When we recycle our goods there are two different paths which they may fall under; Closed Loop or Open Loop. These two different paths represent how the material will be used once it is recycled.
Some products become what they once were, i.e paper gets turned back into paper, an aluminum can becomes an aluminum can, this is a Closed Loop Path.
Other products become different products; plastic becomes fleece, old tires become an material used in playground equipment and the flooring of these areas, this is a Open Loop Path.
But there are many materials that have the chance of taking either of these paths, glass is a good example. Glass can be used as a glass bottle again, but needs to be source separated. This is because companies use a particular type of glass; green, brown, clear and if glass is all mixed, it has little value to these companies. So a lot of time glass is used as an aggregate or broken down into tiny pieces and placed back into the ground.
So a goal of recycling should be to develop more closed loop systems, which will give a longer lifespan to these materials. We could begin to classify materials like glass, paper, aluminum and others by there generation number, meaning how many times has it been recycled.
But there may be changes to the current system required in the collection and manufacturing processes of recyclables in order to achieve this. We may need to go to a model that source separates more, like in other countries and states. By doing this individual items may be returned back the maker or user like glass or possible electronics. Only the future will tell.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Recycling Challenge History
Mayor Larson's Recycling Challenge is not the first recycling challenge for King County. In 2008, Renton held the first recycling challenge for the county with 6 teams competing against each other to see who could reduce their waste by the greatest percentage.
If you are interested in the previous challenge and the contestants visit:
http://your.kingcounty.gov/solidwaste/garbage-recycling/neighborhood-challenge.asp
Some of the differences in the challenges is that in Snoqualmie families will be competing against the mayor as well as other residents, which is pretty unique. The way in which the families were chosen are different between the two cities, in Renton they were all on one block and in Snoqualmie it is open to all residents. In Renton families trash was weighed each week by King County, which was allowed due to proximity of the contestants. In Snoqualmie families will only have their trash weighed twice, once at the begining and once at the end.
Both challenges help bring awarness and excitement within communities around recycling. Each challenge has been a colaboration between the city and county, which helps build transparency and support across governmental scales. In the end all benefit from the efforts and outreach done through holding an event like this.
If you are interested in the previous challenge and the contestants visit:
http://your.kingcounty.gov/solidwaste/garbage-recycling/neighborhood-challenge.asp
Some of the differences in the challenges is that in Snoqualmie families will be competing against the mayor as well as other residents, which is pretty unique. The way in which the families were chosen are different between the two cities, in Renton they were all on one block and in Snoqualmie it is open to all residents. In Renton families trash was weighed each week by King County, which was allowed due to proximity of the contestants. In Snoqualmie families will only have their trash weighed twice, once at the begining and once at the end.
Both challenges help bring awarness and excitement within communities around recycling. Each challenge has been a colaboration between the city and county, which helps build transparency and support across governmental scales. In the end all benefit from the efforts and outreach done through holding an event like this.
Why do people not recycle more?
With the amount of awareness that is out there about the importance of recycling why is it that people do not recycle more? In 2008, the EPA reported that our recycling rate as a country was 33.2% for Municipal Solid Waste (http://www.epa.gov/osw/nonhaz/municipal/pubs/msw2008rpt.pdf). There have been no major gains in recycling since 2000 from their research. So why is this?
King County Washington, from their studies and analysis have found that there are 5 main reasons for why households are not recycling at higher rates:
1. Convenience – not enough recycling bins or located in the wrong places
2. Recycling bins aren’t big enough
3. Not sure what is recyclable
4. Don’t like to rinse out containers
5. Think they recycle “Enough”
These five things show that we need to have a recycling bin in all areas were trash is produces. These bins also need to be large enough. At my home the waste bin is the smallest can and the recycling bins which there are two of, are much larger, which better represents the realities of waste production.
Once households have placed recycle bins in all of the trash areas on the property, there needs to be some sort of signage informing users of what can be recycled some where near the container. An easy way of doing this is to place a sticker on the can with this information. Another option is to acquire the recycling flier outlining what can be recycled from your local government or garbage hauler and place it on or above the recycling bin.
In order for recyclables to be of there highest value they need to be cleaned of all food residue. Many people do not like this part and will just place them in the garbage or in the recycling bin with out cleaning. If placed in the recycle bin, it will cause contamination, which reduces the value of the goods, so it is actually better to just through those items away, than just placing them in the recycling bin hoping someone else will clean it out.
King County has provided residents with a green plastic spatula that help with cleaning out jars and containers. Having one these handy will help make recycling more convenient and easier. By placing the message on the side, it reinforces the importance of recycling every time used. These simple techniques will make recycling more of a focal point in households, workplaces and public spaces.
The last reason why people do not recycle more is the hardest to change, which is changing perception. How do you inform people of the actual amounts of waste that is being recycled. We currently do not have a way of quantifying waste amounts for individual households, so there is no way of showing people the realities of there efforts. One way though is by reducing the size of you garbage can, which reduces your garbage bill in Snoqualmie. Local Governments and private entities need to continue to encourage, educate and make the resources more available to the public on recycling so that we can achieve our future goals in solid waste management.
King County Washington, from their studies and analysis have found that there are 5 main reasons for why households are not recycling at higher rates:
1. Convenience – not enough recycling bins or located in the wrong places
2. Recycling bins aren’t big enough
3. Not sure what is recyclable
4. Don’t like to rinse out containers
5. Think they recycle “Enough”
These five things show that we need to have a recycling bin in all areas were trash is produces. These bins also need to be large enough. At my home the waste bin is the smallest can and the recycling bins which there are two of, are much larger, which better represents the realities of waste production.
Once households have placed recycle bins in all of the trash areas on the property, there needs to be some sort of signage informing users of what can be recycled some where near the container. An easy way of doing this is to place a sticker on the can with this information. Another option is to acquire the recycling flier outlining what can be recycled from your local government or garbage hauler and place it on or above the recycling bin.
In order for recyclables to be of there highest value they need to be cleaned of all food residue. Many people do not like this part and will just place them in the garbage or in the recycling bin with out cleaning. If placed in the recycle bin, it will cause contamination, which reduces the value of the goods, so it is actually better to just through those items away, than just placing them in the recycling bin hoping someone else will clean it out.
King County has provided residents with a green plastic spatula that help with cleaning out jars and containers. Having one these handy will help make recycling more convenient and easier. By placing the message on the side, it reinforces the importance of recycling every time used. These simple techniques will make recycling more of a focal point in households, workplaces and public spaces.
The last reason why people do not recycle more is the hardest to change, which is changing perception. How do you inform people of the actual amounts of waste that is being recycled. We currently do not have a way of quantifying waste amounts for individual households, so there is no way of showing people the realities of there efforts. One way though is by reducing the size of you garbage can, which reduces your garbage bill in Snoqualmie. Local Governments and private entities need to continue to encourage, educate and make the resources more available to the public on recycling so that we can achieve our future goals in solid waste management.
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