Recycling in the SL DistrictAn overview of an Internship Project

Dina FreedmanGEOG 695012.13.11

Pop Quiz

• How much trash do we each generate a day?

• 4 lbs

• How much garbage in the curbside trash bins in SL county do you think is recyclable? (%)

•Audits found up to 60%

– From greenfiber.com and ksl.com

The Problem

• School recycling was at 50%• No formal program• Calculations had previously not been made to

show the improvements from recycling– Cost reduction/Savings– Environmental Improvements (CO2)– Trash Reduction (quantity)

Previous Work• SLD is considered Energy Star Leader by the EPA (Press

Release, 2011)• 50% of the schools were recycling mixed materials• Successful implementation of paper recycling at 40+ tons a

month

Deficiencies/Problems

• Custodial pushback of “too much work”• Administration roadblocks/confusion• Lack of student green teams/participation

Problem Questions

• How do we decrease the amount of trash removal and increase the amount of recyclable material?

• Why isn’t every school involved?• What are the obstacles?– Perceived workload– All schools haven’t been reached yet– Time to work with schools/parents/admin

Methods

• Use existing data on price and volume– Cost savings & projections

• Survey administered to collect opinions and ideas– Custodial, administrative, kitchen staff

• Network with schools to communicate benefits of recycling

• Donor meetings/proposals

Deliverables/Methods • A “Best Practices Guide”• Increased school participation• Administered surveys

63%8%

25%

4%

Bag use at cafeteria recycling schools

Fewer Bags UsedNot Using Fewer BagsSame AmountDon’t Know

Figure 1: A sample of the survey data from The Custodial Survey. Question in regards to trash bag usage.

Model

• The district wished to have a prediction model– Cost– Volume– Changes– CO2– Weight Weekly Total 2009 Weekly Total 2011

$1,500.00

$2,000.00

$2,500.00

$3,000.00

Weekly Cost Trend

Time (Years)

Figure 3: Cost savings for all 35 schools since implemented savings based on a 39 week school year.

Significance• Recycling in schools now has more of a procedure with in the

SLD• SLD can accurately predict savings in cost, volume and CO2• Schools can use mathematical and scientific lessons • Increased student awareness/stewardship