Please read the board!

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Welcome!

• Please read the board!

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Eastern Garbage Patch

• Floats between Hawaii and California
• Twice as big as Texas
• Can be 30 m deep

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The Trouble with Plastics in the Oceans

• dont biodegrade like other debris
• break down over time into smaller and smaller
  pieces while still maintaining their chemical
  make-up
• As the pieces get smaller fish, mammals, birds
  and even plankton will consume the pieces which
  are not digestible
• While the plastics may not be visible to the eye,
  studies have shown that in some areas the
  concentration of plastics outnumbers the
  concentration of plankton by a ratio of 71

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Quiz time!
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The 3 Rs are your friends!

• Reduce
• Reuse
• Recycle

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Houstons recycling

• National MSW disposal
• 54 Landfilled
• 34 Recycled
• 12 Incinerated

• Houston MSW disposal
• 86 Landfilled
• 14 Recycled
• 0 Incinerated

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Houstons One Bin for All

• ALL waste in one bin
• One truck instead of four (MSW, yard waste,
  recycling, heavy trash)
• Materials sorted in 100 million state of the art
  facility to be built by private company
• Construction to begin next year
• Could divert 75 of material from landfill
  (resold by private company)
• Biomass (yard, food, clothing and plastics)
  converted into biofuels
• First of its kind in the nation. Could set new
  standard.
• Would include an incinerator.

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Should the city move forward?

• Those in favor

• Those against

• Mayor and city sustainability coordinator
• Environmental Defense Fund
• Clinton Climate Initiative
• Keep Houston Beautiful

• Texas Campaign for the Environment calls the
  plan Anti-recycling and a pipe dream.
  Concern that the city will end up having to pay
  for the construction and that technologies are
  unproven.
• Are we being greenwashed or is this a step
  towards waste food/cradle to cradle/
  sustainability?

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Before you can make the call . . . . .

• What is the standard recycling practice?

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Recycling in three easy steps

• Collection
• Reprocessing
• Repurchasing

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Collection

• Curbside or Drop off

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Collection

• Intrinsic motivation
• Education
• Extrinsic motivation
• Fines
• Bottle bills
• Cost differentials
• Bottle Bill Video and Petition
• The Fun Theory--Bottle Bank Arcade

• How do you increase participation?

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CollectionMaterials sent to a MRF

• Material Recovery Facility recyclables are
  sorted and bundled then sent to reprocesses
• Contamination lowers quality of recyclables,
  lowers sales price.

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Reprocessing Paper
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Reprocessing

• Paper fibers shorten (losing strength) with
  each reprocess

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Reprocessing

• Aluminum and Glass can be recycled without
  reducing quality
• Recycling aluminum saves 95 of energy compared
  to virgin materials
• Recycling glass saves 50 of energy

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Reprocessing

• Plastic - indicates polymer type

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Reprocessing

• Yard waste leaves, grass, small branches
  compost/mulch!

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City of Houston

• As of April 5, 2010 NO yard waste can be put in
  trash
• Buy biodegradable bags at Walmart, Kroger,
  Randalls Lowes Homedepot bags have city logo.
• 7.50/10 bags
• Two trucks come around on trash day, one for
  garbage, one for compost.
• Noncompliance? No pick up

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Repurchase

• Complete the loop!
• Demand for recycled materials is critical to the
  industry
• Preconsumer wastes - collected from factories
  production wastes

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Repurchase

• Postconsumer collected at a MRF

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Check for understanding

• What do the three arrows in the recycling symbol
  stand for?
• Describe the tradeoff between intrinsic and
  extrinsic motivation.
• What are three benefits of recycling?
• Of the three Rs, which is the best for the
  environment, and why?
• What is the difference between renewable and
  recyclable?

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Now what do you think?

• One bin for all!
• If you had the deciding vote on whether to go
  forward with this, what questions would you need
  answered?

• What parts of the standard recycling system are
  going to be dramatically changed?
• How might the new plan change recycling rates?
• How might the new plan change citizens attitudes
  about consumption?

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Dont confuse them!

• The Three Rs the hierarchy of waste management
• Reduce
• Reuse
• Recycle

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Now its YOUR turn!

• Collect your recycling for one week, then take a
  picture of yourself recycling and post it on the
  HUB.
• Due by Friday March 27th.
• 80 if you have curbside at home
• 90 if you recycle paper at WHS or another school.
• 100 if you recycle more than paper at a drop off
  station
• 20 pts if you post a picture of yourself
  REDUCING!!!!!
• Small token prize to top three creative pics ?