Getting to Know Your Trash

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Getting to Know Your Trash
Green Revolution October 15, 2009
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What is a waste audit?

• Physically determining garbage composition
• Well planned
• Systematic
• Team effort

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Why conduct a waste audit?

• Determine what waste can be minimized or
  recycled
• Determine where money will be best spent to
  reduce waste
• Baseline to evaluate any progress made in your
  recycling program

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Why conduct a waste audit?

• Protect students and teachers from health and
  safety risks
• Lower waste hauling costs
• Integrate environmental issues into school
  curricula

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Why conduct a waste audit?

• Reduce waste and conserve resources
• Connect students with each other and the world
• Increase school pride with public recognition
• Generate community goodwill

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Conducting the audit

• Decide how specific you want to be - actual
  weights and numbers or estimations
• Consider what you are purchasing

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Conducting the audit

• Conduct a composition study of all rooms and
  dumpsters
• Research the results - what types of waste you
  are producing, how much, and if they are
  recyclable

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Conducting the audit

• Locate problem areas for various materials and
  minimize usage
• Create a recycling program for materials
  disposed of in large quantities

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IL EPA Audit
Days accumulation of trash from five main areas
at HQ.
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IL EPA Audit
Weighing trash bags to determine density factor.
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IL EPA Audit
Dumping bags.
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IL EPA Audit
Initial sorting. Recyclable vs. Non-recyclable.
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IL EPA Audit
Sorting recyclables.
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IL EPA Audit
Amounts and types of recyclables were recorded
for each area of HQ.
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IL EPA Audit
Plastic sorting sheet with final waste for
disposal.
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Outcomes of IEPA waste audit

• New recycling choices offered
• Recycled products guide
• Bought recycled content benches and tables
• Mini-bins

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Patterson SchoolIndian Prairie School District

• 80 collection of recyclables
• plastic, paper metal (8,000 lbs/yr)
• Elimination of polystyrene lunch trays
• (36,000/yr)
• Composting diversion of 510 lbs.
• lunch waste/day(2,000 lbs/yr)

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Zero Waste LunchAnnually equals 16,000
lbs/yrDistrict-wide 600,000 lbs/yrWaste
savings at Patterson 5,650 annuallyDistrict-wid
e savings would be 178,000 annually
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Common Lunch Wastes

• Can be Recycled
• Aluminum cans
• Aluminum foil
• Yogurt containers
• Plastic fruit containers
• Water bottles
• Brown paper bags
• Paper (not napkins)

• Cannot be Recycled
• Milk cartons
• Hot lunch trays
• Juice boxes or pouches
• Straws
• Utensils
• Plastic wrap/wax paper/Ziploc bags

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School wide Results

• 80 collection of recyclables
• plastic, paper metal (8,000 lbs/yr)
• Elimination of polystyrene lunch trays
• (36,000/yr)
• Composting diversion of 510 lbs. lunch waste/day
• (2,000 lbs/yr)

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School Waste Reduction Ideas

• Lunch Waste Audit Zero Waste Lunch Day
• Vermicomposting Bin
• Formalize school-wide recycling program
• Replace polystyrene trays with reusable plastic

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School Waste Reduction Ideas

• Replace condiment packets with bulk bottles
• Promote use of reusable or recyclable food and
  drink containers
• Encourage parents and students to pack only
  what will be eaten

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• Becky Jayne
• IL Environmental Protection Agency
• Office of Pollution Prevention
• P. O. Box 19276
• Springfield, IL 62794-9276
• Becky.Jayne_at_illinois.gov
• [phone]