Organics Recycling

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Organics Recycling
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What is Organics Recycling?

• Recycling means turning trash into something
  useful.
• Organics recycling is the recycling of organic
  material anything that once was alive into
  compost, a special kind of dirt.
• Composting happens naturally and requires very
  little energy input.

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Why do organics recycling?Environmental Benefits

• Organic matter can turn into compost (dirt or
  fertilizer), which supports plant growth.
• So dont throw it out!

Organic scraps
become compost
that is used for planting.
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Why do organics recycling?Environmental Benefits

• Reduces Waste
• Waste and what to do with it is a growing
  problem. We send our waste to the HERC
  incinerator
• Each year in Hennepin County we generate enough
  waste to fill the Metro Dome 11 times!
• Thats about seven pounds of trash per person,
  per day!
• Between 11- 25 of our waste is compostable.
• All of the organics recycling programs are
  diverting 6-7 tons of trash to organics each
  month.
• Our compost is being used in construction sites.
  

Pictures from the HERC incinerator, MPR
Photo/Stephanie Hemphill
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Why do organics recycling?Educational Benefits

• Creates an educational opportunity for students.
• Students can visit a composting site, to see how
  works
• Or students can create their own compost piles as
  experiments to learn about the scientific process
  or how decomposition works.
• Cultivates thoughtful attitudes among students,
  teachers and staff.
• Fits into MN curriculum standards

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Why do organics recycling?Economic Benefits

• Hauling organic matter is cheaper than hauling
  trash because of tax incentives and reduced
  processing fees.
• Organic matter is currently exempt from taxes.
• Reduced pick-up frequency reduces our trash
  hauling fee.

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MPS Organics Recycling

• MPS is working hard to make organics recycling
  run smoothly.
• MPS negotiated a resource management contract
  with our waste hauler that
• Bundles waste, mixed recycling and organics
  hauling
• Calculates monthly recycling rates by building
• Builds in a performance incentive for increasing
  recycling and decreasing costs
• MPS is one of the first Minnesota school
  districts to so aggressively manage this
  expenditure

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MPS Organics Recycling

• Last year, only Burroughs and Lake Harriet- Upper
  had an organics recycling program.
• MPS received a grant from Hennepin County during
  2008-09 to pay for organics recycling start-up
  costs, allowing more schools to participate.
• During the 2009-2010 school year 22 schools
  participated in Organics.
• Over 25 schools are participating for the
  2010-2011 school year.

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MPS Organics Recycling

• MPS provides an organics coordinator handbook,
  organics flyers and signs, a volunteer training
  presentation and the materials necessary to start
  the program.
• MPS also created Green Reports for each school .
  These give each buildings carbon footprint, and
  can be used to see how buildings match-up.
• Participating schools must commit to the program
  with
• An organics coordinator
• A lunchroom orientation
• Engaged students, and staff!

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MPS organics recycling

• Students, teaching staff, and building engineers
  all play important roles in making organics
  recycling successful.
• Building engineers need to commit to picking up
  the organics recycling and keeping it separate
  from the waste.
• Staff can explain how organics recycling works,
  and give students opportunity to get more
  involved with the program.
• Students make the program work! Students can help
  by monitoring the lunchroom stations, making
  signs, and thinking of other creative ideas like
  contests between lunchrooms

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MPS Organics RecyclingPROCEDURES

• At the end of each lunch period
• Volunteers will supervise students as they move
  through the recycling stations.
• Students will pour liquids into buckets and put
  food scraps into organics bins.

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MPS Organics RecyclingPROCEDURES

• Liquids Procedures
• Students will dump all liquids (from milk
  cartons, juice boxes, etc.) into a bucket with a
  strainer that will remove any solids .
• Engineers will flush liquid down the drains.
• This process reduces the weight of garbage and
  saves money when it is hauled away.

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MPS Organics RecyclingPROCEDURES

• Food Scraps Procedures
• Students will deposit food scraps and other
  compostables (napkins, wax paper, milk cartons,
  etc.) into the green organics barrel.
• The bag is compostable (and expensive!). Please
  make sure it is full before disposing of it.
• Students will crush milk cartons to save space in
  the bags.
• Lunch Trays Procedures
• The new paper lunch trays can be placed in the
  organics recycling bin