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WHY RECYCLE?

The little why’s of Recycling: to divert the amount of waste going to landfills, to prevent pollution, to reduce greenhouse emissions and global climate change, to conserve resources, to save energy used for refining raw materials, and to help Earlham and the Richmond community benefit financially from the industry of recycling.

The BIG why of Recycling - to love life enough to save it. The following quote is taken from Kellert, Stephen; Wilson, Edward O. (The Biophilia Hypothesis, Island Press/Shearwater, Washington D.C.: 1993)

   We need to transform the way we use the earth's endowment of land,
   minerals, water, air, wildlife, and fuels:  an efficiency revolution which 
   buys us some time.  Beyond efficiency, we need another revolution that 
   transforms our ideas of what it means to live decently and how little is 
   actually necessary for a decent life:  a sufficiency revolution...  

   The first revolution is mostly about technology and economics.  The second 
   revoloution is about morality and human purpose.  The biophilia revolution 
   is about the combination of reverence for life and purely rational 
   calculation by which we will want to be both efficient and live 
   sufficiently.  It is about finding our rightful place on earth and in the 
   community of life; it is about citizenship, duties, obligations, and   
   celebration... 

IN MY WORD DOCUMENT: Black text taken from: Richmond Sanitary District Recycling Program flyer. Blue text taken from: http://www.dep.state.pa.us/dep/deputate/airwaste/wm/recycle/FACTS/benefits Green text taken from: http://www.solidwastedistrict.com

DIVERSION FROM LANDFILLS

Every day, an average American produces and throws away about 4 or 5 pounds of waste. In a city like Richmond, this means over 200,000 pounds (100 tons) of waste must be disposed of every day. Richmond's waste is currently being buried in the New Paris Pike Landfill, but this facility will not last forever. To locate and construct a new landfill will take considerable time and money, but the life of the current one can be extended by recycling a larger portion of municipal solid waste. Recycling also lessens environmental impacts of waste in landfills, such as land, water and air pollution, by reducing the amounts of waste being sent there.

POLLUTION PREVENTION

By decreasing the need to extract and process new raw materials from the earth, recycling can eliminate the pollution associated with the initial stages of a product’s development: material extraction, refining and processing. These activities pollute the air, land and water with toxic materials, such as ammonia, carbon monoxide, methane, and sulfur dioxides.

GREENHOUSE EMISSIONS AND GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE REDUCTION

By reducing the amount of energy used by industry, recycling reduces greenhouse gas emissions and helps prevent global climate change. This is because much of the energy used in industrial processes and in transportation involves burning fossil fuels like gasoline, diesel and coal. The most important sources of carbon and other greenhouse gas emissions into the environment. Additional benefits are derived from reduced emissions from incinerators and landfills.

CONSERVATION OF RESOURCES

Recycling is also an important strategy for reducing the environmental impacts of industrial production. Supplying industry with recycled materials, rather than virgin resources extracted from forests and mines, is environmentally preferable because it saves energy, reduces emissions of greenhouse gases and other dangerous air and water pollutants, and because it conserves scarce natural resources. Recycling programs supply industry with scrap commodities such as metals, paper, glass, plastics, wood, organics, and other materials.”

Recycled materials often produce better products than those produced from virgin materials. The tin in “tin” cans, for example, is more refined (thus more valuable) after being processed for recycling.

Source reduction, preventing waste before it is generated, can further reduce the need for disposal and save more resources

ENERGY SAVINGS

Energy savings are a very important environmental benefit of recycling because using energy requires the consumption of scarce fossil fuels and emissions of numerous air and water pollutants. The steps in supplying recycled materials to industry (including collection, processing and transportation) typically use less energy than the steps in supplying virgin materials to industry (including extraction, refining, transportation and processing).” “Additional energy savings associated with recycling accrue in the manufacturing process itself, since the materials have already undergone processing.

RECYCLING AS A GROWTH INDUSTRY

Recycling is a growth industry with many kinds of business opportunities, from collection and processing to manufacturing to inventing new technologies.

Reuse and remanufacturing focuses on the refurbishing and repair of products to be reused in their original form. The largest activities are retail sales of used merchandise and reuse of used motor vehicle parts. The amount of value that can be added via this process is limited because of competition from new products. Nevertheless, reuse and manufacturing contributes jobs and sales.

In addition to the direct benefits of recycling, reuse, and remanufacturing, support businesses that provide goods and services to the recycling and reuse industry also contribute to the health of the economy. These supporting businesses include recycling and reuse equipment manufacturers, consulting/engineering services, brokers, and transporters.

Recycling also benefits Earlham and the city of Richmond financially. Earlham is charged for the trash it sends to the landfill, so not having as much trash to haul saves the College money. Also, Earlham is monetarily compensated for its bales of recycled corrugated cardboard; and, the city is compensated for recycled bales of plastic and for loads of glass, aluminum and other metals that are recycled by the Richmond Sanitary Department.

PAPER

Paper and paperboard products include items you use every day—newspapers, food packaging, tissues, cardboard boxes, office paper, and paper plates. In fact, at about 38.1 percent, paper and paperboard products constitute the largest portion of municipal solid waste (MSW). As the greatest portion of the waste stream, paper also offers the greatest opportunity for recycling. Today, consumers buy recycled paper in newspapers, food packages, and office paper—some containing as much as 100 percent recycled fiber. Other uses of recovered paper include insulation, gypsum wallboard, fertilizer bags, and mulch.

About 45 percent of all paper and paperboard products in MSW were recovered in 2001, nearly two-and-a-half times the percentage recovered in 1960.

Recycling rates (2001):

Corrugated Boxes: 73 percent Newspapers: 60 percent Office Paper: 55 percent Magazines: 32 percent Telephone Directories: 15 percent Recovery of corrugated cardboard leads paper’s overall recycling rate. It is so profitable to recycle that 73 percent of corrugated cardboard discards are recovered each year in the United States. Old newspapers are also widely recycled.

Every ton of recycled paper:

— Conserves the equivalent of 17 trees worth of lumber — Saves 7,000 gallons of water — Cuts pollution 95 percent — Saves 11 barrels – 462 gallons – of oil — Saves more than three cubic yards of landfill space.

Paper recycling conserves trees, water, oil, and landfill space and prevents air pollution associated with the production of virgin paper. It also cuts energy usage in half.

Recycled paper cannot completely replace paper made from new wood pulp, but decreasing the rate at which trees are consumed has environmental benefits. Trees help reduce the overabundance of greenhouse gas in the atmosphere by absorbing carbon. The trees within a mature forest also maintain biological diversity, which is not quickly restored once they are removed. Logging can also accelerate soil erosion, which contributes to water pollution.

The quality of paper fibers degrades with repeated recycling, so there is a separate market for recycled white office paper. White office paper is higher quality paper such as copy and writing paper, green-bar and multi-stripe computer printout and white envelopes without plastic windows or labels. It is best for incorporating into new white office paper products. Less than 20 percent of office wastepaper generated in the United States is recovered

Mixed paper and paperboard, such as cereal, cake mix, and macaroni boxes and gift boxes, are not presently recyclable in Richmond, Indiana. However, in other areas of the country they are often recycled into new packaging products, as well as paper towel and tissues, construction paper, cellulose insulation and bedding for farm animals.

ALUMINUM

In 2001, the United States generated nearly 2 million tons of aluminum as containers and packaging, and manufacturers used approximately 1.2 million tons of aluminum to make durable and nondurable goods.

The total amount of aluminum in the municipal solid waste stream represented 1.4 percent of total MSW generation in 2001.

The largest source of aluminum in the MSW stream is aluminum used beverage containers (UBCs) and other packaging containers.

Manufacturers make 99 percent of all beer cans and 97 percent of all soft drink cans from aluminum. Aluminum beer and soft drink containers were recovered at a rate of 49 percent of generation in 2001, and 40 percent of all aluminum in containers and packaging was recovered for recycling in 2001.

The average aluminum can contains 40 percent postconsumer recycled aluminum. Recovering aluminum for recycling saves money and dramatically reduces energy consumption. The aluminum can recycling process saves 95 percent of the energy needed to produce aluminum from bauxite ore, as well as natural resources, according to the Aluminum Association. Making a ton of aluminum cans from virgin ore, or bauxite, uses 229 BTUs of energy. In contrast, producing cans from recycled aluminum uses only 8 BTUs of energy per can. Recycling just one aluminum can saves enough electricity to light a 100 watt bulb for 3 ½ hours.

An aluminum can that is recovered for recycling is back in the consumer stream in a short period of time. It takes about 6 weeks total to manufacture, fill, sell, recycle, and then remanufacture a beverage can. Most of the aluminum recovered from the waste stream is used to manufacture new cans.

GLASS

About 22 percent of glass in the municipal solid waste stream, was recovered in 2001 for recycling, though its recovery is on the increase.

Soft drink, beer, food, wine, and liquor containers represent the largest source of glass generated and recovered for recycling.

Today, most glass manufacturers rely on a steady supply of recycled crushed glass, known as "cullet," to supplement raw materials. Using cullet saves money and helps the environment, because:

RECYCLING INFORMATION ON CAMPUS (WHAT TO RECYCLE)

WHAT TO RECYCLE The following items can be recycled at Earlham:

• Plastics #1 and #2 (look at bottom of container and the number inside the triangle to determine a #1 or #2)
• Aluminum Cans
• Glass
• Office paper
• Newspaper
• Corrugated Cardboard
• Lead/acid Batteries
• Scrap metal
• Old electronics/computers
• Old Cell phones and ink cartridges

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RECYCLING OUSIDE OF EARLHAM

There are many materials that can not easially be recycled here in Richmond but can be recycled by companies outside of Richmond. For various reasons, it is not currently cost effective for Earlham to ship recyclable materials long distances, but the following options do exist in neighboring counties.

The following items can be recycled outside Earlham:

• 1. Plastics #3-#7? see below ...
• 2. Plastic shopping bags? collected in containers at Wal-mart ... see also below
• 3. Paperboard (thin cardboard) recycling facilities in Oxford, Ohio accept thin cardboard mingled with all forms of paper ... see also below

The closest paperboard (non-corrugated cardboard) recycling facility is East Central Recycling, 701, East Centennial, Muncie, In (765) 282-1900 Jason King of East Central Recycling roughly estimated a Richmond pick-up charge of $120/bale. They would pay $20/ton for baled paperboard and would be willing to supply a box compactor that creates bales with minimal baling labor and no baling wire. Buck is the Sales Rep.

East Central Recycling also buys baled corrugated cardboard, but Earlham is committed to recycling this material as well as office paper, newspaper, and plastics 1 & 2 through Richmond Sanitary Recycling.

A local facility that accepts bales of clean plastics, sorted by numbers 1 through 7, is My Way Trading, located at 308 NW "F" Street, Richmond, In. They've been in business here in Richmond for about 4 years and have been doing this for about 17 years total in other locations such as New Paris,Ohio.

Bo Mattix of My Way Trading says we could bale our #3 - #7 plastics, as long as they're clean, by placing a layer of cardboard at the bottom of the type of container we presently collect cardboard in, and another layer of cardboard at the top of a plastics load, then smash it with the cardboard baler, strap it, wrap it with shrink wrap, and place it on a skid. They would also take bales composed entirely of plastic shopping bags. The following quoted procedure was supplied by Bo:

   On the plastic scrap it can be of mixed materials in bales from a baler,
   as we spoke of earlier on pallets. Containers would need to be rinsed out.
   What you can not have is any containers that had any chemicals in them( no
   cross bones) or anything over a #1 Hazmat. No trash, like paper cups or
   fast food products. Now we do work with Recycling Center and get plastic
   scrap from them, so keep the program with them and we can call them to let
   them know its ok to do and to add it to a load we get from them. They are
   more capable of handling and storing this. Just let me know if this is
   something you want to do and we'll let them know. If any questions feel
   free to call. Thanks,
   Bo Mattix  mywaytrading@myvine.com

Again, Earlham is committed to recycling plastics 1 & 2 through Richmond Sanitary Recycling.

HOW AND WHERE TO RECYCLE

(note: upon receiving the grant we will want to include descriptions of the recycling bins-color, shape, size, etc. familiarize the information below)

It is the responsibility of individuals to place all recyclable materials in the correct bins placed around campus. It is also important to avoid contamination of bins with incorrect materials or trash. For example, office paper placed in a co-mingled bin contaminate it, and can result in that bag being sent to the landfill. Similarly, newspaper placed in an office paper bin can render it trash. Please pay attention to the sign on a bin before placing items in it.

Office paper should have staples and tape removed, and glossy paper should be seperated and cannot be recycled with office paper.

Corrugated cardboard boxes should be flattened before being placed in a bin.  

Glass bottles, aluminum cans, and plastics #1 and #2 should be washed out if they are very dirty but otherwise can be placed directly in the blue comingle bins as is.

There are a number of locations on campus to recycle the items listed in the previous section:

• 1. Residence Halls (dorms) - On every floor of every residence hall you should find bins for:
  • 1) office paper
  • 2) co-mingled items (plastic #1 and #2, aluminum cans and glass bottles)
  • On one floor of each residence hall (almost always on the first floor) there should be a bin for newspaper.

• 2. College Houses - In every college house there should be a big blue bin with a circle cut-out in the lid for both co-mingled items (see above) and office paper. College Houses should be recycling by bringing their bin out to the street for regular city pick-up as arranged by their AD. Contact:
• 3. Academic/Administrative Buildings - On each floor of academic/administrative buildings you should find the following recycling bins:
  • 1) Tall, Blue, closed-top, co-mingled bin (for plastics #1 and #2, aluminum cans and glass bottles)
  • 2) Small, open-top red bin: office paper
  • The current placement of these is sporadic. At the very least, most department offices have a red bin located near the copy machine. Blue co-mingled bins tend to be located in the hall for greater access to students and professors/administrators/staff.
• 4. Runyan Center (student center) - Runyan Center has the following bins for recycling:
  • 1) Tall Blue bin for Newspaper only
  • 2) Tall Blue bin for Magazines only
  • 3) Tall Blue bin for office paper
  • 4) Tall Blue bin for Co-mingled items (for plastics #1 and #2, aluminum cans and glass bottles)
• 5. Outdoors - Currently there are no outdoor receptacles for recycling.
• 6. At Certain Events
• 7. Maintenance - The following items can be brought to Maintenance (located across from the side entrance to Hoerner and behind the Wellness center):
  • 1) scrap metal-location?
  • 2) corrugated cardboard- a dumpster is located between the back of maintenance and the big yellow equipment shed.
  • 3) old electronics/computers-location?
  • 4) lead/acid batteries-location?
  • 5) ink cartridges/cell phone batteries-location?

DROP-OFF RECYCLING INFORMATION IN THE RICHMOND AREA

http://www.waste-not.org

This is a great resource from the Wayne County soil and water conservation district. In it they include a complete page of drop-off recycling facilities and information about curbside recycling in Richmond/Wayne County.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT RECYCLING

Q-I imagine we should get our heads together, to generate more questions. S.H.

• 1. What happens when trash is put in recycling bins (or some other way to address contamination)?
• 2. Can I recycle all types of cardboard at Earlham?
• 3. Maybe the same sort of question about plastics??

COMPOSTING AT EARLHAM

WHO SHOULD I CONTACT IF MY COMPOST IS NOT BEING PICKED UP? Contact: Dan Horowitz (horowda@earlham.edu)

WHERE CAN I COMPOST:

1. 1. In the dining hall: Next to the trash bins where trays are also brought, there is a separate can for compostable items.
2. 2. All college houses have one five gallon compost bucket.
3. 3. Clear Creek Food Co-op: Inside the co-op there is a bucket for waste generated from daily lunches, as well as a large trash can outside of the co-op, on the Barrett side.

WHAT CAN I COMPOST: *All food except meat and dairy (milk, cheese, yogurt, etc.)

WHERE DOES THE COMPOST GO and HOW DOES IT GET THERE? All compost generated at Earlham goes out to Miller Farm. Miller Farm is a college-owned, student-run farm located on Abington Pike. For more info go to http://www.millerfarm.org Two to three student workers are hired each semester on a work-study basis to transport the compost out to the farm. Bikes are used to carry the compost out on a regular basis depending on pick-up location. The compost is then used on gardens maintained by the residents of Miller Farm throughout the growing season.

WHY DOES EARLHAM COMPOST?

We compost to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill and to benefit the student-run agriculture program based at Miller Farm. Food waste that goes out to Miller Farm would otherwise go with the rest of trash to the Richmond landfill. By composting, over time, we significantly reduce the amount of waste we produce. And, the soil at Miller Farm is enriched by the application of the compost.

HOW IS THE COMPOST USED AT MILLER FARM?

Compost is brought from the dining hall and put in a pile where it begins to decompose. Successive loads of compost result in a mass of ‘organic matter’ which generates heat via the decomposition process. A variety of organisms (aerobic bacteria, fungi, actinomycetes and macroorgamisms such as earthworms)consume the nutrients available in leftover food and help to produce 'humus.' Humus-a soil-like substance-is incorporated into the soil and improves soil structure, increases moisture retention, and increases the availability of nutrients and minerals for plant growth. Residents of Miller Farm manage the compost piles and use the humus after spring tillage to add organic matter to the soil. The compost is applied when necessary during the growing season to strengthen soil balance and prevent pest and disease spread. It is sometimes used again after fall harvest and before a winter cover crop is sown to build soil quality over the winter.

For more information on compost and composting go to: <www.cfe.cornell.edu/wmi/Composting.html>, <css.wsu.edu/compost/>

CONTACTS

Director of Facilities: Glen Haywood (haywogl@earlham.edu) x1678
contact regarding comingled pickup, and drop-off of other recyclables on campus

Housekeeping Director: Bruce Dodds (doddsbr@earlham.edu), x1854
contact regarding office paper recycling pickup, summer pickup of comingled

Environmental Responsibility Committee:
contact regarding policies, planning, and campus oversight

• Scott Hess, Convenor (hesssc@earlham.edu)
• Glen Haywood
• Katie Delbecq
• Rick Foreman
• Nancy Jackson
• Ben Jaffe
• Christine Larson
• Jennifer Lewis
• Charlie Peck (sabbatical, 2006-2007)
• Meg Streepey

Earlham Environmental Action Coalition (http://www.earlham.edu/~eeac/)
contact regarding student initiatives and participation in recycling programs

Earlham Energy Awareness Project (http://eeap.cs.earlham.edu/)
contact regarding tracking energy use in campus houses

Miller Farm (http://www.millerfarm.org/wiki/Main_Page) x2982
contact regarding composting

MAINTENANCE BUILDING HOURS
8:00am -4:00pm M-F
contact regarding recycling drop-off for cardboard, batteries, and scrap metal what else can be dropped off here?? - CL

CURRENT RECYCLING POLICIES

File:Recycling policies.pdf