On January 6, 2010, San Juan Citizens Alliance hosted the fourth monthly Appleseed Series Event, on the topic of recycling, at the Durango Recreation Center. Ashleigh Tucker, a recent graduate of Prescott College with a degree in Education for Sustainability, facilitated the presentation. Ashleigh shared a local as well as a global perspective on recycling and related issues.
Mark Williams with the City of Durango presented an overview of the current and future role of the City in the area's recycling efforts. Recycling has been part of city operations for many years, though a year ago it was combined, along with transportation initiatives, into the new Department of Sustainable Services. One of the biggest obstacles the city faces in relation to its recycling program is lack of space. Currently, a four-acre parcel is used for waste services and recycling. In the future, the city plans to expand the area utilized for recycling operations. This will allow for expansion in the types of materials able to be recycled in the area, as well as a single-stream process in which no pre-sorting will be required of residents. www.durangorecycles.com/
On the global front, Ashleigh shared information on the Pacific gyre, a swirl of plastic and other waste far out in the Pacific Ocean that no one is sure how to go about cleaning up. In addition to the pollution issue, it has also become a problem for birds and marine life, as it entangles animals and is also mistaken for food. A video clip of this environmental problem can be seen at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnUjTHB1lvM.
The end of the event was an interactive session during which teams brainstormed ideas for three applicable aspects of recycling:
Ways to improve curbside recycling:
- Educate
- Put all recycling into one bin
- Deliver and use large recycle bins (size of trash bins) to make it less frequent that you have to put out the recycling
- Divided bins
- More advertising for Durangorecycles.com and dotherightthings.net
- Put info and flyers into "Thursday" folders at elementary schools
How to get local businesses to recycle:
- Educate on process and availability
- Subsidize trash/recycling costs for businesses
- Tax landfill use
- Emphasize bulk foods
- Tax non-recycled products
- Recognize businesses that recycle
- Create a sticker of recycling for those businesses that do
- Hire someone to do the recycling
- Reduce packaging materials
- Make available cheaper environmentally friendly products that are used for take out food
- Why should businesses recycle? BECAUSE IT'S THE RIGHT THING TO DO!
Ways to improve and reduce waste at home:
- Educate
- Compost
- Think of the environmental impact before you buy
- Fix things instead of throwing them out
- Take your own to-go containers to restaurants
- Be aware of packaging in the products you buy
- Reuse
- Use reusable water bottles and coffee mugs (stainless steel and glass are the only healthy bottles for both the environment and our bodies)
- LESS & SMARTER CONSUMPTION
- Buy in Bulk with your own reusable containers
- Shop less often (go to the store with a list for the week instead of for the day)
- Reuse wrapping paper or the news paper for gifts
- Eat your leftovers
- Compost again
- Weatherstrip and make your old windows energy efficient
If you have any good additions to these lists, please share them with thecommunity through the Sustainability Alliance of Southwest Colorado by e-mailing Terry Woodward at terry@cosmoquest.com.
Related Links:
www.dotherightthings.net
www.durangorecycles.com
www.sanjuancitizens.org
www.standforsomethingco.org
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