Middle school students at Beaver Local Middle School in Lisbon, Ohio are increasing their participation in their school's recycling efforts with recycling bins donated from Alcoa Recycling. Aluminum cans and plastic bottles are among the items the school is recycling.  Way to go Beaver Local Middle School!

A new report from the United States Environmental Protection Agency suggests that the way Americans produce, produce, deliver and dispose of good and services- what the agency refers to as "materials and lang management" - accounts for 42 percent of the nation's greenhouse gas emissions. 

The study took stock of the emissions generated by land use, food and product production across the entire life cycle-- from resource extraction (think mining, agriculture and forestry) to manufacturing, packaging, transportation and ultimately disposal. 

The report breaks from conventional analyses of greenhouse gas emissions, which typically focus on sectors such as transportation or electricity generation, and according to Joshua Stolaroff, a former science and technology policy fellow with E.P.A.'s Office of Solid Waste and Energy Response and the report's lead technical author, it suggests that emissions savings from waste reduction, recycling and improved product design can be significant. 

View this entire article from the New York Times. 

Coca-Cola is launching its first advertising campaign focused on encouraging customers to recycle, as part of the drinks company’s aggressive strategy to cut its carbon footprint.

The “Keep it Going. Recycle” campaign is being launched to support the expansion of Coke’s Recycle Zone initiative.

As part of the scheme, Southampton becomes the first city centre where Coca-Cola will launch branded recycling bins.

The campaign was created following research undertaken in partnership with the Carbon Trust, which found that packaging accounts for the largest proportion of a drinks company’s carbon footprint.

It also says that by recycling a Coke can or bottle consumers can reduce the carbon footprint of the individual drink product by up to 40% and make a major difference to the environment.

Coke says consumers are staying true to their “green values” in the face of the recession, with recycling remaining a key concern.

It points to research carried out by Millward Brown and RDSi, which found that 79% of consumers interviewed agreed that companies should be making changes so that when they buy their products they feel as though they are helping the environment.

Coke Recycling Zones have already been set up in Thorpe Park and Manchester Airport, but it is the first time the company has launched advertising to support the initiative.

The campaign includes regional print and outdoor activity created by brand agency Bulletproof.

Coke plans to create 80 Recycling Zones by 2011, at locations including theme parks, such as Alton Towers, shopping centres and major international travel hubs.

Coke Great Britain president Sanjay Guha says: “Sustainability is at the heart of everything we do. Without sustainable, healthy communities we won’t have a sustainable business. Which is why, as well as taking action ourselves, we’re committed to helping consumers to do their bit as well.”

This story is from MarketingWeek.

The recycling rate for beverage containers in Europe hit 33 percent in 2008, with nearly 386,000 tons of material collected.  The combined recycling and recovery rates for the EU countries were nearly double, with a 65 percent recovery rate. 

The Alliance for Beverage Cartons and the Environment (ACE) monitored the findings.  The Brussels-based non-profit group hopes to increase the recycling rate by 50 percent by 2012.

This story is from Resource Recycling. 

Check out this article entitled "The Bottle Battle" from the Memphis Flyer about the on-going debate about a prospective deposit law in Tennessee.  The first ever public forum about this topic will take place in Memphis. Follow the link to this article for the full text. 

The photo of this green rolling cart is from San Francisco's composting program where residents have the luxury of depositing their home composting waste into this type of container and simply rolling it out to their curb for pick-up.  Among the items accepted in this composting program include vegetable scraps, egg shells, coffee grounds, paper cups and plates, and paper tea bags.  A full list of acceptable items can be viewed here.  Residents also have a blue rolling cart for recyclables which is also picked up curbside. 

This past June, San Francisco's Board of Supervisors voted in the most comprehensive mandatory recycling and composting law in the country.  This law aims to reduce landfill waste and greenhouse gas emissions while imposing fines on those that consistently fail to properly sort their recyclables and composting.

As one of the leading programs in the country, the City of San Francisco diverts about 72 percent of its waste through composting and recycling programs.  San Francisco's goal is to reach zero waste going to landfills by the year 2020. 

Each Tuesday we will have dual text in English and Spanish.

Cada martés tendrémos texto doble de inglés y español. 

How do I start a recycling/composting program in my community?
The beginning of a local recycling program is not as difficult as you would imagine.  The first step would be to communicate with the pertinent local authorities in your area.  Many communities have recycling coordinators, whose public function is to have local recycling resources.  Search for a telephone book under recycling coordinators or communicate with your local public works department.
 
Also, you can visit the website for interested citizens from the office of solid waste from the EPA and the website from the EPA WasteWise in order to find information and resources that will help to maintain or improve a recycling program in your community. 

If you have specific questions about the management of solid waste in your community, communicate with the regional office of the EPA in your area or with your state's environmental agency.

This information is from the EPA.

¿Cómo puedo comenzar un programa de reciclaje/compostaje en mi comunidad?

El comenzar un programa de reciclaje local no es tan difícil como se lo imagina. El primer paso sería comunicarse con las autoridades pertinentes en su área. Muchas comunidades tienen coordinadores de reciclaje—funcionarios públicos quienes tienen información sobre los recursos de reciclaje local. Busque en su guía telefónica bajo “coordinadores de reciclaje” o comuníquese con su departamento de obras públicas o departamento de sanidad local.

También puede visitar la página Web del Ciudadano Interesadode la Oficina de Desecho Sólido de la EPA y el sitio Web de la EPA WasteWisepara encontrar información y recursos que le ayudarán a mantener o ampliar un programa de reciclaje en su comunidad.

Si tiene preguntas específicas sobre el manejo de desecho sólido en su comunidad, comuníquese con la oficina regional de la EPA en su área o su agencia estatal .

Esta información es de la EPA.

Sept. 2 -- The National Recycling Coalition´s Board of Directors voted today to file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, which would result in a court assuming control of the organization and supervising a plan to liquidate assets to satisfy creditors.

Several board members said they hoped NRC members would find some way to revive a similar coalition to keep the message about the benefits of recycling before the public.
Some coalition members had asked for 90 to 120 days to attempt a rescue plan involving solicitation of donations and negotiations with vendors to extend the time the NRC would have to settle debts.

However, the board said that on the advice of their attorney, they had to act now.
The coalition´s bank account had run dry, with only $619 in a checking account and obligations possibly exceeding $1.5 million.
The Washington, D.C., office will be closed on Friday, but the organization lacks money to pay movers to put furniture in storage and it lacks the funds to pay legal and accounting fees associated with filing for bankruptcy, according to statements by the staff and board members. However, some board members expressed an interest in donating personal funds to help cover the costs.

The NRC -- a 31-year-old organization -- is the largest national nonprofit group dedicated to advocating recycling, waste prevention and recycling.
NRC members recently rejected a proposed merger with Keep America Beautiful. While a majority of NRC members voting cast ballots in favor of the merger, a two-thirds majority was necessary for passage.

Cash for clunkers ended last week -- for cars. 

But old energy-hopping refrigerators and freezers qualify for recycling and cash from more than 50 utilities across the nation.  And the federal government is making money available to states so consumers could get rebates of $50 to $200 for new, more energy-efficient appliances later this year in a so-called "cash for appliances" program.

Combined, the appliance initiatives have a goal similar to the cash-for-clunker programs for autos: They get less-efficient appliances off the nation's energy grid in favor of newer efficient ones. 

For the full length article, visit USA Today.

The Shelton Group, an advertising agency in Knoxville, Tennessee,recently conducted a study to determine if there is a typical type of green consumer.  The Knoxville group surveyed over 1,000 people who at least occasionally buy green products.  The study revealed that there is no typical green consumer and that there are different reasons why people want to buy green products. 

Results from this study indicate that advertisers are targeting their green related announcements to a specific demographic.  The findings from this study show that not all green consumers are the same, which necessitates different approaches in advertising to reach a broader range of people. 

To read the full article, visit the Waste & Recycling article.