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Recycling Bulletin

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Recycling Bulletin #27
news from a national leader in campus recycling

November 11, 2004

America Recycles Day is November 15.  ARD's theme this year, "It All Comes Back to You" was designed to present multiple messages:  that a recycled product or material can return to consumers as another new product;  that recycling comes back to consumers as improved environment, preservation of resources and economic well-being of the country; and that it is up to everyone to recycle.

America Recycles 2004 maintains a website at www.americarecyclesday.org where you can go for information about events, to sign an online pledge to recycle and to learn more about this year's campaign.

In this Bulletin:

CU Recycling Report:  America Recycles Day display; Publications, materials and volunteer opportunities available

Local Recycling Info:  Facility tour, Leaf collections

Industry News:  Schwarzenegger signs several green bills

Frightening Fact:  Personal computers add toxics to landfills

Glimmer of Hope:  Responsible computer collections on the way

Upcoming Events:  Recycled gift fair, Lamp swap, CU Biodiesel workshop

1. CU Recycling Report

CU-Boulder recycles one-third of its waste and saves $235,000 annually through campus recycling efforts. University administrators and recycling staff are concluding a study on the future of recycling at CU.  Research indicates the campus could potentially double its recycling rate by composting its food waste and creating more recycling opportunities.  Many of these improvements can be done less expensively than landfilling.

Visual display shows students' recycling potential:

A 3-dimensional display will be installed on the Hellems Lawn on America Recycles Day - Monday, November 15 - depicting the potential amounts of recyclable materials an average CU student generates in a typical week, month and semester.  The largest display on Hellems Lawn will show the amount of recyclables a student generates in an academic year.

Every day, the average American generates 4.4 pounds of solid waste. Of that solid waste, 2.4 pounds per person per day - or 55 percent - can be recycled!  The average recycling rate is 1.3 pounds per person per day.  In a week, the average student can recycle 16.5 pounds of materials, including 13 pounds of paper and 3.5 pounds of commingled containers.  In a month, 66 pounds of materials, including 52.5 pounds of paper and 13.5 pounds of commingled containers, can be recycled.  And over a complete academic year, each student has the potential to recycle 496 pounds of materials - 394 pounds of paper and 102 pounds of commingled containers.

"Every person who walks by the display can realize what their impact can be if they see how much of their waste can be recycled.  It adds up for each person after 4 years of college and it adds up for all 32,041 enrolled CU students every day, " said Sarah Engel, recycling outreach assistant.

Publications, Promotional Materials and Reports Available

Would you like copies of the following publications/promotional materials printed by CU Recycling and the CU Environmental Center? Get some for yourself or to share with your office, friends and family.  Send an e-mail to cure@colorado.edu or call 303-492-8307. Please note the name and quantity of the item or items you would like, and where to send them.

Guides to Recycling at CU - Guides for Staff, Students, CU Residence Hall Students, Williams Village Residents, or Family Housing Residents.  Where, What, How and Why to Recycle at CU.

Green Living Guide - A pocket-sized guide compiled by the CU Environmental Center with information on green purchasing and consumption, energy use, waste reduction, water conservation, sustainable transportation, recycling and more. Green Computing Guide - How to use, purchase, and dispose of computers in the most environmentally responsible way. Printing Guidelines - a small 5 1/2" X 8 1/2" flyer to post above copy machines or printers, reminding users to save resources by copying double-sided, using recycled or tree-free papers, and avoiding non-recyclable bright, dark-colored or plastic-coated papers. We Need to CU Recycling stickers - green and silver stickers for bikes, water bottles, notebooks, or wherever you want to show your pride in recycling at CU!

White Paper on CU Recycling  - A summary of findings and recommendations for resource and waste management at CU-Boulder. References an independent study of the University of Colorado at Boulder's recycling program which verified net savings of $235,000 per year compared to landfill disposal.  Download the .pdf document from http://www.colorado.edu/recycling/news_updates//get_involved/recycling_bulletin/index.html

Colorado Institutional Composting Guide  - The Governor's Office of Energy Management and Conservation funded CU-Boulder to research and recommend ways to advance food waste composting in the State. Institutions like colleges, hospitals, and correctional facilities generate significant amounts of food waste.  When done properly, composting is a cost-effective strategy for diverting materials from landfills.  It has the added benefit of creating valuable fertilizer that institutions can use on their grounds or generate revenue from. Download the .pdf document fromhttp://www.colorado.edu/recycling/state_and_national//get_involved/recycling_bulletin/index.html

Soft Drink Vending Contracts and Recycling: A Toolkit for Change - Prepared by CU Recycling for the College and University Recycling Council, this report is designed to help maximize the level of recycling associated with soft drink vending while promoting vendors' assistance in recycling and waste reduction.  The Toolkit includes sample bid language, options to address recycling and waste reduction concerns, a cost analysis of converting vending machines from aluminum cans to plastic bottles, and case studies from nine schools around the country.  Download the .pdf document from http://www.colorado.edu/recycling/state_and_national//get_involved/recycling_bulletin/index.html

Volunteer Opportunities

Learn more about or promote recycling/green living to the campus community: Faculty/Staff EcoReps -  In order to more actively involve CU's faculty and staff in environmental initiatives, we are inviting a representative from each department to volunteer as a F/S Eco-Rep.

For only 20 minutes each month, this liaison will communicate concerns, questions, and information between CU's Environmental Center and the other members of their department; as well as participate in additional opportunities such as Information Brown Bag sessions and in-office presentations.  If interested, contact Brighid at 303-492-8308.

CU Residence Hall EcoReps - If you live on campus, learn about recycling, sustainable transportation, energy efficiency, water usage and other environmental topics and then lead programs in your hall to help other residents to be more environmentally aware and engaged. Contact Amy at 303-492-8308 or email hambrick@colorado.edu Green Teams - Visit student houses on the Hill with information on how, when and where to recycle right.  Contact Brian or Lauren at 303-492-8307 or cure@colorado.edu.

2. Local Recycling Info

Tour Boulder County's Recycling Center and see for yourself what happens to the materials that you faithfully drop into local recycling bins or place at your curb for recycling.    In honor of America Recycles Day, the Boulder County Resource Conservation division is hosting a "Family Fun" tour of the "green" facility on Saturday, November 13 from 11am - noon.  Bring the whole family to learn how glass gets separated from steel and aluminum.  The facility is located at 1901 63rd Street in Boulder, just north of the intersection of Arapahoe and 63rd Streets.  Call 720-564-2223 for more information.

With Fall here, don't forget to dispose of leaves and pumpkins in an environmentally-friendly way by composting or mulching them.  Eco-Cycle has extensive leaf disposal information for Boulder County communities at http://www.ecocycle.org/leaf/2004.cfm

3. Industry News

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger  has signed a measure requiring cell phone retailers to offer free recycling service for customers' phones. This is the first cell-phone recycling law to be approved in North America.

In addition, the Governor approved a bill requiring large venues in California to provide recycling services.

Schwarzenegger also signed Senate Bill 50, a measure that sets over the start-up date for the state's new advanced recycling fee on televisions and computer monitors until January. This measure also fine-tunes a number of elements of the ground-breaking electronics recycling measure passed by the previous Legislature.

Schwarzenegger vetoed a measure that would have required the state transportation agency to use asphalt containing crumb rubber recovered from scrap tires.

4. Frightening Fact

Research funded by the National Science Foundation (Washington) has added to the evidence that personal computers are toxic in landfills. The study assessed the environmental effects from the use of arsenic, barium, chromium, lead, mercury, selenium and silver in PC components, using the Toxic Characteristics Leaching Procedure.  The researchers concluded that the lead leached from PCs exceeded federal standards, thus making them a hazardous waste.  (Source:  Resource Recycling, http://www.resource-recycling.com/)

5. Glimmer of Hope

Representatives from Dell computer and CU Recycling are discussing a grant to help CU-Boulder tackle the serious challenge of electronics waste on campus.  This project is part of a Higher Education Recycling Leadership Award that Dell has contacted CU Recycling about.  Dell and CU Recycling are discussing a partnership for responsibly collecting, reusing and recycling old computers.

The objectives of the program being discussed include:  raising consumer awareness of responsible end-of-life options for computers; keeping computers out of landfills; and educating university students, who are the next generation of leaders, about responsible electronics recycling.

6. Get Involved / Upcoming Events

Saturday, Nov. 13  9 am - 4 pm
Eco-Cycle Holiday Gift Fair
Boulder Train Depot, 30th and Pearl

In honor of America Recycles Day, and to prepare for the holiday gift-giving season, peruse items made from recycled products and environmentally-friendly materials at an Eco-Cycle gift fair and fundraiser.  From 9am-4pm you can find treasures aplenty, from juice box handbags to organic soaps to cutting boards made from recycled plastic.  There will even be an activity table where kids can make recyclable wrapping paper while you browse.   Located at the Boulder Train Depot, just south of Vitamin Cottage and Barnes & Noble at 30th and Pearl St. in Boulder.  Contact caroline@ecocycle.org or 303-444-6634 with any questions.  


Saturday, Nov. 13  9 am - 3 pm
Halogen Lamp Swap
Scott Carpenter Park (near the corner of 30th and Arapahoe in Boulder)

Save energy and money at this lamp swap.  Halogen lamps can reach over 1,200 degrees Fahrenheit - hot enough to fry an egg in 30 seconds.  Swap your old, dangerously hot, energy-hog halogen floor lamp for a NEW energy efficient floor lamp that uses a 3-way compact fluorescent bulb.  You pay only $10 to walk away with a brand new environmentally friendly lamp (a $40 value), and you'll save about $35 a year in energy costs and reduce pollution and greenhouse gas emissions (plus dramatically reduce fire risk)!  Sponsored by the City of Boulder's PACE program and Xcel energy.  Call 303-786-PACE for more info.


Saturday, Nov. 13   11am - noon
Boulder County Recycling Center Family Fun Tours
1901 63rd St, Boulder (near corner of Arapahoe and 63rd Streets)

In celebration of America Recycles 2004, a national event held every year in November, the Boulder County Resource Conservation division is hosting a tour.  Bring the whole family!   Learn how your pop cans, milk jugs, newspaper and more are processed and made ready for shipment to places across the country!   Quotes heard on a recent tour, "I love this place!" "Can I work here?" "WOW!"   For more information call 720-564-2223.


Monday through Wednesday, Nov. 15 - 17
CU Recycling's America Recycles Day Display
Hellems Lawn on the University of Colorado campus, Boulder

Celebrate America Recycles Day Monday, Nov. 15!   Come check out CU Recycling's display that shows the potential amounts of recyclable materials an average CU student generates in a typical week, month and over two semesters.

The display will be on the Hellems Lawn from Monday, Nov. 15 to Wednesday, Nov. 17.  During an academic year, the average student can recycle 496 pounds of materials!   Check out the display and CU Recycling's table for more information.  Staff will be present from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. each day.


Tuesday, Nov. 16  6 - 9 pm
CU Biodiesel Workshop
CU Boulder, ECCR 150 (in the Engineering Center)

Recycle used cooking grease into fuel!  At this workshop, you will learn about making biodiesel, touching on everything from the societal aspects of this petroleum alternative to diesel mechanics, from the chemical process to processor design.  This workshop will also cover biodiesel and straight vegetable oil's use and application in the developing world. It will give you an overview of what you need to know to help get off of the petroleum addiction and into a sustainable future.  Students and Faculty, $2;  Public, $5.  For more info http://www.cubiodiesel.org

Subscribe to the CU Recycling Bulletin

The Recycling Bulletin is circulated via a closed list;  only CU Recycling has access to the rest of the subscriber list.  Subscribers' names and e-mail addresses are not available to any other group or used for any other purpose.

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/recycle

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