Emory Recycles Recycling Guide

Welcome to Emory Recycles Office Recycling Guide for a greener work place. The purpose of this guide is to help make your office greener by offering standardized information on waste reduction and recycling at Emory. In it, you will find ways to green your office by making simple changes to daytoday workplace activities. It is hard to believe that printing out a page, making a photocopy or using a disposable coffee mug can have largescale impacts on the environment such as deforestation and global warming. These impacts may not be visible to us but may extend well beyond our lifetimes. We must remember the choices we make in buying products, how we use them and how we get rid of them have environmental impacts.

Recycling is an excellent way to conserve the environment’s resources. Making products from recycled material uses fewer natural resources such as trees. For every ton of paper made from recycled fiber, 17 trees are saved. Recycling material also creates financial savings. The more material recycled, the less the university spends on landfill disposal costs which are going up due to landfills closing. Making products from recycled material generally saves a considerable amount of energy. On average, manufacturing with recycled material requires 17 times less energy per ton of product then making products using virgin raw materials. In fact, the unreleased energy contained in the average trash can each year could power a television for 5,000 hours.

Some more interesting facts:

Plastics

 

~ One recycled plastic bottle would save enough energy to power a 60watt light bulb for 3 hours.
~ Americans use 2.5 million plastic bottles every hour!
~ Plastic can take up to 500 years to decompose

 

Paper

 

~ 70% less energy is required to recycle paper compared with making it from raw materials.

~ Up to 60% of the garbage that ends up in the trash can be recycled.

~ Each year in the United States, the average office employee uses 120180 pounds of white office paper

~ It takes 24 trees to make 1 ton of newspaper

~ Buying recycled instead of virgin paper saves 17 trees, 6,953 gallons of water, 463 gallons of oil, 587

pounds of air pollution, 3.06 cubic yards of landfill space and 4077 kilowatt hours of energy

 

Aluminum

 

~ Making aluminum products from recycled aluminum requires about 95% less energy then making products from raw bauxite.
~ $38,000,000 worth of aluminum is thrown away each year.

~ Aluminum cans can be recycled and ready to reuse in just 6 weeks

~The same energy that is takes to make one can out of new materials can be used to make 20 cans from recycled aluminum

Action Plan

A successful recycling program requires employee participation and source separation of materials. Recycling bins must stay clean and free from contaminants. Most successful programs educate employees and have an office recycling coordinator to communicate with Emory Recycles about program needs. Some general steps in setting up an office recycling system:

1. Keep it simple. The fewer changes people must make in their routines, the greater the chances for success

2. Get top management support. It is critical that everyone knows whol is backing recycling efforts.

3. Provide sufficient instructions. Emory Recycles is happy to provide labels for bins with clear information about what to put in and what to keep out. Please contact our office for any promotional materials neeed claire.wall@emory.edu

4. Keep up building awareness. Work with Emory Recycles to market recycling in the office through posters, email and office meetings.

5. Measure. Keep track of how much your buiding is recycling. Emory Recycles tracks recycling totals monthly by location. These numbers can help you encourage or reward a successful recycling system. They are sent out monthly via email. Contact the office claire.wall@emory.edu to be added to the list.

Container Locations

 

As we said earlier, setting up an office recycling system requires participation and commitment from employees. Nine out of ten people would recycle more if it were made easier. Recycling container location is crucial to ensure a recycling system’s success. At Emory, we have a variety of different departments and office organizations. So, what works for one office may not work for another. Below are recommendations for recycling container locations:

  1. Place white paper and mixed paper containers in every copy room or by every copier
  2. Place containers for white and mixed paper in mail rooms for easy disposal of junk mail
  3. Every break room or common area should have containers for aluminum, plastics and mixed paper.
  4. Place containers for aluminum, plastics and paper in lobbies and beside elevators.
  5. Make sure there is a trash container beside or around recycling containers to reduce contamination.

 

We realize not every office has room for containers in all these locations and some labs do not allow foreign objects or substances inside the actual labs. For labs, smaller offices or for offices that may be spread out, make several “recycling centers” in centralized locations with containers for mixed paper, white paper, aluminum and plastics available for employees to empty their desk side recycling containers.

Office Paper Recycling

With paper comprising up to 40% of the solid waste stream, paper recycling is an obvious and easy way to reduce waste in the work place. By recycling paper and using recycled paper, trees are spared. Cutting down carbonabsorbing trees contributes to global warming, soil erosion, habitat destruction, and other environment problems. Paper recycling makes good business sense – university disposal cost can dramatically decrease with increased paper recycling.

Reprocessing can turn recycled paper into other paper products numerous times before the paper fibers are too weak to use. White office paper retains much of its value and goes into products such as tissues, paper board, stationary, magazines and new office paper. Mixed paper, which includes glossy and colored paper, envelopes, and sticky notes, is less valuable than white paper but can also be recycled into various products.

In order to help create healthy markets for recycled paper products, businesses and consumers also need to purchase products made from recycled paper. A recycling program should also practice waste reduction and reuse and should operate in tandem with efforts to purchase office products made from recycled content.

White Paper

White paper is a very high grade paper and one of Emory Recycles most valuable commodities. A good guide to determine whether paper is “white” is to tear it. If the paper is white inside the tear, it is considered white paper. Examples of acceptable material:

-copier paper

-letterhead

-notebook paper, even if slightly off white

-White paper with colored print or with staples is acceptable

-The Emory Report is printed on white paper.

-Business envelopes without windows (or with windows removed) are

acceptable.

Mixed paper

This is a low quality grade of paper, which includes most anything found in a filing cabinet, magazines and newspaper. Examples include:

-colored paper -newspaper and magazines -phone books -journals -brown paper packaging -cardstockbased materials such as file folders, paper bags, and paperboard

(i.e. cereal boxes, beverage boxes)

Purging Files and Office Cleanouts

Emory Recycles can provide extra containers for file purges or office cleanouts. Simply contact our office, 7272052, or claire.wall@emory.edu, to request containers. Please allow 48 hours for delivery. Once you fill up the containers, they can be placed on the building loading dock for pick up or (if too heavy to move) contact us for pickup.

What you can do ?

  1. Purchase 100% recycled nonchlorinebleached paper
  2. Buy unbleached, recyclefiber napkins, toilet tissue, paper towels, and coffee filters
  3. Think about alternatives to paper calendars, such as electronic or erasable calendars
  4. Use copier duplex functions to copy on both sides of the paper. Make this the default setting
  5. Reuse paper for scratch paper and to print out drafts
  6. Eliminate the use of fax cover sheets when possible
  7. Use recycled postits
  8. To conserve paper, ensure that documents are single-spaced
  9. Change margins in order to use as much space as possible
  10. Create an exchange for newspapers and magazines to avoid multiple copies
  11. Post memos and publications online or on an office bulletin board rather then printing them.
  12. Edit documents on the computer screen rather then printing multiple drafts
  13. Use electronic letterhead instead of having it printed out.
  14. Recycle paper when it can no longer be used

Tips for Greener Publications

  1. Use lightweight paper, using heavier papers and cardstock only when necessary.
  2. Purchase paper in standard sizes to avoid trimming waste
  3. Use vegetablebased inks, such as soy, rather then those made of nonrenewable, petroleum-based products.
  4. Buy inks colored with natural colors when available
  5. Avoid inks containing heavy metals as well as those that are fluorescent or metallic
  6. Use bindings that can be easily removed allowing the paper to be recycled – such as staples, ring binders and spiral bindings
  7. Produce only as many copies as you need
  8. Distribute electronically when possible
  9. Print on both sides of the paper and fill up as much of the paper as possible
  10. Avoid designing brochures, newsletters, and other publications with large margins and large blocks of ink
  11. Limit the number of colors that you use in your design. When using traditional production techniques, every color requires a separate printing cycle, meaning that more energy is used during production.
  12. Limit the use of colors such as purples, blues and reds that are more difficult to remove during the recycling process
  13. Do not use glues for binding as they are toxic and make documents more difficult to take apart and recycle.

Carboard Recycling

We do not have indoor containers for cardboard but cardboard is recycled on loading docks of all buildings. Please instruct custodians to take any boxes down to the loading dock for recycling. Emory Recycles has a packer truck that runs a cardboard recycling route every morning before you arrive at work (the route begins at 4:30am). Emory recycles an average of 16,500 lbs. (8.25 tons) of cardboard a week.

-Please break down boxes

-Please remove all packaging material from boxes

Aluminum Recycling

Aluminum is the most recyclable of all materials: it is four times more valuable than other recycled consumer materials. 100% of a recycled aluminum can is able to end up as another aluminum can and aluminum has no limit to the number of times it can be recycled. 80% of the material used to produce aluminum in North America comes from either domestically produced aluminum or is derived from recycled materials. The remainder is imported.

Virtually all metal beverage containers are made of aluminum, though some specialty drinks come in tin containers. A good test to determine whether a container is aluminum or tin is to use a magnet. Aluminum is not attracted to magnets.

-Remember to empty and rinse cans

-Remove them from bags or boxes.

-Please, no aluminum that has been in contact with food

Plastics

Emory Recycles collects plastics #1#6. Recycled in this case merely means collected and diverted from the landfill for reuse. None of the recovered plastic containers are being made into containers again but instead are made into new secondary products such as textiles, parking lot bumpers, or plastic lumber – all unrecyclable products. This reuse does not reduce the use of virgin materials in plastic packaging and since most plastic reprocessing leads to secondary products that are not themselves recycled, the plastic material recycled is only temporarily diverted from landfills.

Source reduction is preferable for many types of plastic and isn’t difficult.

 

-using refillable containers

-buy drinks in aluminum or glass containers

-buy in bulk

-buy things that don’t need much packaging

-buy things in recyclable and recycled packages

Special Events

Containers for special events are available upon request. Please contact the recycling office, 727-2052, a week in advance for delivery.

Tips for Greener Lunch and Coffee Breaks

  1. By coffee, cream, sugar and other products in bulk
  2. Purchase drinks in large containers rather then individual sizes
  3. Avoid Styrofoam containers (or ordering food that comes in it)
  4. Keep a coffee mug at work for drinks instead of using a disposable cup each time
  5. Replace plastic wrap and aluminum foil with more durable, reusable containers when you bring your own lunch to work
  6. Bring reusable lunch bags that are made of canvas or other fabric
  7. If you buy bottled or canned drinks, buy aluminum and recycle it. It only takes 6 weeks to create a new aluminum can from an old one and aluminum is 100% recyclable

Tips for Greener Meetings

  1. Provide slide and overhead capabilities and use electronic presentations
  2. Use erasable blackboards or whiteboards rather then flip charts
  3. Distribute agendas electronically
  4. Make sure there are recycling bins for special events. Emory Recycles can provide you with additional bins. We just need to be asked: (404) 7272052.
  5. At beginning of meetings, remind attendees of recycling bin locations and ask them to help you with your green efforts
  6. Provide registration packets in reusable binders or folders made of recycled materials
  7. Buy durable, reusable signage
  8. Provide reusable dishes, utensils, napkins and tablecloths
  9. Buy beverages, milk and cream in bulk and serve in pitchers
  10. Buy jams, butter, condiments and other food products in bulk and serve in bowls
  11. Keep promotional materials brief so that they don’t require a lot of paper
  12. Place copies of session notes or presenter’s papers at the front of the room rather then the back so that those really interested will take them.

Greener Purchasing – Close the Loop!

  1. Buy products made with high percentages of recycled content and packaged in recycled materials.
  2. Buy products with minimal packaging
  3. When ordering from Staples, look for the Mobius symbol. You can also narrow your results by contents that are made from recycled material
  4. Participate in Staples inkjet and toner recycling program http://www.stapleslink.com/html/portal/Staples%20Ink%20and%20Toner%20 Recycling%20Programs.pdf
  5. Avoid disposable items and buy products that can be refilled and reused. Tape dispensers, mechanical pencils, pens and reusable coffee filters are a few examples
  6. Reduce the amount of waste that you generate by using only what you need an using products until the end of their useful lives
  7. Reuse products whenever possible
  8. Reuse packaging
  9. Try to repair broken products before buying new ones.
  10. Buy products manufactured with nontoxic materials to be safer for employees and ecosystems
    Incorporate a clause into your purchase orders requiring products that contain recycled content and that can be recycled when you are finished with them.
  11. Put a green purchasing clause into your contracts with your suppliers requiring manufacturers to provide environmentally sustainable alternatives.
  12. For battery operated products, favor rechargeable batteries over disposable ones
    Use products completely before discarding them