Paper and Solid Waste Recycling Projects
- Most cities have a paper recycling program. You may wish to collect paper as part of your recycling project, hauling it to your local recycling center, so your clients don't have to. Or you could do a paper recycling drive with a twist. The Onondaga County Resource Recovery Agency hosts an annual Shred-O-Rama. They partner with local document shredding companies who bring in their trucks with mobile shredding units to the event. People in the community are encouraged to bring in their old confidential documents for shredding and recycling.
- Another choice for your recycling project is electronic waste. Electronic waste is any old gadget that either plugs into a wall or runs off a battery. According to the website Earth 911, electronic waste accounts for 70% of toxic waste in landfills. Electronic waste also contains valuable metals that can be reused. For information about who in your area takes electronic waste for recycling, go to the electronics section of Earth 911.
- CDs are recyclable. They are a class 7 plastic, fully recyclable polycarbonate. According to Back Thru the Future Technology Disposal, it takes 300 ft. of natural gas, 2 cups of crude oil and 24 gallons of water to manufacture a pound of CDs, which is a mere 30 discs. If dumped into a landfill, those CDs would take over a million years to decompose. Back Thru the Future also has recycling ideas on their website.
- According to ID2 Communications in Victoria, British Columbia, every year in the United States over 2 billion books are published. Only 19.3% of books are recycled at the end of their life. As a recycling project, consider having a book sale to benefit a local charity. Or host a book swap. At the end of the event, box up the leftover books and bring them to your local recycling center so they can be turned into new paper products.
