Harnett County Schools Local and Global Benefits of Developing a Recycling Program

Trash Production  Americans dispose of approximately 200 million tons of trash every day.  Around 1/3 of waste generated in the U.S. is packaging.

Landfills

 Numerous toxic substances in landfills pose a threat to human health if released.  Modern landfills contain liners and leachate collection systems.  Landfills opened in NC prior to 1993 were not equipped with collection systems.

Harnett County Waste Generation  90,916 tons/year (NC DWM).  1,707 lbs per capita disposal rate.

2009 Harnett County Recycling  Rank (out of 100 counties): 94  Total Tonnage: 919  Population: 109,637  Per Capita Recovery: lbs. 1 st Place: Pitt County with lbs/person (NC DENR)

Accepted Co-Mingled Recyclables  White paper  Green, brown, and clear glass  Paperboard such as cereal boxes, shoeboxes  Plastic Bottles #1 through #5  Aseptic juice boxes  Gabled-top paper cartons, such as milk cartons  Metal food cans (no food residue)  Aluminum beverage cans  Aluminum foil (no food residue)  Six-pack plastic rings  Junk mail and catalogs

Harnett County Recycling Locations  Harnett County Landfill/Transfer Station/Recycling Center Locations: Dunn/Erwin Facility Daniels Road, Dunn Anderson Creek Facility Poplar Drive, Spring Lake  Convenience/Recycling Center Locations: Johnsonville Convenience Center -501 Brooks Mangum Road, Cameron Bunnlevel Convenience Center Sanderfer Road, Bunnlevel Mamers Convenience Center Old US 421, Lillington Northwest Convenience Center Cokesbury Road, Fuquay Varina  Recycling Center Only Campbell Unversity Recycling Center - Kivett Street, Buies Creek

Why Recycle? “The mission of Harnett County Schools is to educate students in a safe environment empowering them to focus on lifelong learning, responsible citizenship, and global awareness.”

Pollution Prevention 1. Reduce 2. Reuse 3. Recycle

Energy Conservation: Recycled vs. New  Aluminum: 5%  Plastic: 66%  Glass: 70%  Paper: 60%

Benefits of Recycling: Paper  For every ton of paper recycled, the following are saved: 17 trees 275 pounds of sulfur 350 pounds of limestone 9,000 pounds of steam 60,000 gallons of water 225 kilowatt hours 3.3 cubic yards of landfill space  Recycling 14 trees worth of paper reduces air pollutants by 165,142 tons.

Benefits of Recycling: Metals  One of the materials that is easiest and fastest to recycle is aluminum. Aluminum cans can be recycled and reused within 60 days.  Used aluminum cans can be recycled and used in various products like vehicle parts, sliding shutters for windows and doors, etc.  Preparing aluminum products from virgin metal consumes close to 100 times the power required to recycle aluminum.  Four pounds of bauxite can be saved with every pound of aluminum recycled.

Bauxite Mining

Benefits of Recycling: Plastic  Almost every hour, nearly 250,000 plastic bottles are dumped.  Plastic bottles constitute close to 50% of recyclable waste in the dumps.  The average time taken for a plastic bottle to decompose in a landfill is close to 700 years.

North Pacific Trash Gyre Estimated to contain around 3 million tons of plastic in an area twice the size of Texas.

Benefits of Recycling: Glass  Glass be recycled infinitely without deterioration in quality.  Recycled glass, or “cullet”, has increased in demand because it costs less than new raw materials and uses less electricity.

Recycling Business in North Carolina  As raw, virgin materials become more scarce and costly, companies rely more on recycled goods.  Rise in number of recycling businesses from 306 (1994) to 581 (2008).  14,490 people employed by recycling industry (2008). A 13% increase over 4 years.  Assuming average wage of $25,000/year, $377 million payroll for North Carolina.

Clear Path Recycling  Fayetteville  Largest PET recycling plant in North America when fully operational.  Will produce 280 million lbs of plastic resin per year from recycled bottles.  Currently employs 57 workers, with 25 more to be hired when new line opens.

Conclusion  Reduce & Reuse, then Recycle.  Sustainability, Responsibility, Stewardship  Become more competitive as a county.  Environmental benefits Energy savings Pollution Ecosystem effects