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Recycling Bulletin #25
looking back at 25 bulletins of news from a national leader in
campus recycling
April 22, 2004
Greetings and Happy Earth Day:
As the Director of the University of Colorado's recycling program, I'm proud
to introduce this special edition of the CU Recycling Bulletin. Many thanks
go to Boulder County Resource Conservation for providing funding back in 1998
and to Dana Kelly, our staffer who continues to oversee this project.
We first
launched the bulletin over five years ago as a paper-saving means to inform,
inspire, and engage the campus community. As the bulletin progressed,
we found increasing interest from local and national environmental professionals
as well. Future bulletins will continue to balance the good news with the bad,
the local news with the global, and day-to-day details with our vision for
a sustainable industry.
In retrospect, the facts we've reported are indeed frightening;
but the glimmers of hope are brighter than ever. I hope you'll
take a few moments to review
this special edition and stay in touch with us.
All our Best,
Jack DeBell Director, CU Recycling
Newsworthy Reports from Bulletins #1-24
CU Recycling Highlights
- The Athletic department announced plans in 1999
for a new field house complex which will eventually displace
CU Recycling's facility.
(Bulletin #5, 3/11/99)
- In a survey of CU students, 92 percent survey said they believed
it is either very important or somewhat important that CU Boulder
is
a leader in campus environmental management. (Bulletin
#8, 2/17/00)
- CU
Recycling has posted record-breaking collection totals each
fiscal year as a result of innovative new programs and the continuing
commitment from the campus community. (Bulletin
#10, 9/8/00)
- Deskside
recycling bin stickers describing acceptable materials were
affixed to deskside bins making it easier for staff to become
familiar with recycling procedures. (Bulletin
#11, 11/10/00)
- More
than two million pounds of construction and demolition debris
— concrete, asphalt, and scrap metal — were diverted from area
landfills and recycled in the University Memorial Center (UMC)
expansion and renovasion project. (Bulletin
#12, 2/13/01)
- In 2001,
CU celebrated 25 years of recycling on campus. CU Recycling
has grown from a student volunteer collection program to one
of
the nation's largest and most recognized campus recycling program.
(Bulletin #13, 4/6/01)
- Boulder County augmented student funding
to purchase a cardboard collection truck for CU Recycling.
(Bulletin #14, 10/19/01)
- Record
amounts of cardboard were recycled by new students during
residence hall move-in September 2003. (Bulletin
#22, 11/11/03)
- CU Recycling
moved into a new "green" office in 2002,
with energy saving features such as natural light,motion-sensing
light switches and EnergyStar rated office equipment, and even
recycled content workstations and office furniture (Bulletin
#16, 4/2/02)
- The Colorado Food Waste Composting Guide, published by CU
Recycling student researchers and staff, was made available
for Colorado
institutions like colleges, hospitals and correctional facilities.
(Bulletin #17, 7/18/02)
- Recycling saves CU money! A business review
of CU Recycling confirmed that every ton recycled at CU saves
the University over $300. Every
dollar spent on recycling is comparable to spending $2.12 for
landfill disposal. (Bulletin #21, 7/23/03)
- CU Recycling assisted with zero-waste
efforts at the recent Sustainable Resources Conference at CU.
Volunteers and staff sorted, weighed
and recorded recyclables, compostables and trash generated
by conference attendees. In the best effort ever at the University,
85.3 percent
of all materials were diverted from the landfill. Perhaps more
importantly, analysis revealed only 0.56 pounds of total materials
were generated per person per day. The conference drew over
750 people from more than 50 countries and had almost perfect
attendance
in the waste minimization effort. (Bulletin
#23, 2/17/04)
- CU is
in the final stages of planning a state of the art composting
facility which is expected to start up this summer. The composting
system will convert an estimated 400 annual tons of food waste
generated by housing and other campus food service operations
into
valuable soil amendment. (Bulletin #24, 4/8/04)
Local Highlights:
- In a report released by CU Recycling research
students and staff, several mountain towns and resort areas
were found to encounter
significant obstacles to recycling. These included a lack of
recycling services by haulers, low landfill rates, and costly
shipping of
recyclables to far away mills. (Bulletin
#7, 10/27/99)
- Boulder County's county-wide recycling processing center began
operations. (Bulletin #14, 10/19/01)
- The City of Boulder launched a new "pay as you throw" trash/recycling
collection program aiming to increase the amount of recyclables
diverted from landfills. Boulder curbside recycling guidelines
expanded to include more items. (Bulletin #15,
11/15/01)
- EcoCycle opened the doors to its Center for Hard to Recycle
Materials, a facility for collecting computers, electronics,
books, plastic
bags, and more. (Bulletin #15, 11/15/01)
- The Colorado Daily newspaper distributed at CU and in the
Boulder area is now being printed on 100 percent post-consumer newsprint.
The
mill from whom the Colorado Daily is purchasing its new paper
stock is the same mill that receives materials from the CU Recycling
Center. (Bulletin #23, 2/17/04)
- The Colorado Campus Recycling Network was formed in response
to Colorado's growing student interest in environmentalism.
The aim
of the network is to improve recycling on campuses and in college
towns around the State, by sharing information, best practices
and ideas. (Bulletin #23, 2/17/04)
Industry News:
- Copier paper with 30 percent post-consumer content
performs just as well as virgin paper and paper with lower
recycled content, according
to a Government Printing Office study. (Bulletin
#6, 6/16/99)
- The ferrous scrap recycling rate in the U.S. reached 70.7
percent in 2002. Automobile recycling topped 100 percent, at
100.6 percent
(due in part to lighter-weight autos being produced than in
past years). Recovery of structural steel from construction and
demolition
projects came in at an impressive 95 percent. Appliance recycling
levels reached 86.6 percent and steel can recycling totaled
58.5 percent. (Bulletin #21, 7/23/03)
- The domestic paper industry has boosted its paper recovery
target to 55 percent by 2012. Paper recovery levels have nearly
doubled
since 1987, when the rate was 29 percent. (Bulletin
#21, 7/23/03)
- For the fifth consecutive year, the aluminum can recycling
rate declined. The dip was caused in part by the 1.2 percent
decline
in the average weight of aluminum cans, to 33.79 cans per pound.
(Bulletin #21, 7/23/03)
Procedures Announced
Still ongoing, the following campus recycling improvements
were announced in past recycling bulletins.
- SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT STATIONS: The stations, comprised of three
black steel containers — one each for newspaper, co-mingled containers,
and trash — make recycling more attractive and convenient around
campus.
- MAGAZINES: A grant from the Boulder County Recycling & Composting
Authority made a new magazine recycling program possible on
the Boulder campus in 1998.
- TRANSPARENCIES, DISKETTES AND TYVEK ENVELOPES: CU Mailing
Services provides a special campus box address (209 UCB) for
the campus
community to mail these items for recycling.
- PRINTER CARTRIDGES: Inkjet and laser cartridges from printers
and faxes can be dropped off at campus copy centers, the
Environmental Center (UMC 355) or CU's recycling Intermediate
Processing
Facility.
- WOODEN PALLETS: Used wooden pallets are collected from main
campus loading docks on the second Thursday of each month.
- CARDBOARD BOXES: Flattened, corrugated cardboard and brown
paper bags can be stacked neatly in small amounts next
to your building's
central recycling locations or at loading docks.
- MOBILE PHONES: Drop off used phones in recycling boxes
now located in each residence hall office and at
Wireless Outfitters
on the
first floor of the UMC.
Opportunities, Still Ongoing
- HOST AN IN-OFFICE TRAINING: Invite CU Recycling
to come to your next faculty or staff meeting.
- HOST A LOBBY DISPLAY IN YOUR BUILDING: CU Recycling
has free-standing recycling outreach displays
available for
loan.
- PURCHASE GREEN PRODUCTS FOR YOUR OFFICE: 100 percent
post-consumer paper is available to campus departments.
- JOIN THE GREEN TEAMS: Provide instructions and
encouragement to recycle properly in the
city of Boulder's curbside
recycling program.
- BECOME A COMPOSTING MASTER: The Center
for Resource Conservation offers regular
composting training
courses and workshops.
- ENVIRONMENTALLY PREFERABLE PURCHASING database
available: Before you purchase a product
for your office or
home, consider whether
there might be a more environment-friendly
product available. http://www.epa.gov/oppt/epp/database.htm
Frightening Facts and Glimmers of Hope
- The average American creates 4.4 pounds
of garbage each day. (Bulletin #6, 6/16/99)
- Neon and bright papers may be eye-catching,
but they are not recyclable. The
heavy dyes contaminate
the
recycling process
and are often
made with toxic heavy metals. (Bulletin
#7, 10/27/99)
- According to figures compiled by CU
Recycling staff in 1999, more
than 134 tons of
paper are required
to print
the Denver
Post and
Rocky Mountain News each year.
(Bulletin #8, 2/17/00)
- Most junk mail goes unopened and
America is filling three percent
of our landfills
with
4 million
tons of this
unnecessary waste
every year. (Bulletin #9, 4/12/00)
- An estimated 200 million gallons
of used motor oil is improperly
disposed of each
year in
the U.S. by
being
dumped on the
ground, tossed in the trash,
and poured
down storm sewers and drains.
Recycling used oil would
save the U.S. 1.3 million barrels of oil
per day.
(Bulletin #10, 9/8/00)
- The U.S., with five percent of
the world's population,
consumes 30 percent
of the
world's paper. (Bulletin
#11, 11/10/00)
- According to the EPA, recycling
is one of the best environmental
success
stories
of
the late
20th
century. (Bulletin
#14, 10/19/01)
- A U.S. Recycling Economic
Information Study shows
important economic
as well as environmental
impacts
of recycling.
According to the
study, recycling offers
widespread benefits to the U.S. economy
by supporting more
than 56,000
recycling
and
reuse businesses
that gross over $236
billion in annual revenues, and
employ over
1.1
million people with
an annual payroll of nearly $37 billion.
The study
also reinforces
the
well-established environmental
benefits
of recycling and reuse,
such as cutting pollution, conserving
natural
resources,
saving energy,
and reducing greenhouse
gas emissions.
(Bulletin #18, 10/3/02)
- Landfills rank as the highest
source of greenhouse
gas emissions in
the U.S., after
fossil fuel
combustion. (Bulletin
#19, 11/12/02)
- Every day, Americans
buy 62 million
newspapers and
throw
away 44
million — the equivalent
of dumping 500,000
trees into a
landfill each day!
(Bulletin #20, 3/4/03)
- Less than five percent
of U.S. magazine
paper contains
post-consumer
recycled
fiber. (Bulletin
#21, 7/23/03)
- For every garbage
can placed
at the curb,
the equivalent
of 71
garbage
cans' worth
of waste
is created
in mining, logging,
agriculture,
oil and gas
exploration, and the industrial
processes used
to convert
raw materials
into finished
products and packaging.
This
doesn't
even include
the extra energy usage
and climate
change
impacts resulting
from
resource extraction
and processing.
(Bulletin
#23, 2/17/04)
Inspiring Sources
For more information
on recycling,
waste reduction
and sustainability,
check out
these sources
we used for past
bulletins:
Subscribe to the CU Recycling Bulletin
Receive monthly updates on local recycling developments, new programs,
and upcoming events. Learn more about resource conservation through
waste reduction, reuse, and recycling.
Here's How: Send e-mail message to listproc@lists.colorado.edu.
The body text of your message should read: subscribe recycling-infolist
<your-full-name>.
About University of Colorado at Boulder Recycling
The University of Colorado's recycling program is a non-profit,
campus-based organization whose mission is to instill awareness
of the benefits of waste reduction
and recycling. CU Recycling is widely regarded as one of the nation's leading
campus programs. Awards have been given by such groups as the EPA, National
Recycling Coalition, and the Office of Federal Environmental
Executive, who in 2000, announced
CU Recycling the model campus program in the United States.
The university
community is encouraged to get involved in CU Recycling's many
activities. For more information, call 303-492-8307 or visit http://www.colorado.edu/cure.
Please recycle this information: talk about it, pass it
on, or post it!
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