From Eveningsnews.com
Recycling on the Go for Cool Weather Games
By
Aug 10, 2008, 21:40
(ARA) - From football games to Oktoberfest, there’s still plenty of outdoor fun to be had when the weather turns cooler.
However, these events can generate substantial amounts of waste.
Bottles, cans, and other materials from public events are often thrown away, but they present a great opportunity to help the environment through recycling.
Encouraging recycling at public events not only helps maintain a clean public space and protects the environment; it can also cut waste disposal costs and generate extra revenue. Americans are used to recycling at home and in the workplace: We currently recycle 32.5 percent of our waste, nearly double the rate of 15 years ago.
More than 31 percent of plastic soft drink bottles and 45 percent of all aluminum beverage cans are recycled each year. Yet many of the recyclables used at outdoor events, such as glass and plastic bottles, paper cups, aluminum cans, and corrugated cardboard, end up in the trash.
The US Environmental Protection Agency has created the Recycle on the Go initiative to promote recycling at public events. Recycle on the Go provides information and resources to businesses, government agencies, and citizens interested in creating recycling programs in public spaces such as parks, stadiums, transportation hubs, shopping centers, and special events.
Tools that can be found on the Recycle on the Go Web site (www.epa.gov/recycleonthego) include guidance for starting a recycling program, success stories, and tips for including concessionaires and other vendors in the process.
Recycling can yield huge energy savings and climate change benefits. Manufacturing goods from recycled material typically requires less energy than producing an item from virgin material, thus reducing the amount of greenhouse gases that are produced. The energy savings from recycling can be substantial: the 82 million tons that Americans recycled in 2006 saved enough energy to power nearly 7 million U.S. homes for a year.
Recycling not only helps the environment; it can also help offset the costs of staging a public event. Many festival and event coordinators have found that recycling programs reduce waste disposal costs and create revenue through the sale of recyclables. In addition, recycling programs can increase the appeal of an event by reducing litter and promoting an environmentally-friendly atmosphere.
Make environmental stewardship a tradition by promoting recycling at your outdoor event.
To learn how you can incorporate recycling into your event, visit www.epa.gov/recycleonthego.
Content provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
SIDEBAR:
(ARA) - EPA suggests eight simple steps to setting up a recycling program for your community event:
1. Select a recycling coordinator who will manage all aspects of the program, from choosing and working with a hauler to assisting vendors and concessionaires in implementing the program.
2. Determine what will be recycled. Assess waste to figure out what potential recyclables are currently being thrown away and how much of each material is being trashed. Check out Earth911.org to find the recycler nearest you.
3. Reduce the amount of waste generated. Waste prevention is always better than recycling. These steps can include buying products that use less packaging, buying products with high recycled-content, or buying in bulk.
4. Involve everyone in planning your recycling program, including concession operators, event staff, and volunteers.
5. Determine logistics. Decide if you will have recyclables removed by event staff or volunteers, or if you will hire an outside company to do the job. If you decide to go with an outside company, ask the company that will be taking away trash if they also take recyclables. Often this is the most economical option.
6. Place recycling bins, preferably with lids with round openings for bottles and cans and slots for paper, in areas near where the waste will be generated, such as near food sellers. Choose bins that look different enough from waste cans so that people won’t be confused about their purpose, and make sure a trash can is placed next to it. Place signs or banners above the bins so bin locations are easily identifiable. Signs on the bin should clearly identify what items should be deposited in the recycling bin (e.g., “Cans and Bottles Only”).
7. Educate. Use signs, displays, loudspeaker announcements, and text to let attendees know why they should recycle, what they should recycle, where the recycling bins are located, and how they can recycle. You can download free recycling signs from Social Change Media at: http://media.socialchange.net.au/recycling.
8. Track your success. Measure the weight of recyclables collected.
To learn more about the Recycle on the Go initiative and how to start recycling at your community event, visit www.epa.gov/recycleonthego.
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