MRF (Pronounced MURF)

What the heck is a MRF? 

MRF stands for Materials Recovery (or recycling) Facility.  I prefer 'recovery', because the actually recycling happens somewhere else.  MRFs are where our big dump trucks bring our recycling to be sorted into different categories.  What many facilities are going to is a (almost completely) mechanized system that uses incredible technology to separate our waste.  

The technology ranges from vacuums that suck up and plastic bags that shouldn't be mixed in with recycling (they can get caught and tangled in the machine, and cause temporary shutdowns) to lasers that can tell what the type/thickness is of a plastic and shoots an air stream at it to separate different plastics.  

ANYWAYS --- If you get the chance, I strongly suggest you take a trip to your local MRF and check out all the neat things going on.  

NOW. Recycling is a much more intense and involved process than you may think.  There is a company called ReCommunity which runs many MRFs throughout the country, and is a leader on R&D of recycling and facilities.  They have an INCREDIBLE education website that makes understanding the recycling process very easy, and will soon be releasing an interactive MRF, where you can go on and see each part of the separating process and learn just how it works.  It also includes videos on how each material is broken down and recycled. 

What really gets me is when I hear people that don't believe that recycling actually happens.  It is understandable since it takes place behind the scenes, and it goes against our culture to re-pulp and re-use materials.  Recycling is a HUGE industry, and one that is worth a fair chunk of change.  Our facility here in Rhode Island gives back to the municipalities by sharing a percentage of their income, based on the cities that recycle the most.  Last year, Providence received $200,000 from the RI Resource Recovery Corporation!

Another tid-bit: Per ton, recycling creates 10 times more jobs than landfilling. TEN TIMES! Recycle more, so we can get this country back on track! :) 


Please check out some videos on the website, they're very well done and helpful in understanding how recycling is possible! 




12/04/2012:  Check out this video made by Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation.  It walks you through their new single stream technology, plus the narrator is a Gator!! :) 

And some pictures of how recycling starts out, and the final product at the MRF that they sell to recyclers. 

Tipping Floor after collection from curbside.

The product is bales of separated materials, ready to be picked up by recyclers.

Keep America Beautiful's Recycle-Bowl

NOTE: This post is not the product of Kathryn Davis. The post was written by Keep America Beautiful in order to spread the word about Recycle-Bowl.  Kathryn is reporting Recycle-Bowl results for 37 schools in Providence. You should report for your school!! 

Are you looking for a fun and creative way to increase school recycling participation or maybe begin a school recycling program in your community? Recycle-Bowl, a nationwide comprehensive school recycling competition, could be your ticket to success.

Keep America Beautiful’s, second annual, “Recycle-Bowl,” is a comprehensive nationwide recycling competition for elementary, middle and high-school students. Recycle-Bowl was created to provide students with a fun, interactive way to learn about waste reduction and environmental responsibility through in-school recycling.

Open to all schools, the incentive-based recycling competition kicks off again this October and registration is now open on the Recycle-Bowl website at http://recycle-bowl.org. The competition runs from October 15 through November 9, culminating around America Recycles Day. Participating schools will track and report how much recyclable material they collect for a chance to win prizes.

At the close of the four-week competition, the school in each state that collects the most recyclable material per capita will win $1,000. A national champion will then be chosen from the top statewide winners to receive an additional $1,000 and a $2,500 store credit to purchase more recycling bins. Schools that collect material from the community will compete in a separate category for first-, second- and third- place cash prizes. Educational recycling activities will also be provided on-line and through a registration toolkit.

In its inaugural year, more than 1,200 schools around the country, representing more than 500,000 students, participated in the competition. 67% of schools saw an increase in the amount of materials their school recycled during the competition.

From the Recycle-Bowl homepage (http://recycle-bowl.org/2012-map/) you can see who else is competing in your state. Help us reach our goal of having 1500 schools participate in 2012. 

Environmental Literacy

I have recently begun meeting with some local groups involved in Rhode Island Environmental Education.  One such group is RIEEA, Rhode Island Environmental Education Association, and they have introduced me to the term Environmental Literacy.  

Here is the definition found on the New England Environmental Education Alliance (NEEEA) site:

"Environmental Literacy Defined

The following excerpt is taken from the Roadmap to Environmental Literacy for Vermont, and helps to explain what the term environmental literacy is all about. Being literate in the broadest sense means to have knowledge or competence. When we consider environmental literacy, according to the North American Association of Environmental Education, knowledge and competence includes the following: An understanding of the Earth as a physical system and the living environment, including humans and their societies within the landscape A familiarity with some basic modes of inquiry, critical thinking and problem-solving skills, and an ability to interpret and synthesize information An understanding of the ideals, principles, and practices of citizenship in order to participate in resolving issues Motivation and empowerment to act, understanding that what people do as individuals and groups can make a difference In short, understanding, problem-solving, citizenship, and action. Fostering environmental literacy may include activities such as taking school children on a hike with a naturalist or families attending a local maple sugaring festival. It may also include neighbors cooperatively sharing resources such as lawn mowers, log splitters, roto-tillers, or even just canoes or bicycles. It could be the town road crew working with landowners to install beaver baffles to prevent washouts. Environmental literacy involves community members who are engaged in discussion at town meetings, employees who promote sustainability policies in their workplaces, and students planning community service projects. It might be employees advocating for bike racks or showers in their workplaces or students coordinating recycling programs in their school or energy audits in public buildings." Pretty much, it says fostering environmental literacy can be as simple as spending time outside.  Learn about the earth, get to know your neighbors, share things.

I am planning on attending an Environmental Literacy Summit that will be held in Maine next month. As well as sitting in on more of the RIEEA meetings. I am excited to find out that there are groups working toward getting the word out, and educating people about the environment. 

...what do you mean I can't recycle THAT?!

As I may have mentioned, Rhode Island's Resource Recovery Corporation recently underwent a HUGE renovation at their Materials Recovery Facility (MRF), and are now able to accept all plastic containers.  Here in Rhode Island, we can now mix all of our recyclables together, thanks to the new machinery at the recycling facility. 

However, through the facilities marketing campaign, I learned something about recycling that I DID NOT KNOW! :O I know. and I thought I knew it all. 

So I found out that here in Rhode Island, and in MANY recycling facilities across the country, refrigerator and freezer boxes ARE NOT recyclable. Trust me, I did not want to believe it. These boxes are something that I have been recycling... um... since I knew what recycling was. So I had to go do some leg work, before I could bring myself to find another path for my 'waxed cardboard' as they are called.  

NOT RECYCLABLE!

SO... cardboard packaging that is used for refrigeration or freezing, is pumped (or coated) with wax.  As you may know, in order to recycle paper products, the paper is pulped, meaning ground up and mixed with water.  The wax in these products does not dissolve in water (which is why they can handle refrigeration and freezing), so they cannot be recycled.  This all makes sense to me, and you can tell when handling these boxes that there is more than just paper there... 

My next dilemma was then about cartons. If I can't recycling my soda can box because it needs to be water/condensation proof, how can I recycle a carton that is both insulated, and made to HOLD liquid in the refrigerator.  After much digging, I finally found a website that could explain this to me. If you haven't seen the site Earth911, check it out... seriously. 

The article I found on their site is Recycling Mystery: Milk and Juice Cartons

 


What I learned, is that cartons are NOTHING LIKE wax cardboard.  They have no wax. They use plastic and aluminum instead.  

There are two different make-ups of these cartons, one includes aluminum, and the other does not... 

Through the pulping process, the plastic and aluminum separate from the paper, and they are able to recycle all three parts! I am as amazed by this as I am depressed by the fact that I cannot recycle my refrigerator/freezer boxes. 

Looks like I'll have some more materials to make into projects. haha Keep an eye on homemadehappens.blogspot.com, for wax cardboard projects. They'll be there soon enough! 

Polystyrene: Pick Your Side

During my research into school lunch tray options, I have found that there are many articles backed by passion, but few backed by actual studies or sound evidence.  The argument I am referring to, of course is polystyrene.  

We are taught to cringe when we see polystyrene (often referred to as Styrofoam), and for good reason.  Polystyrene products used to be made with a blowing agent of CFCs, which was toxic, but the government stopped that, decades ago. The stigma still remains. 

The biggest argument, however is that polystyrene doesn't biodegrade, or takes years to degrade in a landfill.  FUN FACT: bio-degradation takes a number of elements to take place, one of them being plenty of oxygen.  Because of the way modern landfills are managed, it wouldn't be too far off to say that NOTHING biodegrades in a landfill.  Some minor breakdown may occur, but even products that claim to be biodegradable will not have the opportunity to in a landfill. 

Polystyrene - AGAINST: made using petroleum; contains styrene (a chemical found naturally in some foods, but found to be hazardous when inhaled of ingested in large amounts); melts in contact with very hot foods, fear that chemicals can leach into foods; not bio-degradable or compostable.

Polystyrene - FOR: cheapest option; more than 75% air, so it takes up much less space in a landfill; there are recycling options in many places (although recycling may require rinsing the trays);great insulating agent, so students wont burn themselves on hot plates. 


Throughout my research, I have come to hate polystyrene much less, even though I still believe there are better options... 

One option I have looked into is is Bagasse, or sugarcane, trays.  

These trays are made from a bi-product of sugarcane production, and are sometimes even made to be compostable.  The problem in my case is that there is no commercial composting facility in the state of Rhode Island, or close enough for this to be feasible. These trays also carry the stigma of being a sustainable option, and it seems crazy, but people will choose these trays to get credit for being green, and to quiet complaints about Styrofoam trays. 

Bagasse - AGAINST: Almost three times more expensive than polystyrene; take up more room in a landfill; also use petroleum to make a film so that foods and liquids don't melt the tray; although it is compostable, they will likely only compost well in a large, commercial facility. 

Bagasse - FOR: Responsibly sourced, comes from another processes bi-product; compostable (in a commercial composting facility); looks like a more sustainable option



The final, and in my opinion, most appealing option that I have researched is plastic, reusable trays. 

There are a number of reasons why schools have decided not to use this option, or even to switch FROM plastic trays to disposable polystyrene trays. The biggest reason is cost.  Although these trays decrease the annual cost of trays (after the initial purchase) the major cost created is the labor of the cafeteria worker who will place these trays in racks, send them through a dishwasher, and stack them once they are dry.  

Reusable - AGAINST: Upfront cost; cost of labor; dishwasher cost (if needed); water and energy use to clean dishes; initial production materials and energy.

Reusable - FOR: Annual cost of tray purchases is much lower; little landfilling, only broken trays will be thrown away; less production materials and energy over time.


For school districts in Rhode Island, I compiled a Cost Analysis of these different options.  The cost analysis will be almost the same in any US locations, the notes I added and companies I used may differ by region. Here is the Cost Analysis that I developed: School Tray Options - Cost Analysis

You can see on the cost analysis, that for polystyrene, I have included an option for a ThermoCompactor.  I will post information about this option separately, since this post is jam-packed enough, as it is. 

Zero-Waste and Plastic-Free

A common phrase these days is 'Zero Waste'.  A difficult goal to be sure.  Zero Waste. That means, at the end of the day, every day, you have NOTHING going to a landfill.  I found this great Zero Waste Blog, which works toward creating a zero waste home.  One thing I really appreciate from the blog is their list of Rs.  Traditionally, the rule is Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. But that does not cover it all, if you wish to be completely waste-free.  So they have added Refuse and Rot. So to quote the blog...

"The zero in "zero waste" makes it sound scary and hard to achieve. It is actually not as as hard as it seems, and it is as simple as following these Five R's, in order:

• Refuse what you do not need.
• Reduce what you do need.
• Reuse by using reusables.
• Recycle what you cannot refuse, reduce, or reuse.
• Rot (compost) the rest."

Emphasis on the fact that these rules are IN ORDER. So ROT only what you can't recycle, RECYCLE only what you can't reuse, REUSE only what you can reduce, and REDUCE only what you can't REFUSE.  

A main component in all of these steps is plastic.  Plastic is everywhere you look these days. It is unreal how difficult it is to avoid plastics. I found this Plastic-Free Guide which is a great source that explains ways that we can REFUSE and REDUCE our dependence on plastic. 

I am working on this project myself, although iced coffee cups are my downfall when I'm out and about.. Baby steps, though.  I have been paying more attention with my purchasing. I buy milk in cartons, even without the little plastic cap. Rather than buying individually portioned products, like yogurt, I buy it in bulk and divide servings in reusable containers to take to work. And look for products that use as little packaging as possible. Packaging, though, is another post for another day. 

Sustainability in K-12 Schools

Okay- so I have been blogging about my internship and initiatives, just not on here.  The Student Conservation Association (SCA) and ARAMARK both have social connection type websites, where we can connect with other interns throughout the country.  So far, I have done most of my updating and blogging on those. So now I'll summarize all the fun stuff I'm doing here in Providence, and quickly cover the past two months.

I can't believe it's only been two months!

As is my goal with this blog, my main goal here in Rhode Island is to spread environmental education.  Although I have many smaller projects I am working on constantly, like light bulb recycling and food waste reduction, I have three main projects that take up most of my time.  My projects are data collection, recycling, and farm to school.

Data Collection -- actually more fun than it sounds.  Because Aramark has had environmental initiatives in the past but did not put them in writing, my job is to collect information on past (and current) initiatives and create a visual awareness guide.  With this guide, we will be able to show what the company has done for the environment and K-12 schools in Rhode Island, and educate people as to what we are doing behind the scenes, that they do not necessarily see or understand.

Recycling -- ARAMARK has the facilities account in the City of Providence, so I am working with 37 schools in the district to increase recycling and education among students and faculty.  Right now I am working with the City's Office of Sustainability on starting up a Recycling Competition between the schools, which will last until winter break, and encourage the schools to recycle.  I will create a post just on this competition, once we have the details ironed out a little more.  My goal is to put together a K-12 Recycling Best Practices Guide, that other school districts can use to increase their recycling.

Farm to School -- We have the food accounts at 13 school districts across the state. At these schools, my main project is to increase local purchases at the schools.  The process is very involved, as we have to work through Sysco, our vendor, and cannot purchase straight from farms.  There is a Farm to School Manager who I have been able to work with on a number of occasions lately, and I am thankful to have her help and experience with working to increase farm to school purchases. A lot of what she does is also education, and I got the chance to assist her at a Children's Workshop (picture below), where we introduced new, local fruits and veggies to elementary-age children.

Chef Kimberly of Farm Fresh RI - Reading 'Tops and Bottoms' to the kids.

This week I am working on putting together a folder on information for each of the principals.  The folder will include materials from a flyer for the recycling competition to 'how to' guides for getting students involved and measuring each school's recycling data.

Well, back to it!

A crazy six months

Hello out there!!

It's been over six months since I last posted. I'm clearly really good at this blogging thing... I'm going to work on getting better, especially now that my every day revolves around sustainability. So here's what's happened in the last six months...

At the end of December, 2011, I moved back to Gainesville from Punta Gorda, where I started back up working for Aramark in food services on the UF campus.  Through that position, I was able to work with my manager on some sustainability projects for the store.  An experience I was thankful to have.  I found out about  environmental internships for Aramark that take place across the country, so I applied.  After a very good phone interview, I found out a week later (last week in April) that within three weeks I would be packed up and moving to Providence, RI to start my internship with Aramark in the Providence Public School system.

I have just finished the second week of my internship and LOVE it so far! Not only am I working in Providence, on the facilities side, with recycling, energy savings, etc. I have also been able to work outside of the city with other municipalities on the food side, where I am able to work on Farm to School programs and hoping to get some composting programs started. My main, overriding project is to collect data on both facilities and food to create an education/awareness campaign on the environmental initiatives that Aramark has implemented so far, and the difference it has made in waste reduction and energy savings, etc.

Anyways, so that's my wrap-up. I've also JUST started an indoor compost bin (yesterday), and will post about it once I get a little further into the experiment.