Recycling in the SL District An overview of an Internship Project Dina Freedman GEOG 6950 12.13.11
Feb 24, 2016
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