Action Plan

1
Action Plan

• Reduce, Reuse Recycle

2
Background Investigation

• Review the school's waste contract for the last
  complete school year to determine
• Who was the waste hauler
• What size and how many trash dumpsters the school
  used
• How often was the waste collected or how many
  dumpster pulls occurred per week or year
• What happened to the waste after it left the
  school
• What reduce, reuse, and recycle programs were in
  place
• Your class may talk with the business manager or
  the head custodian.

3
Background Investigation

• Take a building tour to identify
• places that generate a lot or a little amounts of
  trash and discuss why?
• locations of current recycling activity
• potential locations to place new recycling bins
  might restrict size or recycling containers.
• custodial routines
• indoor or outdoor storage space for recycling
  collection
• Review Waste Sort Results

4
Putting the Pieces Together

• Problem Solve With Students
• Brainstorm how to reduce waste?
• Determine feasibility of the ideas.
• Encourage them to participate.
• Create an Action Plan
• Design a program that will decrease any or all
  the categories of waste being thrown away.
• Post signs and increase education and promotion
  to capture more recycling.
• Start a new recycling program
• Eliminate a waste like buying a product with less
  packaging, inquire about take back programs with
  vendors, install equipment that limits disposable
  items.

5
Putting the Pieces Together

• Create an Action Plan (cont)
• Review funding if needed for new program like
  applying for a grant or finding sponsors.
• Develop tasks that the group can start to do.
• Schedule meetings to follow up on outcome of
  tasks, strategize any barriers and assign new
  tasks.
• Schedule a meeting share program with school
  administration to gain support and approval.

6

Putting the Pieces Together

• Educate School Population
• Communicate with students and staff to explain
  the hows and whys of the new
  recycling/reduction program through
• bulletin boards, posters and flyers
• t.v. or radio announcements
• text messages and social networking sites
• school newsletters
• Keep the message and/or reminders of the
  recycling exciting and constant!

7
Determine What To Recycle

• Number one thing that should be recycled at
  school is fiber paper, newspaper, magazines and
  cardboard. Look into www.paperretriever.com
• Common recyclables
• aluminum and steel metal cans
• 1 plastic (soda pop bottles) and
• 2 plastic (milk jugs) or all plastics
• Glass
• The waste hauler may provide pickup or have
  volunteers drop-off recycling
• Electronics computers printers

8
Determine What To Recycle

• Local recycling businesses may accept
• batteries
• books
• carpet padding
• fluorescents
• packing peanuts
• CDs/DVDs
• Tyvek envelops
• Video tapes
• Found out all materials that can be recycled in
  the Business and Industry Guide on
• www.cuyahogaswd.org/pdf/recdir2008.pdf

9
Determine What To Recycle

• Schools Recycling Programs
• Take plastic screw tops to an Aveda salons
• Collect Books with www.betterworldbooks.com
• Save glue containers with Elmers at
  www.elmersgluecrew.com
• Send 6-pack rings to hi-cone at
  www.ringleader.com
• Mail in 20 oz plastic bottles, yogurt cups,
  energy bar wrappers, drink pouches, cookie
  wrappers and corks to www.terracycle.net
• Save cell phones with www.racetorecycle.com
• Collect printer cartridges through
  www.empties4cash.com
• Mail plastic gift cards to www.earthworkssystem.co
  m
• Save rechargeable batteries with www.rbrc.com
• Drop-off clothing to www.planetaid.org

10
Evaluate

• 
  
• Around the end of the school year do another
  waste sort to see if the school is creating less
  waste.
• Tell everyone about your progress!

11
What can you do to

• reduce, reuse, recycle?

For more information, log onto www.cuyahogaswd.org