Tough Stuff Recycling Fest!

Please mark your calendar for this event - the Recycling Committee at IU South Bend has organized its annual recycling festival the week of April 19 - 25.

From Monday, April 19th, to Saturday, April 25th, people can drop off the items listed below at IU South Bend campus locations: Administration Building (Grille cafeteria), Student Activities Center, Northside Hall, and Wiekamp Hall:

• STYROFOAM - Expanded polystyrene #6 (we can only accept white, small beaded, Styrofoam that has a recycling symbol that says #6 PS; e.g., Styrofoam coolers, Styrofoam used to pack electronics)

• PACKING PEANUTS AND BUBBLE WRAP

• EGG CARTONS (any type)

• PLASTIC BAGS (any type, including grocery bags, dry cleaning, bread bags, newspaper, etc)

• SHOES - shoes need to be rubber banded together in pairs

On Saturday, April 25th, from 10am - 2pm behind the Administration Building, in addition to all of the items listed above, we will also be collecting:

• COMPUTERS - $15 charge for each monitor

• Giving away TV COUPONS (one coupon per household) from the St. Joseph Solid Waste Management District. These coupons will allow you to take your used TV to Solid Waste for proper recycling free of charge (TVs will not be collected at IUSB, but must be dropped of at Hazardous Waste Facility on 5th Street in Mishawaka).

What will be done with the materials collected?
Styrofoam will be taken to the TEGRANT Corporation in Michigan City, where it will be remolded into new Styrofoam containers. Packing peanuts and bubble wrap will be taken to UPS stores. Egg cartons will be given to local chicken farmers and churches. Plastic bags will be recycled at Wal-Mart and area grocery stores. Shoes will be sent to the Shoes-4-Africa program, local Goodwill, and really worn shoes will be sent to Nike Grind (to be ground and used to make surfaces for athletic courts). Computers will be refurbished by Free Geek and redistributed to lower income households in Michiana.

This event is being sponsored by the Environmental Justice Club, Recycling Committee, and Center for a Sustainable Future.

I hope to see many friendly faces at this year's event! 

Experimentaholic's Recycling-Lid Obsession Continues

What does eight years of higher education at the University of Chicago buy you? For Experimentaholic, it's somehow led him to pick through garbage and recyclables at several public venues! :0)

Remember the post about the effectiveness of using container lids on recycling bins? That project was apparently the spark that ignited Experimentaholic's flame in observing "smart" vs "stupid" recycling bins. Not all recycling bins were created equal as we recently discovered.

If you have a free moment, check-out Experimentaholic's post. And if you have a picture of a smart (or stupid) recycling bin, please send it to him and join the recycling-lid obsession!

A Three-Way Tie!!

Wow, I'm surprised by this three-way tie! Maybe you'll also be surprised when I tell you the results. To quickly recap, Experimentaholic conducted a four-week observation to examine the usefulness of these container lids:

He counted the number of bottles and cans discarded into 30 bins, twice each week, for four weeks. As you can see, there were three types of bins: trash, aluminum/glass/plastic, and paper. He discreetly removed the lids off 15 containers, so that half of the bins had lids on them and half of the bins did not have lids on them. That way, he could find out if these lids affected the recycling rate.

Some* of you indicated that using these lids do NOT affect the recycling rate. In terms of this three-way tie, however, there's a stalemate among these possibilities:

1. Using container lids REDUCE the recycling rate (i.e., people are more likely to discard their bottles and cans into the trashcan)

2. Using container lids INCREASE the recycling rate (i.e., people are more likely to properly dispose their bottles and cans into the correct bin)

3. I have no idea!

Well, now the mystery is about to be solved. See for yourself and be amazed by Experimentaholic's discovery! Here's the result in the lids-absent condition and here's the result in the lids-present condition. So what do you think? Are you surprised by these findings? I'm curious to hear your reactions! :0)

____

*Meghan, it's so great to hear from you - I've missed you!!

Please Cast Your Vote!

There's still a week to vote on whether recycling lids really affect behavior. And I only have 11 votes so far! So if you've already voted, then get your friends to vote (no double voting, please!).

Right now, there seems to be a split between "I have no idea" and "having these lids on reduces recycling behavior," so let's see if there's going to be a tie-breaker this week.

Just to recap, I'm curious to know what you think about using recycling lids on top of recycling containers. Are they effective? Or do they somehow encourage folks to throw their items in the trashcan?

On one hand, maybe having the lids on increases the recycling rate because those lids prompt folks to toss their items into the appropriate container. On the other hand, however, maybe having the lids on decreases the recycling rate because a person has to consider where they should toss their discarded item; and maybe it's just easier to throw it away in the trash. (It's as though tossing something in the trash is the default option.) Of course, a third possibility is that having these lids on really doesn't matter, and is therefore a waste of money to purchase these lids. So what do you think?

I'm really eager to reveal this result to you, so get those votes turned in!!

Do Recycling Lids Really Matter?

Have you ever wondered whether recycling lids are really effective at reducing the amount of recyclables thrown in the trash and increasing the recycling rate? Or does having these lids on somehow encourage folks to toss items into the trash?

I recently had this conversation with a friend....but he's no ordinary person; this guy likes to conduct experiments! So Experimentaholic wanted to determine the effectiveness of using these recycling lids - and "naturally," he rigged an experiment at his school just to find out.

Here's the general set-up: At both ends of a long hallway were several containers. Some of the containers were for recycling cans, paper, and plastic; another was for trash.

To examine whether the presence or absence of these recycling lids affect the recycling rate, Experimentaholic took the lids off one set of bins (i.e., experimental group) and kept the lids on the other set of bins (i.e., control group). At midpoint of the week, he switched the lids in order to rule out hallway location as a potential confound. For one week, Experimentaholic counted the number of items in each container. (Ewww....gross!!)

So what do you think happened? We have three options to consider:

A. Recycling lids don't influence whether someone recycles their materials or not

B. Recycling lids increase the recycling rate (i.e., people are more likely to recycle)

C. Recycling lids decrease the recycling rate (i.e., people are more likely to use the trash bin)

I'm really curious to know what you think happened- check out the poll on the blog and cast your vote regarding Experimentaholic's latest discovery! (I'll post his results after the poll ends.)

Coming Up: America Recycles Day

My friend, Diana Mendelsohn, is co-organizing an event for America Recycles Day, which is on Nov. 15. She's asked me to help spread the word about this event, so here's what's happening:

From 10am to 11am at the St. Joseph County Solid Waste District office, Diana will give a short talk entitled, “Want to save or make money? Tips on how to reuse, reduce, restore & recycle everyday & make it work for you!” Displays and information will be available, and there will be a showcase of items made from recycled materials (i.e., garden stepping stones, an "earth-wagon" made from reused plastic, recycled art). There will be light refreshments and door prizes, too.

And if you're interested in signing a pledge to recycle, click here. Based on these pledge entries, six winners will be randomly selected to receive a year's worth of free curbside recycling or a basket filled with recycled goods.

BYOC: Bring Your Own Cup!

Okay, I'll admit it: I'm pooped from thinking about this Styrofoam vs. bio-cup issue. I hadn't realized what a *hot* topic this has turned out to be, and quite frankly, I need to read published research reports on this topic (i.e., recyclability of Styrofoam, potential health risks, leaching rates, and so on). Of course, this is in addition to me writing three grant proposals that are due in Nov, Dec, and Jan. And this is in addition to me grading...oh, dear...I'm wiped out at the moment!

But one thing I learned this week was that IU South Bend allows folks to bring their own cups and mugs for filling-up their favorite beverage at the SAC and Grille. (The SAC and Grille are the on-campus dining facilities at IU South Bend.) I heard this from Steve Rose himself - he's the Director of Dining Services - so you have his blessing to bring your own cup.

So while we continue to contemplate this Styrofoam issue, please do your part by bringing your own cup with you when dining at IU South Bend. Remember, we're trying to reduce waste on campus, and every little bit helps. BYOC!

Money, Money, Money...Money!

Today I met with Steve Rose, the Director of Dining Services at IU South Bend. We discussed the possibility of switching from using Styrofoam products to biodegradable products. In short, this transition will involve a step-by-step process. Well, that's not quite true. From what I gathered from today's meeting, there's really only one step involved: money. According to Steve, biodegradable products cost twice as much as the Styrofoam. So until those prices fall, which is unlikely to happen in the near future, IU South Bend will continue to purchase Styrofoam goods.

Although I learned about the relative cost differences associated to using Styrofoam vs. biodegradable plastic, I couldn't obtain the absolute prices. I really would like to know how much money it costs to order Styrofoam vs. 'bio-plastic'. If I knew those actual price estimates, then I could find out whether it's possible to do business with a company that would offer us a good deal on bio-plastics.

So, what do we do? At this time, the likelihood of making this switch is slim-to-none. And I wonder how many students and faculty would raise a demand for this switch. According to Steve, IU South Bend consumes so many disposable products because we're a commuter campus. Of course, there's no evidence to confirm or deny this claim; it's merely speculation at this point. But I'm curious to know how many students and faculty would be willing to use bio-plastic, even if that meant paying more money for these products.

Another alternative would be to provide a financial incentive (i.e., discount) to individuals who bring their reusable mugs and containers for on-campus dining. And I was also thinking of incorporating additional recycling bins for Styrofoam. Steve said that it's possible to have these recycling bins, but that it would be difficult for people to separate their trash from the Styrofoam container. He suggested that the Recycling Committee could have a booth in the dining hall to educate people on how to properly dispose of their used Styrofoam.

So that's what happened this afternoon. I'll report back to the Recycling Committee next month and see where we go from here. Until then, I'll keep brainstorming some ideas on how to curb our Styrofoam habit.

Oh! And before I forget: I also mentioned the possibility of composting the bio-plastic. (This was based on Radical Garbage Man's brilliant suggestion from last week's comment. Thanks RGM!!) Unfortunately, that idea kinda fell flat on its head. I learned that I would first have to discuss this with Facilities, find a location on campus to deal with the compost, and maintain it. As I listened to the logistics of actually implementing this program, I realized that this was a moot issue for two reasons: 1) IU South Bend isn't going to order any bio-plastics for now, and 2) dining services generates little food waste. So while I genuinely like this idea, I think it'll have to be tabled until the possibility of buying bio-plastics becomes more probable.

Does IUSB Actually Recycle?

Adam recently left a comment asking me whether or not IUSB actually recycles their recyclables. Adam, thanks for contacting me about this issue! (I figured I'd post this information here instead of replying in a comment. Hopefully, more people will read this message and the rumor will be quelled once and for all.)

So the issue regards the use of clear vs. opaque plastic liners for recycling. HIMCO, the company that handles both our waste and recyclables, prefers that IUSB use clear liners. But long story short, the recyclable ARE indeed being recycled, even though we use opaque liners. Michael Prater, the Director of Facilities (and also a member of the Recycling Committee), has directly observed the recyclables being transported for recycling at HIMCO, which is located in Elkhart.

The reason why it's okay for IUSB to use opaque plastic liners is because the sorting process actually takes place on-site at HIMCO.

Last February, I made a trip to HIMCO to see this recycling business for myself. I must say, it was quite an eye-opening experience! For starters, as I approached the facility, I noticed three flags: The company flag, the U.S. flag, and the Mexico flag. As part of the tour, I was allowed to enter the sorting area, which was located in a brick building about 3-stories high. Upon reaching the top of the metal stairs, I entered a long and narrow room. As soon as my tour guide opened the door, I heard Mexican music blaring. And then I saw this room, which was divided in half by a conveyor belt that carried the recyclables to this part of the facility. Flanked on each side of the conveyor belt were six people: three Mexican women and three Mexican men. And those folks were standing next to these really big chutes. So their job was to pick through the recyclables and sort them accordingly. For instance, I watched this guy select all the milk jugs and aluminum cans and place those items into their respective chutes for recycling.

It really was a sight to see. I had no idea what to expect from that experience! Anyway, if you're interested in taking a tour of this facility, please let me know and I'll be happy to make these arrangements for you! Also, the Recycling Committee is always seeking student members--please let me know if you would like to join us and help make IUSB a greener campus! :0)

There's a New Sheriff in Town...

Okay, so I'm not the new Sheriff in town, but yours truly is now Chair of the Recycling Committee at IU South Bend. I'm happy to take on this role. One challenge this year is to increase our visibility on campus. That means making announcements, writing articles about our recycling efforts in the school newspapers, and updating our ancient webpage.

Another challenge will be addressing the use of Styrofoam on the campus. The challenge will be to use alternative products (i.e., biodegradable plates), which may be more expensive. I'm meeting with the Director of Dining Services about this issue. Hopefully, we'll be able to work together to make IU South Bend more eco-friendly.

And of course, there are other issues that merit our attention: cartridge recycling, the Green Disc Program (a program to recycling e-waste--and that means not shipping this waste to China or India, but actually recycling these products properly!), getting more recycling bins for IT, and confirming the recycling efforts taking place at the new student apartments.

As with most projects, there's a lot of behind-the-scenes activities that must be organized and executed. It's too much for one person to handle by their lonesome. But thank goodness, the recycling committee includes a team of faculty, staff, and students. Provided we work together, I'm confident we'll be able to reach and achieve our goals.

It's Not Fauxcycling, It's Recycling

martin's
Originally uploaded by mverges

Well, it took me about a week of playing phone tag, but I finally got the scoop on Martin's plastic-bag recycling program. Here's the short answer: They're indeed recycling plastic bags.

Right now, Martin's has a pilot program at one of the area stores here in South Bend. So far, they've managed to create one bale of bags (~1200 plastic bags). Commercial Waste picks up the bags and then ships them out-of-state (i.e., Ohio) for recycling.

When I spoke to the store manager last week, he said that Waste Management was picking up the bags. To an uninformed consumer, his response sounds legit. But I've been cursed with plastic-bag knowledge, so I knew this was inaccurate information. (Waste Management doesn't accept plastic bags for recycling.) And given our recent conversation about fauxcycling, I thought it would be wise to obtain accurate information about this program. I'd hate for someone to be misinformed about this pilot program and wrongly conclude this may be another case of fauxcycling.

Martin's: A Test Case for Recycling Plastic Bags

Since I first started blogging about plastic bags last year, I learned that Wal-Mart was the only store in my area that recycles plastic bags. I also discovered that Martin's grocery store used to recycle plastic bags, but they stopped the program in 2001.

Well, Martin's is making a comeback. They're running a test case at one of the store locations (for those of you who live in South Bend, the store is located on Ireland Rd.).

Piqued by this information, I called Martin's this morning to find out where they ship their bags for recycling. (To date, the state of Indiana does not have facilities for recycling plastic bags, so these bags have to be shipped to other states for recycling.)

I spoke with Frank Leddy, the store manager. According to Frank, Waste Management collects the bags. "Do you know where the bags are shipped to after Waste Management picks them up?," I asked. He didn't.

That's okay. I'm friends with Susan O'Brien, who's the Account Manager of Waste Management. So I gave her a call and left her a message. Hopefully, she'll be able to give me the skinny about Martin's recycling program. I'm really curious to know more about this recent development! And of course, I'll let you know what I find out as I gain more information about Martin's recycling test case. :0)

Can We Recycle on the Go?

I finally made it home from my trip to Puerto Rico. And though I had a wonderful time visiting my family and viewing the sights, there were moments throughout my trip that got me thinking about trash, particularly trash that's generated at airports. To my knowledge, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport doesn't have a recycling program. At least, I didn't see a single recycling bin, neither did this man who threw away his newspaper into the trash bin. What a shame, I thought. Can we recycle on the go?

Surely, there are airports that offer recycling. And I do remember seeing recycling bins at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport. Wouldn't this be a boon to the recycling industry if they expanded their businesses at airports? And how about recycling those aluminum cans and water bottles on airplanes? Although it's perhaps difficult to conceive of a "green" airline, it would be a step in the right direction if airline companies recycled their cans, bottles, and newspapers. I actually thought Delta offered recycling, but I was disappointed when the flight attendant threw away my empty water bottle in the trash. Yep, that's right: I forgot to bring my SIGG travel bottle with me. Ah, my personal guilt trip continues....

Anyway, I did a quick search online and discovered a few airports that offer recycling:

• San Diego International Airport
  
• Salt Lake City Department of Airports


• Fort Lauderdale International Airport


• Portland International Airport


• Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport


• Seattle-Tacoma International Airport

The EPA also provides a comprehensive overview on how to initiate a recycling program at "your" airport. Though I commend the EPA for providing this information, how reasonable is it to think an individual could really implement this program on their own? For starters, you would need "senior management support," a "recycling coordinator", a team of "green employees," and a host of materials and supplies. Might this information be better suited for recycling programs that wish to expand their business practices?

In the meantime, I've challenged myself to reduce my garbage footprint when traveling. Based on my recent experience, I suspect this will be a greater challenge than I had initially anticipated.

Elkhart Recycling Plant Explodes

I heard on the radio this morning that a recycling plant exploded late last night. The fire is so bad that firefighters are still working on the scene to control the blaze. Sadly, one man died while trying to escape from the fire. The captain of the fire department said this is one of the worst fires he's seen in a long time.

How will this explosion affect us? Folks who live near to the recycling plant have been asked to conserve water. Firefighters need all the water they can get to squelch those flames. I can't help but wonder what other repercussions will follow now that this recycling facility is gone.

For more details, click here to read the story published in today's South Bend Tribune.

Drinking Water...28 Billion Bottles Each Year

On today's Morning Edition, I heard a story about the increased demand to recycle water bottles. Turns out, most folks trash their used water bottles. If US recycling facilities have it their way, however, more bottle bills will be passed to increase the recycling rate of water bottles. (The current recycling rate for water & soda bottles is 23%.)

From an environmental perspective, passing a bottle bill sounds like a great idea. It simply doesn't make much sense to toss precious resources into landfills. After all, water bottles are made from polyethylene terephthalate (i.e., crude oil and natural gas), which are non-renewable resources.

But don't forget about economics: Recyclers will make tons of money from selling old water bottles to businesses. According to the Container Recycling Institute, Americans consume approximately 28 billion single-serve water bottles each year. How much money will businesses profit from recycling used water bottles? China knows the answer to this question. They're the #1 importers of this product.

All this talk about recycling, however, ignores the other two R's: reduce and reuse. We can sidestep this issue dramatically by using reusable water bottles.

Since hearing Elizabeth Royte's featured speech at BagFest, I made the switch from using plastic bottles to this ultra-cool reusable bottle made from aluminum. It really was just a minor tweak in my drinking behavior. If you're interested in making the water-bottle switch, check out this website: www.reusablebags.com

Reflections

This class has challenged me to think of alternatives for creating a more environmentally conscious world. I have now started using the reusable bags at the grocery store. I must admit it has been a challenge to remember to bring the bags but as Michelle suggested, I just add a reminder on my grocery list to bring them. I have now also started recycling my newspapers, aluminum cans and plastics such as milk containers, yogurt containers, etc. It does take a little bit of an effort to rinse the containers out and choose which bin to throw them in. However, I am certain that it will pay off in the end. I may not see the results right away if ever in my lifetime. Just knowing I am being thoughtful of others future makes me humble. I feel an obligation now to be responsible for what is mine. This includes where my stuff is disposed. This class has truly opened my eyes to see on a much larger scale how my actions affect others. It certainly has been an experience I will not forget.

Paper Recycling

So way, way, way back in the 6th grade, our class did a recycling project where we crafted our own "homemade recycled paper". I remembered it being relatively easy to do, not too messy, inexpensive, and most importantly- fun! Knowing that many people in our class have kids, I thought it would be neat if I could find and post directions on how to do this. I did a few searches and found this great instructional video on youtube.
DIY Paper Recycling:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIF-5ZhxMmA

Also, I found this other really interesting news clip about a new material, made from recycled paper, that is being used to build homes. I'm not sure if it was mentioned on the blog already, but the video is only a couple minutes long so be sure to check it out!!
Papercrete:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qArHD0kPGjM

toilet paper fixation continuance...

Well, I had to give a persuasive speech (for speech class). I did mine about toilet paper. Well, okay, the "dangers" of virgin papermaking and the benefits of recycling, centered around a toilet paper theme. What can I say, Royte really inspired me; I never imagined I would develop a passion for bathroom tissue.

So, anyway, my speech got selected (23 out of 450) to be presented on speech night!!!! So, I get to "redo" the speech in front of a much larger audience. I asked my speech prof how many people would be there, she shrugged and said the room holds 250. (YIKES) and if I make it to finals (it's a competition) that's 2x the audience! I'm one part excited, 5 parts terrified, and 10 parts grateful I get to pass on this very important information I've been given.

The speech is Monday the 16th btw 4-6 in the recital hall (NS 158) if any of y'all wanna come by and hear the whole spiel.

Hooah!

Melis'

Recycling Paper

I found these interesting statistics from the EIA (Energy Information Administration) web page. This web page gives information about official energy statistics from the U.S Government. If you want to see more information, go to http://www.eia.doe.gov/






In 2003, the paper industry in the U.S. reached its goal to recover 50 percent of all paper.By achieving this goal, 20 million more tons of paper were recovered. The industry has set a new goal of recovering 55 percent of used paper by 2012. Today, more than a third of all the paper recovered in the world is recovered in the U.S. Old corrugated containers (boxes) account for nearly 50 percent of the total paper that is recycled.

Does anyone know of this?

Bill and I were at the post office today. He went in line and I looked around. When I see something that says 'recycle', it gets my attention. So I read it. It was pre-postaged envelopes for recycling your ink cartridges. Just put it back in the packaging when it's empty, put in the envelope, and mail it. How easy is that. It gets mailed to a recycling center in Franklin, Tenn. I was wanting to know if anyone else has seen this, too? Let me know. And what else does this center recycle? I will try to find out.