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 Tips for Recycling Recycling Tip #1 The single most important--and among the easiest--thing for a religious institution to do is to place all its disposal bins (trash and recycling) in one place…so that people can make the right decisions at the right moment. Recycling Tip #2 Do not recycle items with food or liquid residues. Remove lids and pour out non-toxic liquids before disposing. Do not recycle pizza boxes, napkins or anything with permanent food residues. (Even one such item can contaminate a load of recyclables…sending it to the dump instead.) When in doubt, leave it out! Recycling Tip #3 Create clear recycling signage . Good signage over receptacles results in a higher rate of recycling. (www.turtleislandrecycling.com has printable signs.)
Create a collection site for batteries, electronic waste and printer cartridges – toxic items which are often thrown out . Recycle empty printer, fax, and copier cartridges. Some big box stores accept these. Other organizations offer fundraising opportunities, for instance: www.collectcartridgesforcash.com. ½ gallon of oil saved for each recycled laser cartridge. Collected batteries can then be taken to a local waste transfer station. Recycling Tip #5 Compost organic waste, such as fruit and vegetable waste, lawn clippings, leaves, and coffee grounds…do not compost meat scraps. Compost bins take up little space and make outstanding fertilizer. And here's another big plus: composting helps fight global warming by reducing methane emissions from organic materials in landfills. Recycling Tip #6 Purchase recycled content paper. The Environmental Defense Fund maintains that "ton for ton, replacing virgin kraft pulp with de-inked pulp will have the greatest positive environmental impact on forest resources." So, purchase "post" consumer recycled paper when you are able. ("Post" consumer means materials in a product have already served a particular consumer function and have been diverted from the solid waste stream to be recycled. "Pre" consumer means that materials in a product have themselves been recycled as part of the product's production cycle before it's ready for consumers.) And consider all your possible recycled paper needs--like toilet paper, paper towels, even post-its--not just copier/printer paper. Also encourage the reuse and recycling of your copier/printer paper…make a scrap paper bin for people to use, encourage printing on both sides of paper, etc. And remember, reduced virgin kraft paper use positively contributes to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Getting Started: Assess Your Current Habits and Plan for Change
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Recycling Tip #4