Recycling at ASD:
Get involved

Notes from the September 2009 meeting of the Recycling Advisory Group

Parents, students and teachers, along with city, business and non-profit representatives shared ASD recycling stories and reviewed the first year of the district's mixed-paper program at the September Recycling Advisory Group meeting. What worked and what can be improved? It was clear from the discussions/interest in how recycling was implemented at the different ASD locations that there is a need to share successful strategies and lessons learned in an easy-to-access location such as the ASD Web site. Discussions included data collection and the outreach campaign to increase participation and decrease contamination.

MIXED PAPER – RECAP/UPDATE

The goal of the school district's recycling program is:

1. Instill the ethic of good stewardship for the environment with our students and staff alike.

2. Divert recyclable material (mixed-paper) from our waste stream.

3. Do it cost-effectively. By diverting material (mixed-paper) from our waste stream and making adjustments to the trash collection end of our waste stream we can reduce ASD’s trash hauling bills to offset the cost of recycling.

It not only makes fiscal sense, but demonstrates our commitment to be being good stewards of our environment.

The amount of paper we recycle continues to increase. As the program was phased-in during the first year, ASD successfully recycled more than 56 tons of mixed-paper.

Mixed-paper is by far the largest recyclable in our waste-stream and it’s been estimated that we can recycle upwards of 1,000 tons.

Paper is not the only material in our waste stream. Other recycling efforts include:

• Plastic bottle and aluminum can recycling: Many schools are recycling these items through volunteer efforts (it’s not clear how many).

• The Vehicle Division and sections of the Maintenance Department have been recycling auto batteries and metal (motors, engines, ballasts, wire, etc.).

• Operations purchases environmentally-friendly janitorial products when possible, and reuses or recycles electrical cords, motors, etc.

• Student Nutrition recycles tin cans (started last year and has recycled more than six tons to date).

• During construction, Clark Middle School had a ‘cardboard only’ roll-off bin to handle the large volumes of cardboard.

• Computers are recycled with Apple through the Warehouse surplus system.

• Facilities is running a pilot energy efficiency program which provides audits to selected schools showing simple measures to reduce natural gas, electric and water consumption. A portion of dollars saved on utility bills is given directly back to the school.

• The Warehouse reuses cardboard boxes, and many facilities save and return their boxes for this purpose.

SECOND YEAR OF A DISTRICTWIDE RECYCLING PROGRAM

What Is Working

Overall, the program has had wonderful reception and the amount recycled within the district has progressively increased through the school year. Program successes include:

• Student involvement with the mixed paper recycling is a big benefit and will be carried through their years with ASD.

• Building awareness through multiple outreach methods. Everyone has a different learning style and combining print, personal visits, presentations, Web presence and meeting formats such as the forums has created a broad platform from which the information is being disseminated.

• Realistic goals - keeping expectations in the realm of reality has played a big part in keeping the program moving forward.

• Support from the executive level. Continued discussion or mention of the need (i.e. requirement) to support the program at every appropriate opportunity is key to increasing participation within the schools.

• Creating networks both within ASD and outside ASD departments and with businesses and organizations external to ASD is imperative to learning what opportunities exist to expand the program, as well as building beneficial relationships -- it’s good to know who to turn to for collaborative problem solving and troubleshooting.

What Needs Improvement

Because the program is still fairly new, not all stumbling blocks have been uncovered. Issues uncovered may also be larger in scope than just to affect recycling.

• Stressing that recycling is a whole school effort is necessary to avoid having the burden rest on one or two individuals in the schools. Getting the adults involved is as important to program sustainability as keeping the students involved, if not more so.

• Although many staff and faculty members have stepped up to the plate, increasing the awareness and support from principals to instruct their faculty and staff to assist and join the students in getting the recyclables from buildings and into the dumpster needs to be maintained and increased. Again, creating mantra that recycling is a whole school effort (and in a soft way that it isn’t voluntary).

• Data collection methods. Better alternatives?

• Outreach will be ever evolving. A campaign “Let’s Get Wild about Recycling” is being developed with the Communications Department.

What’s next?

Working to identify solutions to the few schools did not fit the norm -- small alternative and charter schools that are not large enough to warrant a dumpster on-site. This also includes Girdwood Elementary due to its location and size.

• Share successful strategies and lessons learned to refine and improve the recycling program.

• Conduct a survey and post information on the Web site --individual page for each location.

Before we can look into expanding the ASD recycling program, ASD needs to increase participation and decrease contamination in the mixed-paper program and make the necessary adjustments to the trash end of the district's waste stream. When this happens we’ll begin to realize the cost savings associated with recycling.

To-do list

• November event/forum - planning meeting (interested in participating please contact Andre Camara

• Brochure – incorporate 3 R’s (Andre will email draft to advisory group for brainstorming/suggestions)

• Need volunteer(s) to assist in school recycling research project – how individual schools implement the mixed-paper recycling, who has a recycling/enviro club and who recycles what.

• Develop and conduct survey through survey monkey.

- Andre Camara

The Recycling Advisory Group