Waste Resources
Recycling Resources
Hi! My name is Ella Fogeltanz and I am a senior at Reedsville High School.
Ever since I was a little girl, I have always had a passion for preserving nature. Therefore, this summer I’ve worked on the project with Evolution Marketing team to help raise awareness about resource conservation and waste management. Through Evolution Marketing I got the opportunity to learn in depth about the challenges of recycling, visit local MRF, put together a survey in my community to find out what people think about recycling and waste, and it resulted in creating this informative webpage. I also learned so much about the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and the steps we can take to meet them in our everyday lives.
Learning so much about recycling made me realize that this is what I want to do in the future. I plan on going to college for sustainability next fall.
Do you know where YOUR recycling goes?
I followed the recycling journey of items from my home in Reedsville to our local Materials Recovery Facility (MFR) in Manitowoc to learn more about the process of recycling.
Here are some interesting facts:
~the trucks that pick up your recycling, drop it off at the MRF where the recyclables are sorted into piles (cardboard, plastics, and glass);
~ at this MRF, only one type of recyclable can be sorted at a time. For example, when processing plastic, the following process takes place: the plastic is placed on a conveyer belt, where it is picked through by a line of workers sorted into groups - (1) milk jugs, (2) laundry detergent bottles and coffee containers and others like plastics, and (3) soda bottles and water bottles.
Other items, like plastic bags, plastic wraps, and fresh fruit containers are thrown into another pile which will be taken to a landfill. Then, the ‘like plastics’ are compacted and put into bales and stored.
~ when enough of each product is collected (which can take up to a year), bids are placed to buy the plastics. After the plastic is sold to the highest bidder, a truck from that company picks up and transports the bales to be repurposed at another plant.
Are plastic bags the bigger problem?
YESS!!! Why can’t plastic bags be put in the recycling bin? As I learned plastic bags jam up the machinery at the MRF when they get caught, causing facilities to shut down to get them untangled. Even though all plastic bags are “going” to a recycling facility, they get sent to a landfill.
With recent COVID-19 pandemic, the consumption of plastic bags and single use plastic exploded, contributing to already struggling SDG 12 goal - Responsible Consumption and Production.
So what can you do with plastic bags instead of putting them in the recycling bit? Bring your clean plastic bags to a local drop-off location. Most grocery stores have a bin outside for you to conveniently drop them off. To find a drop-off location near you visit: Bag and Film Recycling.
Plastic bags you can INCLUDE into the drop-off boxes: plastic bags, grocery bags, produce bags, newspaper bags, zipper sandwich bags, cereal bags, plastic wraps, the-wrap-around packs of drink bottles, paper towels bags, and diaper bags, shipping contents and pouches, plastic pouches, Amazon shipping bag, and air pillows.
DO NOT INCLUDE: biodegradable or compostable bags, pre-washed veggie and salad mix bags, candy wrappers, most pet food bags, chip bags.
Climate Action in Practice
Why is climate action important for business? Since many businesses are responsible for a significant portion of GHG emissions through their operations and lack of end-of-use (EOU) planning, products are often not recycled and being improperly disposed of without entering a new lifecycle for further use, like we see at my local MRF. This adds to global waste, emissions and an exhausting demand for new material. For these reasons, businesses play an important role in keeping the global temperature increase below 1.5°C.
As consumers, we can choose to purchase less plastic products, reducing plastic demand and supporting local economy. Here are some things you can do too:
- learn more about how to recycle correctly (for example, make sure to clean your plastic containers before putting them in the recycle bin)
-bringing your own bags to grocery stores
-bring your own container to the deli to get meat instead of buying the meat on a styrofoam plate covered in plastic
-avoid purchasing anything with styrofoam
- drop off plastic bags at drop-off sites
- chose to buy local and organic and compost
E-Waste
You might be wondering what exactly is e-waste? It is any kind of electrical equipment that has been or will be discarded, such as home appliances, phones, information technology devices, home entertainment, electronic utilities, office, and medical equipment.
E-waste is one of the fastest-growing waste streams on the planet that keeps increasing as electronics become more accessible. E-waste that ends up improperly discarded in the landfills can cause water pollution as toxic elements, such as arsenic, cadmium, chromium, mercury, and lead, can enter groundwater.
Thankfully, in Wisconsin most electronics are banned from landfills. That is a good thing, but there are still millions of tons of e-waste in our landfills leaking toxic waste into our precious ground and groundwater.
Since SDG #6 identifies the issue concerning water pollution, here’s what you can do to contribute your part in preventing e-waste - research what your local e-recycler takes (by going online or calling them), and then take what is acceptable- it’s that easy! You might need to pay a small fee, but there are some programs that will pay you for your e-waste!
