
model of operation. You will no doubt discover, if you
have not already done so, that there are a number of
plans from which you may choose. It is possible that
the more information you gather on these options, the
more confused you will become when attempting to
determine their pros and cons.
To save you time and frustration, and to aid in the
selection of a program which best meets your group's
needs, we have provided the following section. It gives
you a brief discussion of each of those recycling plans
most commonly implemented—attended and unat-
tended drop-off centers, on-call collections, commer-
cial accounts, and buy-back programs—and each
workable option is followed up with a list of its time,
money and convenience—related advantages and
drawbacks. If your community is interested in recy-
cling collection systems, the resources section at the
end of this manual describes various documents
which would be helpful in organizing a recycling collec-
tion program.
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DROP-OFF CENTERS
If you are considering a drop-off center program, the
number of recyclable materials you process will deter-
mine the center's size and structure. If you plan to
accept a great number of recyclable items, you will
need not only considerable space, but also a number of
bins, barrels, and boxes for collection and storage. Few
items, of course, dictate the need for fewer and/or
smaller containers and less space.
While volume determines the amount of storage
and collection space you will require, you will most
likely need a minimum of 1500 square feet (a building,
or a building and lot combination of 30 x 50 feet). But if
you plan to provide parking and driveway space for
several trucks and cars in addition to collection and
storage facilities, you will need a center with at least
5000 square feet (a lot 100 x 50 feet).
ADVANTAGES OF DROP-OFF CENTERS OVER
OTHER MODELS OF OPERATION
• Possible 24-hour access.
• You do not have to provide the public with
pick-up service.
DISADVANTAGES OF DROP-OFF CENTERS
COMPARED WITH OTHER OPERATIONS
• Higher inconvenience level for public as it
must travel to the center to drop off goods.
• Possible noise and traffic congestion.
• Vandalism may occur after dark and/or
when center is unattended. Steps must be
taken to prevent crime, for as the value of
recyclable materials increases, so does the
rate of theft.
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Attended Drop Off Centers Major costs
associated with the attended drop-off centers are
rent, equipment, staff wages, and insurance for both
workers and the public in case injury occurs while
materials are delivered and handled.
The equipment you will need depends on the size and
nature of your program (See Equipment and Handling
Section). However, you can develop and outfit your
center for as little as a few hundred dollars, or you can
spend more than ten thousand dollars, depending on
site and facility requirements as well as your financial
resources.
Rental costs for your center will also vary according
to its size and the rental rates of the area in which you
decide to locate. It should be noted that many pro-
grams have been successful in obtaining free space
for their centers; local governments, universities, and
business community members with property to rent
have been known to be very supportive.
Advantages of Attended Drop-Off Centers
• Paid personnel are available to give proper
attention to materials, making sure that
high quality, uncontaminated materials go
to their buyers.
• Education programs can be available to the
public.
Disadvantages
• Staff attendant salary and related costs
will be considerable.
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Unattended Drop-Off Centers Unat-
tended depots ordinarily offer many of the same ser-
vices as attended centers with the important excep-
tion of the absence of a paid attendant. An unattended
depot can accept a full line of materials, or it can be a
single materials drop-off. Many social service organi-
zations such as the Lions and Kiwanis clubs utilize
unattended recycling centers for their fund raising
projects because the minimal management require-
ments and costs of operation offer greater money
making potential. Usually these centers offer 24 hour
a day access, though they may be operated on fixed
schedules if they are located at sites with limited
access such as churches or schools.
Because an attendant is not available, it is impor-
tant to use collection bins and boxes that have been
carefully constructed. They must be strong enough to
take abuse which comes from unsupervised use. Such
bins must also be larger than those of attended sta-
tions because material pick-ups will most likely be
once or twice weekly rather than on a daily basis as
there would not be paid personnel readily available.
Advantages of Unattended Drop-Off Centers
• Little or no labor costs or volunteer man-
agement considerations.
Disadvantages
• No attendant available to assist public.
• Increased chance of receiving trash and
other unwanted materials.
• Small amounts of materials are usually
collected.
• Reduced opportunity for on-site educa-
tional activities.
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PERIODIC PROJECTS
If your recycling group has limited time and money,
or if you would like to initiate a program in a small
community which has not offered recycling services
before, the periodic project may be the best way to get
started.
Such a project can beoperatedindependentlyof.orin
conjunction with a full-time recycling program. Many
such periodic projects have arranged to share both
responsibility and income with a full-time organization
or secondary materials broker that takes charge of
trucking, marketing, and bookkeeping duties while the
periodic project sponsor is responsible for publicity
and for providing volunteer workers on the designated
project day.
Periodic projects usually operate on a non-profit
basis, and handle a full line of recyclable materials, but
they can be profit oriented; they can deal with only one
or two materials. As usual, market conditions are
deciding factors.
Many projects of this type have characteristics
similar to full-time, attended centers with staff atten-
dants available to help customers unload materials and
to instruct them in proper preparation of recyclable
items.
Most periodic programs are organized to collect,
process, transfer, and market materials in a single day
so a large truck or van usually serves as a mobile
depot, eliminating the need for a permanent site.
These projects also avoid many processing and hand-
ling problems as most processing occurs as the pub-
lic delivers.
Periodic project costs are minimal. You do not have
to pay rent for a permanent site, labor is usually do-
nated, and trucking costs are low. Many programs
have been able to use trucks or transport bins that
have been loaned or donated. Others rent their vehi-
cles on the project day and pay rental fees from
receipts for the sale of materials. The site for the
project, usually a shopping center, school, or church
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parking lot, is oftentimes donated or rented at a nomi-
nal fee.
Operating only a few hours each month, a periodic
project must be well organized and well publicized in
order to be successful. When the public takes the
time to separate and store materials for a month or
longer, there is nothing that will cool its enthusiasm
more than to discover you are not available at the
designated time and day.
'Recycling Is A Blast!"
Advantages of Periodic Projects
• Minimal starting and operating costs.
• Attendants are available to provide assis-
tance and education so instances of poorly
prepared and non-recyclable materials are
minimized.
• There are fewer opportunities for unsight-
liness
Disadvantages
• Only people with transportation can par-
ticipate.
• Customers must have adequate storage
space to collect their materials between
project days.
• Limited opportunities to upgrade materials
through additional processing are available.
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ON-CALL COLLECTION
Another type of collection program offered by
recyclers is the on-call collection. This usually involves
one-time-only collection from people who have gener-
ated especially large volumes of materials, or it pro-
vides periodic service for shut-ins, the handicapped, or
the elderly who are unable to deliver their materials to
the center or depot. On-call systems are most often
small and low-key and are offered as a community
service rather than as a full-time, economically viable
program. They present the opportunity for a highly
visible public service contribution to your community
and may provide public relations benefits well beyond
the inconvenience and financial considerations they
require.
Advantages of On-Call Collection
• On-call collection provides the same gen-
eral advantages as a scheduled collection
route.
• A highly visible public service is offered.
• The system can be offered without major
financial costs.
Disadvantages
• A vehicle and driver are necessary.
• Small volumes and dispersed clientele may
make on-call collection prohibitive to pro-
grams with limited resources.
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COMMERCIAL COLLECTIONS
Commercial accounts are those arranged with local
merchants and other major generators of such recy-
clables as paper, glass and corrugated paper. Taverns,
restaurants, university dining halls and hospitals can
be important suppliers of glass. Banks, insurance
companies, law firms, and print shops are major pro-
ducers of high-grade paper. Corrugated paper can
often be secured from book and record shops, grocery
stores, warehouses, and manufacturing establish-
ments.
Ordinarily collections from these accounts, which
can serve as the financial backbone of a recycling
program by providing a stable flow of materials and
guaranteeing income that overcomes volume fluctua-
tions from other sources, are made on a regular basis.
But contracts may specify either purchase of recycla-
ble materials at a certain price with collection on a
regularly scheduled day or they may specify on-call
collection from offices and stores willing to give away
materials in order to reduce their overall disposal
costs. Though some commercial accounts may not
generate large quantities of materials, they can help
advertise your presence and create support for your
activities within the business community.
Commercial programs require a high degree of dedi-
cation and professionalism. Contracts must be nego-
tiated and written, and collection, storage and prepa-
ration arrangments must be firm and schedules
rigorously maintained. Considerable expense may also
be involved, particularly if you need special collection
bins or desk top sorting units, and finally, intensive
education campaigns and materials are necessary
when you enter into a commercial program so that you
may be assured that only recyclable materials are
collected, that they are free of contaminants, and that
all employees of your commercial customers know how
and why to save and prepare materials.
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The need to acquire equipment to perform commer-
cial collections should be noted. Acquisition of a self-
dumping or a compacting truck for corrugated paper
recycling can cost from $4,000 to $20,000. A con-
tract with a bank for off ice paper recycling may require
the acquisition of desk-top sorters, costing from
$1.50 to $4.00 per employee. Careful planning is re-
quired in undertaking recycling systems for commer-
cial accounts.
Advantages of Commercial Accounts
• A regular source of materials and income is
available.
• Uncontaminated and properly prepared ma-
terials are received.
• High volumes of materials can be re-
claimed.
Disadvantages
• Contract negotiations may be required.
• Reliable transportation and labor are ne-
cessary.
• Finances may be required to provide special
collection bins and containers.
Note: For more information on high grade paper collec-
tion programs, see "Office Paper Recovery: An Imple-
mentation Manual." EPA publication SW 571 c.
22.
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BUY-BACK PROGRAMS
As the value of secondary materials increases and
becomes known to the public, more recycling pro-
grams are being organized along the lines of a tradi-
tional business which buys recyclable materials from
the public, then sells them to a materials user or
processor. "Buy-back" programs, as they are called,
usually purchase recyclable materials of highestvalue,
such as glass, aluminum, and newsprint, but may also
accept less profitable items such as mixed waste
paper, motor oil, and steel cans. Naturally, market
conditions in your area will determine what materials
can be handled on a purchase basis, and whether your
program will be profit or non-profit in nature. A buy-
back program can be organized along the lines of any of
the non-purchase services described above except
unattended centers.
Buy-back programs are working successfully in
many areas across the nation and can be positive
incentives to public involvement in recycling. Such pro-
grams do, however, take considerably more financial
resources, labor requirements, bookkeeping and man-
agement needs, and site locations. For instance, the
need to carefully weigh small quantities of materials,
to compute their value, and to provide payment for the
materials requires scales, calculators, cash registers,
and safes. To undertake these and other tasks re-
quires a trained, full-time staff. For these reasons
market conditions in some areas are such that a buy-
back program would not be viable. In addition, in many
communities there are major aluminum manufactur-
ers which offer highly publicized and large scale alumi-
num recovery programs with which small recyclers
cannot compete.
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D
Advantages of Buy-Back Programs
High quality and uncontaminated materials
are received.
A full-line of services and education pro-
grams can be offered.
You do not have to provide collection ser-
vices.
Large volumes of materials are generally
collected.
Disadvantages
Considerable financing, labor and manage-
ment are required.
Competition with other programs in your
area may limit the chances of success.
Emphasis on recycling for monetary re-
wards may limit the opportunities to ex-
pand recycling and waste reduction pro-
grams.
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No matter what type of program you choose
to offer, you will have to decide early in your planning
where you are going to operate, how you are going to
handle your materials, and what equipment and labor
resources you will need to do the job.
The size and scope of your program, availability of
markets, and processing requirements of those
markets will help determine the type of handling and
processing equipment you need, forms of transporta-
tion to markets, and amount of labor required. These
are important and lasting considerations, so you
should take time and effort in your research and plan-
ning to determine what your needs are and how you
are going to obtain the resources to meet them. (See
Marketing and Models of Operation Sections.)
There are several handling "methods" from which to
choose, ranging from low technology, labor intensive
systems which use hand processing techniques with a
minimum of equipment, to high technology, capital in-
tensive systems featuring modern processing ma-
chinery and employing several types of material
collection containers and trucks.
Most beginning recycling programs have used the
availability and performance capabilities of free or do-
nated equipment and locations to determine how and
where they would collect and handle their recyclables.
For instance, if your program is lacking in finances and
a small pick-up truck is the only transportation you
have available, you should consider using light weight
and easily transportable bins and barrels and support-
ing equipment (such as hand trucks and ramps) which
fit your truck. However, if you are able to obtain a
roll-off truck you may want to seek the additional
funding for the purchase of containers to fit your truck
and perhaps use crushers and other processing
equipment compatible with this type of container sys-
tem. Or, if you are able to locate one or two large drop
boxes to use for collection and storage, you may want
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PROJECT SITE SELECTION
to investigate the cost of having these containers
transported by a local hauler; if your markets are
nearby, the money you save in handling and storage
may offset the cost of transportation.
Remember, flexibility is one of the most important
qualities of a recycling program. No single handling or
transportation system is "the best," and many differ-
ent methods and systems are successfully being em-
ployed by recyclers throughout the country. Most
community recycling programs have started out small
and under-equipped and have added equipment—
including trucks and processing machinery—as they
gain experience, increase their volumes, and achieve
some financial stability.
This section will look at various factors affecting the
handling, processing, and transporting of recyclable
materials. These include project locations, processing
requirements and methods, collection containers,
trucks, other equipment, and labor.
In selecting a location for your center or program
headquarters, the main features you should look for
are easy and convenient access for the public; ade-
quate collection, storage, and processing space; and
low fixed and overhead expenses.
While it is certainly desirable to be able to afford a
site at your chosen location and of your own design,
very few recyclers have been this fortunate. Instead,
most recyclers have had to find and take whatever
locations were available to them, then remodel to fit
their needs. Programs have been successfully oper-
ated from empty gas stations, commercial store-
fronts, warehouses, empty lots, fenced areas at local
landfills, and even barns. Sizes range from a few
hundred square feet with virtually no space for pro-
cessing or education functions, to large and ambitious
projects using thousands of square feet of warehouse
space, complete with processing areas, office facili-
ties, and extensive education centers.
26
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The size and physical design of a center should be
adequate to handle the processing you intend to do
with plenty of room for truck access and parking. If you
plan to use large roll-off containers or drop boxes, be
sure that your site is large enough to allow trucks
room to manuever, and to provide access for pickup
and delivery. If you are going to transport and move
materials by hand (rather than with a fork lift or other
mechanical aide), you should look for a warehouse or
other facility which has a loading dock or ramp.
Space must be suitable for all of the processing and
educational functions you intend to offer. If you plan to
break glass with an automatic glass crusher or have a
large shredding and baling operation for your paper
products, a corner gas station or commercial store
front would not be suitable. Conversely, if you intend to
offer limited services for one or two materials with
little or no processing, a warehouse location, complete
with loading dock and truck bays, would be unduly
excessive and expensive. Determine what you want to
recycle and how, then allow all of yoursite, processing,
equipment, and trucking decisions to be determined
accordingly.
The site should be surfaced so as to withstand
considerable weight and abuse. A 55 gallon drum of
crushed cullet can weigh between 600 and 700
pounds so the surface should be concrete or asphalt
paving sufficient to carry this weight. There should
also be a covered area which can be used for process-
ing and storage of papers and other materials which
should be kept dry. Ifpossible,the covered areashould
be large enough so that customers can deliver and
unload their materials without getting wet.
The public must be able to find your center easily,
recognize it upon arrival, and have ready access to
your bins and barrels. While it would be convenient for
the public if you could locate central to residential
neighborhoods, zoning ordinances, business licenses
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and permits may make this impossible. Most drop-off
centers are centrally located in such areas as school
yards, shopping center parking lots, large housing
complexes, and church basements, as well as other
public areas. Signs informing the public of how and
where to separate their materials will also be needed.
An attractive and well kept center is important for
the public. It may well be an asset to the neighborhood
if you remember to allocate money for paint, fencing
materials, and other supplies to clean and restore the
site. The extra effort employed to paint and fence the
site go a long way in gaining public appeal which will
encourage teachers, school children, scout troops,
and others to take advantage of the educational por-
tion of your program. On the other hand, an unappeal-
ing recycling site—an eyesore—is bad advertising, and
the fencing mentioned above is an absolute must if
you want lo -e considered something other than a
public nuisa,:,. >;\ Blowing "trash" moving beyond con-
fines of your lot has negative connotations. Fencing
also serves to define your space and to prevent theft
and vandalism.
Finally, if you are going to use your center as opera-
tion headquarters, you will need a telephone and pub-
licized office hours, as well as office space for records,
bookkeeping, and other administrative duties.
This
Newspaper is
Needed for
Recycling
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PROCESSING REQUIREMENTS & METHODS
It is essential that your materials be processed into
a form which is acceptable to your buyers. Rejection of
a truck load of materials by a broker would be a set-
back, in terms of morale as well as in the labor you
would need to dispose of these materials in another
manner—usually at the local landfill.
Following are market specifications for collection,
preparing, and processing materials for recycling —
and some ideas about systems and equipment.
NEWSPAPER is perhaps the easiest material
to prepare for marketing. For a typical recycling pro-
gram, newspaper should be delivered to your center or
depot bundled with string in 12 to 18 inch stacks and
free of other papers such as magazines, phone books,
scrap papers, and Sunday magazine supplements.
Newspaper and all other paper products should be
kept dry and you should arrange for their storage in an
area free from fire danger. You can collect newspaper
in any type of container which is available: industrial
laundry carts, drop boxes, wooden bins. Or, you can
simply stack it on flat dry ground.
Many paper brokers will provide large trailers or
drop boxes for your use, so check with your buyer
before you invest in any collection containers for pa-
pers. Large trailers or drop boxes are very convenient
for the collection of paper products because they min-
imize handling and transportation. Your customers
simply toss their papers into the container. When it is
filled, you call the broker to arrange pickup.
You should instruct your customers to bring their
newspapers to your center or depot already tied in
bundles, if required, but you should also provide string
and scissors for those who haven't properly prepared
their paper.
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CORRUGATED AND KRAFT PAPERS
must also be freeof contaminants—including other pa-
pers such as waxed or tar lined papers, magazines, or
newspaper. Many times kraft paper, which is what
paper bags are made of, and corrugated, which is
essentially cardboard box material, can be recycled
together, but you should ask your broker to review
your planned instructions to the public. Corrugated
boxes should be broken down flat and can be hauled to
market either loose, in bundles, or in tightly com-
pressed bales.
Almost any type of container is suitable for collect-
ing and handling corrugated and kraft, but laundry bins
or boxes with rollers seem to work best as they are
lightweight and can be moved wherever you need them.
Heavy twine or small bundling machines with strap-
ping devices can be used to bundle these materials for
easy handling. Commercial baling machines are also
available and many brokers can provide these ma-
chines to you either on a loan or rental basis.
MIXED SCRAP isnothighlymarketableorprof-
itable, nor does it usually require special processing or
preparation. Therefore, if you decide to accept this
material you should design a collection system which
minimizes handling and transportation time. Drop
boxes or large trailers work best, as customers can
place their mixed scrap directly into the container and
you can then deliver it to the broker. Other containers
such as laundry carts or barrels work quite well to
collect and store such scrap, but also substantially
increase the handling time and work load for your
workers.
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COMPUTER CARDS AND PAPER,
AND HIGH GRADE PAPERS require a large
degree of quality control and must be free of contam-
inants. There are several classes and types of high
grade paper and your broker will want these separated.
Therefore, a high grade paper recycling program will
likely require a great amount of monitoring and sepa-
ration; however, the high price paid for these materials
usuafly justifies the additional handling. Work with
your broker to find out what grades of paper they
purchase. There are several tests which can be con-
ducted to determine paper grades and most brokers
will be glad to demonstrate these tests for you.
High grade paper can be collected in any container
which you have available. Ordinarily, you will not re-
ceive large volumes of this material unless you are
offering an office collection program in which case you
may have to provide special collection and storage
containers for account customers. Many times the
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baling of high grade papers will bring a considerable
price increase, so check with your broker.
METALS including aluminum, steel cans, bi-metal
cans, and other household items must be completely
separated from one another, and therefore may re-
quire considerable preparation and processing. Some
brokers even require that aluminum cans be kept sep-
arate from other aluminum products such as pie tins
and foil, so check with your buyers before establishing
your collection and handling methods for metals.
Cans should be free of food contaminants and
crushed or flattened to reduce their volume (which, of
course, allows you to handle greater tonnage with a
minimum of storage containers). Paper labels should
also be removed; they can then be recycled with your
scrap or mixed papers. Preparation should be done by
the public at home as it is a time consuming job once
the materials are at the recycling center.
Separate bins or barrels should be provided at the
recycling center or depot so that customers can
readily separate their materials themselves. A mag-
net should also be provided so the customer can de-
termine if a can is aluminum, steel, or bi-metal.
Aluminum is not magnetic. Again, almost any size or
type of storage container will do, depending on your
expected volume and frequency of market delivery.
GLASS is the most difficult material to handle as
it usually must be separated by color [green, brown,
and clear] and usually all of the metal caps and rings
must be removed. Window, baking, and windshield
glass are not normally accepted. Glass should be
brought to the recycling center or depot unbroken to
make it safer for your workers as they crush the
bottles into cullet. Paper labels usually need not be
removed. Check with your buyers on purchase and
preparation requirements before you announce to the
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public what you will accept and how it should be pre-
pared.
You should encourage your customers to remove
metal caps and rings themselves. Not all of them will
comply, so you should be prepared to remove these
materials themselves. Long nose pliers or puncture-
type can openers work best.
Once the glass has been sorted by color and the
rings and other metals have been removed, it should
be crushed into cullet for efficient handling and trans-
porting. You will need some type of heavy metal con-
tainer to store the cullet; large 20 and 40 cubic yard
containers or drop boxes, or 55 gallon metal barrels
are the most common methods for cullet handling. A
roll-off container is the most efficient, as it will hold up
to 10 tons of crushed cullet and you can deliver the
entire container to market. Recyclers most com-
monly use 55 gallon barrels, but considerably more
work and handling is required to load such barrels on
33
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and off your trucks. If you use barrels you will need a
hand truck, dolly, or fork lift to lift these barrels and
move them around.
There are several methods of converting uncrushed
glass to cullet. The most common method is to use a
sledge hammer inserted through a hole in a lid overthe
55 gallon barrel. Simply place the glass in the barrel
and smash the glass with the hammer. The lid will
prevent the glass from flying out of the barrel. Other
recyclers have found it just as easy and efficient to
throw one |ar onto another, breaking one glass bottle
against another as they proceed.
Several types of mechanical glass crushers are
available. Though they are not generally too expensive,
fairly large volumes are required to justify the pur-
chase of a machine designed to crush several tons per
hour. If you are receiving large volumes of glass, or are
offering a commercial program in glass, a machine
may be a very valuable addition to your operation.
Whatever method you choose to employ to handle,
crush, and transport your glass, you must be ex-
tremely careful and safety conscious. You should re-
quire that glass be crushed in a specially designated
area, and that staff and volunteers wear protective
clothing, gloves, safety glasses, and ear plugs when
they are working with glass. And you should keep a
first aid kit handy.
MOTOR OIL, COOKING GREASE
PLASTICS, CAR BATTERIES, SCRAP
METALS, AND OTHER RECYCLABLE
MATERIALS have varying handling and
processing requirements. You should check with your
brokers and local markets before you accept or
attempt to market any of these materials.
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COLLECTION & STORAGE CONTAINERS
Ideally, you should try to collect and store your
materials in the same containers which you will use to
deliver them to market. This will limit the amount of
handling you will have to do, greatly increase the effi-
ciency of your program, and reduce expenditures for
additional receptacles.
STEEL OR FIBER BARRELS can be used to
collect and store glass, metals, and most of your
paper products. They generally come in 20 to 55 gallon
sizes and are easy to handle and transport. Used or
slightly damaged barrels can often be bought cheaply
($1 -$3 each) or obtained by donation from local manu-
facturers, oil and chemical companies, and paint
supply houses.
If you use barrels of this type you will need a hand
truck or a fork lift truck to move them around and load
them for transport. Barrels can be rolled on their
bottom edges if they are not completely filled, but if
you do not have a fork lift you will need a truck with a
rear lift gate to load and unload the barrels. If you place
these barrels outside where they will be subject to the
weather, be sure to drill holes in the sides and bottom
to allow rain water to escape. Special hand-trucks for
barrels cost approximately $1 00. A used one-ton pro-
pane fork-lift costs $4,000-55,000.
BINS OR NESTING CONTAINERS are
convenient and light weight tools to collect and handle
most paper materials. They are usually constructed
from plastic or canvas material and come in a variety
of shapes and sizes. Such bins, which are used by com-
mercial laundries and shipping firms, usually come
with wheels and are ideal for rolling from one place to
another, or on and off truck ramps. They are relatively
inexpensive and are best suited for collection and
storage of paper and aluminum. The cost for individual
bins ranges from $1 5-S250.
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LARGE CORRUGATED CARTONS or
"gaylords" as they are sometimes called, can be used
for the collection of light weight materials such as alu-
minum, plastics, and paper. They are available from
moving and storage firms or shipping companies and
can usually be obtained free or at little expense ($2-
$10). However, corrugated cartons cannot handle
much weight so their utility is limited. They don't wear
well and one or two light rains will make them virtually
useless—but recyclable.
SELF-DUMPING HOPPERS are employed
by many recyclers for collection and storage of glass
and metals, and can be used for transporting these
materials to market. Unfortunately, a fork lift truck is
required to raise hoppers high enough off thegroundto
be emptied, which limits their utility. Self-dumping
hoppers come in many shapes and sizes and some are
even equipped with rollers for easy moving. Hoppers
are available from local steel fabricators and garbage
hauling equipment manufacturers. Typical costs
range from S25D-S500 each.
REFUSE CONTAINERS AND DROP-
BOXES are convenient for collecting bulky or big
volume materials such as glass and newspaper. With
potential to provide a complete and efficient collec-
tion, storage, and transportation system, these boxes
come in sizes up to 48 cubic yards and may be rented
from many refuse or construction companies.
These boxes do create a problem; a special truck is
necessary to move them. Detachable receptacles are
picked up by specially designed rail trucks for delivery
to market where they can be unloaded easily. Both
containers and trucks, however, can be expensive, so
before purchasing or renting them, it is best that
programs using them have high volumes and rapid
materials turnover.
If covered, all containers, whether or not they are
detachable, are excellent for collecting papers at un-
36
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TRUCKS
attended centers and depots because lids can be
locked and customers can deposit their items in the
small 1 8 to 24 inch slots near the top of the side
panels, making theft practically impossible. That these
containers may be divided into separate sections is
another benefit; one receptable can then receive
three colors of recyclable glass at once. Dropboxes
cost from $2,000 to $4,000 each.
While recycling programs operate with almost all
types of trucks (pickup, step van, dump, van, tractor-
trailers, roll-off, or flat beds), some are obviously bet-
ter suited for recycling than others and will greatly
reduce your handling time and increase your effi-
ciency. Two commonly used types are discussed here.
STANDARD VANS AND FLAT BEDS
work best for transporting materials packed in 55
gallon barrels, bins, large boxes, or bales. They can be
loaded with either a fork lift truck, hydraulic lift-gate,
or loading ramps. Used vans and flat bed trucks are
available for purchase, of course, but many recyclers
have been able to arrange donations from local truck-
ing or delivery firms.
DUMP TRUCKS are good for hauling materials
such as papers which can be tossed in the back or
loaded with a self-dumping hopper, and then easily
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ADDITIONAL EQUIPMENT
unloaded at the market. If you do not have a loading
dock or some type of elevated ramp, loading a dump
truck may present some problems as the top of the
truck can be as high as 10 feet off the ground. If you
use an open top dump truck you should have a canvas
or mesh cover to keep materials from becoming wet
or blowing out on the way to market.
Additional equipment which you will need or find
useful depending on the size of your program or
volume include:
BALERS can be used to compact metals and
paper for easier handling and volume reduction. They
may be available for rent or on a loan basis from local
paper brokers, so contact them before you consider
purchasing such equipment. Downstroke balers cost
between $3,000-37,000.
GLASS CRUSHERS. See page 33. Over-the-
barrel crushers are available for £300; hammerhill
crushers can cost up to £6,000.
PAPER SHREDDERS will be useful if you are
conducting a high grade recycling program. They may
be required so that you can provide proof of destruc-
tion of papers coming from billing offices, state agen-
cies, or others who deal in confidential information.
Shredders vary in capacity and cost.
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PAPER CUTTERS can be used to upgrade pa-
per items such as telephone books, text books, and
published documents by removing book bindings and
bonding agents such as glues. Paper cutters are avail-
able from local manufacturers, and used cutters may
be acquired from printers and book publishing compa-
nies. A typical cutter can be acquired for less than
£1,000.
STRAPPING MACHINES can be used to
bundle materials for easier handling and transporting.
Though these machines do not reduce volume or
create high density bales, they are useful for tying
together large, bulky items such as corrugated pa-
pers, plastics and wood scraps, or for securing papers
and other materials to pallets or other shipping con-
tainers. These machines are simple to use, inexpen-
sive, and readily available in most areas. A usable
machine can be acquired for $150.
CAN FLATTENERS AND MAGNETIC
SEPARATORS are valuable if you are handling
large volumes of metals. The magnetic separator will
automatically segregate aluminum cans from steel
cans allowing for greater efficiency in handling. Can
flatteners are used to reduce the volume of your cans
so that you need less storage space and they reduce
transportation costs by permitting you to fit more
cans into your containers or boxes. Again, these ma-
chines are available from local equipment manufac-
turers. Separators are availablefor$2,000;flatteners
are usually twice as expensive.
FORK LIFT TRUCKS will be needed if you are
using self-dumping hoppers or other bins and barrels
which must be picked up during truck loading or un-
loading. Fork lifts are available in electric and propane
models for use inside your warehouse or processing
center and in gas and diesel models for use outside.
39
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LABOR
Fork lift truck manufacturers and dealers throughout
the country can inform you of the various sizes and
models which would be the best for your program.
Costs are wide ranging according to size and options.
CONVEYORS may be useful if your operation
requires moving materials from one part of your site
to another; they can move recyclables from your col-
lection point to a baler or glass crusher or simply
move materials on and off trucks. There are several
types of conveyers. Used ones can often be purchased
from trucking firms and other warehouse operations
for less than $100.
HAND-TRUCKS AND DOLLIES will be
needed to move heavy barrels, bales and other bins
and boxes from one place in your warehouse to
another. They are available from equipment dealers,
local manufacturers, or trucking and warehouse com-
panies. Price ranges from $50-$ 150 can be expected.
Your program must be planned according to the
available pool of labor resources. A small center or
depot with limited services and hours or a periodic
weekend project can usually be handled by one or two
people. However, a full-line center with extensive pro-
cessing arrangements will require considerably more
personnel, which is the reason that such centers are
often established as community or organization pro-
jects.
Depending on the type of program you offer, labor
will be needed for the following purposes:
• Education and community outreach pro-
grams.
• Record keeping, bookkeeping, and other ad-
ministrative functions.
• Assisting the public in unloading recycla-
bles from their cars, and properly sorting
them into designated bins and containers.
40
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• Various processing functions ranging from
breaking glass or loading newspaper at a
small center, to sorting, shredding, and bal-
ing at a large center.
• Truck driving, materials loading, and other
routine warehouse work.
• General upkeep, maintenance, and care of
the center, depot, or vehicles.
In addition to volume and diversity of your business,
the transportation and marketing systems you
choose will dictate processing and handling decisions,
which in turn will determine the amount of labor you
will need. Thus, if your broker has provided large drop-
box containers for collecting materials, handling re-
quirements will be minimal, which means you'll need
labor mostly for processing and trucking. However, if
you plan to use small bins and barrels for storage, you
may have to regularly transfer several tons of news-
paper or corrugated by hand which will require a large
and energetic work force. In other words, recycling
can work at practically any level of labor resources
which may be available, but your progam must be
planned accordingly.
If your program will be operated by volunteers, you
should involve a broad base of community organiza-
tions to insure continuity and a sufficient supply of
workers. Many programs have suffered setbacks or
complete failure because of declining enthusiasm
among a small pool of volunteer workers. This has
been especially true of student-operated programs.
Seek assistance from Scout Troops, service organiza-
tions, environmental groups, church members, school
clubs, and anyone else who is willing to help.
There are incentives, however, which go a long way
in alleviating this turn-over problem. First, because
few people enjoy performing the same job day after
day, you can offer job variety to workers; rotate them
from task to task so they may learn as many as possi-
41
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ble. You can also arrange for your volunteers to re-
ceive purchasing discounts with local businesses,
movie houses, and sporting events.
Although you find staff on a volunteer basis, you may
still desire or need paid managers or coordinators to
provide supervision and ongoing direction and job
training. Recycling programs may require a whole
spectrum of normal business duties, such as book-
keeping, implementing license provisions, and nego-
tiating with city officials, realtors, and insurance
companies. These activities often demand more time
and effort, possibly more skills than a volunteer can
contribute.
If you are using paid staff, an attractive, competitive
wage is necessary to retain interested and qualified
personnel. While many recycling programs started
with people who were willing to work for subsistence
wages, this is becoming less and less common as
recycling operations become more advanced and de-
velop into an industry in its own right. If you are hiring
people to operate glass crushers, balers, or other
potentially dangerous machinery, you will find the need
to pay appealing wages especially true.
In conclusion, the size and nature of your program
will help determine labor needs. But remember that
qualified and valuable help, volunteer or hired, does not
come automatically. You must be willing and prepared
to train and instruct your labor force in materials
handling, public assistance, education, and safety
procedures.
"Recycling - It's l>p I'o V,
on!
42
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D
The importance of developing public interest in your
recycling program cannot be overemphasized. As with
any other new business, you must be prepared to
spend considerable time and effort informing the pub-
lic of who you are, what you do, and how you will be a
beneficial addition to the community.
The manner in which you approach your publicity
campaign is to a great extent dependent upon exist-
ent public recycling awareness. Your endeavors can
range from a few posters and newspaper announce-
ments concerning collection dates or center location,
to comprehensive and lengthy explanatory meetings
with city officials and other community leaders.
Your first step is to organize a publicity and educa-
tion committee long before your scheduled start-up
date. This committee's job is to develop long range
strategy for promoting your program, determine
media and publicity techniques, and decide who is
going to make the required arrangements. You may
need resource people to write press releases, contact
reporters, develop public service announcements,
speak at community meetings, plan school visits, and
design posters. You must also determine what re-
sources you have available and how to allocate them.
For instance, if one committee member is a former
newspaper reporter or has worked extensively with
the media, that person would likely be best suited to
become your press spokesperson and coordinate all
press releases, news conferences, and promotions. A
professional graphic artist or designer might agree to
produce posters, billboards, and other visual tools.
Whatever promotional approach you choose, re-
member that publicity planning takes time and energy.
A variety of publicity and education techniques and
outlets are available in your community. Yourprogram
committee should determine how available resources
can be adapted to your program, and directed to your
community's needs and structure. For instance, if you
43
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NEWSPAPERS
live m a small town or rural area, you may want to take
a low-key, personal approach using door-to-door con-
tacts, community newsletters, and meetings. If you
are in a large metropolitan area you may fare better
with more conventional mass media outlets such as
television and radio public service announcements or
newspaper coverage.
Newspapers will probabiy be the most accessible
and inexpensive publicity channel available, so you
should learn to work with reporters to help them bet-
ter publicize your program. Recycling programs are
"news" and your local newspapers will more often than
not be willing to give you good coverage.
Before you begin your program, you should contact
local reporters and editors to let them know what you
intend to do and how soon your project will be under-
way. Editors assign articles and decide which stones
will be featured, so visit them personally and explain
the purpose of your program, what you will be collect-
ing, and how this is going to help the community. There
is no better relationship with the press than that
based on personal contact.
In explaining how and why your program is news-
worthy, you might point out that your program will
divert specific amounts of garbage from the local land-
fill, and show how this is economically and environmen-
44
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tally good for the community. You might also demon-
strate that your program will create local employment
opportunities or provide income for a local youth pro-
gram or charity group.
You should also strive to become a continuing
source of reliable news and information for reporters
and media contacts. Someone from your press com-
mittee should be available to comment on solid waste
management issues that are being considered by your
city council or state government, and to tell reporters
when there is an upcoming issue of interest. An infor-
mational position paper might explain how this issue
will affect your community or your recycling program,
and what your group thinks about it.
Most recyclers have found newspapers interested
and willing to provide suppport, but you have to help by
learning their needs, discussing the pros and cons of
your program, and constantly working with them Re-
member, newspapers will be your most direct link to
the general public. Additionally, most newspapers
have "Around the Town" or "What's Happening" sec-
tions or calendars that you should contact to list your
recycling programs, activities and dates.
Recovery of WuaHe Resources
45
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THE PRESS RELEASE
The successful use of press releases is a key com-
ponent to a favorable and advantageous relationship
with all media. The purpose of press releases is to
attract media attention to your group or an upcoming
event. Press releases can carry several messages
including: 1J an invitation to attend and report a sched-
uled news conference or event; 2) a longer state-
ment containing data and information which you want
to publicize (i.e., a report on the degree of public partic-
ipation in your program or a report on the tonnage
which you have recycled during the first six months of
operation); or 3) a position paper stating your views on
a specific issue and explaining how it may be affecting
recycling efforts in your community.
A press release should answer basic questions of
"who, what, when, where, and why" which might logi-
cally be asked about any program or event. You should
include this basic information in the first sentence or
two so the reporter or news department can quickly
learn what the press release is about and decide if it
deserves coverage. You should be careful never to edi-
torialize in a press release. Leave that to the copy
editor.
You should list a contact person on your press re-
lease whom the press can reach for additional infor-
mation. However, be sure that this person does indeed
have additional information to offer and will not simply
reiterate what the press release has already stated.
Finally, if your program is new, or if you have had only
infrequent contact with the local press, you should
attach a "Background Paper" explaining how your pro-
gram began, what your environmental goals are, and
what some of your past accomplishments have been.
46
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THE NEWS CONFERENCE
If you have a ma|or news story or breakthrough in
your program (e.g., receiving a grant or establishing a
cooperative working relationship with the city solid
waste utility or local garbage haulers), you may want
to hold a press conference so the press and media can
ask specific questions concerning these develop-
ments or film recycling in progress.
Reporters are invited to many news events each
week; those which turn out to be insignificant only
irritate the press. When you schedule and announce a
press conference be certain that you actually have an
important "news" event to report. If possible, it is a
good idea to have a person with a media "name" (the
mayor, local solid waste officials, a well known environ-
mentalist, etc.) to add to the attraction.
When planning a press conference or media event
you should take advantage of the old adage that a
picture is worth a thousand words. Set up your confer-
ence at your recycling center using a truck or drop-off
station as the backdrop. Or take the reporters on your
collection route or to one of your processing centers
so that action pictures can accompany their articles.
Be sure to tell the photo editors what you plan so that
they assign a photographer to the event.
-------
MEDIA MAILING LISTS
TIMING A PRESS RELEASE
OR CONFERENCE
Often the key to consistent press and media cover-
age will be a good mailing list. You should develop an
extensive list of press and media contacts in your area
including: daily, weekly, and monthly newspapers, spe-
cial interest press such as the Labor Press or Cattle-
men's Association Newsletter, college and high school
papers, magazines, and even free-lance writers who
may have an interest in your program. This list will
allow you quickly and efficiently to inform the press of a
news conference or late breaking story which may be
of interest.
You should learn which local media and newspaper
reporters are best contacted with a press release or
news idea. Remember, you cannot be an effective pub-
licity person if you do not know how the media works;
read your newspapers, listen to the radio, and watch
TV with an eye and ear to the kinds of stories your local
media are likely to cover, then try to arrange your
"news" events accordingly.
Learn local media deadlines and schedule your press
releases and news conferences to accomodate them.
A good rule is that a press release should reach the
reporter or news department three or four days be-
fore an event to allow the reporter or assigning editor
plenty of time to plan coverage. It will help you to
include deadline information on your media mailing list.
It is also helpful to follow up your press release with
a phone call to a friendly editor or reporter that high-
lights its contents.
48
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NEWSPAPERS & MAGAZINES
RADIO PUBLICITY
These publications can be valuable outlets for pub-
licity and news coverage for your program as they are
often eager to find local news stories and they usually
have the time to do more extensive reporting than the
daily papers or electronic media.
Many such papers and magazines are operated by
part-time or volunteer staff who rely heavily on arti-
cles written by others. Try to discuss your program
plans personally with the editors so that you can avoid
submitting articles which do not have a chance of
being published.
Radio coverage, especially in the form of public
service announcements or talk and discussion shows,
can be a valuable and inexpensive source of publicity.
Federal broadcasting regulations require all radio and
television stations to "discover and fulfill the tastes,
needs, and desires of the community and service area
for broadcast service." Because of these require-
ments, radio stations have talk shows, education pro-
grams, and community events calendars designed to
allow public access to the airways for discussions on
community issues and to inform the community of
events of local interest.
You should contact your local radio stations to learn
about their public issue programs and how your group
can obtain air time. Once you know of a program on
which you might appear, you should talk with the pro-
gram director or station manager explaining why your
group is newsworthy from a community issues per-
spective and what you have to offer.
49
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SAMPLE PUBLIC
SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENTS
Additionally, all broadcast stations must provide air
time for public service announcements, so ask the
station manager about requirements and format for
public service announcements (PSA's). Radio com-
mercials or PSA's are not difficult to produce, and
many stations will help make them.
Finally, if you have the money, radio advertising is an
excellent way of reaching large numbers of people in
your community at a relatively inexpensive cost. Some
radio stations, especially in small towns or rural areas,
sell air time for as little as $1 5 or $20 per minute and
this can turn out to be an economical way of reaching
the potential recycling public.
15 Second Announcement For Immediate Release
MOST WASTE PAPER ISN'T WASTE. THE BAY
C!TY RECYCLING PROJECTCAN RECYCLE ALL
TYPES OF PAPER. CALL 222-7777. THAT'S
BAY CITY RECYCLING 222-7777.
20 Second Announcement For Immediate Release
AMERICA HAS ONLY ONE DOMESTIC
SOURCE OF TIN. THE TIN CAN. PLEASE, DON'T
THROW IT AWAY. CALL THE BAY CITY
RECYCLING PROGRAM AT 222-7777 FOR THE
LOCATION OF THE RECYCLING CENTER NEAR-
EST YOUR HOME. THAT'S BAY CITY RECY-
CLING 222-7777.
50
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TELEVISION
SPEAKERS BUREAU
The laws and regulations for radio public service
time and programs also apply to commercial television
stations. However, since television is a visual medium,
program and PSA requirements are more involved and
expensive than for radio, and therefore more difficult
for local groups to use.*
Again, contact the public service director or station
manager about PSA requirements and discussion
programs. Many stations will work with public interest
groups to design quick and inexpensive PSAs. These
may be nothing more elaborate than a slide of your
program logo or symbol with a brief audio message in
the background. Though these announcements are
not visually exciting, they can be very effective..
Finally, if solid waste management or recycling is a
controversial issue in your community, you should
watch and listen to radio and television editorials
which may oppose your program and be prepared to
approach the station to contribute an editorial re-
buttal.
Another outreach and education tool is the speak-
ers bureau—volunteers organized to go to schools,
church groups, service organizations, colleges, and
other interested groups to talk about your recycling
program and explain how it contributes to the com-
munity. Almost all civic groups have regular evening or
luncheon programs to which they invite community
leaders or special interest groups to address their
members.
A slide presentation will help demonstrate solid
waste problems in your area and what your recycling
group is doing to solve them. If you don't have the
resources for a slide presentation, you should at least
develop a "hands on" display showing the materials
which your program recycles and how to properly pre-
pare these materials for recycling. A verbal presenta-
tion is always enhanced by visual aids, even if no more
elaborate than a flattened steel can or a stack of
bundled newspaper.
'PSA: Public Service Announcement.
51
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SCHOOL PROGRAMS
Young people are very interested in environmental
matters and are curious as to how recycling contri-
butes to environmental improvement. You should pre-
pare a classroom presentation showing the waste
habits of the community, how this contributes to the
depletion of natural resources, why the improper use
of landfills or dumps is environmentally unsound, and
how recycling can help correct some of these prob-
lems. Again, try to develop visual aids to go along with
your presentation as they will hold the attention of
younger students and will contribute to their under-
standing of the problem. You should inform the tea-
chens in your area that a school curriculum guide for
recycling is available for grades K through 12 and can
be obtained from the U.S. EPA Office of Solid Waste.
A field trip to your local garbage dump or landfill
followed by a tour of your recycling center can be an
excellent learning experience for any age group.
Another way to involve school children in your pro-
gram is to sponsor essay, poster, logo or slogan con-
tests. These can be valuable to publicize your pro-
gram, gam widespread community support, and
develop graphic designs or posters at very little ex-
pense. You might ask merchants and businesses in
your area to donate prizes for such contests; movie or
concert tickets or trips to recreational areas make
excellent rewards. You might also seek donations of
money or art supplies for posterand graphic contests.
Students can also be very helpful in door-to-door
publicity campaigns. At the least, they can take re-
minders home to their own parents.
Many schools and teachers offer extra credit for
community service involvement, so you should con-
tact your local school board and PTA to discuss how
you can involve their students in community recy-
cling efforts.
52
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PUBLIC DISPLAYS
A large visual display for meetings, rallies, festivals,
celebrations or other large public gatherings, is an
excellent means to reach large numbers of people with
information about your program and its relationship to
solid waste management problems and issues in your
community.
A display of this type might include instructions on
preparing materials for recycling, photos of your cen-
ters or depots, data on the amount of waste gener-
ated in your area, or demonstrations of how materials
are recycled into new products. The display might
even be an automated audio-visual presentation utiliz-
ing slides and a taped recorded message. Any display
should be as mobile and versatile as possible; cer-
tainly, it should not be so cumbersome as to discour-
age its use.
Libraries, universities, state office buildings, bank
lobbies, and shopping centers are excellent locations
for displays. You should request these establishments
to exhibit your display for a few days at a time.
53
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NEWSLETTERS
OTHER TIPS
Community newsletters, church bulletins, employee
newspapers, and other publications aimed at small
and select audiences can be useful for announcing new
programs or providing handy reminders of ongoing
activities. Learn what publications of this type exist in
your community, and ask that they include information
about your program.
Once your program has established itself you may
want to publish your own newsletter to send to your
volunteers and supporters. This can be a valuable way
to inform the public of the success of your program
and to demonstrate the impact you are having on the
community. This is also an excellent way to keep en-
thusiasm alive and to generate continuing support.
An easily reproducible logo should be designed and
used as a permanent program symbol which the public
can recognize. This logo should appear on all of your
publicity announcements, publications, signs, collec-
tion bins, barrels, and trucks.
Brochures explaining all aspects of the program,
especially if you have a pick-up service, can be printed
up relatively inexpensively.
Wall Posters can be used to "blitz" your neighbor-
hood or community to announce the opening of your
program. They are also a highly visual and inexpensive
way to remind the community of what materials you
accept and where your depots or centers are located.
They should be visually attractive with as little written
copy as possible. The who, what, when, where, and why
format along with the program logo or symbol works
quite well for posters and handbills.
Try to display your posters in places where they will
stay posted the longest (store windows, taverns, res-
54
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taurants, etc.] and not on buildings, fences, or other
places where they are not welcome. You should
become familiar with the merchants and store owners
who display your posters; they could become a valua-
ble source of commercial accounts or other resour-
ces for your program.
Calendars announcing where your centers are,
when you are open, and how to properly prepare mater-
ials are helpful and inexpensive reminders for the
household. If necessary, one sheet of paper will suffice
MARCH
recycling
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for a calendar which will alert the household recycler
to your recycling days for an entire year.
Contact the "Welcome Wagon" or "Community
Hostess" organizations or your local real estate
agencies to see if they will include information about
recycling programs and opportunities in your area in
the information packets which they provide for new
residents and homeowners.
List your recycling centers in the Yellow Pages
under "Recycling." •
Public Utilities are often willing to include notices
from public service groups in their billings. Contact the
offices of the utilities or city bureau in your community
to learn about mailing policies.
If you live in an area with a large population of
Minority Groups, you should publish your posters
and other information in their respective languages.
City and State Public Information Offices can
be very helpful in distributing information about public
55
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LAST WORDS
ON PUBLICITY
service programs or otherwise bringing you together
with the public.
In conclusion, you should use any and all of the pub-
licity tools to which you can gain access. Some may
work very well, others not at all. You will never know
until you try them out. Publicity and public relations
frighten many people, but they should not. Most who
work in the newspaper, media and publicity fields are
eager to help community programs and are willing to
share their knowledge with the novice. Ultimately,
good publicity and education programs are nothing
more than dedication and good hard work.
Again, publicity and education constitute a never
ending task which must be done throughout your pro-
gram and not just at the outset. Many recycling pro-
grams have enjoyed early success and high partici-
pation rates during the first few months, only to see
operations fail in the end because community out-
reach and education programs petered out.
The following publications may be useful to your publicity
committee in designing and planning your publicity and
education programs:
1. The Community Awareness Program in Somer-
ville and Marblehead, Massachusetts, Environ-
mental Protection Agency publication (SW-551).
2. Projecting Your Image, How to Produce a Slide
Show, League of Women Voters publication number
296.
3. Breaking into Broadcasting, League of Women
Voters publication number 586.
4. Media Information Packet, Environmental Action
Foundation publication MD-1.
5. Communication Workbook, a packet of the North-
ern Rockies Action Group, Volume 1, Number4,1 976.
6. The Whys and Hows of Public Service An-
nnouncements reprinted from Access magazine,
available through the National Citizens Committee for
Broadcasting.
7. Residential Paper Recovery, A Community Action
Program, Environmental Protection Agency publica-
tion (SW-553).
56
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TYPES OF ORGANIZATION
A remaining hurdle any recycling group must face is
that of financing and operating a business concern.
Like any other enterprise, a recycling business can
operate under several organizational structures.
While this booklet can by no means offer a complete
lesson on business administration or review all possi-
ble ways to finance your program, it does offer basic
ideas and information on single proprietorships, part-
nerships, corporations, non-profit organization, legal
requirements, loans, and grants. For more specific
information about the advantages and liabilities of var-
ious business models, contact your state office of
corporate affairs. It is also highly advisable that these
ideas not be relied upon in specific situations without
checking further with a lawyer, an accountant, the
appropriate governmentagency, orotherknowiedgea-
ble source.
SINGLE PROPRIETORSHIP The simplest
form of business organization is the single proprietor-
ship. This is a one-owner business with minimal legal
formalities. The owner is personally liable for the debts
and obligations of the business and he/she must
comply with local and state licensing requirements.
PARTNERSHIP A partnership is an associa-
tion of two or more persons who do business as co-
owners for financial profit. The partners are personally
liable for the debts of the business so that, if the
partnership is unable to fulfill its financial obligations,
the partners become responsible. There are usually no
requirements that partners obtain permission from
the state to form a partnership, but they must comply
with any state and local registration and license
requirements.
57
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CORPORATION A corporation is a legal
entity which limits the liability of the stockholders for
the debts of the corporation. Under most state stat-
utes of incorporation the corporate organization
itself is liable for debts which might result from the
operation of the company. State requirements and
obligations for corporate entities vary from state to
state so check with your attorney and the state
department of corporate affairs before entering into a
corporate agreement.
NON-PROFIT CORPORATION A fed
eral, non-profit, charitable corporation [26 United
States Code, Section 501 -CcHSJ] is exempt from pay-
ing certain federal income taxes and allows an organi-
zation to receive monetary contributions and other
donations that are tax deductible for donors making
contributions. Contact your local Internal Revenue
Service office for specific information on deductible
and non-deductible corporations. Additionally, a non-
profit, tax-exempt corporation is eligible for the
cheapest bulk mailing rates. Most other requirements
and obligations which apply to a standard business
corporation also apply to a non-profit, tax-exempt
corporation.
Though there are numerous Internal Revenue Ser-
vice requirements which must be satisfied before
exempt status is granted, the key requirement is that
your organization be involved in charitable, educa-
tional, or scientific work. Many recyclers and environ-
mental groups have demonstrated their eligibility for
non-profit status through their work in such areas as
solid waste and environmental education. Contact
your local IRS office to obtain detailed requirements
and application forms. IRS publication 557 ("How to
Apply for Recognition of Exemption of an Organiza-
tion"] is an informative booklet and should be read
thoroughly before pursuing exempt status. Your local
58
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IRS office should be able to provide assistance in inter-
preting and filling out appropriate forms.
Before you apply for non-profit status you should be
aware that there are certain restrictions on compan-
ies working under this status which may prove disad-
vantageous. In general, if a substantial part of the
activities of your organization consists of lobbying or
otherwise attempting to influence legislation or elec-
tions, your organization's exempt status will most
likely be denied. The key question is: what is sub-
stantial?
Be careful in the area of restrictions on lobbying.
For purposes of tax exempt status you may not, as a
substantial part of your activities, either attempt to
influence legislation through a move to affect the opin-
ions of the general public or attempt to influence legis-
lation through communication with a member or
employee of a legislative body, or any government
employee involved in the formulation of legislation.
You may, however, provide technical assistance if
requested, make available results of non-partisan
research, study or analysis, and communicate on mat-
ters affecting the existence or powers of your
organization.
An organization, under certain conditions, may elect
to replace the traditional "substantial activities test"
with a specific limit defined in terms of expenditures
for influencing legislation. A special form (#5768)
must be filed with the IRS to make this election.
There are exceptions to these restrictive provi-
sions and we suggest that you contact your local IRS
office for complete details.
CITY OF
59
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BUSINESS AND
LEGAL REQUIREMENTS
Once you have decided on the basic legal structure
for your program, you will be faced with numerous
business and related requirements. Though the busi-
ness standards vary from state to state, there are
many common threads:
• It is usually the responsibility of the em-
ployer to collect, and deposit with the
appropriate government agency, Federal
and state withholding taxes, city wage and
employment taxes, transportation and ser-
vice district taxes, and other business and
income taxes. Contact your local IRS and
state department of revenue for the tax
requirements and rates which will apply to
your business.
Most states require that employers pro-
vide accident insurance or contribute to a
worker compensation insurance program.
Contact your state workers insurance or
employment office to learn what the em-
ployer requirements and obligations are in
your area.
Most cities and state governments require
that you obtain a permit or license to oper-
ate a business. Contact your city and state
governments to learn of their specific
license requirements and costs.
Under zoning and related ordinances, most
towns and cities restrict certain types of
structures and business activity to defined
areas (light industrial, multi-unit residential,
commercial, etc.). Contact your local zoning
60
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and planning offices to learn what zoning
restrictions exist in your area. (NOTE: many
recyclers have experienced difficulties with
city zoning boards classifying them as
scrap and junk dealers which has restricted
their location to industrial areas rather
than to light commercial or residential
neighborhoods. You may have to work with
your local zoning and planning offices to
demonstrate that a recycling or reclama-
tion center is not a junk business or scrap
yard.)
Most states have public utility carriers or
transportation commissions which regu-
late and control the movement of goods
within their state and require that public
carriers obtain permits to use the public
highways. Additionally, the Interstate Com-
merce Commission (ICC) regulates mater-
ials moving across state lines. Contact
your state transportation office and your
local office of the ICC to learn what regula-
tions apply to recyclable materials.
If all this seems confusing and complicated, remem-
ber that many businesses are able to live by the rules.
Furthermore, technical and financial assistance pro-
grams and workshops are available to help the begin-
ing businesspeople understand legal requirements
and to help them improve management practices and
organizational skills. Among these programs are:
• Tax advice classes and workshops offered
by local offices of the Internal Revenue Ser-
vice and by most state revenue depart-
ments.
61
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• Pre-business workshops offered by the
U.S. Small Business Administration to pro-
vide advice to persons who are considering
starting new businesses. These programs
are free of charge and offer the advice of
lawyers, CPAs, corporate executives, and
management specialists to help you comply
with the particular business laws in your
area.
• The Small Business Institute program
offers advice and direct assistance from
local business school students to help
analyze and offer solutions for small busi-
ness problems. Contact colleges and uni-
versities in your area to learn if they
particioate in this program.
• Most state and local departments of eco-
nomic development and planning offer
assistance and workshops on business
management and operations. Contact your
local offices of these agencies to learn
more about the specific programs they
offer.
The Small Business Administration has a number of
publications available on financial planning and man-
agement for small business. Among these are:
1. Checklist for Going Into Business. No.
71. Free.
2. Keeping Records in Small Business.
No. 155. Free.
3. The ABCs of Borrowing. No. 170. Free.
There are Small Business Administration offices in
each state where these publications may be obtained
(listed in the phone book under United States Small
62
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LOANS
Business Administration) or you may order them from
the U.S. S.B.A., P.O. Box 15434, Fort Worth, Texas,
76119.
Other Small Business Administration publications
are available for purchase from the Superintendent of
Documents, Government Printing Office, Washing-
ton, D.C., 20402. A sample includes:
1. Financial Record Keeping for Small
Stores. No. 045-000-00142-3. $1.55
2. Insurance and Risk Mangement for
Small Business. No. 045-000-00037-1.
$1.90.
3. Personnel Management Guides for
Small Business. No. 045-000-00126-1.
$1.10
4. Improving Material Handling in Small
Business. No. 045-000-00041-9. $0.75.
5. Handbook of Small Business Finance.
No. 045-000-00139-3. $1.50.
Other than privately negotiated loans from com-
munity supporters or members of your organization,
most small businesses such as those in recycling have
two avenues available for borrowing money: traditional
full service banking institutions and the U.S. Small
Business Administration.
When you consider approaching a banking institu-
tion to borrow money for your recycling program you
will need to provide information on the financial re-
sources of your organization. Though necessary infor-
mation will vary from case to case and bank to bank, in
general you'll need the following:
1.A current financial statement (balance
sheet) showing all of your assets and
liabilities;
2. an earnings statement (listing profits and
losses) for the previous year and for the
current period to date of the balance sheet;
63
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3. current financial statements for the owner,
or each partner or stockholder owning 20
percent or more of the corporate stock;
4. a list of the collateral to be offered as se-
curity for the loan with the estimate of the
value of each item; and,
5. the amount of the loan requested and an
explanation of the exact purposes for which
the loan will be used.
If your program or business is just starting out the
bank will ask you to provide as much of the above
information as possible. It will also ask for:
1. A description of the type of business to be
established and a description, with detailed
resumes, of your experience and manage-
ment capabilities;
2. an estimate of how much you and your
partners or stockholders have to invest
and how much you will need to borrow; and,
3. a detailed projection of earnings for the
first year the business will operate.
Interest rates will vary from bank to bank and area
to area.
It can often be helpful to your program to establish a
line of credit and a successful banking record (demon-
strating that you can borrow money and pay it back
within the given time limits) before you really need
money for your financial survival. A good way to do this
is to purchase a piece of machinery or other equip-
ment on credit from a bank, even if you can afford to
pay for it outright, so that you can establish a suc-
cessful credit record.
-------
GRANTS
The Small Business Administration has numerous
loan programs available to the public; your local SBA
office can advise about loans potentially available to
you, and the interest rates and lending restrictions for
each. The SBA does not loan money to non-profit
businesses or organizations. Most SB A programs lend
money at the same rate of interest as regular banking
institutions, but loans are sometimes easier to obtain
because of different and more relaxed lending criteria.
By Federal law, the Small Business Administration
may not lend money to a business if that business can
obtain funds from a bank or another private source.
Therefore, you must first seek private financing before
applying to the SBA. Because of this, it is a good idea
to meet and establish a good working relationship with
your local bank officers. Contact the U.S. Small Busi-
ness Administration, Washington, D.C. 20416, or the
local office in your area.
Grants are direct gifts of money, usually from pri-
vate foundations or governmental agencies. Grants
have been the source used to establish a number of
recycling and environmental programs. Grants are
usually given to non-prof it or educational organizations
for specific projects such as developing in-school envi-
ronmental education programs, purchasing equipment
to operate innovative programs, or for doing research
studies on a particular problem within the field. Most
grant donating organizations do not provide money for
day-to-day operating expenses or provide salaries for
the project staff, and they usually restrict their grant
monies to organizations and programs rather than to
individuals.
When considering the possibility of submitting a
proposal to a foundation, you must study your needs
carefully, gauge the demand your proposal will be
meeting, and determine if your proposed program will
encompass and benefit an audience wider than the
65
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regular reaches of your program. Though the founda-
tion you choose to submit a proposal to will have
individual requirements and will be looking for you to
meet specific criteria, in general the foundation will be
looking at your submitted proposal for the following
questions:
1. Is the project unique or has there already
been a project or study done which is sim-
ilar to yours?
2. Will the results of the project or research
produce data or performance standards
which can measure the success or failure
of the program?
3. Is the time right for a project such as the
one you are proposing? (For instance,
though the project you are proposing may
be technically feasible, the general level of
technology or market conditions to make
this program socially useful may not yet
exist.)
4. Does your organization have the resources
and skills to operate the program which you
are proposing? Can this experience and ex-
pertise be adequately documented?
In addition to the broad questions listed above, a
foundation will expect you to provide specific and
detailed explanations of how the program will operate,
what needs will be served, and how much money you
will need to complete it successfully. Therefore, you
should be prepared to provide the following informa-
tion as well:
1. A brief summary of what is to be accom-
plished with the grant and an explanation of
how it will improve your program and how
-------
you will fund your activities after the funding
period has expired.
2. A detailed, realistic, and justifiable budget
indicating what the money will be spent on
and who will be responsible for administrat-
ing and disbursing the money.
3. A demonstration of how such a program is
compatible with the goals and orientation of
the foundation.
Oftentimes, large foundations such as the Rocke-
feller, Ford, or Carnegie Foundations are only inter-
ested in funding national or international projects with
far-reaching social impact such as cancer research,
educational television or world hunger. While it is not
impossible to receive funding from these large nation-
al foundations, experience has shown that community
based, small scale technology and research projects
have a much better rate of success with locally based
foundations that are more in tune with needs of the
immediate community. Thus they are more likely to
invest money at a local level.
The federal government also has several grant pro-
grams which might be available to your program.
These grants are listed in the Catalog of Federal
Domestic Assistance which is published annually
and is available at most public libraries. Some Federal
agencies you may want to contact for specific grant
programs are:
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Solid Waste
Washington, D.C. 20460
• U.S. Department of Health, Education, and
Welfare
Office of Education
400 Maryland Ave. S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20202
67
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U.S. Department of Labor
This agency offers several job training and
employment grants under the Comprehen-
sive Employment and Training Act (CETA)
administered through local city and county
labor or employment offices. Among these
are:
Title I: Comprehensive Manpower Ser-
vices. Primarily used for job training
programs.
Title II: Public Service Employment. This
is a transitional program to move people
into unsubsidized employment.
Title III: Special Federal Programs. This
is a program to provide summer work
experience for economically disadvan-
taged youths.
Title IV: Offers three programs: emer-
gency jobs, public service employment
with no transition required, and special
public service employment projects.
STATE AND LOCAL GRANT PRO-
GRAMS There may be several grant programs
available through city and state offices of solid waste
management and environmental quality. For informa-
tion on specific grant opportunities in your area, con-
tact your state offices of these agencies.
68
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FUNDRAISERS
Many recyclers have successfully used fund-raising
events as a way to earn money for their programs.
These benefits can not only generate money for your
program, but can also provide opportunities to
increase public awareness and understanding of your
objectives.
Such money making benefits can range from small,
low-key activities such as bake sales and rummage
sales, which can be quickly and easily organized, to
major activities such as community-wide auctions,
dances, or concerts. Usually, the larger your financial
goal, the greater the level of organizational and promo-
tional skills and commitments required. Don't expect
to raise a thousand dollars from a bake sale held on a
Saturday in someone's back yard.
On the other hand, don't attempt to put on a large
concert featuring name entertainment unless you
have the people on your staff with the proven skills to
run such a program.
There are professional promoters in many cities
who will make themselves available for organizing
large concerts or other fundraismg activities for a fee
or for a percentage of the gate. These promoters can
be found in the Yellow Pages under "Concert Promo-
tions."
In conclusion, do not overuse the benefit approach
to raise money. In particular, do not use it to mask
poor management. It is a bad habit to operate a losing
program month after month with the hope of bailing it
out with a major fundraiser. Use benefits for special
activities when you need or want a special push for
your program, or perhaps when you have exhausted all
other means for generating funds.
69
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a
As we have stressed throughout this booklet, mak-
ing such an endeavor as a recycling center successful
requires time, money, dedication, and tenacity when
the going gets rough. We hope that the following his-
tory of the Portland Recycling Team will provide you
with encouragement and allow you to see how the
ideas and suggestions made in the preceding chapters
have been utilized by a specific recycling organization.
From its beginning as a single item drop-off pro-
gram, recycling approximately ten tons per month, the
Portland Recycling Team (PRT) has grown into a model
recycling operation which now recycles a full line of
materials from papers to plastics, and diverts over
eight hundred tons of garbage from Portland area
landfills every month to available markets.
Today the Portland Recycling Team has seven per-
manent drop-off centers, a centralized warehouse for
storage and processing, several high-grade paper pro-
grams, and numerous commercial accounts with
Portland area businesses. PRT employs almost sixty
full-time and part-time people in various job capacities
and is widely considered to be a valuable social, envi-
ronmental, and employment resource for Portland and
its citizens.
The United States Environmental Protection Agen-
cy has decided to look at the history, funding, orienta-
tion, and overall operations of Portland Recycling
Team as a "potential" model for other recyclers and
potential recyclers.
Like many environmental activist groups of the
1970's, the Portland Recycling Team originated on a
college campus, Portland State University. Taking
note of large volumes of garbage on campus, and asso-
ciated large garbage bills, a nonprofit student housing
corporation (Portland Student Services) decided to
investigate the possibility of disposing of student gar-
bage itself. Finding this infeasible, efforts were next
70
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aimed at trying to reduce some of the volume of gar-
bage in the student housing complex through the
practice of recycling.
The first effort at recycling was a glass drop-off
station in the basement of one of the student housing
buildings. The goal was to simply reduce the volume of
waste, as it was not known if there were stable
markets for glass once it was collected. Fortunately, it
turned out that the Owens-Illinois Glass company was
concurrently developing a program for buying glass
from the public to use in cullet operations.
At the start, the Portland Recycling Team operated
with a borrowed truck, volunteer labor, a minimum of
equipment, and a maximum of energy and enthusiasm.
The glass was hand-crushed in 55-gallon barrels
which were loaded on a borrowed pickup truck using
only muscle power, not an easy chore as one 55-gallon
barrel of crushed glass can weigh as much as 500
pounds. For awhile, the Oregon National Guard helped
71
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on Saturdays by loading the glass in its trucks and
delivering it to market, in exchange for lunch.
PRT soon realized that a commitment to a full-line
recycling policy was essential, if it was to have any
impact on official solid waste practices and policy in
Portland. So, PRT decided to accept all items that
were recyclable, regardless of their potential market
price.
At this time, other Portland groups were also spon-
soring recycling programs such as paper drives run by
scout troops and waste paper companies. But the
Portland Recycling Team was the only organization
accepting all items. For this reason, PRT was soon
perceived by the public as an environmental group
involved in recycling activities because of a concern
for the environment and a desire to promote the prin-
ciples of reuse, reduction, and recycling.
As word about PRT and its purpose spread, the
community at-large began to use its services, soon
forcing it to move off-campus. This in turn made the
center known to more and more people; the volume of
collected recyclable materials began increasing regu-
larly and was soon up to 70 tons per month. The
resulting income from sales allowed PRT to expand its
operations and to purchase a used truck with a lift
gate to facilitate delivering materials to market. Hav-
ing its own truck enabled PRT to establish a more
standardized base of operations. It also allowed PRT
to develop a program of satellite projects which are
operated by community organizations (usually schools,
churches, neighborhood groups, or scout troops) and
to offer once-a-month recycling services to neighbor-
hoods throughout the Portland area. PRT does all of
the handling, trucking, and marketing, as well as some
of the education and publicity work for these projects
in exchange for 50 percent of the income from mater-
ials sale. The community sponsor receives the other
50 percent for providing the workers and for manag-
72
-------
ing the on-site program, This enables PRT to offer
recycling depots in neighborhoods which otherwise
could not support them, and it allows the community
groups to recycle and generate income with a min-
imum of expense and commitment. Today PRT has 28
projects of this type.
Public acceptance of recycling activities and a gen-
eral environmental concern supported growth of the
PRT program through 1973. Surplus income made it
possible to open a second major center in early 1 974.
Located in a university neighborhood, the original cen-
ter served some of the best educated and wealthiest
people in Portland. Therefore, when the opportunity
for expansion presented itself, a deliberate decision
was made to establish the second center in a mixed,
working class neighborhood so that a more diversified
group of people would become exposed to recycling
and so that PRT could establish a broader base of
support in the community.
This was considered a very daring move; the so-
called "experts" claimed that only the educated and
well-to-do would recycle because they were more
aware of social issues and had the spare time to take
materials to a center. However, through a program of
community outreach, education, and tight financial
management, the new center was accepted and sup-
ported by the public.
By 1974, PRT was recycling over 160 tons per
month and was beginning to feel established. Then, the
recycling industry experienced the greatest price
boom and subsequent collapse in its history.
What happened was that a relatively healthy world-
wide economy, especially in the Far East, coupled with
increased housing starts in the United States,
created an all time high demand for paper fibres. At
the same time the supply for paper fibres was at an all
time low and paper brokers, especially export brokers,
were willing to pay whatever the market demanded.
73
-------
The price for newsprint went over £70 per ton, com-
puter cards were up to $200 per ton, and all other
types of paper were bringing the highest price ever.
However, boom quickly turned to bust as the Ameri-
can economy began to decline. Housing and construc-
tion starts decreased. So did the demand for paper
fibres. Japan and other Asian countries dropped out of
the market almost as quickly as they had entered —
drying up the export market. (The EPA chart on
page 76 outlines price fluctuations as they occurred
during this period.)
By December, 1974, newspaper prices had dropped
from $70 per ton to $3. Often the brokers weren't
even accepting paper, and sometimes PRT couldn't
give it away. This problem was compounded by the
normal December recycling drop-off due to inclement
weather and the holiday season. PRT's income col-
lapsed, and its financial reserves were rapidly ex-
hausted.
-------
Consequently, the Board of Directors and the staff
voted to shut down operations and to stop recycling
altogether rather than to change their principles and
become something other than a full-line program.
Signs announcing the closure of PRT were hung on the
doors on December 24, 1974, and everyone on the
staff accepted the fact that PRT had come to its end.
However, during its final days, PRT had produced a
position paper to explain the financial situation and
inform the public why PRT was about to cease opera-
tions. This paper came to the attention of an Oregon
State Senator and a member of the Portland City
Council who went to bat for PRT, calling on many civic
and industry leaders to solicit donations to keep the
centers open. Ironically, after months of financial
struggle and within two hours of hanging the "closed"
signs, PRT received a call from a large paper company
in the Northwest announcing a donation of $2,000.
This money allowed PRT to reopen and to get through
the next month of operations. By March, 1 975, PRT
had received over £8,000 in donations from the busi-
ness community, prices were on the increase, and
PRT was able once again to offer full recycling services
to the community.
So, PRT stayed in business through 1974 and
1975, while many other recycling operations in
Oregon and throughout the country failed. This may be
attributed to the willingness of the staff to work de-
spite the lack of wages, the diversity of materials which
allowed PRT to make money from recycling glass and
other materials when paper prices were low, and a
nonprofit tax status which brought donations from
individuals and corporations.
The years of financial crisis brought realization that
PRT had support in the community and that it was
doing something which the public wanted. This realiza-
tion gave PRT the confidence and incentive to develop
the political and community ties necessary to make
75
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1970-1976 MARKET PRICE FLUCTUATIONS
FOR WASTEPAPER
to
Z
O
EC
111
a
in
a
o
a
NO. 1 NEWS
I I I I I |
I I I I I I I 1 I I
1970
1971
1972
I I I I I I I I I I I I t I
1QV1 ' *a14 •
1973
1974
1975
I I I I I
' laia
1976
NO. 1 MIXED WASTEPAPER
1970
1971
1972
1973
197S
1976
Market prices for wastepaper were subject to exteme fluctuations during the 1 973-76 period Plotted on the graphs are weekly price quotes appearing in Official
Board Markets for four important wastepyper grades since 1970 The price range presented for each grade reflects the spread of the high weekly quoted prices
jnHj'iq fiiur representative market areas: New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and the South (sic) (Prepared by SCS Engineers and EPA staff.)
76
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1970-1976 MARKET PRICE FLUCTUATIONS
FOR WASTEPAPER
DC
UJ
a
en
a
o
a
ISO
100
SORTED WHITE LEDGER
I l l I I i i 1 I I 1 I I I I I I I i I i I I I 1 1 1 I I I I I I I I I I 1 I I
1970 1971
WASTE CORRUGATED
1972
1973
1974
1975
1976
1970
1971
-------
recycling a viable and continuing part of the City's solid
waste scheme. So, from a position of relative isolation
and obscurity, PRT emerged from the 1 974-75 finan-
cial crisis as a recognized community asset and a
valuable participant in the formation of the city, state,
and regional solid waste plans as the leading propo-
nent of source separation recycling.
The year 1975 marked a very important period in
PRT growth and development. A large warehouse and
processing center was obtained in Northwest Port-
land to serve both as a community drop-off center and a
storage, processing, and transfer facility. Additional
permanent drop-off recycling centers were estab-
lished, which brought the total to five. Several more
trucks were added to an ever growing fleet, either
through outright purchase by PRT or by donation from
area businesses and trucking firms. Several more
weekend projects were developed, and the education
and community outreach program began providing
speakers on a regular basis to area schools, club
meetings, and community affair presentations.
Also at this time, commercial accounts in high-
grade paper, glass, and corrugated became part of
PRT's operation. Previously PRT had only one com-
mercial account: collection of paper from the Univer-
sity. Now it began actively soliciting commercial
accounts from print shops, law firms, office buildings,
78
-------
and other businesses. Collection routes were devel-
oped, competitive price contracts offered, and sort-
ing and processing by paper grades conducted at the
main warehouse. This allowed PRT to build its position
in the local waste paper economy, become less de-
pendent on income from citizen drop-offs, and accum-
ulate financial reserves for investment in other areas
of company interest.
From 1976 until today, PRT has built its monthly
volume from 229 tons of recyclables to more than
800 tons. It has also become especially active in solici-
ting and receiving several employment and training
program grants. Among the programs PRT has been
able to use to obtain employees and development
money are:
1. The College Work Study Program: a
Federally funded college employment pro-
gram which pays 75 percent of the em-
ployee's salary while PRT pays the remain-
ing 25 percent.
2. The Alternative Community Service
Program: a court sponsored alternative
service project for first-time misdea-
. m'eanants.
3. The Comprehensive Employment and
Training Act (CETA) Titles I and II: a
Federally funded job training and employ-
ment program which pays the full wages
and benefits for the PRT employees. PRT
has also received funding under CETA Title
VI to give job experience and language train-
ing to "four Vietnamese refugees.
4. The Housing and Community Develop-
ment Agency: granted money to PRT to
refurnish the warehouse and education
center and one of the neighborhood centers.
79
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It should be noted that while College Work Study
Programs, CETA, and other subsidized employment
programs have been very helpful in providing inexpen-
sive labor for PRT activities, these programs do not
come without their faults. Since these programs are
designed for short term employment, usually 3 to 9
months, there is a high turnover of personnel which
results in a substantial burden on PRT management.
Frequently, new employees are trained and given
break-in experience, only to be lost after a few months
when grants and subsidies expire. Additionally, grant
programs require a significant amount of manage-
ment time preparing and writing grant applications
and working with the university and government agen-
cies responsible for administering these programs.
These grants and employment programs gave PRT
the resources to expand its commercial accounts and
education program, and allowed extension of neigh-
80
borhood projects into two additional communities.
They also paved the way for PRT to develop several
new projects and areas of activity. For instance, PRT
established the Oregon Industrial Waste Information
MUNICIPAL REFUSE COMPOSITION
-------
Exchange under contract to the Oregon Department
of Energy.
Overall, the period from 1975 to 1978 saw PRT
develop its operations and material-handling capabil-
ity into an effective business enterprise which is able
to offer efficient and dependable service to the com-
munity, while remaining a true environmental organi-
zation working towards the principles of reuse, waste
reduction, and source separation recycling. This effort
and commitment has not gone unrecognized as dem-
onstrated by the fact that the Portland Recycling
Team was awarded, in 1976, the Cleanup Pollution
(CUP) Award from the Oregon Department of Envi-
ronmental Quality. This was the first time this award
went to any solid waste management organization and
it marked the arrival of PRT as a major factor and
contributor in Oregon's solid waste management
future.
As this booklet goes to press, PRT is again faced
with financial problems similar to the one experienced
in 1974-75. Through good and bad experiences of
past years, the recycling team has learned when to
utilize any or all economic resources available. So, in
addition to having cut back recently on some of its
programs and services while remaining true to its goal
to be a full-time recycling organization, PRT has called
on the public for support in forms of benefits and
donations, and it has also appealed to governmental
bodies for assistance. PRT's prognosis looks good.
The regional planning agency may provide support and
local waste haulers are offering assistance. It is likely
that PRT will expand their level of support during this
process. And they will continue to be an innovative and
expanding environmental service as they have for the
last decade.
-------
MONTHLY THROUGHPUT: AUGUST 1979
PORTLAND RECYCLING TEAM
Material
Glass Bottles
Newsprint
Corrugated
Steel Cans
Aluminum
Kraft
Motor Oil
White Ledger
Colored Ledger
CPO/Tab
Mixed Wastepaper
Processing
manually and
machine crushed
NONE
baled
NONE
NONE
baled
NONE
baled
baled
palletized
NONE
Marketing
in drums or 20 cubic yard containers
in 20 and 30 cubic yard containers
trucked to broker
in 40 cubic yard containers
in 20 cubic yard containers
trucked to broker
stored in tanks; collected by processor
trucked to broker
trucked to broker
trucked to broker
in 10 cubic yard containers
Tonnage
342
160
76
24
22
4
400-:;-
23
13
17
92
Price
$30/Ton &
$45/Ton
$34/Ton
$65/Ton
$33/Ton
$600/Ton
$90/Ton
$.05/Gallon
$115/Ton
$95/Ton
$2 10 Ton
SB/Ton
Income
$13.620
5.440
4,940
792
13,200
360
20
2.645
1,235
3,570
736
1,173 tons
$46,558
82
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For more information contact:
Portland Recycling Team
1801 N.W. Irving
Portland, OR 97209
Resource Conservation Consultants
and 1615 N.W. 23rd, Suite One
Portland, OR 97210
83
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The following resources, publications, and films on solid waste and
recycling are available to the public.
GENERAL INFORMATION
1 "Solid Waste Publication List," available through the Environmental
Action Foundation, Dupont Circle Building, Suite 724, Washington, D. C.
20036. Lists solid waste newsletters, national publications, and solid
waste magazines or technical journals. Lists the addresses, cost of
subscriptions, and brief abstracts as to what the publications write
about and the audience it is written for. Free.
2. "National Solid Waste Organizations," available through the En-
vironmental Action Foundation (see Number 1). Lists names, addresses,
and phone numbers of national public interest groups connected with
solid waste, and national solid waste trade organizations. Free.
3. "Solid Waste Resource Guide," available through the Environmental
Action Foundation (see Number 1). Lists many books, pamphlets,
packets and educational tools for people working on solid waste issues.
Most of the materials are recent and represent some of the best re-
sources available on solid waste issues. This publication lists numerous
resources including information on: Recycling Centers. Resource
Recovery, Source Separation, Solid Waste/Environmental Education,
Media. Beverage Container Deposit Legislation, and other issues.
4. "Available Information Materials on Solid Waste Management,"
available through Solid Waste Information, U.S. EPA, Cincinnati, Ohio,
45268. Lists publications and background readings in Waste Reduction,
Packaging and Beverage Containers, Recycling and Source Separation,
Resource Recovery, Solid Waste Legislation, and Films and Slide Shows.
Publication Number 203. Free.
5. "National Solid Waste Resource Persons List," available through
the Environmental Action Foundation (see Number 1). Lists experts on
various solid waste issues. Includes economists, planners, recyclers,
engineers, etc.
6. "Waste Materials: Recycling and Reuse," available through the Li-
brary of Congress. Congressional Research Service. Major Issues Sys-
tem, Room 12BA, Washington, D. C. 20540. Lists background and pol-
icy analysis papers on recycled materials use.
7. "Community Recycling: An Alternative to Disposal," available
through the Department of Ecology, State of Washington, Olympia,
Washington 98504.
8. "Recycling in Your Community, What State and Local Officials Can
Do to Make Recycling More Effective." available through the National
Association of Recycling Industries, 330 Madison Avenue, New York
New York 10017.
9. "Recycling and the Consumer." available through the U. S. Environ-
mental Protection Agency, Publication Number SW-117.
84
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10. "Recycle: In Search of New Policies for Resource Recovery," avail-
able through the League of Women Voters Education Fund, 1730 M
Street, N.W.. Washington, D. C. 20036.
11. "Fourth Report to Congress: Resource Recovery and Waste Reduc-
tion," available through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Pub-
lication Number SW-600. Chapter Four reviews EPA source separation
programs.
12. "Good News in Garbage," by Mark Sullivan, available through the
Solid Waste Project, National Wildlife Federation, 1412 16th Street,
N.W., Washington, D. C. 20036.
13. "Recycling as an Approach to Solid Waste Management in New
Hampshire," by R. L. Tichenor and E.F. Jansen, Jr., available through
Recycling and Conservation Inc.. P.O. Box 276, Kittery, Maine 03904.
14. "Curbing Trash — A Community Guide to Curbside Recycling Collec-
tion Programs," available through the League of Women Voters, Publica-
tion Number 147 (see Number 10).
15. "The Little Town That Could," by Mark Sullivan, available through the
National Wildlife Federation [see Number 13). This is a description of a
rural recycling project in Nottingham, New Hampshire.
16. "Residential Paper Recovery: A Municipal Implementation Guide,"
available through the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, Publication
Number SW-486.
17. "Market Locations for Recovered Materials," available through the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Publication Number SW-518.
18. "Paper Stock Standards and Practices," available through the
Paper Stock Institute of America, 330 Madison Avenue, New York, New
York 10017. Information on types of paper stock and techniques of
upgrading paper for marketing.
19. "Safety Manual for Recyclers," available through the Association of
Oregon Recyclers, 1615 N.W. 23rd Avenue, Portland, Oregon 97210.
20. "Multimaterial Source Separation in Marblehead and Somerville,
Massachusetts," available through the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency, 5 volumes:
I: The Community Awareness Program in Somerville and Marble-
head, Massachusetts (SW-551).
II: Collection and Marketing (SW-B22).
Ill: Composition and Source-Separated Materials and Refuse (SW-
823).
IV: Energy Use and Savings from Source-Separated Materials and
Other Solid Waste Management Alternatives for Marblehead
CSW-824).
V: Citizen Attitudes Toward Source Separation CSW-825).
21. "The Whys and Hows of Public Service Announcements," available
through the National Citizens Committee for Broadcasting. Suite 415,
1346 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., Washington, D. C. 20036.
85
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22. "Breaking Into Broadcasting," available through the League of
Women Voters, Publication Number 586 [see Number 10).
23. "Getting Into Print," available through the League of Women Vot-
ers, Publication Number 484 tsee Number 10).
24. "Projecting Your Image, How to Produce a Slide Show," available
through the League of Women Voters, Publication Number 296 [see
Number 10).
25. "If You Want Air Time," available through the National Association of
Broadcasters, 1771 N Street, N.W., Washington, D. C.
26. "Films from EPA," available through the Office of Public Affairs
(A-107), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D. C.
20460.
27. "How to Use the Recycling Equipment Investment Tax Credit,"
available through the Association of Oregon Recyclers, 1615 N. W. 23rd
Avenue, Portland, Oregon 97210.
28. "Resource Recovery and Waste Reduction Activities: A Nationwide
Survey," available through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
Publication Number SW-432a.
29. "Energy Savings from Recycling," available through Resource Con-
servation Consultants, 1615 N.W. 23rd, Portland, Oregon 97210.
30. "Beverage Containers: The Vermont Experience," available through
U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, Publication Number SW-139.
31. "Choices for Conservation: Resource Conservation Committee
Final' Report to the President and Congress," available through U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, Publication Number SW-779.
32. "Let's Recycle: A Teacher's Guide to Recycling: Lesson Plans for
Grades K-6 and 7-12," available through U. S. Environmental Protection
Agency, Publication Number SW-801.
33. "Residential Paper Recovery: A Community Action Program," avail-
able through U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Publication Num-
ber SW-553.
34. "Paper Profits: Solid Waste Project," available through U.S. En-
vironmental Protection Agency, Publication Number SW-666.
35. "What You Can Do To Recycle More Paper," available through U. S.
Environmental Protection Agency, Publication Number SW-446.
36. "Waste Not, Want Not" (poster), available through U.S. Environ-
mental Protection Agency, Publication Number SW-313.
37. "Use It Again Sam: The Federal Office-Paper Recycling Program,"
available through U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, Publication
Number SW-616.
86
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INFORMATION SOURCES
1. The Aluminum Association
818 Connecticut Avenue N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20006
2. American Paper Institute
260 Madison Avenue
New York, New York, 10016
3. American Public Works Association
Institute for Solid Waste
1 776 Massachusetts Avenue N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20036
4. Glass Packaging Institute
1800 K Street N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20006
5. Institute of Scrap Iron and Steel
1627 K Street N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20006
6. International City Management Association
1140 Connecticut Avenue N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20036
7. National Association of Counties
1 735 New York Avenue N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20006
8. National Association of Recycling Industries
330 Madison Avenue
New York, New York, 10017
9. National Center for Resource Recovery
1211 Connecticut Avenue N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20036
10. National Solid Waste Management Association
1120 Connecticut Avenue N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20036
1 1. National Governors Association
444 North Capitol Street
Washington, D.C. 20001
1 2. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Solid Waste
401 M Street, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20460
13. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Public Information
26 West St. Clair Street
Cincinnati, Ohio 45268
14. National Technical Information Service
U.S. Department of Commerce
5285 Port Royal Road
Springfield, Virginia 22161
87
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D
o
1. ALUMINUM: A silvery-white metallic element, the
most abundant in the earth's crust. It is used to form
many hard, light, corrosion-resistant alloys.
2. BACK-END LOADER: A refuse truck which has
power driven loading equipment at the rear of the vehicle.
3. BALER: A machine in which waste materials are com-
pacted to reduce volume, usually into rectangular bundles.
4. BI-METAL CAN: A can made from two or more
metals, usually steel or tin and aluminum.
5. BIODEGRADABLE MATERIALS: Waste material
which is capable of being broken down by bacteria into
basic elements. Most organic wastes such as paper and
food remains are biodegradable.
6. BOXBOARD: Paper used in the manufacturing of
cartons and rigid boxes.
7. BROKE: Paper that has been discarded anywhere in
the manufacturing process. It is usually returned to a
repulping unit for reprocessing.
8. CLASSIFICATION: to arrange or sort waste mater-
ials into uniform categories or classes, usually by size,
weight, color, organic/inorganic, etc.
9. COLLECTION: The act of picking up waste materials
at homes, businesses, or industrial sites, and hauling it to a
facility for further processing, transfer to larger vehicles or
disposal.
10. COLLECTION CENTER: A facility designed to
accept materials from individuals, usually for recycling.
11. COMMERCIAL WASTE: Waste material which
originates in wholesale, retail or service establishments
such as office buildings, stores, hotels, universities, and
warehouses.
12. COMPACTOR: Any power-driven mechanical equip-
ment designed to compress and reduce the volume of
waste materials.
13. COMPACTOR TRUCK: A large truck with an
enclosed body having special power-driven equipment for
loading and compressing waste materials.
14. COMPOSTING: A solid waste management tech-
nique which utilizes natural processes to convert most
organic materials to humus by micro-organism activity.
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15. CONSTRUCTION WASTE: Waste material pro-
duced in the construction of homes, buildings, industrial
plants, etc. The materials usually include lumber, metal
parts, sheet rock, etc.
16. CONVEYOR: A mechanical device used to move
materials between operations. Conveyors are used to
move waste materials at collection centers, transfer sta-
tions and resource recovery plants.
17. CORRUGATED: Used as a noun the term refers to a
structural paper material shaped in parallel furrows and
ridges for rigidity.
18. CRUSHER: A mechanical device used to break up
waste materials into smaller sized pieces.
19. GULLET: Scrap glass, usually broken up into small,
uniform pieces.
20. DEINKING: A process in which most of the ink, filler
and other extraneous material is removed from printed
waste paper. This produces pulp which can be used along
with varying percentages of virgin paper in the manufac-
ture of new paper.
21. DUMP: An open land site where waste materials are
burned, left to decompose, rust or simply remain. Because
of the problems which dumps create such as air and water
pollution, unsanitary conditions and general unsightlmess,
dumps have been declared illegal in many states.
22. ECOLOGY: The science of the relationship between
organisms and their environment.
23. ENERGY RECOVERY: A form of resource recovery
in which the organic fraction of waste is converted to some
form of usable energy.
24. ENVIRONMENT: The air, the water and the earth,
sometimes called the biosphere.
25 ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
(EPA): An agency of the Federal government responsible
for the establishment and enforcement of environment
protection standards.
26. FERROUS METALS: Metals which are predomi-
nantly composed of iron. Most ferrous metals are magnetic.
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27. FRONT-END LOADER: A refuse truck which has
power driven loading equipment at the front of the vehicle.
28. GARBAGE: Waste materials which are likely to
decompose or putrefy. Usually contains food waste from a
kitchen, restaurant, slaughter house or food processing
plant.
29. GLASPHALT: A trade name for a highway paving
material in which recovered ground glass replaces some of
the gravel normally used in asphalt.
30. GLASS: A material made from the fusion of sand and
soda ash, with other ingredients. Common glass is imper-
meable, transparent, sanitary and odorless. Bottle glass is
made basically by melting sand in furnaces at 2700°F with
burnt lime of limestone and soda ash.
31. HAMMERMILL: A type of crusher used to break up
waste materials into smaller pieces or particles, which
operates by using rotating and flailing heavy hammers.
32. HAZARDOUS WASTE: A solid waste that may cause
or significantly contribute to serious illness or death, or that
poses a substantial threat to human health or the environ-
ment when improperly managed.
33. HOME SCRAP: Scrap that is utilized within the plant
where it originates.
34. HYDRAPULPER: A tradename for a large mechani-
cal device used primarily in the paper industry to pulp
waste paper or wood chips and separate foreign matter.
The effect of pulping is to suspend finely divided cellulose
fibers in water.
35. INCINERATOR: A plant designed to reduce waste
volume by combustion.
36. INDUSTRIAL SCRAP: Waste which is generated
during a manufacturing operation. (See In-Plant Waste.)
37. INDUSTRIAL WASTE: Those waste materials gen-
erally discarded from industrial operations or derived from
manufacturing processes.
38. INORGANIC REFUSE: Waste material made from
substances composed of matter other than plant, animal,
or certain chemical compounds of carbon.
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39. IIM-PLAIMT WASTE: Waste generated in manufac-
turing processes. Such might be recovered through inter-
nal recycling or through a salvage dealer.
40. JUNK: Waste materials such as rags, paper, metals,
broken furniture, toys, equipment, etc. The term usually
implies that the materials can be recovered or converted
for reuse.
41. KRAFT PAPER: A comparatively coarse paper par-
ticularly noted for its strength and made primarily from
wood pulp produced by the sulfate pulping process.
42. LEACHATE: A liquid containing decomposed waste,
bacteria and other noxious and potentially harmful mater-
ials which drains from landfills and must be collected and
treated so as not to contaminate water supplies.
43. LITTER: Solid waste discarded outside the estab-
lished collection disposal system, such as on streets, in
parks or along roadsides.
44. MAGNETIC SEPARATOR: Equipment usually con-
sisting of a belt, drum or pulley with a magnet used to
attract and remove magnetic materials from other mater-
ials.
45. METHANE: An odorless, colorless, flammable gas
which is formed by the anaerobic decomposition of organic
waste matter or by chemical synthesis.
46. MIXED PAPER: Waste paper of various kinds and
quality usually collected from stores, offices and schools.
47. MOLDED PULP PRODUCTS: Contoured fiber pro-
ducts molded from pulp for such uses as egg packaging,
trays for fresh meat plates and protective packaging.
48. MUNICIPAL WASTE: Solid waste materials gener-
ated by residential, industrial, or commercial sources but
not including hazardous or demolition waste materials.
49. NEWSPRINT: The kind of paper generally used for
printing newspapers.
50. NON-FERROUS METALS: Metals which contain no
iron such as aluminum, copper, brass, bronze, etc.
51. OBSOLETE SCRAP: Scrap material derived from
products which have completed their useful economic life.
52. OPEN BURNING: The burning of waste materials in
the open or in a dump. Open burning produces smoke, odor,
and other ob|ectionable air pollutants.
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53. PACKAGING MATERIALS: Any of a variety of pa-
pers, cardboards, metals, wood, paperboard and plastics
used in the manufacture of containers for food, household,
or industrial products.
54. PAPER: A thin sheet material made of cellulose pulp,
derived mainly from wood, rags, and certain grasses, pro-
cessed into flexible leaves or rolls by deposit from an aque-
ous suspension, used chiefly for writing, printing, wrapping
and sanitary purposes.
55. PAPERBOARD: Heavier in weight, thicker, and more
rigid than paper. There are three basic classes of paper-
board: 1) container board; 2) boxboard; and 3) special types
such as automobile board, building board, etc.
56. PAPERSTOCK: A general term used to designate
waste papers which have been sorted or segregated at the
source into various grades.
57 PLASTICS: Man-made materials consisting of large
molecules called "polymers" containing primarily carbon
and hydrogen with lesser amounts of oxygen or nitrogen,
frequently compounded with various organic and inorganic
compounds as stabilizers, colorants, fillers and other
ingredients.
58. POST-CONSUMER SCRAP: Any uncontammated
packaging material that is recoverable such as tin cans
egg cartons, glass bottles and jars.
59. PRIMARY MATERIALS: Virgin or new materials
used for manufacturing basic products, such as wood pulp
iron ore, silica sand and bauxite.
60. PULP: Fiber material that is produced by chemical or
mechanical means from fibrous cellulose raw material and
from which paper and paperboard are made.
61. PYROLYSIS: The process of chemically decompos-
ing an organic substance by heating it in an oxygen-
deficient atmosphere. High temperatures and closed
chambers are used. The maior products from pyrolysis of
solid waste are water, carbon monoxide, and hydrogen
Some processes produce an oil-like liquid of undetermined
chemical composition. The gas may contain hydro-carbons
and frequently there is process residue of a carbon char. All
processes leave a residue of inorganic material. The gas-
eous products cannot be mixed with natural gas in principal
distribution systems unless there is additional chemical
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processing. Applied to solid waste, pyrolysis has the fea-
tures of effecting major volume reduction while producing
storable fuels.
62. RECLAMATION: The restoration to usefulness or
productivity of materials found in the waste stream. These
reclaimed materials may be used for purposes which are
different from their original use.
63. RECYCLING: A resource recovery method involving
the collection and treatment of a waste product for use as
a raw material in the manufacture of the same or a similar
product.
64 REFUSE-DERIVED FUEL (RDF): The combustible
or organic fraction of municipal solid waste which has been
prepared for use as a fuel by any of several mechanical
processing methods.
65. RESIDENTIAL WASTE: Waste materials gener-
ated in houses and apartments. The materials include
paper, cardboard, beverage containers, food cans, plastics,
food wastes, glass, garden and yard wastes.
66, RESOURCE RECOVERY: A term describing the
extraction and utilization of materials and values from the
waste stream either as materials which can be used as
"raw materials" in the manufacture of new products, or as
values which can be converted into some form of fuel or
energy source.
67. REUSE: The use of a waste material or product more
than once.
68. ROLL-OFF TRUCK: A truck which deposits and col-
lects a 10 to 50 cubic yard container at a site; generally
employed in industrial waste collection systems.
69. RUBBISH: A general term for solid waste that does
not contain food waste.
70. SALVAGE: The extraction of materials from the
waste stream for reuse.
71. SANITARY LANDFILL: A method of disposing of
refuse on land without creating hazards tc public health or
safety.
72. SCRAP: Waste material which is usually segregated
and suitable for recovery or reclamation, often after
mechanical processing.
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73. SECONDARY MATERIALS: All types of materials
handled by dealers and brokers that have fulfilled their useful
function and usually cannot be used further in their present
form or at their present location, and materials that occur
as waste from the manufacturing of conversion of products.
74. SHREDDER: A mechanical device used to break up
waste materials into smaller pieces by tearing and impact
actions.
75. SIDE-LOADER: A refuse truck in which solid waste is
loaded into the side of the vehicle.
76. SOLID WASTE: Any garbage, refuse, certain sludges
and other discarded material, including solid, liquid,
semisolid, or contained gaseous materials resulting from
industrial, commercial, mining, agricultural operations, and
from community activities.
77 SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT: The overseeing
and regulation of the entire process of generation, storage,
collection, transportation, processing, reclamation, and dis-
posal of refuse.
78. SOURCE SEPARATION: The setting aside of recyc-
lable waste material at the point of generation
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79. STEEL: Any of various hard, strong, durable, malleable
alloys of iron and carbon, usually containing between 0.2 and
1.7 percent carbon, often with other constituents such as
manganese, nickel, copper, tungsten, cobalt, or silicon, and
widely used as a structural material.
80. TIN: A silvery metallic element obtained chiefly from
cassitente, used mostly to coat other metals to prevent
corrosion anct form parts of numerous alloys.
81. TIN CAN: Essentially a steel can with a tin (approxi-
mately .001 5 inch) coating. This tin represents one-third of
the recycled value of the can while comprising only .25 to .4
percent by weight.
82. TRANSFER STATION: A place or facility where
waste materials are taken from smaller collection vehicles
and placed in larger transportation trucks or barges for
movement to disposal areas, usually landfills.
83. USED MOTOR OIL: Any oil previously used in any
machinery. Its main markets are in road oiling, industrial fuel
and rerefimng.
84. TRASH: Waste materials which usually do not include
garbage but may include other organic materials, such as
plant trimmings.
B5. VIRGIN MATERIALS: Any basic material for indus-
trial processes which has not previously been used: trees,
iron ore, sand, crude oil, etc.
86. VOLUME REDUCTION: The processing of waste
materials so as to decrease the amount of space the mater-
ials occupy, usually by either: 1) mechanical (crushing or
shredding); 2) thermal (incineration or pyrolysisJ; or 3) bio-
logical (composting) processing.
87. WASTE REDUCTION: The prevention of waste at its
sources, either by redesigning of products or by otherwise
changing societal patterns of production and consumption.
88. WOOD PULP: The primary material from which most
papers are made. It is made of small, loose wood fibers mixed
with water.
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U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Regional Offices
Region 1
Solid Waste Program
John F. Kennedy Building
Boston, MA 02203
617-223-5775
ion 2
Solid Waste Section
26 Federal Plaza
New York, NY 10007
212-264-0503/4/5
ion 3
Solid Waste Program
6th and Walnut Streets
Philadelphia, PA 19106
215-597-0980
Regi
o _ i ; j
ion 4
Solid Waste Section
345 Courtland Street, NE.
Atlanta, GA 30308
404-881-3016
ion 5
Solid Waste Program
230 South Dearborn Street
Chicago, IL 60604
312-353-2197
ion 6
Solid Waste Section
1201 Elm Street
First International Building
Dallas, TX 75270
214-767-2645
Region 7
Waste Management Section
324 East llth Street
Kansas City, MO 64108
816-374-3307
Regi
(S 1 * j
ion 8
Solid Waste Section
1860 Lincoln Street
Denver, CO 80203
303-837-2221
Region 9
Solid Waste Program
215 Fremont Street
San Francisco, CA 94105
415-556-4606
Regi
ion 10
96
Solid Waste Program
1200 6th Avenue
Seattle, WA 98101
206-442-1260
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A National Network of Citizens Concerned with
Solid Waste Management
WASTE ALERT!
Through a series of conferences and workshops.
EPA's Office of Solid Waste is sponsoring a
nationwide information program for citizen lead-
ers and decisionmakers in government, industry,
business, and education. The goal of Waste
Alert! is to build understanding of solid and
hazardous waste management issues—and the
legislation that addresses those issues — to en-
able these constituencies to participate effec-
tively in programs at the national, State, and
local levels.
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