DOCUMENT ^""ME

ED 314 257 SE 051 114

TITLE Recycling Primer: Getting Back to Basics.I1TSTITUTION Connecticut Citizen Action Group.; Connecticut State

Dept. of Environmental Protection, Hartford.SPONS AGENCY Connecticut State Office of Policy and Management,

Hartford.; Department of Energy, Washington D.,:'.

PUB DATE Oct S8GRANT ZE-FG41-83R130160NOTE 33p.; Drawings may not reproduce well.PUB TYPE Guides Classroom Use Materials (For Learner)

(051)

EDRS PRICE MF01/PCO2 Plus Postage.DESCRIPTORS Conservation (Environment); *Elementary School

Science; Elementary Secondary Education;*Environmental Education; Hazardous Materials;Instructional Materials; intermediate Grades; JuniorHigh Schools; Middle Schools; Natural Resources;*Recycling; *Solid Wastes; Waste Discosal

ABSTRACTThe disposal of garbage is a complex issue. Four

strategies have been developed to attack the problem. They deal with:(1) waste reduction; (2) recycling; (3) energy recovery; and (4) landfilling. This handbook emphasizes recycling as a method of hanalingthe problem of dealing with solid wastes. Included are a list of thecategories and uses of recyclable materials, a list of non hazardoushousehold substitutes, a discus,, Jn of composting, and a glossary ofterms commonly used in recycling. Also discussed are policydevelopment, community involvemelt, and the benefits of recycling.(CW)

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CYCLING PRIMER:Getting Back to Basics

Prepared byThe Connecticut Citizen Action Group

andThe Connecticut Departmentof Environmental Protection

Leslie Carothers, Commissioner

ACONNECTICUT

RECYCLER

NM

Illustrations by Chris Rowlands

The work upon which the publication is based was performed inwhole or in part under Grant No. DE-FG41-83R130160 with the Con-necticut Office of Policy and Managemeit and the U.S Department ofEnergy. The opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendationsexpressed do not necessarily reflect the views of the DOE.

TABLE OF CONTENTSGARBAGE DOESN'T DISAPPEAR

1

WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT OUR WASTE?... 2RECYCLING IS ECOLOGICAL..... 4

RECYCLING CAN BE ECONOMICAL 6RECYCLING IS PUBLIC POLICY .. .... 8WHAT DO WE HAVE TO RECYCLE? . ... 9WHAT IS AN INTERMEDIATE PROCESSING CENTER? 9HOW WILL WE RECYCLE THE OTHER ITEMS? . ... 11

WHO'S GOING TO PAY FOR ALL THIS? . . 12

WHO'S RESPONSIBLE FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION? 12

RECYCLING AND WASTE REDUCTION ARE UP TO YOU 12

REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF GARBAGE YOU GENERATE 13

RECYCLE WHEN RECYCLING FACILITIES ARE AVAILABLE 14

WORK TO SUPPORT DEVELOPMENT OF A REGIONAL PROGRAM 15

FOR MORE INFORMATION 15

FOOTNOTES . .. 17

APPENDICESA CATEGORIES AND USES OF RECYCLABLE MATERIALS 19

B. NON-HAZARDOUS HOUSEHOLD SUBSTITUTES 22C COMPOSTING IN YOUR OWN BACKYARD 25

GLOSSARY 27

1

GARBAGE DOESN'T DISAPPEARIt's M *A *G *I *C *!I Put the garbage out on the curb in the evening,

and by morning it has disappeared. Pour waste oil down the stormdrain, and POOFII it's gone

Unfortunately, the tricks aren't working.

The garbage we all generate every day is coming back to hauntus. We ride along interstate highways and iind the views obscured bynew hills hills where compactor trucks toil their way up steepinclines to dump the week's accumulation of empty bottles and cans,discarded toys and furniture, soiled rugs, cardboard boxes, plastic bagsfull of leaves, and reams of paper from our many bureaucracies.

We turn on the evening news and see people hotly disputing theneed for and location of waste-to-energy plants We open the paperand read about families who have to use bottled water because theirwells have been polluted by landfill leachate and oil and chemicalspills

THERE IS NO M*A*G*I*C ANSWERTO WASTE DISPOSAL

The disposal of garbage is complex because the way we live iscomplex. We are creating more and more garbage every year "In 1960,each American generated an average of 2 9 pounds of trash daily,today, that figure is about 5 pounds "i And the content of that garbageis changing In 1977, 1 9% of the nauun's garbage was estimated to beplastics By 1986, that estimate had jumped to 8% In 1988, 35% of thecountry's waste stream is estimated to be packaging, and that figure isincreasing each year

At the same time, we are quickly run-ning out of landfill (dump) space. Connec-ticut's Department of EnvironmentalProtection (DEP) estirnate5 that the state'sexisting landfill capacity will be exhausted byabout 1990 if we continue to landfill all our garbage.New landfills are extremely difficult to find becausevery few places in the state have the type of landneeded and because of public opposition This Crisis isforcing us to take a new approach to solid waste disposal

WE CAN'T HIDE IT AND WE CAN'TDESTROY IT!! SO WHAT CANWE DO ABOUT OUR WASTE?

Like their neighbors, the Connecticutlegislature and Department of Environ-mental Protection have decided to dealwith our solid waste crisis by combiningtechniques and technologies so that ourgarbage is divided into categories andmanaged accordingly Four strategieshave been adopted.

3

1. WASTE REDUCTION involves reducing packaging, pro-ducing and purchas:ng things which are durable, repair-ing things if possible, decreasing non-recyclable items inthe waste stream, and making sure that usable butunwanted items are given to someone who wil! usethem.

2. RECYCLING involves keeping items such as glass, metal,paper and leaves out of the waste stream and process-ing them so tnat they can be made into new products.(See Appendix A for Categories and Uses of RecyclableMaterials and Appendix C for Composting)

3. ENERGY RECOVERY involves incinerating those itemswhich cannot be reused or recycled and capturing theirenergy value.4

4. LANDFILLING involves burying the residue from waste-to-e,iergy plants and those items which cannot be han-dled any other way.

The goal is to minimize the need for waste-to-energy plants andlandfills, which cause such controversy, by maximizing our wastereduction and recycling efforts.

EVERYONE MUST HELPThis booklet focuses on waste reduction and recycling because

the success of these strategies depends on all of us. Many times a day,each of us makes decisions about what to buy for ourselves and uurbusinesses and how to dispose of things we no longer want. Every daywe choose whether to be part of the solid waste problem or part of itssolution.

When we choose to reduce the amount of waste we create andto recycle what can be recycled, we decide in favor of our health, ourenvironment, and the conservation of our resources. Just as impor-tantly, we make an honorable commitment to the next generation soour children will not have to clean up after us.

RECYCLING IS ECOLOGICALBy recycling, we can:REDUCE AIR POLLUTION Using recycled aluminum instead ofbauxite to manufacture aluminum reduces air pollution by 95%. Recy-cling steel reduces air pollution by 85%, recycling paper, by 74%, andrecycling glass, by 20% 5

REDUCE WATER POLLUTION Substituting recycled aluminum forbauxite in the ma' ufacturing process reduces water pollution by 97%.Recycling steel reduces water pollution by 76%, and using recycledpaper to make new paper reduces water pollution by 35%.6

CONSERVE ENERGY It takes less energy to recycle something thanto make it from scratch. Making aluminum from recycled aluminum

4

5

rather than from bauxite reduces energy use by 90-97% Using recycledsteel to make new steel reduces energy use by 47-74%., For everymillion tons of scrap iron used to manufactur-.' new products, theenergy equivalent of 3 million barrels of cruck-! oil is saved 8 Usingwaste paper saves over 10,000 kilowatts of energy per ton of paperproduced.9

CONSERVE PRECIOUS NATURAL RESOURCES "Simply recover-ing the print run of a Sund:iy edition of the New York Times wouldleave 75,000 trees standing. %) As for glass, ". . for every for of crushedglass used in the manufacturing process, some 1.2 tons of rawmaterials is saved.-.)

To print theNY TIMES

Sunday Edition

USES 75,000 Treesevery week

ENRICH OUR SOIL The use of composting returns importantnutrients to the soil, slows soil erosion, and improves water retention,

EXTEND OUR LANDFILL CAPACITY Every 6 tons of mixed bottlesand cans which are recycled saves approximately 10 cubic yards oflandfill space Every tc ) of leaves which is composted saves about 4

cub:c yards of landfill space

REDUCE THE NEED FOR WASTE-TO-ENERGY PLANTS

REDUCE GLOBAL WARMING By reducing the energy necessaryto extract, process and transport raw materials, recycling reduces thecarbon dioxide emissions from fossil-fuel energy sources

ECONOMICALDisposing of solid waste atlandfills or waste-to-energy facil-ities is expensive.

LANDFILLS In 1986, the averagetipping fee (disposal charge) at land-fills in the Northeast was nverS20/ton.,

WASTE-TO-ENERGYFACILITIES The tippingfee at the Windham EnergyRecovery Facility was S83/ton a) 1988 According to the ConnecticutResources Recovery Authority, initial uppir ig fees at the state's otherfacilities will range from 527/tor) at the Hartford plant to S42 /torn atthe Bridgeport plain These fees are expected to corninue rising eachyear

Recycling saves your town or city money through cost avoidance.

Between 1986 and 1988, Groton, CT, saved S 127,580 (gross) inlandfill disposal costs by recycling 4,092 tons of paper and 2,281 toils ofbottles and cans

Save CashMake LessTrash

In 1987-88, Greenwich, CT, saved $900,000 (net) in sludgeincineration and Icaf disposal costs !hanks to its «i-composung program for sludge, leaves and wood chips

6

O First Selectman Dennis Murphy t East Lyme, who ha:, organizedone of the most successful municipal recycling programs in

3 Connecticut. estimates that without the town's trash dis-posal bill will jurnu from 5300,000 to S 1 ni,flion when the clump is

f, closed because of the high cost of sending trash t1 d private landfill or

4)4\< a trash burning plant By recycling, he expects to extend the life ofthe landfill.

Recycling generates revenues to help cover the costs of collect-s ing, processing and marketing the recyclable items.

v

if they ,are necessary at all, because the revenues from the recycledmaterials will help over the facility operating costs

) Recycling facilities are much less expensive to build than waste-,

tut.* to-energy facilities or lined landfills.I

,N \ / The DEP estimates that art intermediate pr( essiriti center (IPC) formix( recyclable materials will cost less h.4n S5 million, By contrei%i,trie rite -to- energy facility ir Bridgeport cost over S2C0however, it also processes much Idryer qu,tntir. than the IPC can(2,250 tons/day vs 80 ,iday at IPC)

)*+.

Glastonbury, CT, earned S22,250 in gross revenues during 1985 byselling 1,950 tons of paper metal, glass, etc

In 1987-88, North Stonington, CT, earned Slytc,:i for .ts recyclablecorrugated cardboard For all recyclables including depc,sit bottles and

. cans, car batteries mixed paper dnd cardboard, the town earnedj. S20,000 iri 198' -88 ,

1/4 ..

The ['EP expects that tippirk, tees at recycling facilities will be low.

7

Using recycled materials helps producers reduce costs andincrease output.

"Producing paper, aluminum, -)nd iron and steelfrom secondary instead of virgin materials typically cutsinvestment costs by one-half compared to conventionalproduction ..."20

"Test corn plots in Minnesota, field treated withboth compost and fertilizer, achieved yields 17 per-cent higher than fields spread with commercial fer-tilizer alone."21

RECYCLING ISPU3LIC POLICY!!

Recycling must now beundertaken by every Connecticuthousehold and business notsimply as an idealistic exercise bya few avid environmentalists, butas a mandate of public policy Fertilizer e. Compost and

In 1986 in response to Onlygrowing citizen concern aboutsolid waste, the state legislature established a SIO million RecyclingTrust Fund and required the Department of Environmental Protectionto produce a statewide recycling plan. In 1987 after the plan was com-pleted, the legislature overwhelmingly passed a second bill P.A. 87-544) making recycling mandatory in Connecticut, the 3rd state in thecountry to do so. Gover or William O'Neill signed the bill on July 2,1987.

The Mandatory Recycling Act sets the goal of decreasing Connec-ticut's garbage by 25% through waste reduction and recycling andestablishes a time frame for fully implementing the statewide recyclingplan by 1991. It requires the Department of Environmental Protectionto identify the items which are required to be recycled in order toachieve the 25% goal.

K Fertilizer

1L, 8

WHAT DO WE HAVE TO RECYCLE?

9

The mandated recyclable itemswhich have been proposed by DEPinclude. cardboard, glass and metal food

containers, newspaper office papergenerated by businesses, scrap metal,

batteries used in cars and otner vehicles,waste motor oil, yard waste (including

leaves, but not grass clippings), house-hold batteries, scrap tires, and two typesof plastic container (1) high-density poly-ethylene(H.D.P.E.)

bott ?s orjars, such as milk jug!, and (2) poly-ethylene terephthalate (P E T) foodcontainers, which are the moretransparent, thinner plastic bottlesused for soda, water and otherbeverages Some communities maychoose to recycle additional items.

WHAT IS AN INTERMEDIATEPROCESSING CENTER?

The centerpiece of each program will be an intermediate pi ocess-ing center or IPC serving approximately 400,000 people. The IPCis a small factory where glass jars and bottles, metal cans and trays,and sometimes paper (corrugated, newspaper and mixed grades thatare not directly delivered to independent paper dealers) collected fromhouseholds and small businesses are brought to be prepared for sale torecycles Because not all the recyclable items can be handled in thelame my and because each region of the state has different needs,the regional recycling programs will vary

I_L

Barr ziAkzi), HAND

1117tmegnas COtv,Zt

Flow of Recycl.lbles Through an 1PC

HOW DOES AN IPC WORK?Conveyor belts, mac ,etic separation and hand sorting are used to

separate the different materials Aluminum cans are crushed and baledfor shipping to an aluminum smelter. Tin cans (dog food, soup, etcare flattened and shipped to a detihner Color-sorted glass is crushedinto "cullet" and shipped to bottle and jar manufacturers Paper is pre-pared for paper processors or paper mills As technologies and marketsare refined, plastics will also be handled at the IPC

WHY HAVE AN IPC?The IPC helps solve the two traditional problems of recycling. low

participation and poor markets Participation is easy because the recycl-able items can be mixed and collected in the same place as the non-recyclable waste. A household or small busin7ss simply puts all its

-1. I

10

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VIM o .

bottles, cans and glass containers into a sirijie recycling "bucket" cdumpster. Paper is bundled pc placed in d .-Jumoste reserved for paper.For households that have curbside coric'ction, the recycling "bucket"and bundled paper are put at the curb for collection. In multifamilydwellings and at small businesses, recycling dumpsters are locatednear those used forthe nonrecyclablewaste.

With high parti-cipation, the 1PC candeliver consists nt vol-umes ,f professionallyprepared materials tomanufacturers. This ;simportant 5ecause trbuyer of the producthas to be guaranteed both quantity and quality. Buyersneed to be assured of a steady and substantial flowof material which meets their specifications if theirmanufacturing pi -)cesses are going to be dependent onmaterials.

recycled

HOW WILL WE RECYCLE THEOTHER ITEMS?

The items which are not processed and marketed through an IPCare handled in a variety of ways. Leaves may be composted alone (seeAppendix C) or co-composted with chipped brush and sludge at tnehousehold, municipal or regional level depending on the needs of thetowns and cities involved In most cases, waste motor oil, scrap metaland tires will be collected and stored by towns and cities in thepast, but their marketing may be arranged by a region's recycling coor-dinator Car and household batteries will require special handlingbecaie of tneir potentially hazardous content The DEP will recom-mend a management plan for these items It may include a program ofperiodic collections in conjunction with other household hazardouswastes, drop-off locations at retail outlets for batteries, Of returndeposits.

WHO'S GOING TO PAY FOR ALL THIS?The Recycling Trust fund is being used to help Connecticut's

towns and cities plan, implement, and publicize. regior I programs torecycle all these items. Several grants have already been made from thefund. Operating costs are paid by the cities, towns and regions Everymunicipality in the state has begun to plan f recycling, and some arealready recycling many of the required items

WHO'S RESPONSIBLE FORPUBLIC EDUCATION?

Publicity 2: nd education are the joint r-sponsibilrty of the DEP,regional program coordinators and town lenders. The DEP has initiatedan information program to promote recycling throughout the state.Ray Cycleml, Connecticut'srecycling superhero, is enchant-ing elementary school childrenwith a song and dance routinethat convinces them of theimportance of w ste reductionand recycling Cities, towns andregions will be responsible forteaching their residents how toprepare their recyclables forcollection. Additional supportmaterials are avaiiable from thestate.

RECYCLING ANDWASTE REDUCTIONARE UP TO YOU!!!

Although the statewiderecycling program will not befully implemented until 1991,you can begin now .

N ii /----,Connecticut Recycles!

II II tiiii llii / I/I1 ,

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REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF GARBAGEYOU GENERATEAvoid excess packaging. The statistics on the contribution of packag-ing to the solid waste problem are staggering If we choose overlypackaged goods, we send a message to manufacturers that we valueana will pay for such packaging.

"Nearly Si of every S 10 Americans spend for food andbeverages pays for packaging

"Preliminary figures released by the U.S. Department ofAgriculture indicate that Americans spent more forfood packaging than the nation's farmers received innet income."2:

"More than one-half o" the paper and glass produced[in the United States], ar d about one-third of the plas-tics, are incorporated in Items with a lifespan of underone year. Producing these packaging materials con-sumes 3% of the national energy budget ..24

Choose biodegradable products (those that break down into non-toxic elements) whenever possible For example, askfor a paper bag at t Ie checkout counter ratherthan a plastic one Better yet, if youare buying only a couple of items, .004`don't take a bag. Choose paper --;-_-32s ,.......... )rather than styrofoam egg cartons -,

Also avoid styrofoam in meat trays, /

disposable plates, cups, fast foodrestaurant packaging (when youare at a fast food restaurant, askfor no styrofoam)

Buy durable rather thandisposable goods because theycan be used again and again Examplesinclude razors, pens, diapers, vacuumcleaner bags, etc

11c_

Buy recycled and recyclable goods.Certain paper boxes and beveragecontainers are now labeled with arecycling logo. During the next fewyears, more and more products will belabeled to indicate that they containrecycled mater:als or can be recycledafter use. Support the manufacturerswho produce these goods by buyingtheir products.

Read labels carefully and choose non-toxic products wheneverpossible. Appendix B lists many nonhazardous household substitutesAvoid any product that comes in an aerosol can. Push pumps areequally effective and will not deplete the earth's ozone layer.

Re-use as many things in your house as possible. For instance,yogurt containers are good for storing leftovers. Aluminum foilis easy to rinse and use again The bottoms of plastic milkjugs make good containers for seedlings. Be creative!!

Repair as much as possible rather than throwing it awayIf you cannot repair or refurbish furniture, clothes, appli-ances, toys, etc , find someone who will. Several communityorganizations in Connecticut have published lists oforganizations that will accept items that can be repairedand reused The Yellow Pages is another good source forsuch organizations.

RECYCLE WHEN RECYCLINGFACILITIES ARE AVAILABLE

If your community has recyclingfacilities, use them,

d';,

Keep in contact with your local selectmen, publicworks officials, or whoever is in charge of recycling Inyour community to learn the location of your recyclingstations. Contact your town hall for this information.

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Compost leaves and yarG ,aste if you have room athome. See Appendix C or contact your local extensionservice for more information

Volunteer to help your community with recyclingdrives or neighborhood awareness weeks.

WORK TO SUFPORT DEVELOPMENT OF AREGIONAL PROGRAM

After contacting your town hall or local officials,attend meetings of local recycling groups.

Write to public officials and legislators to let themknow that you support recycling.

If there isn't a recycling group in your area, start oSupport materials are available from the CCAG athe DEP

FOR MORE INFORMATION

ne.

nd

The Connecticut Citizen Action Group (CCAG), the state's largestcitizen organization, brings people together to work on the communityand statewide issues that concern them Through its three regionaloffices, CCAG develops people's skills and knowledge and also doesresearch and lobbying.

*For questions concerning the content of this booklet or ways tobecome more involved in CCAG's recycling work, call the CCAGoffice closest to you:

Greater Hartford Region51 Van Dyke Ave , Hartford, CT 06106 527-7191

Eastern Connecticut Region33 Church St., Willimantic, CT 06226 456-3157

Greater Waterbury Region47 Central Ave., Waterbury, CT 06702 574-3545

The Department of Environmental Protection's Infori ciation andEducation Unit offers support materials designed to involveorganizations and citizens in joint efforts to increase the level ofenvironmental awareness in Connecticut. This is an indispensable firststep toward raising the level of responsible citizen and organizationalparticipation in environmental problem solving. Any organization orindividual interested in participating should contact the Informationand Education Unit.

*For questions concerning recycling education, materials, etc.,write:

Kim MarcyDEP Information and Education UnaState Office Buiiding, Rm. 108165 Capitol Ave.Hartford, CT 06106

*For questions regarding the Intermediate Processing Centers,demonstration grants, and other more technical aspects of therecycling program, write:

Lois HagerDEP Local Assistance UnitState Office Building, Rm 115165 Capitol AveHartford, CT 06106

16

FOOTNOTES1. "Trash Plants Spark Calls for Recycling New Haven Register, 16

February 1987, p. 15.

2. Office of Solid Waste, Resource Recovery Division and FranklinAssoc., Ltd., Fourth Report to Congress: Resource Recoveryand Waste Reduction, pp. 14, 17, Reprinted in Source Separa-tion and Recycling: A Connecticut Guide, Hartford, 1981, p 2.Ellen O'Meara, Inc., RIS Development, Inc , "Waste Generation,Composition and Recovery," working paper based on informationfrom Massachusetts, New Jersey, Rhode Island and Connecticut,1986, p. 1.

3 Senator Joseph L. Bruno, Legislative Commission on Solid WasteManagement, "Incentives for Recycling", Jan 88, p 23.

4 CCAG does not endorse the priority the DEP places on wast,-to-energy strategies.

5 Environmental Defense Fund, Power Line, vol 12, no 5, April-June 1987, p 10-11.

6 Ibid.

7 Cynthia Pollack Mining Urban Wastes Potential for Recycling.(Washington, D C Worldwalch Institute, Paper 76, April 87), p. 72

8 Power Line, p. 10-11

9 Ibid.

10 Cynthia Pollack. Mining Urban Wastes Potential for Recycling(Washington, D C Worldwatch Institute, Paper /6, 1\pril 87), p 22.

11. Ibid., p. 21

12 Richard Golden, Dir , Climate Protection Institute, Oakland, CA,June 23, 1988

13 Waste Age, March, 1987, p 61

14 Conversation with Barry Leopold, Connecticut Resource RecoveryAuthority, July 1988.

17

15. Conversation with Diane Small, Groton Public Works, Groton, CT,July 1988.

16. Raymond J. Veil tette, Asst. Commissioner of Public Works."Sludge/Leaf Grit Composting in Greenwich, CT." Town of Green-wich, 1988.

17. Hartford Courant, 2/15/87.18. Department of Public Works, Town of Glastonbury, 1988

19. Conversation with Caved Birkbeck, Town of North Stonington,July, 1988.

20. William Chandler "Materials Recycling. The Virtue of Necessity(Washington, D C. Worldwatch Instituve, Paper 56, October, 1983),p 1 1

21. Cynthia Pollack. Mining Urban Wastes Potential for Recycling(Washington, D C. Worldwatch Institute, Paper 76, April 87), p 24

22 Ibid., p. 8

23. Ibid.

24. Ibid., p. 10

18

2,

APPENDIX A.

CATEGORIES AND USES OF RECYCLABLEMATERIALS

The breakdown (by weight) of our trash is as follows:

Food/Yard Waste 33.2%

Plastic 2.6%

/Glass 8.9%

Aluminum 0 8%

Ferrous 2 3%

Durable Goods 1 1.5%

Misc. 5.7%

Paper 34.9%

Source: McCarnic, Frederick. 1985. Waste Composition Studies:Literature Review and Protocol. Boston Massachusetts Dept. ofEnvironmental Management, Bureau of Solid Waste Disposal mimeo.Available from the Association of New Jersey Recyclers (609) 641-8292.

19

We do not have to throw away our household garbage! Manyuses for recycled materials have been developed

1) products made from recycled glass, plastics*, ferrous metal,and aluminum

Glass

glass containersglass wool insulationba.:k terrazzoglassphaltabrasives

Plastic

reflective paint materialhighway reflectorsglass/plastic compositescerar lics

plastic filmplastic resinpolyethylenepolypropylenedrainage productstoysboat hulls & sails

Ferrous metals

ati,ficial flowersflower potsautomobile exterior panelsfiberfill insulationappliance handleswater skiisgarbage bag.)

canstin ingotsteel piping

Aluminum

steel c2stingsrilrii .ole covers

aluminum ingotaluminum cansdoors

\'v r 1 d ow frames

extrusions

*The most common recycled plastics are PET from plastic sodaand other beverage containers) and HDPE (from plastic milk jugs, dish-washing liquid containers, etc

20

2t

21 rplucts made from recycled paperinsulationnewsprintcorrugating

mediumchipboardpaper bagsnursery pot

tissuelinerboardboxboardconstruction

paperprotective

packaging

3) potential uses for corn

sod farmsnurseriesparkway

, I fail itenancegolf courses

ost material

milk c' -tonsgreeting cardswriting cardsstationeryroofing feltprinting paper

gardenslandscapinggarden centersschoolscemeteries

stadiumsmine reclamationferulizer

constituenttopsoil

constituent

4) Scrap tires can be ground into crumb rubber and used to makenew rubber products (except new tires) or as ern cidclitw to cispiult

2u

APPENDIX B.

NONHAZARDOUS HOUSEHOLDSUBSTITUTES

By replacing the toxic products we now use with those listed onthe following pages, we will help to ensure better health and a cleanerenvironment for all Connecticut residents.

Below are the all-purpose formulas referred to under "Alter-natives" in the chart on the next page:

FORMULA #1:

FORMULA #2:

FORMULA #3:

FORMULA #4:

FORMULA #5:

FORMULA #6:

FORMULA #7:

FORMULA #8:

FORMULA #9:

1 tsp. TSP (trisodium phosphate, amineral available in hardware stores),1 tsp. pure liquid soap, 2 tsp. Borax

1 tsp. TSP, 1 tsp. Borax

1 tsp. washing soda, 2 tsp. pure liquidsoap

1 tsp. Borax

1 tsp. Borax, 2 tsp. pure liquid soap

1 tsp TSP, 1 tsp. pure liquid soap

1 tsp. washing soda

1 tsp. washing soda, 1 tsp. TSP, 1 tsp.pure liquid soap

3 tsp washing soda

FORMULA #10:1 tbsp. TSP 1/2 tbsp washing soda,1/2 tbsp. Borax, 2 tsp pure liquid soap

There are also a number of non-toxit. household cleaning sub-stitutes. Your local health food store may carry them or know whereyou can buy them.

22

Type of Cleaner & Product Danger;Examples of Brands Warnings

May Contain theseChemicals

Air Freshener Interferes with ability to smell withnerve-deadening agent, cover ex-posed foods when spraying

Formaldehyde. ethanol, phenol

All- Purpose Cleaner Eve irntant !caution) Ammonia, glycenn, petroleumdistillates

Bleach (Chlorine) Eye Irntant, harmful if swallowed,deadly fumes if mixed withammonia, vinega- .)r strong acids

Sodium hypoch!onte lchlonne).Sodium hydroxide

Carpet Shampoo Skin, and eye irntant Sulfonated or phosphoratedhydrocarbons

Cleanser(Scouring powder)

Skin and eye irritant skin sensibzing Sodium hypochlonte detergentsagent

Dishwashing Injurious to!rig agent

skin skin sensitiz- Sodium hypochlorite. fragrance.artificial color, detergents. ethanol

Disinfectant Chronic poisoning from inhaling,keep away from heat, sparks.flame, avo:d contact with food

Cresol phenol. ethanol, quaternaryammonium compounds

Drain Cleaner Corrosive severe eye and skindamage may cause blindness

10% Sodium hydroxide (lye)tnchloroethane sodium nitrate

Dust Cloth(Chemical)

Do not expose to open flame,supervise children's use

Unknown to HWR

Floor Cleaner(Detergent)

Floor Cleaner(ammonia)

!I case of rye contact flush withwater Get prompt medical anent on

Corrosive eye irritant irritation ofairways

Sodium sesquicatbonate sodiumpyrophosphate

Ammonium hydroxide

Floor Polish Harmful or fatal if swallowed Ammonia detergents, fragrancephenol

Glass Cleaner Harmful if swallowed, inJunOUS toeyes and skin

Ammonia glycerin, naphthalene10% isopropanol

Laundry Detergent Harmful if swallowed, injurious toeyes and skin

Phenol sodium nitrate ethanoldetergent

Mildew StainRemover

See Bleach avoid contact witheyes skin mucous membranes

Sodium hypochlonte sodiumcarbonate

Oven Cleaner May cause burns to skin and eyesavoid inhaling %,apers

Sodium hydroxide

Toilet Cleaner Corrosive do not breath vapor orfumes Fatal or harmful If swallowfff

Hydrochloric acid sodium hydrox-ide or sodium acid sulfate

Tub & Tile Severe eye irritant harmful ifswallowed

Ethanol quaternary ammoniumcompounds

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Alternatives

For mold and m dew, keep room ventilated, dry and clean To disinfect. see Disinfectant(below)

Non-toxic all-purpose cleaners (see page 23) baking soda. borax, lemon juice negar TSP Seeformulas (page 22)

Clothing Use borax as indicated on package / Dissolve 1"2 tsp sodium perborate in'. cwater Use entire amount in vvashload, or sparingly for other bleaching purposes

Clean spots immediately Shampoo with mild non-toxic cleaner

Polishing cleanser / Sprinkle baking soda, borax or table salt on damp sponge or non-scratching nylon scrubber, scour and rinse / Pumice stick / Add small amount sodium per-boi ate to formulas 1, 2, 5, 6, 4

1 part borax + 1 part unscented washing Soda Adjust proportions for hard water Mild all-purpose non-toxic cleaner / Slices Df lemon or peels or 3 tsp white vinegar in dishwater

Keep things dry and clean / Use borax '2 cup to 1 gallon not water (used by hospital) / Useaqueous solution of betzalkonium chloride 1 150, used for medical purposes

3 tbsp salsoda / Pour 1 handful baking soda + '2 c vinegar down & cover tightly for 1 minute

Dampen soft, clean, textured cotton cloth with very little I.nt / Vacuum cleaner brush

See Floor Cleaner (Ammonia

Formulas 1, 5, 6, 8

Pure raw linseed oil, make a solution of ': oil & vinegar Apply in thin coat Rub in well Dries in4 days /Use very durable floor polish Apply more coats only on traffic areas

Formulas 4, 6, 8 Use squeegee or cloth / Vinegar / 1 tsp TSP in i qt warm water (or useborax or washing soda instead)

c liquid .ioap + borax as directed on package other all-purpose cleaners / Baking soda /Vinegar / 1 tsp TSP per load

See Disinfectant

Formula 1 Spray on, wait 10-20 minutes Scrub off with scrubber (nylon steel wool stainlesssteel) / Small, fresh spots baking soda

See Disinfectant / Formulas 1, 2, 5, 9

Using body cleaners made from vegetable oils rather than animal fats (soap) help prevent xumbuild-up / See Cleansers / Stiff brush for grout / Formulas 1, 2, 5, 6, 9 10 for non-damagedporcelain and fiberglass

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APPENDIX C.

COMPOSTING IN YOUR OWN BACK YARDCompost your leaves, lawn trimmings, and other organic(natural) debris instead of burning or landfilling them.

Composting is the biological degradation or break-down of organic matter. It involves leaving yourorganic "waste" in a vle in your back yard so it canturn into a nutrient-rich soil conditioner which addsnitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium to the soil

Organic waste includes. leaves, grass clippings, vege-table and fruit scraps, garden waste, fireplace andwood ashes, coffee grounds, etc

Composting in Your Own Backyard The Fundamentals

1. At the bottom of your compost bin, put 6 inches ofleaves, ashes, or other woody material (shredding orchopping materials speeds decomposition). That isyour carbon source. The base should be about 16square feet (4 feet by 4 feet, for example)

2 Sprinkle with water until materials are about as mostas a wrung-out sponge.

3 Add a 2 to 3 inch layer of grass clippings, vegetablescraps, garden waste or manure for nitrogen

4 Mix the two layers together to insure speedy 'nut-tiplication of bacteria

5 Repeat the layering and watering process until the pileis 4 feet high

25 j',_

6. Turn the pile once a week and sprinkle it periodicallyto keep it moist. The compost is usually ready to use3-6 months after the pile is started.

Note: Do not compost meat, dairy products, fats, oils, or grease. Theseitems do not break down and may attract animals.

For further information, contact your local office of theUniversity of Connecticut's Cooperative Extension Ser-vice and ask about backyard composting. (See theLue pages of the phone book).

Composting of yard waste and sludges on a largerscale at central facilities is underway and growing inConnecticut.

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GLOSSARYbiodegradable: the property of a sub-stance that permits it to be brokenclown by microorganisms into simple,stable compounds such as carbon diox-ide and water (See "decompose ")

bottle bill: a law requiring deposits onbeverage containers, like aluminumcans and plastic bottles. Encouragesrecycling and discourages littering andlandfilling More accurately called abeverage container deposit law

composting: waste management pro-cess that creates an optimal environ-ment for decomposition by layeringorganic wastes like food scraps andgrass clippings so they'll decay into fer-tile humus

conserve: to protect from loss ordepletion Conservation is the wise useof natural resources to minimize lossand waste

decompose: to break down into com-ponent parts or basic elements, to rotDecomposition is imperative for thecontinuation of life since it makesessential nutrients available for use byplants and animal,

dump: open, unsanitary disposal siteused before existence of licensed con-trolled burial sanitary landfills

energy recovery: the generation ofenergy by burning solid waste

garbage: 'poqed or waste food that isthrown away Generally defined as wetfood waste, excludes dry material'trash) The term is often usednterchangeable with the word "trash

groundwater: water beneath theearth's surface that fills the spaces and

moves between soil particles and rockSupplies wells and springs.

hazardous waste: waste that causesspecial problems for living organisms orthe environment because it is poison-ous, explosive, burns or dissolves fleshor metal, ignites easily with or withouta flame or carries disease Some hazard-ous wastes cause only one problem,others cause several.

humus: organic material consisting ofdecayed vegetable matter that providesnutrients for plants and increases theability of the soil to retain water

landfill: a site for the controlled burialof solid waste

leachate: liquid that has percolatedthrough solid waste and/or beengenerated by solid waste decomposi-tion and contains extracted, dissolvedor suspended materials May con-taminate groundwater or surface water

methane: a colorless, odorless, flam-mable, potentially dangerous gaseoushydrocarbon (CH4) preseri in naturalgas and formed by the Jecompositionof organic matter CP.1 be used as afuel

natural resource: valuable, naturallyoccurring material such as soil, wood,air, water or minerals

nonrenewable resource: a naturalresource that, because of its scarcity,the great length of time it takes to formor its rapid depletion, is consideredfinite in amount (e g , coal, copper,petroleum)

organic: derived from living organisms

pollution: harmful substances de-

3 Ps,

posited in the environment, leading toa state of dimness, impurity orunhealthiness.

raw material: unprocessed naturalresource or product used in manu-facturing.

recycle: the collection and reprocess-ing of manufactured materials for reuseeither in the same form or as part of adifferent product.

renewable resource: a natural re-source derived from an endless or cycli-cal source (e g , sun, wind, water,wood, fish). With proper managementand wise use, replacement of theseresources by natural or human-assistedsystems can be approximately equal totheir consumption

reuse: to extend the life of an item byusing it again, repairing it, modifying itor creating new uses for it

sanitary landfill: a specially engi-neered site for disposing of solid wasteon land Constructed in a way thatreduces hazards to health and safety

solid waste: all solid and semi-soiidwastes, including trash, garbage, yardwaste, ashes, industrial waste, swill,demolition and construction waste andhousehold discards such as appliances,furniture and equipment

solid waste management: the con-trolling, handling and disposal of allsolid waste One goal of solid wastemanagement is to reduce waste to aminimum.

trash: material considered worthless,unnecessary or offensive that is usuallythrown away Generally defined as dry

waste material, excludes food waste(garbage) and ashes. The term is oftenused interchangeably with the word"garbage

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