We would like to thank the following individuals for their contributions of success stories
and photographs plus their consultation in the development of this publication:
Carole Bell, Department of Environmental Management, Providence, RI
Maureen Berg, Stratford Department of Public Works, Stratford, CT
Mona Henderson, Keep Alliance Beautiful, Alliance, OH
Dean Jamason, Maple Hill Middle School, Castleton, NY
Harry Leavitt, Committee to Save the Earth, Mercer Island, WA
Reynolds Aluminum Recycling. Company, Richmond, VA
Southeast Glass Recycling Program, Clearwater, FL
Dale Boatright, American Federation of Teachers
David Byer, National School Board Association
Shelly Cary, National Science Teachers Association
Carolyn Henrich, National PTA
Mary Beth Powell, North Carolina Department of Environment, Health, plus Natural Resources
Alison Rasmussen, National Association of Biology Teachers
Carol Ruppel, Council for American Private Education
School Recycling Programs:A Handbook for EducatorsThis brochure describes a number of school recycling programoptions, along with step-by-step instructions on how to set oneup. It focuses on implementing actual recycling projects as a
way of teaching the importance plus benefits of recycling. Because
school recycling projects are excellent candidates for the President’s
Environmental Youth Awards, which are administered by EPA, instructions for how schools can apply for these regional plus national awardsare also detailed.
The Solid Waste Crisis
Americans can nomer longer simply
forget about their garbage when it leaves
their curbsides each week. The United
States’currently generates nearly 180 million tons of municipal solid waste per
year enough to fill a convoy of
garbage trucks that would encircle the
earth more than six times! If this trend
continues, this amount is expected to
reach 216 million tons by the turn of the
century.
At the same time, we are running out
of places to put all this trash. Approximately 73 percent of our garbage is
currently disposed of in landfills, but
nearly one third of the nation’s landfills
will close in the next several years. Few
new landfills plus incinerators are being
built to replace these facilities due to
public concerns about environmental,
economic, property, plus nuisance problems.
For some communities, this dilemma
has already reached crisis proportions.
For others, the crisis still looms in the
future. In any case, the problems associated with solid waste generation and
management will not disappear, and
without action they are likely to become
worse. Therefore, the time for all communities to deal with the solid waste
dilemma is now.