Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
Are we suppose to write our presentation on this board? Or are we suppose to present our presentation at our next class? If no one objects, my preference would to go first. That way, I will be relaxed and able to pay better attention to the other presentations knowing that I am done.
I am looking for the waste audit assignment.
What would be the goal of your employer to have the appearance of recycling without recycling? If they want the image of recycling–then what is the barrier/problem with them following through?
I really enjoyed this class. One of my thoughts about educating people in the community is through Social Media. It would be great to have a Master Recycler’s presence on several different social media–but I could definitely see it being useful on Pinterest. We could create boards on Upcycling projects which would encourage people from disposing so much, recycling, sustainability etc. The great part about Pinterest is that the teaching can go on much longer after it was originally posted. The cycling of pins being repinned again and rippling out to new viewers is great. I was thinking if members of the class could be added to a group of pinners on a board or boards on Pinterest for SLC Master Recycler – we could really develop some pretty good boards.
I would love to see more centralized websites about where to take (or even get things). Imagine a site where you can ask a question, like where do I get rid of my sofa? and then there are direct links to resources such as Freecyle, Craigslist, KSL ads, Deseret Industries, Big Brothers/Big Sisters (and the landfill being at the end of the list of options). I don’t know what it would take to create such a site, but it would be nice if there was an option for I want to get rid of, or I would like. So maybe a teacher who is wanting to do arts & crafts with her students could post something like would like 150 plastic gallon milk jugs, or coffee cans and people could get it to the school rather than recycling them? It frustrates me to know that there are people who would love to have some resource that they are going without, at the very same time someone is trying to get rid of it–and doesn’t know that what they perceive as garbage or junk is a needed resource for someone else. Things like carpet samples are great for classrooms where kids are sitting on the floor, and learning about boundaries.
Not too long ago, a pretty nice sofa sitting at the side of the road. It actually was in very good condition – and I knew that there have been many years in my life as a single parent, that I would have loved to be able to get a free sofa in that kind of condition. However, it sat on the side of the road overnight–and in the morning I saw that it was tagged with gang graffiti. How sad it is that the sofa didn’t get to a person who really could use it (because I know that there are a lot of people in the community that could have used it).
It was depressing to hear that some recyclable items are not recycled due to low profitability. I think that manufacturers should be taxed on their products based on the impact it has on the environment (to make, to dispose of etc). It isn’t right that companies can make huge profits on their products while creating very expensive environmental problems. We have to pay extra for disposal fees for tires and motor oil – why don’t we have to pay for the convenience of single use containers? As a result of this class, I will be separating my recyclables as much as possible (paper and cardboard to go to the school’s paper collection dumpsters) and plastic bags and wraps will be bundled together to take to the grocery store drop off. I will be making better choices at the point of purchase to avoid having to recycle so much.
I am using vacation hours to leave early for these classes – so my supervisor is aware of what I am doing. In the past, some of my co-workers would tease me about being the “garbage” lady because I frequently removed plastic bottle, cans and paper from office waste cans and put them into the recycling can (pretty much right next to it). I’m sure some believe that I am wasting my time. However, I felt some degree of success today because a supervisor knocked on my door to ask me a “recycling question”. It was about packaging material he had at home. He said that he didn’t want to throw it away, but wasn’t sure if it was recyclable. I explained that we often take all of our boxes, packaging peanuts, air pillows, and other wrappings for mailing to a package mailing business. They love receiving these items, and do reuse them. So the supervisor is going to bring his packaging material to me, and my husband will take them to the business.
Also, we take our plant pots to the nursery for reuse. (If we plant seeds ourselves, we will use toilet paper rolls (cut in thirds) to hold the soil and begin the seeds before transplanting. However if we buy any starter plants in plastic pots – we give them to the nursery for reuse.
Very good ideas! I do like to reframe words though, when people ask me why I am picking up garbage, or trash from the sidewalks and playgrounds–I tell them that I am picking up recyclables. Then I give them a 30 second lesson about recycling plastic bottles and aluminum cans.
My husband and I use a lot of paper in our jobs. John is a real estate broker and often has a lot of flyers printed on one side. When the home is sold, or the information is outdated (price reduction or such), we keep all of the extra fliers and print on the backside (just inserting the paper into the tray upside down) for printing things for our personal use. We also use a lot of the envelopes that we get in the mail for shopping lists and for writing notes to each other (using up the space) before we recycle it. We haven’t purchased any note pads in the past 10 years. We also purchase a lot of our foods in bulk, to reduce packaging.
The trip to the landfill will remain in my mind forever. We can’t like this, it is not sustainable. One decision that I have made is to talk to people about reducing, reusing and recycling more often. With my hairdresser, with my neighbors, with my co-workers. Social Media has shown the value of a single post being shared again and again. Hopefully the message for the 3Rs will become greater than all of the air born and tree stuck plastic bags in our environment.
Most yogurt cups are #5 plastics and they are recyclable.
Hello, my name is Lisa. My 6th grade teacher got me interested in recycling in 1970, during the first Earth Day. Our class cleaned up a nearby stream and park. We recycled newspapers and glass bottles (really wasn’t plastics back then) and with the money we earned, she taught us to invest in the stock market. I love my teacher! Anyway, ever since 6th grade, I have been recycling and cleaning up public places. My biggest issues are plastic bags and single use plastic bottles! I work for Salt Lake County, and I try my best to educate and encourage my co-workers to do what they can to recycle. I am excited to be a part of this class and to learn more and to meet others who are passionate about recycling.
