Important Links and Resources

Consumer Electronics Association "My GreenElectronics"
http://www.mygreenelectronics.org/
This site provides information on reducing energy consumption, electronics recycling, and reuse options.

EPA Recycling Website
http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/non-hw/muncpl/recycle.htm
An overview of the recycling process, as well as tips on improving recycling programs for citizens, businesses, and local governments.

EPA's Municipal Solid Waste in the United States: 2005 Facts and Figures
http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/non-hw/muncpl/msw99.htm
EPA's characterization of the components of municipal solid waste, including generation, recycling, and disposal rates for all the materials in MSW. This edition includes special chapters on source reduction and electronics recycling.

EPA WasteWise Program
http://www.epa.gov/wastewise/wrr/recycle.htm
WasteWise is a free, voluntary, EPA program helping U.S. organizations eliminate costly municipal solid waste, benefiting the bottom line and the environment. WasteWise partners commit to initiating, expanding, or improving programs to collect recyclables.

OFEE Web-Based Paper Calculator
http://www.ofee.gov/gp/papercal.asp
The "Paper Calculator" calculates the U.S. average energy and wood consumption and environmental releases summed across the full "life cycle" of each of five major grades of paper and paperboard.

GSA Recycling Agency Lookup Form
http://ncr.gsa.gov/recycle/AL/Default.aspx
The Agency Lookup Form provides recycling data for over 100 buildings in the Washington, Dc metro area from 1992 to the present.

Global Recycling Network
http://www.grn.com/
Global Recycling Network is an electronic information exchange that specializes in the trade of recyclables reclaimed in Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) streams, as well as the marketing of eco-friendly products.

National Recycling Coalition
http://www.nrc-recycle.org
Founded in 1978, the National Recycling Coalition, Inc. (NRC) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization representing all the diverse interests committed to the common goal of maximizing recycling to achieve the benefits of resource conservation, solid waste reduction, environmental protection, energy conservation, and social and economic development.

Natural Resources Defense Council
http://www.nrdc.org/cities/recycling/default.asp
NRDC promotes increased recycling, while also seeking to expand the national market for recycled materials. NRDC was instrumental in persuading the Federal government to demand paper with at least 30 percent postconsumer recycled content from its suppliers, a step that dramatically increased demand for recycled paper.

Keep America Beautiful, Inc.'s Recycling Tools
http://www.kab.org/aboutus.asp?id=120&rid=121
Keep America Beautiful offers a variety of recycling tools and resources. For schools, KAB offers two recycling and curriculum guides:

School Recycling Guide. Keep America Beautiful, in cooperation with Dr. J. Winston Porter, prepared a School Recycling Guide to help America's schools create or expand recycling programs. The guide is designed for students and educators in middle schools through junior colleges. It provides a series of fill-in-the-blank tables and instructions to allow schools to develop their own recycling programs. Topics include assessment of potential recyclables in the school, identification of local markets, design of the actual recycling operations, and development of educational programs to support recycling activities. The School Recycling Guide is available from Keep America Beautiful, Inc. for $7.50. Orders may be placed by phone at 203-323-8987, fax at 203-325-9199, or email at orders@kab.org.

Waste in Place Curriculum Supplement. A tool for K-6 teachers, to introduce students to litter and integrated solid waste management. 33 lesson plans, grouped by subject, can be taught sequentially or individually. Promotes critical thinking and decision-making skills. $40.00 general public, $25.00 KAB affiliates if training with a certified KAB trainer.

The Recyclability of Irradiated Mail
The United States Postal Service (USPS) recently engaged the internationally-renowned consulting firm Roy F. Weston, Inc., to study the impact of irradiation on the recyclability of mail.

Shortly after anthrax was discovered in certain pieces of mail last fall, the USPS committed to irradiating mail addressed to federal buildings in Washington, D.C. Individuals receiving irradiated mail noticed that it looked, felt, and even smelled different from non-irradiated mail, and questions were raised about whether the irradiation of mail affected its recyclability. Weston collected samples of mail and other office paper, irradiated it, and, with the independent paper sciences laboratory Integrated Paper Services, Inc., subjected the paper to various tests.

Results: No real impact on recyclability

While the integrity of the paper was compromised by the irradiation -- it became brittle, was easier to tear, and had reduced brightness, for example -- the impact on recyclability was insubstantial, particularly for use in manufacturing newsprint, lightweight coated or supercalendered papers, tissue products, and paperboard. The processes typically used in paper recycling -- from collection, to pulping at mills, to rolling new paper products -- were deemed adequate to recycle the irradiated mail. Therefore, office paper recycling programs that collect mixed office paper do not need to change their collection practices.

The main reason there was no appreciable impact is that mail is not a large component of recovered office paper. Even though irradiated mail had degraded somewhat, there is usually not enough of it to change the chemistry of the recycling process or output. Larger percentages of irradiated mail in a load of recovered paper could impact recycling but has not to date. If recycled paper is headed to a premium high grade use, an office may as a courtesy inform the paper collector of the presence of irradiated mail in the load of paper, but in practice even offices that are including irradiated mail in high grade sorted paper are not encountering problems with collectors and the mills they use.

For further information:

Bound summaries of the project, the lab reports, and news articles of interest are available, and questions may be answered, by contacting Eric Keeley of Weston (keeleye@mail.rfweston.com), project manager, or Don Guay of Integrated Paper Services (techmanager@integratedpaperservice.com), who oversaw the lab work.

Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation
http://www.rbrc.org/call2recycle/index.html
RBRC's Charge Up to Recycle!® program is designed to keep rechargeable batteries out of the solid waste stream, adhering to the federal and state laws requiring the proper disposal of some types of used rechargeable batteries. This program offers your community and public agency the tools to implement a simple, no cost recycling plan.

Association of Lighting and Mercury Recyclers
http://www.almr.org
The Association of Lighting and Mercury Recyclers (ALMR) has partnered with the Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) and the National Electrical Manufacturers Association in an outreach program for businesses, which use 85 percent of the fluorescent lighting in the United States. The outreach program, which will include meetings and workshops around the country, features a CD-ROM that has just been released -- available at no charge -- that gives businesses the resources and information they need to set up recycling programs. The CD can be obtained by contacting mail@almr.org or by calling (707) 942-2197.

In addition, the Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) is developing a Business Implementation Guide for members of the solid waste industry. The association will offer other educational materials, a public service announcement and ongoing workshop and conference opportunities to make this information available.
(excerpted from Recycling Today's e-newsletter, March 2, 2005)

For information on electronics recycling, visit the Electronics Stewardship section of the OFEE web site.