Recycling in Bentonville Written By: Amanda Burns Chelsea Burns Stephanie York Instructors: Dr. Canoy and Dianne Phillips

Recycling Facts In 1999, recycling and composting activities prevented about 64 million tons of material from ending up in landfills and incinerators. 42% of all paper, 40% of all plastic soft drink bottles, 55% of all aluminum beer and soft drink cans, 57% of all steel packaging, and 52% of all major appliances are now recycled. However, it is in the hands of each individual to make sure these items are disposed of properly. Arkansas recycled 1.9 million tons, or 40.2%, of its waste in With more community participation and awareness those numbers can and will rise.

Goal: To better inform Bentonville residents of the current recycling policy and how they can contribute to the recycling effort.

Current Policy Compost Drop-Off –Material accepted: leaves, grass, limbs, and brush. –Materials NOT accepted: tree stumps, root balls, railroad ties, sod, dirt, concert, tires, wire or twine, appliances, wood/lumber products. –Runs April-November

Current Policy Blue bag program –Unlimited number of bags –Picked up on the 1 st and 3 rd full week of the month (twice a month) –Green, Blue, and Clear glass in only recycled when it is dropped off at the facility.

Recyclable Items Paper –Computer and tablet paper –Brown paper bags –Envelopes Plastics –Milk and water jugs –Soda bottles Metals –Aluminum cans –Steel or tin cans Other –Cardboard –Chipboard –Newspaper (including inserts)

Drop-Off Recycling All materials need to be segregated and loose. All materials need to be rinsed and drained. All caps and lids should be discarded from bottles. Cardboard containers should be broken down and flattened. No Pyrex, catalogs, magazines, styrofoam or egg cartons.

Local Business Recycling Businesses generate 45% of this country waste. –Managing it costs billions each year. One of the benefits for recycling is a tax credit.

The Benton County Solid Waste district, a local state agency, will help companies identify ways to encourage recycling and reduce waste while bringing down waste disposal costs.

Kids Recycling Challenge –Most successful plastic bag recycling program of its kind –Extended the program to 12 states: Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming –More than 1,000 schools have enrolled in the program and have recycled over 350 tons of plastic bags, earning more than $327,000 from Wal-Mart.

Recycled Products –Each week, a semi truck comes and picks up plastic bags and other recyclables from each Wal-Mart store. –Those materials get shipped to Bentonville, AR where a mill recycles the plastic bags into patio furniture and various other items.

Simple Ideas To Recycle At home –Buy refillable products –Buy fabric grocery bags –Buy loose fruit or vegetables instead of pre-packaged

At work –Make recycling bins close to people desks –Find computer and electronic recycling businesses in your area –“Wipe Out Wireless Waste” May 25, 2007 –Chose printers with two-sided printing

At school –Teachers can inform students about the importance of recycling –Buy recycled items (paper, pencils, etc) –Make it a school-wide competition – newsletter and post information on websites instead of using paper.

At leisure –When exercising take a reusable bottle –Borrow books, CDs, DVDs, from your local library instead of buying them –Recycle old mobile phones –Don’t through away old stuff use or another online auction site

In the garden –Buy recycled plastic for decking and garden furniture –Keep a pile of pruning/clippings in a corner of the garden to encourage toads and hedgehogs for natural pest control

How to Get Started Identify which materials can be recycled Get blue bags or recycling bin Put recycling container next to trash bins Label bin clearly Inform others

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