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Issue No. 11 | September 2020 | EPA 530-F-20-006
Sustainable Materials Management
Food • Built Environment • Recycling
Computers
Environmental Protection
Agency

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oEPA
EPA 530-F-20-006
CONTENTS
e
o
Introduction to Sustainable Materials Management
The Sustainable Management of Food
•	Haskell Indian Nations University (Lawrence, Kansas)
The Built Environment
•	MHgwech Aki (Bemidji, Minnesota)
•	Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe (Akwesasne, New York)
Recycling
•	Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma
Resources for Building Sustainable Materials
Management Programs
Fun with SMM!
Activities for Kids


CONTACT INFORMATION
Kim Katonica-Mule
U.S. EPA Office of Resource
Conservation and Recovery
katonica.kim@epa.gov
Kristiria L. Torres
U.S. EPA Office of Resource
Conservation and Recovery
torres.kristina@epa.gov
Kl^i
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
U.S. EPA Region 2
•	Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe - Julia Jacobs, Brownfield
Redevelopment Specialist
U.S. EPA Region 5
•	Miigwech Aki, Northwest Indian Community
Development Center - Christopher Bedeau, Crew
Chief
U.S. EPA Region 6
•	Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma - Tracy Horst,
Program Director for Choctaw Nation Natural
Resources & Environmental Science, and Jason
Lilley, Recycling Manager
U.S. EPA Region 7
•	Haskell Indian Nations University - Dr. Daniel
Wildcat, Dean, College of Natural and Social
Sciences, and Jamie Colvin, Student Representative

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INTRODUCTION TO
Sustainable
Materials
Management
Sustainable materials
management (SMM) is an
approach to using and reusing
materials more productively
over their entire life cycles.
SMM is, at its core, a way to
think about how to manage
materials to maximize potential,
reduce waste and ensure use in
the most productive way.
Materials
extraction
Manufacturing
d

Reduce/reuse
Recycle/compost
Energy recovery
Landfill
End of life

Use
Tribal leaders often use the Seventh Generation Principle,
which says decision makers should consider the effects
of their actions and decisions for seven generations into
the future. This philosophy is integral to many Native
American cultures. SMM takes a similarly holistic, life-
cycle approach to materials and waste management.
SMM principles can help guide how we select and use
materials in a productive way by emphasizing using less
materials and preserving resources for future generations.
Understanding how products are made and what happens
after they have been used is vital to ensuring adequate
resources to meet the needs of today and the priorities of
tomorrow.
By applying SMM approaches, tribes can reduce costs, save
resources and reduce waste because SMM considers each
stage of a product's life cycle - from material extraction
and processing, to product design and production, through
use and reuse to recovery, recycling and disposal. Each of
these life-cycle stages requires energy, water and materials;
produces environmental impacts such as wastes and
emissions; and may have societal or economic costs as well.
By implementing SMM principles and
practices, tribal governments and
communities can use and reuse materials
as efficiently as possible while also
minimizing environmental, societal and
financial impacts.
This issue of the Tribal Waste Journal provides tribal
environmental managers and communities with a range of
options for integrating SMM principles and practices into
their materials and waste management programs. It looks
at SMM in several different contexts - across food systems,
the built environment (buildings, homes, roads and other
infrastructure) and recycling - as several tribes share their
advice and expertise. Case studies include Haskell Indian
Nations University's waste reduction efforts, the Miigwech
Aki organization's building deconstruction and recycling
services, the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe's abandoned
structure assessment and reuse program, and the Choctaw
Nation of Oklahoma's recycling program.

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About EPA's SMM Program
EPA's SMM Program protects human health and the environment by advancing
the sustainable use of materials throughout their life cycles to minimize waste and
environmental impacts. The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) provides the
basis for EPA's SMM Program, setting a strong preference for resource conservation over
disposal.
EPA has a shared responsibility with tribal governments to support the protection and
restoration of tribal lands and resources that are under tribal stewardship. The SMM
Program is part of EPA's broader efforts to strengthen tribal capacity and develop
sustainable waste management programs.
To learn more about the SMM Program, please visit www.epa.aov/smm.	> > ,

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FOOD
Sustainable Management of Food
Food loss and waste adversely affect food security, the economy, our
communities and the environment.
Food is the largest part of the municipal solid waste stream,
accounting for about 22% of the waste in our landfills , Nationally,
in 2017 alone, Americans generated more than 40.7 million
tons of food waste, with only 6.3% diverted from landfills and
incinerators for composting.1 In total, 30% to 40% of all available
food goes uneaten through loss or waste. The estimated value
of that uneaten food is over $161 billion.2 The food that we buy
from stores and eat every day represents a vast and complex web
of businesses and distribution systems, starting with the farm
and leading all the way to our tables. In addition to the economic
costs, there are environmental costs as well, with water and energy
resources used throughout this system.
\]
Sustainable management of food is
a systematic approach that seeks
to reduce wasted food and its
associated impacts over the entire
life cycle, starting with the use of
natural resources, manufacturing,
sales and consumption, and ending
with decisions on recovery or final
disposal.
The impact of wasting wholesome, nutritious food is even more
significant considering that, according to the U.S. Department
of Agriculture (USDA), there are over 37 million Americans who live in households with limited access to adequate food
due to financial limitations and other challenges.3 EPA's efforts to support the sustainable management of food encourage
people and organizations to see food as a valuable resource.
Through the sustainable management of food,
businesses and consumers can save money and
conserve resources for future generations. Building
on the familiar concept of "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle,"
this approach more fully recognizes the impacts of the
food we waste.
EPA's Food Recovery Hierarchy allows people to
prioritize actions that organizations can take to
prevent and divert wasted food. Each tier of the Food
Recovery Hierarchy focuses on different management
strategies for wasted food. The top levels of the
hierarchy are the preferred ways to prevent and divert
wasted food because they have the potential to create
the most benefits for the environment, society and the
economy.
v/EPA
Food Recovery Hierarchy
1 -www.epa.gov/facts-and-figures-about--materials-waste-and-recycliiig/food-material-specific-data.
-www, usd a. gov/ o ce /fo o d waste /faqs.htm.
3—www.erS.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/food-Securitv-in-the-us/kev-statistics-graphics.
3

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FOOD
Organizations, communities and individuals
can each do their part to manage food more
sustainably. EPA's Food Recovery Challenge
is a voluntary incentive program in which
EPA works with over 1,000 businesses and
organizations to set data-driven goals,
implement targeted strategies to prevent
and divert wasted food in their operations,
and report results to compete for annual
recognition. EPA regional representatives
provide technical assistance to help
participants achieve their goals in the program.
In 2017, Food Recovery Challenge participants
diverted over 647,000 tons of food, with over
200,000 tons of that food donated (www.epa.
gov/sustainable-management-food/food-
recover v-ch alien ue-lrc).
Plaskell Indian Nations University is one of
the participants recognized by EPA's Food
Recovery Challenge. It tackles food waste as
part of a comprehensive waste reduction plan.
and How to Measure
) Loss and Waste
A Practical Guide to Save Money
and the Environment
The Commission for Environmental Cooperation's Why and
How to Measure Food Loss and Waste: A Practical Guide is
an easy-to-use tool for businesses to apply in measuring the
quantity of food wasted in their process activities. This tool can
help an organization alter its practices, reducing operational
costs while also helping to reduce the environmental impacts
of our food production system. The Guide is available at
www3.cec.org/flwm.
Tribal Food Sovereignty and Sustainable
Management of Food
Sustainable management of food and food sovereignty have common
elements. Food sovereignty can be described as the right of peoples
to healthy and culturally appropriate food produced through
ecologically sound and sustainable methods, and their right to define
their own food and agriculture systems (content excerpted from the
Declaration ofNyeleni, 2007 Forum for Food Sovereignty in Selingue,
Mali, nyeleni.org/spip.php?article290).
..	Exploring how people grow, harvest, distribute and prepare food, and
how people manage food waste systems, helps support tribal food
sovereignty. For many tribes, food sovereignty means recognizing,
celebrating and revitalizing rich cultural traditions tied to seasonal growing and gathering practices that have
sustained tribal communities for generations.
Food sovereignty recognizes the value of food and the resources that go into growing it (soil, energy, water),
emphasizing the importance of conserving these resources for future generations. Examples of complementary
approaches include composting to return organic nutrients back into soils and distributing food in ways that improve
efficiency and reduce waste and its impacts (e.g., local production of food).
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FOOD
Campus-Wide Energy and Commitment
to Youth-Led Initiatives
National Tribal Leadership in Food Waste Reduction —
Haskell Indian Nations University
Located in Lawrence, Kansas, Haskell Indian Nations
University ("Haskell") is a national center for Indian
education, research and cultural preservation. American
Indians and Alaska Natives have attended Haskell for more
than 117 years, and Haskell has responded by olfering
innovative curricula oriented toward American Indian/
Alaska Native cultures. Currently, Haskell has an average
enrollment of over 1,000 students each semester.
In 2015, as part of a series of Memoranda of
Understanding between EPA Region 7 and Haskell, Haskell
launched its Food Recovery Program that transformed
the campus. Haskell's Food Recovery Program - which
includes food audits, development of a compost program,
food service system changes, and campus-wide education
and outreach - has been remarkably successful. The
composting operation, for example, created in partnership
with EPA Region 7, diverts more than 2,000 pounds of
food waste from the landfill each year.
"We are living in a world that is facing a
waste crisis. Here on campus, we need
to embody our ancient and cultural
wisdom today. Being respectful of the
land, the air and the water is not only
a part of the past. That's who we are
today. Each of us has a responsibility to
make a difference for our planet through
the choices we make every day."
- Dr. Daniel Wildcat, Acting President,
Haskell Indian Nations University
EPA's Food
Recovery Challenge
To learn more about and join the Food Recovery
Challenge, visit: www.epa.gov/sustainable-
manaaement-food/food-recoverv-challenae-frc.
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FOOD
GRUBBR fitness center
00mm
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In April 2019, EPA recognized Haskell's Food Recovery
Program with a Food Recovery Challenge Regional Award.
"Haskell Indian Nations University has taken tremendous
steps to reduce food waste and increase efficiency in
their campus dining operations" said EPA Region 7
Administrator Jim Gulliford at the award ceremony "I
am particularly proud of the students who have played
a leadership role in earning this recognition for the
University"
Early Days: Student Leadership
Sets the Tone
In 2015, a student group at Haskell - the ecoAmbassadors
- set out to create what would become Haskell's Food
Recovery Program with the help of partnership and grant
assistance from EPA's Tribal eco Ambassadors Program.
The EPA program provided funding for tribal student
internships as well as EPA stalf expertise to help guide
tribal student project activities.
The first step was to perform two food waste audits, the
first in September and the second in November 2015.
During these cafeteria audits, students sorted, weighed
and logged the amounts of discarded food and drink. The
audits provided Haskell with valuable data to analyze and
use to develop strategies to divert food from the landfill.
Jamie Colvin, one of the program's long-running student
leaders, recalls that these early activities established a
strong baseline for its success. "Student leadership has been
at the heart of everything," she noted. "From the start, we
had a group of committed students working on this. That
teamwork meant that we could take on major challenges,
such as scaling up efforts for the entire University and
reaching out across campus to build support for the
project."
The results of the food waste audits were striking. At
some meals, people threw away carbohydrates more than
twice as frequently as fruits and vegetables, dairy/protein,
desserts and soups. Portion sizes were often too large.
Students rarely purchased some types of food.
The food audits resulted in roundtable discussions with
Haskell students and professors, EPA staff, and dining
services staff to develop food waste reduction strategies.
"The goal was to make sure everyone would be on board
with any changes," Dr. Wildcat recalled. "Cafeteria staff
were concerned that changes to the food system could
mean more work for them, for example. When we made
some trial changes, staff found that they could work
more effectively and efficiently." By 2016, Haskell's Food
Recovery Program was officially up and running.
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FOOD
Haskell Food System Changes
•	Frequently discarded carbohydrates,
such as bread and rolls, became
options available on request.
•	Portion sizes were reduced.
•	Unpopular food items were taken off
the menu.
Composting: Improving Waste
Management, Targeting Pollution
Prevention and Reduction
According to Dr. Wildcat, the other key takeaway from the
food audits was that Haskell could compost much of the
remaining uneaten food in the cafeteria (Haskell's Food
Services Department). In turn, a successful composting
program would need to be able to manage a significant
amount of food waste - more than 40 pounds a week, on
average.
To tackle this challenge, Haskell students sought assistance
from their environmental science professors, nearby tribal
nations, and EPA Region 7 and Kansas Department of
Health & Environment staff for ways to create an effective
composting program scaled to handle the volume of
Haskell's food waste. Based on what they learned, students
built three side-by-side bins with reused untreated wood
pallets (above and below). The pallets allow for airflow,
which keeps the compost from producing methane.
Haskell students maintaining the composting bins.

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FOOD
Having three bins allows for older piles to break down
while a new one begins. "I would like us to repurpose
more materials in the future," Colvin noted. "It reduces
waste and helps our budget. We also adapted trash cans for
winter composting, using them as tumblers. 'Let's try this!'
we said. And it worked."
Currently, compost from Haskell's Food Recovery Program
is used in a nearby garden focused on indigenous plantings
and in flowerbeds campus-wide. Up to five students
manage the composting program, coordinating daily food
waste pickups and maintaining the compost bins. The
students use a small utility vehicle to transport food waste
from the cafeteria to the composting area.
"Every day, we get to see the results of our work," Colvin
reflected. "Over time, even the smallest activities can
make a big difference. This project is something we work
on together, not just for today, but for tomorrow as well,
thinking seven generations down the line. Bit by bit, we are
getting so much done together."
Looking Forward, Expanding
Campus Opportunities
"The time to act is now. Our home, our
Turtle Island, needs help. The voices of
youth are vitally important in making
change happen."
The Benefits of Food Recovery
Once in landfills, food breaks down to produce
methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Other benefits of
food recovery include the reduction of food disposal
costs, the opportunity to feed community members
in need through food donation, the conservation
of resources used to grow food, and the return of
nutrients to the soil via composting.
- Jamie Colvin, Student Leader,
Haskell Indian Nations University
In 2019 and 2020, Haskell students and their faculty
advisors are taking a comprehensive look at the Food
Recovery Program, assessing current capacities and
outcomes and looking for opportunities to expand its
scope. A food audit will enable a direct comparison
with outcomes from the 2015 audit, allowing students
to evaluate the extent to which the program has reduced
Haskell's food system costs as well as the total volume
of food purchased and prepared and reductions in the
amount of food waste. Moving forward, food audits may
take place annually.
"Expanding the composting program beyond the cafeteria
is high on the list of priorities," Dr. Wildcat noted.
"Students would like to explore ways to recover food from
classrooms, dorms, athletic facilities and administration
buildings." Creating a food donation program is also under
consideration, with Haskell students and faculty reaching
out to the nearby University of Kansas to learn from its
experience with its Campus Cupboard program, which
serves as a food pantry for students, faculty, staff and
affiliates.
8

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FOOD
"The time to act is now" Colvin said. "Our home, our
Turtle Island, needs help. The voices of youth are vitally
important in making change happen. Based on my
experiences here at Haskell, I would tell people looking
to do something similar to stay strong, look for resources,
build relationships and don't be afraid of change."
Enhancing education and outreach on the sustainable
management of food is also a priority for Haskell. The
students and faculty are planning regular composting
workshops as well as an expanded curriculum on food
recovery and waste reduction as part of a broader focus on
sustainability, food security and tribal sovereignty. "If we
have little control over where our food comes from or how
it's grown and processed, then we are vulnerable; we are
not fully able to exercise our rights or more fully recognize
our responsibilities to each other and our communities,"
noted Dr. Wildcat. "We are deeply connected to each other
and our plant and animal relatives through the food and
human life cycles."
These connections are evident throughout the Food
Recovery Program, with student leadership continuing to
drive project activities. "The key is community leadership.
Successful waste reduction has to be community-driven,
and at Haskell, students have been the leaders of our
efforts," said Dr. Wildcat. "Tribal waste reduction projects
are going to be successful if they start from the ground up
and are community-driven."
The lessons learned for SMM projects
and the sustainable management of food
from Haskell Indian Nations University's
Food Recovery Program are clear.
•	Enable community leadership.
•	Recognize skills in your community
and use them.
•	Seek out resources when needed.
•	Continue to learn, adapt and
strengthen project activities over
time.
/mpirinrJ00^ ^
Join the Youth Movement!
The Commission for Environmental
Cooperation launched the Food Matters Action
Kit. This toolkit contains activities designed for
youth across North America to prevent food
waste in their homes and communities. There
are 20 activities arranged for two age groups, one
for children ages 5 to 13 and another for youth
and adults ages 14 to 25. Individuals, teams of
friends, or clubs and organizations can register
to document their achievements, earn shareable
Food Waste Hero badges and challenge others.
For more information, visit: www3.cec.org/Ilwv.
"I would tell people looking to do
something similar to stay strong, look
for resources, build relationships and
don't be afraid of change."
- Jamie Colvin, Student Leader,
Haskell Indian Nations University
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WHAT CAN I DO?
Individuals and households can
follow these tips to reduce wasted food
Planning Tips
By simply making a list with weekly meals in mind,
you can save money and time and eat healthier food.
If you buy no more than what you expect to use, you
will be more likely to keep it fresh and use it all.
•	Keep a running list of meals and their ingredients
that your household already enjoys. That way, you
can easily choose, shop for and prepare meals.
•	Plan your meals for the week before you go
shopping. Create your shopping list based on how
many meals you will eat at home. Will you eat out
this week? How often?
•	Include quantities on your shopping list, noting
how many meals you will make with each item
to avoid overbuying. For example: salad greens -
enough for two lunches.
•	Look in your refrigerator and cupboards first to
avoid buying food you already have, make a list
each week of what needs to be used up and plan
upcoming meals around it.
•	Try to buy only the things on your shopping list
needed for those meals.
•	Buying in bulk only saves money if you can use
the food before it spoils.
Storage Tips
It is easy to overbuy or forget about fresh fruits and
vegetables. Store fruits and vegetables properly for
maximum freshness; they will taste better and last
longer, helping you to eat more of them.
•	Find out how to store fruits and vegetables so you
know which produce stays fresh longer inside or
outside of your refrigerator. Check out Further
with Food - www.furtherwithfood.org - for tips!
•	Freeze, preserve or can surplus fruits and
vegetables, especially abundant seasonal produce.
•	Many fruits give off natural gases as they ripen,
making other nearby produce spoil faster. Store
produce such as onions, bananas, apples and
tomatoes by themselves, and store fruits and
vegetables in different bins.
•	Wait to wash berries until you want to eat them to
prevent mold.
•	If you like to eat fruit at room temperature, but
you store it in the refrigerator for maximum
freshness, take what you will eat for the day out of
the refrigerator in the morning.
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Preparation Tips
Prepare perishable foods soon after shopping. It will
be easier to make meals or snacks later in the week,
saving time, effort and money.
*	When you get home from the store, take the time
to chop, dice, slice and place your fresh food items
in clear storage containers for snacks and easy
cooking.
•	Befriend your freezer and visit it often. For
example:
Freeze food such as bread, sliced fruit or
meat that you know you will not be able to
eat in time.
Cut your time in the kitchen by preparing
and freezing meals ahead of time.
Prepare and cook perishable items, then
freeze them for use throughout the month.
For example, bake and freeze chicken or fry
and freeze taco meat.
Thriftiness "Hps
Be mindful of older ingredients and leftovers you
need to use up. You will waste less and may even find
a new favorite recipe.
•	Shop in your refrigerator first! Cook or eat what
you already have at home before buying more
food.
•	Have produce that is past its prime? It may still
be fine for cooking. Think soups, casseroles, stir
fries, sauces, baked goods, pancakes or smoothies.
Search for websites that provide suggestions for
using leftover ingredients.
•	If safe and healthy, use the edible parts of food
that you normally do not eat. For example, use
stale bread to make croutons. Saute beet tops for
a delicious side dish. Make vegetable scraps into
stock.
•	Are you likely to have leftovers from any of your
meals? Plan an "eat the leftovers" night each week.
» At restaurants, order only what you can finish
by asking about portion sizes and be aware of
side dishes included with entrees. Take home the
leftovers.
•	At all-you-can-eat buffets, take only what you can
eat.
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BUILT ENVIRONMENT
The Built Environment
Another key area where SMM efforts can make a big difference in reducing
waste and maximizing the use and reuse of materials is in the built
environment.
The built environment touches all aspects of our lives. Our built
environment is the buildings we live in, the distribution systems
that provide us with water and electricity, and the roads, bridges and
transportation systems we use to get from place to place. Creating these
spaces and systems requires enormous quantities of materials. The basic
maintenance and growth of our built environment will require billions of
tons of materials in the coming decades. Without careful attention, this
maintenance and growth will result in significant negative environmental
impacts and unnecessary costs.
Countries around the world are recognizing how critical it is to improve
resource efficiency. SMM in the built environment focuses on the
importance of recycling, repurposing and reusing construction and
demolition (C&D) debris and other materials in the most productive
and sustainable way over their entire life cycles to help address local
material and resource needs for projects such as new developments and
community facilities. It also encourages the use of design and construction
techniques to build more sustainable structures that minimize the negative
environmental impacts of buildings.
Groups interested in SMM in the built environment are wide-ranging and
diverse. They include architects and developers creating innovative and
efficient designs and projects, transportation and public works professionals
constructing stronger, more resilient structures, contractors and
construction companies seeking to reduce waste in their own operations,
government agencies and officials developing policies and practices to
incentivize material recovery, standard-developing organizations fostering
shared understanding of sustainable construction approaches, and recyclers
and waste management experts dedicated to finding new opportunities and
markets for materials at their end of life.
To make reuse and recycling possible, it makes sense to consider designing
and building new structures so that they can be easily taken apart at their
end of life. For many tribes, there is also great benefit in assessing and
deconstructing existing abandoned structures, including mobile homes,
and finding markets to extend the life cycle of a wide range of construction
materials, keeping them out of landfills. These projects provide social and
economic benefits, including jobs, local and regional partnerships, and tax
benefits based on the value of the donated materials.
Tips for
Developing
a Successful
C&D
Program
Capitalize on existing
infrastructure such as storage
and processing facilities.
Collaborate with other tribal
departments on operation
and maintenance activities for
C&D recycling programs.
Look for inexpensive and
creative ways to procure
necessary equipment, such
as through the U.S. General
Services Administration (GSA)
government surplus website
(gsaauctions.gov).
Obtain the proper training and
technical expertise needed.
Take advantage of available
technical assistance and federal
funding (see the Resources
section).

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BUILT ENVIRONMENT
Miigwech Aki workers follow deconstruction best practices for safety as part of their work.
Miigwech Aki focuses on making a difference in area
communities in other ways as well. It prioritizes job
training, higher wages and safe working conditions for
employees. The company helps staff build career skills and
serves as a reference for future employment. "We value
our employees," said Christopher Bedeau, Miigwech Aki's
Crew Chief. "They make everything possible, and our
approach gives people a sense of broader well-being. This
is not just about a paycheck. This is about taking care of
the planet and providing for the next generation."
Miigwech Aki
The work of Miigwech Aki (its name translates to "Thank
You Earth") in Bemidji, Minnesota, highlights several of
these benefits in action. This environmentally conscious
social enterprise provides deconstruction services for
residential and commercial buildings. Its innovative by-
hand approach extends the life cycle of a wide range of
construction materials, keeping them out of landfills. The
organization targets a reclamation rate of 85% across its
projects. Reclaimed materials are then resold to clients
and the general public. Starting with two projects in
2012, when the company was established as part of the
Northwest Indian Community Development Center, it
now averages five to 10 projects a year, with some projects
employing as many as 18 people. The company's success
to date has been built on a strong foundation of local and
regional partnerships, extensive community outreach, and
creative resource leveraging.
Miigwech Aki's work also addresses abandoned structures,
a major priority for many tribes. These structures,
including mobile homes, are often unsafe, attract
trespassers and illegal dumping, negatively impact local
property values, and are an impediment to redevelopment.
Reclaiming materials from these structures can help
support the revitalization of land and natural resources as
well as result in the benefits discussed above.
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BUILT ENVIRONMENT
Revitalizing a Community's Future,
One Property at a Time
National Tribal Leadership in Abandoned Structure Removal and
Reclamation - The Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe (Akwesasne, New York)
For the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe in
northernmost New York, interest in SMM in
the built environment grew out of efforts to
address safety, public health, trespassing and
other concerns associated with abandoned
structures. Deconstructing these structures
offers opportunities to reduce those risks
while also finding ways to keep usable
materials out of landfills and in use. The first
step is to identity abandoned structures and
then assess if reuse and recycling is possible.
The Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe has taken on
such a project.
The Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe's holistic
approach includes extensive information
gathering and community education and
outreach, building broad support for
cleaning up many long-vacant eyesores and
returning the lands to productive use.
The Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe is also
known by its Mohawk name, Akwesasne,
which roughly translates to "land where
the partridge drums." The Saint Regis
Mohawk Tribe has a robust government that
administers its own environmental, social,
law enforcement, economic, health and
educational programs, policies, laws and
regulations.
"We were astonished by the number [of abandoned
structuresJ. So many had faded into the background and
were taken for granted as part of everyday life."

- Julia Jacobs, Brownfields Redevelopment Specialist, Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe
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BUILT ENVIRONMENT
The Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe manages an EPA
Brownfields Tribal Response Program. The program has
been in place since 2010 when it received its first funding
agreement under the EPA Brownfields Comprehensive
Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability
Act (CERCLA) 128(a) grant funding program. The focus
of the Brownfields program is to expand, redevelop or
reuse a property that may be complicated by the presence
or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant
or contamination. Cleaning up and reinvesting in these
properties increases local tax bases, facilitates job growth,
uses existing infrastructure, takes development pressures
off undeveloped open land, and improves and protects the
environment.
In October 2014, following a Tribal Council request
to identify abandoned structures in the community,
Julia Jacobs, the Tribe's Brownfields Redevelopment
Specialist, and other Brownfields Program staff drove
through Akwesasne. "We were astonished by the number
[of abandoned structures]," she recalled. "So many had
faded into the background and were taken for granted
as part of everyday life." Through this several-months-
long assessment, Julia and her team identified about
150 abandoned structures. They conducted follow-up
interviews with property owners about the challenges
they faced with the abandoned structures. They identified
building removal costs, personal and family attachments,
and gradual deterioration over time as the primary
challenges.
Did You Know?
EPA's Abandoned Mobile Homes Toolkit provides a step-by-step process for addressing
abandoned units, including assessment guides and best practices for reclaiming and
salvaging recyclable materials.
www.epa.aov/smm/toolkit-about-abandoned-mobile-homes
15

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Getting the Word Out, Identifying
and Prioritizing Projects
In early 2015, Ms. Jacobs started an initiative to formally
identify and prioritize abandoned structures for cleanup
and track them in a database. "We started with outreach
and education," she said. "The Tribe's Brownfields
Program put out a call for people interested in having a
Phase 1 Assessment conducted for old structures on their
properties." A Phase I Assessment includes a background
and historical investigation and site inspection. The Tribe's
Brownfields Program staff focused their education efforts
on highlighting the dangers of trespassing and crime, drug
activity, rodents, mold, arson and potentially hazardous
materials posed by abandoned structures. Staff made
presentations to school children and seniors, to other tribal
program staff and to community organizations. "People get
it, they understand the impacts," Jacobs noted. "If there is
a fuel tank and it spills, you don't want to just cover it up.
At some point, it is going to affect their family members or
the larger community, seven generations down the line."
To work on prioritization criteria for the properties
identified, the Tribe's Brownfields Program staff
convened an Akwesasne Brownfields Committee, inviting
community members and staff from various tribal
programs to participate. The committee used a series of
large maps to identify potential properties to clean up
and to spur discussion and consideration of prioritization
criteria. Committee members ended up prioritizing
properties with abandoned structures located near cultural
and horticultural areas, brownfield sites, natural resources,
health and school buildings, and community resources and
activities.
The Tribe's Brownfields Program also worked with a
second tribal organization, the Akwesasne Tourism
Working Group, which considered these areas of concern:
•	Proximity to infrastructure and roads
•	Structure condition
•	Property history of drug activity or other trespassing
•	Health and safety hazards
•	Fuel tanks
•	Proximity to other homes and public places
BUILT ENVIRONMENT
"The two sets of criteria helped us look
at the properties in different ways and
made us think comprehensively about
which ones to prioritize for further
assessment."
- Julia Jacobs, Brownfields Redevelopment
Specialist, Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe
The Tribe's efforts paid off. In 2016, EPA awarded the
Tribe a $10,000 grant to conduct Phase I Assessments for
10 properties, and the Tribe was well positioned to move
forward. All the assessments were finished by 2018.
Getting the Job Done, Recognizing
Opportunities for Collaboration
In 2018, the outreach efforts of the Tribe's Brownfields
Program also began to see long-term results. Following
regular status updates on the property assessment and
prioritization process, the Tribal Council allocated
$127,000 from the Tribe's Community Development
Investment Fund to safely take down and remove 15
priority-abandoned structures - 10 original properties plus
five additional structures. Many of these properties were in
irreparable condition - burned out, rotted or contaminated
- and had to be demolished. For those in better condition,
owners were encouraged to remove windows, doors,
cabinets and other salvageable material for reuse, sale or
donation.
16

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BUILT ENVIRONMENT
"Having a safe and healthy environment for every tribal
member continues to be a priority for us," noted the
Tribal Council. "We are proud to support the Brownfields
Program in completing their work of safely removing
dangerous structures in the community This would not
have been possible without funding from the Community
Development Investment Fund and represents the most
recent opportunity to utilize patent funds to improve the
well-being of tribal members."
To date, based on the assessments, several deteriorated
structures have been taken down. Whenever possible,
owners retrieved usable materials prior to removal of
the structures. Several remaining structures may need
a possible Phase II Assessment due to the presence of
potential hazards. A Phase II Assessment typically requires
collection and testing of soil or groundwater samples
or building materials to determine if contamination is
present. Several tribal programs have partnered with the
Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe's Brownfields Program to make
the removal effort work go as smoothly and cost effectively
as possible. The Tribe's Agriculture Program has loaned
an excavator. The Tribe's Planning and Infrastructure
Department provided a dump truck. Its Emergency
Planning Office supplied a list of unsafe structures for
prioritizing. The solid waste transfer station received the
usable materials to sort for other uses and prepared the
unusable materials to be transported to a landfill.
"It is all about building relationships
and connecting people - making
regular contact and seeing where there
are opportunities to address shared
interests and achieve overlapping
goals."
- Julia Jacobs, Brownfields Redevelopment
Specialist, Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe
Today, the Tribe's Brownfields Program staff continue to
track, update and add abandoned structures in Akwesasne
to its maps and database. They reach out regularly across
the community to help people understand the dangers
posed by the buildings. Ms. Jacobs says that outreach is
even more effective now, as people start to see the benefits
of the Phase I Assessments and the recent removal efforts.
"People feel more certain and secure,
and they start to see opportunities.
Maybe it is leaving the land as green
space. Or the property owner sees a
day when their grandchild could build
a home there. Or someone says this is
a great location for a new business. As
properties get cleaned up, economic
development follows."
- Julia Jacobs, Brownfields Redevelopment
Specialist, Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe
17

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BUILT ENVIRONMENT
Looking Forward, Building
Long-Term Capacities
In addition to applying for funding for the next rounds of
the Brownfields Program's abandoned structure assessment
and removal efforts, the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe is also
focused on building its own long-term capacities. Tribal
programs are working together on plans for a materials
exchange facility, so that wood, windows, concrete, siding
and other materials reclaimed from abandoned properties
can be recycled or reused and serve as a revenue source
in the future. The Tribe's housing program is expanding
efforts to work with property owners on preventive
maintenance and improvement projects. These projects
help keep materials in the economy longer and prevent the
need for communities to source new materials. Similarly,
materials exchange facilities help extend the useful lifespan
of materials and avoid unnecessary landfilling as well as
waste disposal fees.
The Brownfields Program is also looking to add
training opportunities so that staff can become certified
environmental professionals, enabling the Tribe to conduct
its own site assessments, rather than relying on contractors.
"We are already doing most of the work," Jacobs noted.
"Doing the interviews, conducting research and looking up
property records."
Lastly, the Tribe's Brownfields Program's efforts are
spurring broader community interest in land revitalization.
When the Tribe's fire department moved to a new location,
several tribal programs worked together to convert the
space into a small park and decommission an old adjacent
power dam, allowing salmon to thrive in the St. Regis
River for the first time in several generations. "The dam
was a different kind of abandoned structure," noted Julia
Jacobs. "People love the new access to the river; we're
seeing people fishing and kayaking and bringing their kids
there to play." The Tribe is now looking at ways to expand
the park and install artwork as well as trails, restrooms and
a boat launch.
The creative, sustained efforts of the Saint Regis Mohawk
Tribe show how education, partnership-building, and
grant and tribal funding can result in projects that
illustrate the key pillars of SMM in action - strengthening
environmental protection, fostering economic
development and addressing community priorities. At
the broadest level, these efforts help communities see
long-standing challenges in new ways and envision new
opportunities for the future.
18

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The built environment can
contribute to the creation of debris
during disaster events and can
impact a community's infrastructure.
When infrastructure fails and must
be rebuilt, it requires additional
products, materials and resources
for recovery and rebuilding efforts.
Disaster management has four phases: preparedness,
mitigation, response and recovery. Using SMM during
each of these phases can increase a community's resiliency
to natural disasters.
EPA has developed an interactive mapping tool of 12
types of recyclers and landfills that manage disaster debris.
The Disaster Debris Recovery Tool (www.epa.gov/large-
scale-residential-demolition/disaster-debris-recovery-
Lool) provides information and locations for thousands
of facilities across the United States that are capable of
managing different materials that may be found in disaster
debris. The tool enables responders to find viable recycling
options during a response, increasing recycling levels and
saving time, money and landfill capacity. Several tribes
in the Midwest, including the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe
in east-central Minnesota, have used the tool to include
recycling facilities in disaster debris plans and training
events.
Additionally, EPA Regions have been able to support some
tribal disaster debris management training in partnership
with tribes. The training is geared towards tribal staff
involved in emergency management, waste management,
public works, planning and other areas.
Lessons Learned
•	Pian before a disaster occurs.
•	Contact waste management facilities to
determine what debris they will accept,
•	Properly segregate the debris as early as
possible to improve waste and materials
management.
•	Reuse and recycle disaster debris as much
as practicable.
planning
FOR
natural
disaster
debris
Pre-incident planning
helps a tribe to know
what sort of debris to
expect and what to do
with it in the event of a
disaster. EPA's Planning
for Natural Disaster
Debris Guide (www.epa.
gov/homeland-securitv-
waste/guidance-about-
planning-natural-
disasLcr-dchi'is) is a
good place to start.
Tribes can use the
Guide to plan for debris
before a natural disaster
occurs to improve the effectiveness of pre-incident
planning efforts, increase community preparedness and
enhance community resiliency. Pre-incident planning
also significantly aids decision-making during a response,
and helps communities recover faster, spend less money
on cleanup and debris/waste management, and use fewer
resources to rebuild and recover.

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RECYCLING
Recycling
At its most basic level, recycling turns items such as bottles, paper and
cans into new products. More specifically, recycling is the separation and
collection of materials that otherwise would be considered waste, the
processing and remanufacturing of these items into new products, and the
use of the recycled products to complete the cycle.
Recycling includes the recovery of a wide range of
materials, such as paper, glass, plastic and metals, as well
as C&D materials. Transforming these materials into
new products reduces the amount of virgin raw materials
needed to meet consumer demand. It also reduces the
amount of materials that are considered wastes and thrown
in a landfill. The recycling system plays a critical role in
enabling SMM progress.
Despite this critical role, the nations recycling
infrastructure, including recycling programs on tribal
lands, faces a variety of challenges. Many consumers see
recycling as the best way to help the environment, but
even with the best intentions people sometimes mistakenly
place recyclable items in the trash and non-recyclable
items in their recycling bins. Education and outreach on
what can and cannot be recycled in a given area is a key
component of a successful recycling program.
Additionally, recent international policy changes have
reduced available markets for recyclable materials and
recycling infrastructure is not well equipped to process
the materials consumers purchase in the marketplace
today. These changes have impacted the effectiveness and
profitability of recycling programs in the short term, as
markets change and prices paid for recyclable materials
fluctuate.
Regardless of the challenges, recycling is a valuable
industry in the United States. According to EPA's 2016
Recycling Economic Information (REI) Report (www.epa.
gov/smm/recvcling-economic-information-rei-report).
there are an average of 1.57 jobs, $76,030 in wages and
$14,101 in tax revenues attributable for every 1,000 tons
of recyclables collected and recycled in the United States.
In total, recycling and reuse activities account for 757,000
jobs, produce $36.6 billion in wages and produce $6.7
billion in tax revenues annually.
Developing a recycling plan with short-term, mid-term
and long-term goals and strategies will help your tribe to
identify what materials to collect, how to collect them,
and when and how to recycle them in a manner that will
benefit the community and the bottom line.
20

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RECYCLING
EPA's America Recycles Efforts
Since 2018, EPA has been working with stakeholders from
across the recycling system on four key action areas.
If) Promoting Education and Outreach
(3 Enhancing Materials Management
Infrastructure
O Strengthening Secondary Material Markets
Q Enhancing Measurement
Over the course of 2019, stakeholder workgroups
identified key actions and implementation strategies to
address the challenges facing the recycling system. On
November 15, 2019, EPA released the National Framework
for Advancing the U.S. Recycling System, which describes
the progress made to date and potential actions in 2020.
This framework includes insights and recommendations
that may be transferable to tribal recycling programs.
For more information about the National Framework,
visit: www.epa.gov/americarecycles/national-framework-
advancing-us-recvcling-system.
Interested organizations have also been signing the
America Recycles Pledge. Forty-five signatories signed the
pledge in 2018 and over 200 have signed it as of February
2020. In November 2019, EPA also hosted the first-ever
America Recycles Innovation Fair. It brought together
more than 40 innovative organizations in recycling to
showcase new products and technologies. Over 600
people attended to learn about what's new in the recycling
industry.
Today, tribal recycling programs are developing innovative
recycling systems, pursuing partners and resources, and
tackling recycling challenges. Over the past decade, for
example, the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma has built one
of the most successful tribal recycling programs in the
country.
Sign the America Recycles
Pledge Today!
To learn more arid sign the America
Recycles Pledge, please visit: www.epa.aov/
americarecvdes/forms/america-recvcles-
EPA Highlighted Oklahoma Tribal Recycling Programs during 2019 ARD Events
^	Modoc Nation, formerly the Modoc Tribe of Oklahoma:
99	www.youtube.com/watch?v=DplOOxKhTDM&feature=youtu.be
The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOUseTfP7ls&feature=youtu.be
Muscogee (Creek) Nation: www,youtube.com/watch?v=qfQvPe6apig&feature=youtu.be

AMERICA RECYCLES PLEDGE
My organization pledges to work together with EPA and the other
America Recycles Pledge signatories to build on our existing efforts to
address the challenges facing our nations recycling system and to identify
solutions that create a more resilient materials economy and protect
the environment. My submission of this form indicates the interest and
willingness of my organization to participate in an ongoing dialogue to
identify specific actions that we can take collectively with EPA and the
other signatories, and within our respective organization, to improve the
nations recycling system ,
21

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RECYCLING
Taking Program Development Step by Step,
Building Strong Foundations for Success
National Tribal Leadership in Recycling -
The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma
The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma is a federally recognized
tribe whose service territory covers more than 10,000
square miles in ten-and-a-half counties in rural southeast
Oklahoma. The Nation has nearly 200,000 members
worldwide; it is the third-largest tribe in the United States.
Today, the Nation manages one of the largest tribal
recycling programs in the country. Facilities in Durant
and Poteau, Oklahoma, recycle almost 300,000 pounds
of materials each month. As of January 2019, the two
centers had processed a remarkable 20,548,832 pounds of
recycling in the past 10 years.
Tracy Horst, the Nations Program Director for Natural
Resources, remembers just how far the program has
come. "At first, we had no money, no budget, but we were
blessed with tribal leadership that believes the Nation is
responsible for maintaining the land and the environment
in the way it was shared with us," she recalled.
"We started with printer cartridges arid aluminum cans to generate revenue for our
budget. We drove around in a little Chevy Impala to pick up recyclables at first. You
can start out small. Just start somewhere."
- Tracy Horst, Program Director for Natural Resources, Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma
Choctaw Nation Green Vision
"The Choctaw Nation is committed to being a
responsible steward of the environment in order
to minimize our impact on the environment for
future generations."
72
for recycling, picked up

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RECYCLING
The program was soon named Choctaw Nation Going
Green, an interdisciplinary environmental team open to
staff in all tribal departments. At first, in 2009, the Nation's
recycling program lacked facilities; the team collected
materials and moved them to the nearest recycling facility
in Ada, about an hour's drive away
"We had big goals from the start," noted Jason Lilley, the
Nation's Recycling Manager. "We wanted to recycle as
many different materials and as much of them as possible.
We wanted to provide recycling pickups across as much
of the Nation as possible, and in nearby communities as
well. And we wanted to separate and process the materials
ourselves, to then generate revenue from them."
To get there, Choctaw Nation Going Green took two key
steps. Through outreach to area localities, including the
city of Durant, the city of McAlester and Coal County,
the team found limited recycling facilities and substantial
community interest in saving money and diverting waste
from area landfills. The team then coordinated closely
with the Nation's Grants Department and identified
promising funding opportunities for recycling facilities
and equipment.
From there, Choctaw Nation Going Green was able to turn
their big goals into reality.
Scaling Up: Harnessing Grants
and Partnerships
Choctaw Nation Going Green's partnership with the
Nation's Grants Department led to a series of grant
applications and resulted in $800,000 in Energy Efficiency
and Conservation Block Grant funding from the U.S.
Department of Energy (DOE). The Nation used the
three-year grant to build a state-of-the-art recycling
center in Durant, Oklahoma. The 30,350-square-foot
center opened in December 2010. The facility is open to
tribal and non-tribal businesses and individuals in the
area. It accepts newspaper, office paper, shredded paper,
magazines, catalogs, plastics #1, 2 and 5, aluminum cans,
steel cans, polystyrene, cellphones, printer cartridges, used
tires and cardboard. The center also hosts regular events
to collect and recycle electronic waste as well as household
hazardous wastes.
The Nation's recycling mascot, Luksi the turtle, at a community
event at the Nation's recycling center in Durant,
For local governments in the area, opening the facility
meant that starting or expanding their own recycling
programs was now more financially and logistically
feasible. Several localities pursued their own recycling
grants and used the resources to purchase "roll-offs," which
are large recycling bins that are taken to the facility where
the contents are emptied and sorted. Facility staff include
several drivers who travel across the Nation to pick up the
roll-offs when they are full and replace them with empty
roll-offs.
"We would not have been able to scale up and grow like
we have without our partnerships," noted Tracy Horst.
"Whether we pick up the recyclables or local governments
bring us the material, we accept it at no cost to them,
bale it, and turn it around and sell it." As Choctaw Nation
Going Green has built its capacities, it has also started
advising area localities on equipment and program design
as well as broader community education and outreach and
job training.
For example, in 2011, Choctaw Nation Going Green
started work on a joint effort with the city of McAlester
and Ki Bois Developmental Disabilities, a community
action program. The program provides employment for
mentally challenged young people to collect and hand-sort
plastic and paper products to recycle. Once collected and
sorted, the McAlester recycling materials are brought to
the Durant facility.
23

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RECYCLING
Processed bales of recycled material at the Durant recycling center ready to be shipped to manufacturers.
Choctaw Nation Going Green also continued working
with the Nations Grants Department to identify funding
opportunities for constructing a second recycling facility.
Given the size of the Nation (10,485 square miles), the
Durant facility faced eventual geographic limitations for
its service area. The team identified Poteau, Oklahoma,
a community 125 miles north of Durant, as the ideal
location for the second center, which could provide service
to up to 120,000 people.
In 2013, the Nation received a three-year, $151,000 Social
and Economic Development Strategies (SEDS) grant from
the Administration for Native Americans (ANA), which
is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services. The funding, known as Project IMPACT, enabled
construction of the facility. It also provided funding
for two employees as well as community education and
outreach efforts focused on recycling. The Poteau recycling
facility opened in January 2013. The facility separates
the materials by type - paper, cardboard, tin/steel cans,
aluminum cans, plastics #1, 2 and 5, printer cartridges and
polystyrene. The facility also prepares the materials for
recycling by bundling and storing the separated materials.
"We called it Project IMPACT because
there was zero recycling activity in
the area, and we wanted to track the
impact of our recycling activities in the
community."
A waste audit kicked off the project to help make the case
for recycling. Center staff hauled away trash from local
businesses for sorting. "We were able to report back with
numbers, pointing out that if the businesses recycled most
of their trash, their tipping fees would go down. They
would save money," he recalled. "People responded to the
bottom line - they could save money on their trash bills by
recycling a large part of their waste."
Did You Know?
Recycling used aluminum cans and returning them to
store shelves as new cans takes as few as 60 days.
- Jason Lilley, Recyding Manager,
Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma
24

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RECYCLING
The Durant recycling facility
Choctaw Nation Going Green created and updated goals
for both facilities, tracking their progress on an electronic
dashboard. Today, both facilities have monthly goals.
Building Capacities, Planning for the
Long Term: Education and Outreach
Tracy Horst emphasizes that the Nation's recycling
activities and successes would not be possible without
one key ingredient: community education and outreach.
"If people don't know you're there, and they don't know
why recycling is important for the environment and the
economy and public health, no one will show up," she
noted. "And the outreach has to be sustained over time,
regular updates and regular events, held in as many
different places as possible." Most of the recycling grants
received by the Nation, including the DOE and ANA
grants that built the Durant and Poteau recycling facilities,
have included dedicated funding for education and
outreach efforts.
Schools are a big part of all recycling outreach efforts.
"On the administration/program side, it's about helping
schools reduce waste and getting recycling infrastructure
in place," Tilley notes. "With the kids, it's about having fun
while raising awareness about what they can do to make a
difference." Classroom recycling contests are fueled by the
incentive of ice cream sundae and pizza parties. Choctaw
Nation Going Green works with the Nation's Forestry,
Agriculture and Water departments to host education
stations at environmental carnivals in area schools. Similar
stations at career fairs help high-school students think long
term about careers in fields such as sustainability, public
health and environmental planning. In addition,
The Durant facility strives for 165 tips per month. A tip is
when a recycling roll-off container is brought to the facility
floor for sorting. In addition, the Durant facility has a goal
to process 250,000 pounds of baled material a month.
The Poteau facility's target is 75 tips a month and it aims to
process 75,000 pounds of baled material a month.
The Poteau recycling facility.
^iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiHai1 I JM—-fcJjLJ
25

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RECYCLING
Community recycling event.
Choctaw Nation Going Green hosts school trips that bring
students to see the recycling facilities firsthand - almost
1,000 schoolchildren visited the recycling facilities in 2018.
"These small investments help build habits and knowledge
that can last a lifetime," Horst reflected.
Outreach Lessons Learned
•	Seek out collaboration opportunities among
tribal departments, so that programs
focused on water quality, litter cleanups and
other priorities include recycling information.
•	Use community and tribal government
collection events and recycling contests to
raise awareness and get people involved.
Event advertising includes flyers, posters,
radio ads and articles in community
newspapers.
•	Use social media to reach people. The
Nation's "Recycling" Facebook page shares
recycling information and provides event
update reminders.
•	Connect in person. The Nation's recycling
mascot, Luksi the turtle, helps share
information with children of all ages.
•	Invite diverse event partners, including
businesses, youth groups, senior citizen
centers and other community organizations.
26

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RECYCLING
Luksi the turtle outside the old headquarters of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma,
Looking Forward
Over the past decade, the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma and
Choctaw Nation Going Green have built one of the country's
leading tribal recycling programs. The Nations facilities in
Durant and Poteau, Oklahoma, continue to recycle almost
300,000 pounds of materials a month. In January 2019, the
two centers surpassed the 20-million-pound milestone.
In total, the two centers service 150 roll-off containers in
southeast Oklahoma and north Texas. Meanwhile, Choctaw
Nation Going Green continues to sustain and expand its
partnership and community outreach and education efforts.
"Never stop trying to grow, learn and share," Tracy Horst
noted. "You can never tell people enough. If you don't reach
them today, get them tomorrow." All proceeds from the
recycling program go back into the Nation's annual budget
and are used to help fund health clinics, community centers
and other priorities.
In turn, the program's successes have been recognized by
a host of awards, including "Best of the Environmentally
Best" and "Environmental Excellence" from Keep
Oklahoma Beautiful, a statewide nonprofit organization
dedicated to environmental improvement. The Nation
has also been recognized as the "Recycling Government
of the Year" by the city of Tulsa, Oklahoma's Metropolitan
Environmental Trust and "Community Partner of the
Year" by the city of McAlester.
Looking forward, the team is focused on facility expansion,
expansion of curbside recycling opportunities, equipment
upgrades, and long-term community outreach and
education. "We would love to build a third facility, to
reach more people and to bring down transportation
costs," Horst notes. Potential equipment upgrades include
a conveyor sorting system for the Poteau facility (the
Durant facility has already been upgraded), optical sorting
capacity for the conveyors, adding trucks for curbside
recycling and structural modifications to allow those
trucks to pull into the buildings.
For tribes looking to start their own recycling programs,
Tracy Horst, Jason Lilley and Choctaw Nation Going
Green recommend pursuing resources and partnerships,
evaluating your waste stream, and identifying your
potential service area. "Drive around facilities, look at
the trash, see what you have to work with," lilley stated.
"Do a waste audit so that you can make the case to the
community, and funders, that your program is going to
benefit the environment and the bottom line. Then keep
building relationships and take everything one step a time."
More than a decade after the Nation's Durant recycling
center opened its doors, its recycling program highlights
the remarkable places those steps can lead.
Learn more about the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma's recycling program:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOUseTfP7ls&feature=youtu-be
27

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•	Consumer electronics
•	Syringes, needles and other sanitary products
•	Some plastics
How to Recycle Lithium-Ion Batteries
Keep the Recycling Stream Clean
Recycling is the process of collecting, sorting and
processing materials that would otherwise be thrown away
as trash and turning them into new products. Recycling
can benefit your community, the economy and the
environment.
Best Practices
• Shop with reusable bags and
clean them with soap and
water after each use.
• Take your plastic bags
to your local grocery
store or other retailer
for recycling.
Some Materials Cannot
Be Recycled
Every year in the United States, millions of single-use and
rechargeable batteries are bought, used and sent to be
recycled or disposed of in the trash.
With the rapid increase in the use of portable, cordless and
smaller electronics, the demand for batteries has surged.
Lithium-ion batteries are commonly found in portable
electronic devices such as cell phones, laptops, tablets and
power tools.
Did You Know?
Lithium-ion batteries can be problematic because they
have a high potential as a fire hazard if they are broken or
crushed. EPA recommends sending them to specialized
battery recyclers, participating retailers that provide
battery takeback services, or local household hazardous
waste facilities.
Putting items in the recycling bin that can't be recycled can
contaminate the recycling stream. After these unrecyclable
items arrive at recycling centers, they can cause costly
damage to the equipment. Additionally, after arriving at
recycling centers, they must be sorted out and then sent to
landfills, which raises costs.
Plastic bags are a major problem for recycling facilities.
They must be pulled out of sorting facilities and can
damage recycling equipment. Putting them in the trash is
preferable to using them to bag up recyclables. Some local
grocery stores or other retailers may accept plastic bags
separately for recycling.
Your local transfer station or recycling facility may not
accept some materials. These may include:
•	Shredded paper
•	Scrap metal
•	Hazardous wastes
Some lithium-ion batteries in electronics can be easily
removed (e.g., power tools) and some cannot (e.g.,
some cell phones, laptops, tablets). The
batteries that can be easily removed
can be sent to specialized battery
collectors. The batteries that
cannot be easily removed
should be recycled with the
electronic device and sent to a
collection program specifically
for electronic battery recycling.

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Resources for Building SMM Programs
General
Sustainable Materials Management
on Tribal Lands - A Life-Cycle
Approach to Managing Materials
www.epa.gov/tribal-lands/sustainable-
materials-management-tribal-lands-
life-cvcle-approach-managing-
materials
This fact sheet introduces tribal
governments, communities and
individuals to the concept of SMM,
showcases tribal projects that have
applied SMM principles and practices
successfully, and encourages tribes to
consider SMM approaches to their
materials management work.
Institute for Tribal Environmental
Professionals (ITEP)
www7.nau.edu/itep/main/Home
ITEP strengthens tribal capacity
and sovereignty in environmental
and natural resource management
through culturally relevant education,
research, partnerships and policy-
based services. ITEP provides a range
of SMM-related trainings.
SMM Web Academy
www.epa.gov/smm/sustainable-
materials-management-web-academv
The SMM Web Academy series is a
free resource for people interested in
learning more about SMM principles
from experts in the field. From these
webinars, you can learn about key
issues, successful projects and a variety
of best management practices for
creating stellar materials and waste
management programs.
Non-Hazardous Materials and
Waste Management Hierarchy
www.epa.gov/smm/sustainable-
materiais-management-non-hazardous-
materials-and-waste-management-
hierarchv
EPA developed the hierarchy in
recognition that no single waste
management approach is suitable
for managing all materials and
waste streams in all circumstances.
The hierarchy ranks the various
management strategies from most to
least environmentally preferred. It
places emphasis on reducing, reusing
and recycling as key to sustainable
materials management.
Tribal Waste Management Program
Sustainability Evaluation Tool
www.epa.gov/tribal-lands/tribal-waste-
management-program-sustainabilitv-
evaluation-tool
This tool evaluates how tribal waste
management programs are currently
operating and identifies areas where
there is a need for additional support
in developing a sustainable tribal
waste management program. The
tool consists of a spreadsheet, which
addresses seven key indicators that
are representative of a sustainable
tribal waste management program.
The tool allows tribal managers to
self-evaluate or agree to a third-party
evaluation of the sustainability of their
waste management programs in these
areas. You can use the results of the
evaluation to diagnose and target areas
to strengthen, to assess improvements
over time, and to aid in funding
decisions.
The
Sustainable
Management
of Food
Food Recovery Hierarchy
www.epa.gov/sustainable-management-
food/food-recoverv-hiera rchv
EPA's Food Recovery Hierarchy
prioritizes actions that organizations
can take to prevent and divert wasted
food. Each tier of the hierarchy focuses
on different management strategies for
wasted food.
Reducing Wasted Food at Home
www.epa.gov/recvcle/reducing-wasted-
food-home
This EPA website provides information
on the benefits of reducing wasted
food, ways to reduce wasted food,
planning, storage and preparation
tips, and a toolkit for home and your
community on reducing wasted food.
Food: Too Good to Waste -
Implementation Guide and Toolkit
www.epa.gov/sustainable-management-
food/food-too-good-waste-
implementation-guide-and-toolkit
This EPA guide and toolkit focus on
ways to reduce wasteful household
and community food management
practices.
29

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EPA's Food Recovery Challenge
(FRC)
www.epa.gov/sustainable-management-
food/food-recove rv-challenge-frc
As part of EPA's Food Recovery
Challenge, organizations pledge
to improve their sustainable food
management practices and report their
results. Any business or organization
can join the FRC as a participant or
endorser. Participants prevent and
divert wasted food in their operations.
Endorsers promote sustainable
management of food by educating
organizations and businesses about the
environmental, social and economic
benefits of preventing and diverting
wasted food. Endorsers also recruit
organizations and businesses to join
the FRC.
A Guide to Conducting Student
Food Waste Audits: A Resource for
Schools
www.epa.gov/sustainable-management-
food/guide-conducting-student-food-
waste-audits-resource-schools
This guide is for students and school
personnel about the amount of food
wasted in their cafeterias. The guide
provides information on why and how
to do a food waste audit and what to
do with the data collected, and offers
food waste prevention ideas.
Further with Food: Center for Food
Loss and Waste Solutions
furtherwithfood.org
This site enables users to find and
share information about proven
solutions and innovative new
approaches to reducing food loss
and waste. By joining together and
learning from one another, we can
reach our national goal of cutting food
loss and waste in the United States in
half by 2030.
ReFED
www.refed.com
ReFED was formed to build a different
future, where food waste prevention
is recognized as an untapped strategy
that can save resources, create jobs,
alleviate hunger, conserve water and
reduce greenhouse gas emissions while
also stimulating market opportunities.
The FoodKeeperApp
www.foodsafetv.gov/keep-food-safe/
foodkeeper-app
The FoodKeeper helps people explore
ways to store food and beverages more
effectively. It was developed by the
USDA's Food Safety and Inspection
Service, with Cornell University and
the Food Marketing Institute.
Food Matters Action Kit
www3.cec.org/flwv
This kit is loaded with informative
resources and hands-on, creative
activities to inspire youth of all ages to
prevent food waste at home, at school
and in their communities.
Why and How to Measure Food Loss
and Waste - A Practical Guide
www3.cec.org/flwm
This guide walks users through seven
steps for measuring food loss and
waste in their business, city, state or
country.
The Built
Environment
Forum on Life-Cycle Approaches
to Sustainably Manage Materials
in Building and Infrastructure
Projects
www.epa.gov/smm/summarv-report-fo-
rum-life-cvcle-approaches-sustain-
ablv-manage-materials-building-and
This 2018 forum and resulting
summary report explore key
areas related to SMM in the built
environment, including collaboration
and partnerships, innovation and
research, life-cycle data and tools,
and enhancing secondary materials
markets.
Abandoned Mobile Homes Toolkit
www.epa.gov/smm/toolkit-about-aban-
doned-mobile-homes
The toolkit includes videos, a Best
Management Practices Resource
Guide, assessment guide checklists
and a resource bibliography that
cover salvage and recycling of C&D
materials as part of the deconstruction
of abandoned mobile homes.
SMM Webinar - Sustainability in the
Built Environment: Why Materials
Matter
www.epa.gov/smm/sustainable-mate-
rials-management-smm-web-acade-
mv-webinar-sustainabilitv-built-envi-
ronment-whv
This 2018 webinar features
presentations from the Carbon
Leadership Forum, the Building
Materials Reuse Association, and EPA's
Office of Resource Conservation and
Recovery.
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EPA Managing Materials and Wastes
for Homeland Security Incidents
www.eDa.gov/homeland-securitv-waste
This website provides debris
management and recycling
information for communities planning
for and responding to natural
disasters.
Sustainable Management of
Construction and Demolition
Materials What You Can Do: Reduce,
Reuse, Recycle and Rebuy C&D
Materials
www.epa.gov/smm/sustainable-man-
agement-construction-and-demoli-
tion-materials#WYCD
Sustainable Management of
Industrial Non-Hazardous
Secondary Materials
www.epa.gov/smm/sustainable-man-
agement-industrial-non-hazardous-sec-
ondarv-materials
Recycling
EPA's America Recycles Effort
www.epa.gov/americarecvcles
The Recycling Partnership
recvclingpartnership.org
Keep America Beautiful
www.kab.org
EPA Sustainable Packaging
Resources
www.epa.gov/smm/sustainable-pack-
aging
EPA Recycling Basics and Benefits
www.epa.gov/recvcle/recvcling-basics
EPA Frequent Questions on
Recycling
www.epa.gov/recvcle/freauent-aues-
tions-recvcling
Funding and
Technical
Assistance
Resources
Tribal Waste Management Funding
Resources Directory
www.epa.gov/tribal-lands/trib-
al-waste-management-funding-re-
sources-directorv
The Directory is a searchable resource
listing waste management financial
assistance sources (grants, loans,
cost-sharing) available to tribes and
nonprofit organizations. Subject matter
criteria-based searches and general
word-based searches of the funding
programs are both possible. Criteria
searches can be done by funding
agency, type of organization, type
of assistance sought and keywords.
Searches result in a listing of programs
by name.
Tribal Waste Management Technical
Assistance Directory
www.epa.gov/tribal-lands/trib-
al-waste-management-technical-assis-
tance-directorv
The Directory provides information
on both national and regional-specific
assistance available to tribes.
Indian Environmental General
Assistance Program (GAP)
www.epa.gov/tribal/indian-environmen-
tal-general-assistance-program-gap
The Indian Environmental General
Assistance Program Act authorized
EPA to provide GAP grants to
federally recognized tribes and tribal
consortia for planning, developing and
establishing environmental protection
programs in Indian country, and for
developing and implementing solid and
hazardous waste programs on tribal
lands. The goal of GAP is to assist tribes
and tribal consortia in developing
the capacity to manage their own
environmental protection programs
and to develop and implement solid
and hazardous waste programs in
accordance with individual tribal
needs and applicable federal laws and
regulations.
31

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ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS
Fun with SMM!
Compost
Compost is organic material that
can be added to soil to help plants
grow. Food scraps and yard waste
make up about 30% of what we throw
away. You can compost them instead.
Making compost keeps these materials
out of landfills where they take up
space and release methane, a potent
greenhouse gas.
Recycle
Recycling means taking materials
that would otherwise be thrown away
as trash and turning them into new
products. Recycling can benefit your
community and the environment.
It keeps waste out of landfills and
conserves natural resources.
Reuse
The best way to reduce waste is
to not create it in the first place.
Making a new product requires a lot
of materials and energy. As a result,
reduction and reuse are the most
effective ways you can protect the
environment and save money.
can you
compost
the
app^e?
can you
refi\\the
bottle?
Did You Know???
The Numbers:
Big Impact!
About half of the trash you set out at the
curb is compostable. This includes food
scraps, paper waste, yard trimmings and
wood waste.
On average, 123,097 aluminum cans
are recycled every minute. We recycle
two out of every three cans we use.
More than half of the aluminum in
every can has been recycled.
One person switching to a
reusable water bottle saves 217
plastic water bottles from going to
the landfill each year.
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ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS
Circle the words from the list in the
search to the left
Hint: words can be diagonal and
backwards. HAVE FUN!
Word Search
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33

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