Because of the success of our pilot paperboard collection program at the West Avenue public drop-off, we are extending the service to our curbside customers. There are a few “rules” that must be followed to make this work and continue to allow us to pick-up paperboard at the curb.

What is paper/chip board?
Think single-layer “box-type” non-corrugated material:

• FLATTENED cereal, cracker, or beverage (6 or 12 pack) boxes, and paper egg cartons.
• Empty toilet paper tubes and empty paper towel rolls (NO tissue or paper towels.)

What do I not include?
We ask that you remove all liner bags that are inside the boxes and throw them out.

NO Cartons (milk, orange juice, soups or broth, soy/rice milk, or ice cream cartons)
NO laundry/dish detergent boxes or cartons.
NO food-soiled paperboard
NO waxed frozen food containers.
(Scratch with your fingernail, if wax peels up, then please throw out in the trash.)

Where do I put it? Mix paperboard with your newspapers, magazines, and opened junk mail for curbside pick up. Drop-off customers are asked to keep it separate from paper and put it in the bin provided for paperboard.

• Reminder: NO film or photographs, plastic fake credit cards or other non-paper inserts: NO “stickies”- (stickers, return address labels or sheets of stamps.)
• Greeting cards are okay, but NO photographs.
• AGAIN, please flatten your paperboard, and remove all bags or liners. PUT WITH YOUR NEWSPAPER (NOT with corrugated cardboard.)

We are always working toward improving recycling for you! You will find you are taking out the trash even less often now!

Why we never jumped on the single-stream* bandwagon

(*ALL RECYCLABLES IN ONE CONTAINER)

REASON #1 : GLASS BOTTLES If properly done, recycling glass has multiple, huge benefits to our planet and to our quality of life. One of the many benefits is: Reduced Energy Consumption.

Here is the axiom:

The more energy it takes to produce something the more pollution is produced.

Virgin glass is made from sand,soda ash, and lime-stone. These materials must be heated to 2,600 degrees (F) to melt. Recycled glass melts at a lower temperature. The lower melting point reduces the need for energy by 40%!

Making new glass from recycled, crushed glass (cullet) can be successfully accomplished if three criteria are met by recyclers. Recyclers, in this case, means the participant (you) and your recycle center (us). The bottle manufacturer must have; 1) glass jars, jugs, and bottles only (No light bulbs, ceramics, window glass, etc.) 2) clean cullet…no caps, corks, or lids, no plastics, metals, or trash. 3) a certain color. For example, a bottle manufacturer that is making brown beer bottles has little use for clear glass.

According to Resource Recycling (May 2009) the availability of glass cullet is limited by the practices of some recycling programs. Quoting from that article, “For example, in a single-stream system, once glass is mixed with other commodities (plastic, paper, cardboard, steel, and aluminum) and placed curbside for recycling, the material often becomes contaminated and cannot be recycled into new glass packaging containers. In fact, much of the glass that consumers think is being recycled actually ends up in a landfill.” While in the past some glass collected for recycling in Mesa County has ended up in the County landfill, GJ CRI has never landfilled glass. Every jar and bottle collected by GJ CRI is recycled.

Keeping a clean commodity that contains only glass jars and bottles of a particular color is accomplished via a partnership between the participant (you) and your recycling center (us.) You place your bottles at the curb and we collect them, sort them by colors, and crush them into cullet. We keep that cullet clean and sorted, then ship it to Miller-Coors where it is recycled into new bottles.

The system works. Let’s keep it that way!

Recycling facility goes SOLAR

by Scott Wegs, High Noon Solar

GJ CRI staff has always been aware of re-use and re-cycle, and now they are also familiar with re-new. Those of you who drop off your recycling goods to the recycling center at 333 West Avenue have more than likely noticed (thanks to the 40 foot wide black, white, and yellow sign) the new solar (photovoltaic) panels on the roof. High Noon Solar has designed and installed a solar electric (PV) system comprised of 45 highly efficient SunPower 215 watt solar panels. Thirty panels are ballast mounted-or weighted down-on the flat portion of the roof and the remaining 15 panels are mounted awning style, to be visible from the dropoff area and the riverfront trail. This system is intended to produce over
15,000 kWh annually which will offset approximately 55% of the historic consumption in the building.

Now here’s the real green - with the combination of the Xcel Solar*Rewards rebate, the Federal tax credit, accelerated depreciation, and electric use offset, the system pays for itself in as little as 8 years. The best part is that once the system has paid for itself it continues to produce energy for the next 27-32 years! How would you like some free electricity? Over its lifespan, this system will offset the need to burn 2.2 million pounds of coal and save the recycling program $150,000.00 in operational costs. It will also stop the emission of 1.2 million pounds of CO2 into the atmosphere.

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As a special incentive and “thank you” I, Scott Wegs, am offering all GJ CRI customers that agree to install a High Noon Solar system by Earth Day 2010 a Downtown Grand Junction Gift Certificate valued at $100 if installing a 1-5.9 KW array or $200 if installing a 6-10KW array. Please call me at 234-1498 or e-mail me.

THE NEW LIFE OF YOUR GLASS BOTTLES

Glass can be recycled again and again. At GJ CRI we send (by truck) all of the glass collected to the Miller-Coors Bottling Co., where it is recycled into new beer bottles.

A member of our staff recently toured the Wheatridge plant. We learned that Miller-Coors accepts glass for recycling from 200 companies and programs around the country, with much of it delivered by rail.

The nearly 3.5 million bottles manufactured each day are made from 22% recycled cullet and 78% virgin material, including sand from the Mississippi River. Miller-Coors aims to increase the recycled content to 50% by 2013. The biggest hindrance to the use of recycled content is availability of supply, and programs like ours will be important in meeting that goal!

ELECTRONICS UPDATE

by Sammie Baratta, LifeSpan Technology Recycling

Most of us own or operate electronics, items of complex circuitry from our living rooms and offices. Electronics are things like televisions, computers, monitors, laptops, scanners, printers, VCR’s, DVD players, cell phones, fax machines, and copiers. When these products break or become obsolete they become electronic waste (e-waste). E-waste has created a world wide problem because the majority of these devices contain some amount of lead, mercury, and cadmium, all of which can be hazardous to the environment if not properly managed.

Early in 2009 Colorado House Bill 09-1282 created an Electronic Device Recycling Task Force to gather input regarding the benefits and consequences of establishing a State-wide ban on the disposal of electronics in landfills. Issues before the Task Force include researching the best ways to: 1) increase diversion rates for electronic devices; 2) promote new non-toxic designs in the manufacture of electronics; 3) create jobs in Colorado; and, 4) build upon, not replace or undermine, the existing infrastructure, primarily in the private sector, that currently diverts e-waste in Colorado.

On March 1, 2009, Mesa County joined several other Colorado cities and counties in banning e-waste from the landfill.

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A new certification program sets guidelines for accredited certification programs to audit an e-waste recycler’s environmental, worker health and safety, and security practices. Supported by the EPA, this new program, called the “Responsible Recycling Practices for Use in Accredited Certification Programs”, or “R2”, for short, also calls for recyclers to use diligence to assure appropriate management of materials throughout the recycling chain, including those materials and components that are exported to foreign countries.

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GJ CRI has accepted 10 tons of e-waste since Jan.1, 2009. This is equivalent to removing 4 passenger cars from the roadway; to the CO2 emissions from the energy use of 2 1/2 homes for one year; or, to the carbon captured by 588 tree seedlings over a ten year period.

RECYCLING…REDEFINED

The term recycling is being used loosely in the industry these days. In the early years of recycling, the goal was to return a product to the manufacturing line with the aim of reducing the amount of virgin resources utilized in the manufacture of the same product. In today’s world, items collected for recycling are frequently used in industries where they meet their second and final use.

It is important for all of us to understand the distinction between the ongoing re-manufacturing of a product and a practice of arguably equal value, best referred to as “one time reuse.” Why? One time reuse is increasingly important as a source of feedstock for “greening” existing production processes and for providing a dependable supply of non-virgin material to encourage new industry.

But it does not reduce dependence on virgin material for the production of the original product. For example, if your plastic water bottle is going to be made into carpet (which some of it is), then recycling it is not a great reason to purchase dozens more bottles for your group picnic. The only way to save resources is to significantly reduce the number of bottles you buy in the first place.

Secondly, the term recycling is often used to describe the activity of setting out or dropping off material. The truth is that recycling only happens if the product actually makes it back to a manufacturing line, and such end markets do not exist for everything that is being accepted by some “single stream” programs. These invite all plastics and glass into the mix, knowing full well much of it is destined for the landfill. Doing so makes it easy for participants and increases overall volumes of material collected, but it increases the processing costs required to sort it all out again. It also has the negative effect of creating a misinformed public. Program participants are led to believe that they can continue or even increase their consumption, because they think it will all get “recycled.”

The truth is that we will never really manage resources or reduce waste unless we are given the straight scoop as well as the opportunity to act responsibly. The best advice is to be an informed “recycler.” Reduce packaging and consumption at home, ask questions about end markets, and follow your program’s guidelines. Thank you.

RECYCLING SPECIAL HOLIDAY ITEMS

There are many new items you can recycle after the holidays. Please keep these
with newspapers, etc. and not with corrugated cardboard:

• PAPER GIFT WRAP – No foil or fabric.
• GIFT BOXES – Don’t mix with non-glossy corrugated cardboard.
• TISSUE PAPER (from gift boxes– not toilet tissues or paper towels, though!)
• GREETING CARDS– No photographs.
• SINGLE LAYER GLOSSY BOXES, like those that toys come in – Not shiny, corrugated.
• Remove and discard all packing material including: bubble wrap, styrofoam formed pieces, plastic wraps and popcorn type packing peanuts. (Check with your nearest mailing store to see if they will accept these for re-use.)
• Flatten, and contain paperboard boxes-by themselves or with your newspapers, etc.
• Please remember: NO ribbon—NO photographs-NO foil, plastic wraps or styrofoam.

Note: Christmas trees are not collected by GJ CRI and are not accepted at the City Shops.

USE CARE…at the Drop Off!

Beginning in December and continuing until next summer there will be construction underway at the West Avenue Drop Off. A new modular office is being positioned near the existing drop off and a new processing building constructed. The drop off bins will be moved about 150 feet south of the present location, changing the traffic flow pattern at the facility.

During the construction and move we ask that you use caution when visiting the drop off. Signs will be posted to keep you headed in the right direction and out of harms way!

Thank you for your patience while these changes are taking place. And, please remember that smoking is not permitted at the recycling facility!

Community Outreach & Education

The success of a recycling program depends largely on its ability to reach the public with the why’s, where’s & how to’s of recycling. Up until now budget constraints have limited our ability to advertise and “get out there.” But earlier this year we were able to move Cyndi Albers, formerly our facility manager, into a part time position as education coordinator.

Cyndi is the perfect person to do public awareness and education. With a degree in natural resources management with an emphasis on conservation, Cyndi is an avid recycler and loves working with people and groups. So far she has worked on the JUCO recycling committee, helped organize collection for Fruita’s Fat Tire Festival, and manned the City’s recycling booth at the Downtown Farmer’s Market. Cyndi has spoken to the Sierra Club, the Mesa County library staff, and the League of Women Voters. She has also done lots of in-home education, helping residents get started with curbside collection.

Cyndi has become involved with the Green Guides of the Grand Valley (which, by the way, is a new directory, listing local, green businesses and services). She attended the 2009 State Recycling Conference in Vail and the Alliance for Sustainable Colorado workshop held in Grand Junction earlier this year.

Representation at these meetings is allowing us to learn about what other communities in the State are doing to promote recycling and to share ideas with local groups for increasing green awareness in the Grand Valley.

If you have a group (think school, nonprofit, church, HOA ) that might benefit from some green education, call to schedule a time when Cyndi can come and talk to you about the world of recycling.

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Remember, every single daily newspaper, shampoo bottle, and pickle jar can make a difference! Last year we recycled 3,430,000 pounds of material and in 2009 we are headed towards a new record of 4,000,000 pounds! Help us continue to grow and reach a future goal for the community of 9,000,000 lbs. per year. Ask your neighbors, in-laws or close friends to sign up for the best recycling service in the valley… GJ CRI!

In May the City was awarded a $300,000.00 grant from the State of Colorado’s recycling fund for improvements to the West Avenue recycling facility.

The money will be used to make a long overdue purchase of a high capacity baler and conveyor. The equipment will be housed in a separate storage ring. The ring will be covered by a roof, enabling GJ CRI employees to work out of the elements and store more material safe from damaging sun, wind, and water.

Residential curbside participation has been increasing steadily since early 2008. Between 35-50 new households are signing up each month. Improvements to the facility will increase processing ability and storage capacity from a current 3.5 million pounds per year to a projected 9 million pounds annually over the next few years.

The added capacity will help position GJ CRI to keep up with the expanding residential routes, as well as the demands being placed on us by the increased number of drop-off users and other local entities such as schools, businesses, and the City. Construction should be completed in the fall.

In the meantime, the government’s stimulus program seems to be reaching the recycling industry. Commodity prices are on the rebound and markets are regaining strength. This rebound will insure that all of your materials continue to be recycled.

No Glossy Cardboard at the Curb

Sorry…We are not picking up glossy corrugated cardboard or single layer paperboard at the curb!

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As you may have heard, we are now accepting, on a trial basis, single layer paperboard (which may happen to be glossy) in a separate container at the West Avenue Drop Off. This includes material like flattened cereal and cracker boxes (remove liner bags), paper egg cartons, 6 -and some 12 pack.

12-pack beer and soda cartons (non-corrugated), and toilet tissue /paper towel rolls or tubes. This does not include any waxy paperboard (e.g. laundry or automatic dish detergent boxes or milk /orange juice cartons) and does not include glossy corrugated cardboard. If we end up with too much non-recyclable product or the processor decides to no longer accept it, we will have to discontinue collection.

Help us keep up this collection effort by confirming with the attendant at the drop off that material you are bringing in is indeed single layer, non-waxed paperboard and not glossy corrugated cardboard, which we absolutely cannot accept. And please, do not set paperboard out for curbside pick up.

We are always working toward improving recycling for you.

THANK YOU!

Recycling Containers Appear At Events

The City of Grand Junction’s CORE (Conserving Our Resources Efficiently) employee committee has started to put out gray, bottle shaped, recycling containers at local events, like JUCO, and at Canyon View Park. They are to collect plastic bottles and aluminum cans only. You may see them this summer at the Downtown Farmer’s Market and other City-sponsored events.

This is a trial period for recycling containers in public areas. Please follow the same guidelines you do at home: Read the signs, remove and discard lids, empty bottles of all fluids, and keep trash and food out of the recycling containers.

Thanks for helping make public recycling a reality in Grand Junction!

An International Call for ACTION……

Federal Government: “Our environment is literally choking on plastic bags.” Those were the words of Congressman Jim Moran, (D) N. VA. on April 22nd when he introduced the Plastic Bag Reduction Act of 2009. The bill is the latest attempt to pass national legislation encouraging consumers to drastically reduce the use of plastic bags and switch to reusable bags when shopping. “Whole swaths of our oceans, in some places up to 580 square miles….have become floating landfills….as these plastics break down, toxic chemicals are being released into the environment. Ingested marine debris, particularly plastic bags, are killing thousands of birds, turtles, marine mammals, fish, and squid each day.”

The Bill, now in committee, would place a 5 cent fee on single use bags from grocery stores and other retail outlets. In 2015 the tax would increase to 25 cents.

U.N. Chief calls for international ban: With the release of an alarming report by the UN Environment Programme, Achim Steiner, executive director of UNEP, has called for a world-wide ban on single use plastic bags, stating that “There is simply zero justification for manufacturing them anymore, anywhere.”

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Did you know that what we do in Colorado can effect our oceans? Absolutely! Airborne plastic bags can be carried hundreds of miles. So, how can you do your part to this stop this growing global catastrophe? It is simple…

Going Shopping? Don’t forget your reusable bags!

“Paper or Plastic?” Some merchants don’t even ask. It is just assumed you want to take home 10 plastic bags with just a couple of items in each bag. Say “Neither, thanks. I brought my own.” Be the environmentally hip individual that realizes this is an international litter and solid waste nightmare! Be the thrifty shopper that gets a discount for each of your own bags you reuse at local grocery stores. Reusable bags can be purchased in most stores. Always keep some bags in the trunk for those spur-of-the-moment shopping excursions, even to clothing or specialty stores - and make a habit of not accepting a new bag when unnecessary.

Many other countries have banned the use of plastic bags and some are charging up to 50 cents/bag. Progressive cities in the U.S. are looking to do the same. So get in the habit now and you will be ahead in the high stakes game of saving resources and reducing waste!

Tidbit: Be sure to launder your reusable bags regularly to prevent a buildup of bacteria, mold, and unhealthy grunge!

Notes and Reminders

• When recycling paper at the curb…PLEASE contain it. That will make picking it up easier for our crew and easier for you to get it to the curb. Please, no free-standing stacks of paper!
• Please have your material at the curb by 8 a.m.
• Look for your 2010-2011 schedule with the winter newsletter (also available on-line this fall at www.gjcri.com)
• PAPERBOARD is recyclable at the DROP-OFF ONLY! We cannot handle any amount of paperboard on residential routes. Please collect separately and bring to our free drop-off on West Ave. (in the Municipal Services Campus)
• Don’t forget, you can now mix your aluminum, steel cans and plastics #1 & #2, but ….ALWAYS KEEP GLASS in a SEPARATE container!!!
• If you use our recycling bags, have a rock/brick handy for our handlers to secure your bags after we have emptied them.
• Check out Terracycle.net, for products made out of non-recyclable packaging.
  You can recycle aluminum foil and pie tins at Van Gundy’s metal yard, 645 4th Ave.

As of mid December, 521 new families have started recycling at the curb in 2008. That is over twice the rate of previous years. Over 3,000 households are currently participating and three million pounds of material will be processed by the end of the year.

Based on our recent audit, it appears that our hard working crews hand load an astonishing 44,000 pounds of material at the curb each week. And, because of your remarkable efforts at home, only 1/2 of 1 percent of what recyclers set out for pick up cannot be recycled. Compare that to many other programs across the country, whose wastage rates range anywhere from 7-25 percent, and Grand Junction recyclers can be very proud of their conscientious commitment to recycling the right way!

The Single Stream Story

Communities that can afford the sophisticated equipment are turning to single-stream recycling collection. The claim is that by making recycling easier these programs recover higher volumes of materials. The trade off, aside from the huge initial financial investment and ongoing operational costs, is in increased waste and decreased quality of recyclable material. Quality issues are becoming more important to the survival of recycling programs in the current recession. Single stream programs rely on the sale of their product. Markets will pay less for, or reject entirely, loads of material if the quality is too poor.

It is true that communities like Grand Junction put more responsibility on participants to be aware of what is and what is not recyclable. But it is only by understanding what can be recycled and what is destined to become trash that we are able to make educated and mindful choices as consumers.

Until a decision is made as to the direction the City of Grand Junction wishes to go in building a recycling infrastructure, we at GJ CRI sincerely thank you for your efforts and cooperation in producing the very highest quality of market ready material, making this program work for everyone!

So, What Is a Gyre?

We posed the question to recyclers last spring and were delighted that many people took the time to find the answer. Here it is:

Simply put, a gyre is a swirling vortex of wind and ocean currents. The best known is the 10 million square mile North Pacific Gyre. Trapped within its currents is an area thought to be the size of Texas, now called the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, where roughly 100 million tons of plastic debris, primarily from land-based sources, have accumulated at a highly accelerated rate since its discovery in 1997 by Charles Moore.

Over time, plastic bags and debris degrade into minute particles which enter the food chain when ingested by marine life and are thought to be responsible for the death of 100,000 marine mammals each year. Marine biologist Richard Thompson reported that ninety-eight per cent of dead seabirds studied in northern Europe have plastic in their stomachs.

“Scientists are growing alarmed about massive floating garbage patches that are believed to be building up in the calm centers of the gyres in the middle of nearly all of the world’s oceans.” Alex Roslin, the Gazette (Montreal)

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To read more about the unfolding disaster in the world’s gyres and the investigations underway, go to www.mindfully.org and click on “plastic.”

Bottle Bill Update

According to the Container Recycling Institute (CRI), over 250 billion cans and bottles have been landfilled, littered and incinerated in the U.S. just this year. Container deposit laws, commonly called “bottle bills”, are being introduced and debated around the country. Bottle bills shift costs for litter cleanup, recycling and waste disposal from government and taxpayers to producers and consumers of beverage containers. The eleven states with bottle bill laws have an average recycling rate of over 74% (compared to 38% in non-deposit states) and account for the vast majority of bottles recycled in this country.

Eighteen states are in the midst of active campaigns to ratify new bottle bill laws or expand existing legislation. The latest push for a national bottle bill (HR4238) was introduced in November, 2007 by Mass. Congressman Edward Markey. Such legislation has historically been opposed by major bottling companies.

A global deposit summit meeting was held this past spring in Berlin, Germany. In attendance were experts from around the world, including Australia, Brazil, Belgium, Canada, Sweden, New Zealand and the U.S. (Source: CRI, Summer 2008)

End Times For That Old TV Set?

If you are one of the many people considering replacing your analog television set with a new digital one this winter, there are a few things to consider.

In a typical year over 13 million TV’s are sent to the landfill, each one containing 4-8 pounds of lead as well as other toxic compounds that can contaminate the soil and leach into ground water. That is a typical year, but with the changeover it is estimated that 10 million more sets will be replaced.

Instead of trashing your old set, here are some suggestions from the experts:

1. Keep your old set. Go to DTV2009.gov to obtain a coupon for the purchase of a converter box.
2. Subscribe to cable or satellite service to eliminate the need for a new TV or converter box.
3. Donate working TV’s to organizations such as Habitat for Humanity.
4. Contact the manufacturer of your set to see if they have an established take back program. Sony was the first TV maker to launch a nationwide take back program. Samsung and LG also have programs.
5. Recycle your old set. (We have expanded hours for collection of electronics.)

Winter News

Bad Weather pick ups

Icy, snowy mornings can pose a real danger for our crews. If you live on a street that receives very little sun during the winter months or is not plowed and sanded on the day of pick up, we may need to reschedule your pick up. Our driver will let the office know if they are unable to safely reach your stop. We will then contact you to arrange a different pick up day.

Holidays

Christmas day pick ups are rescheduled for the Tuesday, December 30th; Pick ups that would normally occur the day after Christmas are rescheduled for Wednesday, December 31st. New Year’s day pick ups will take place on Friday, January 2nd. Friday’s pick ups will not be delayed, but will also take place on Friday, January 2nd.

2009 Schedules

Earlier this year we sent out schedules for 2008 and 2009. If you have questions about your schedule or need a new one, please visit our website at www.gjcri.com or call us at 242-1036.

Christmas Trees

Trees are not accepted at the City Shops. Please plan to transport your trees to the Mesa County Landfill compost facility after the holidays. Thanks!

Certifying Electronics Recycling

Following is a letter from Dag Adamson, President of LifeSpan Technology Recycling in response to the 60 Minutes segment entitled “Electronics Wasteland”, aired Sunday November 9th.

This past weekend, the television program “60 Minutes” once again brought to the forefront the issue of illicit e-waste dumping in China and the existence of unscrupulous “sham recyclers” who operate in the U.S.  This expose highlights the importance of ensuring that your end-of-life electronics are being disposed of in a secure and environmentally-responsible manner.  One approach is to rely on certification from an accredited third-party.  However, not all certifications are created equal. In a recent newsletter article for “Recycling Today” magazine, I reviewed some of the common characteristics of these programs and what attributes to look for.

LifeSpan’s demanufacturing and data destruction processes have been certified by the International Association of Electronics Recyclers (”IAER”) and the National Association For Information Destruction (”NAID”) respectively.  We are one of only eight companies to have been designated a “Certified Electronics Recycler ® ” by the IAER.  Last month, LifeSpan became the first electronics recycler in the state of Colorado to receive “Gold Leader” recognition from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.  Nationally, our company is a member of the “Environmental PerformanceTrack” program which is administered by the EPA.

If you believe that your organization could benefit from working with an environmentally-responsible and certified partner, please give us a call at: (888) 720-0900.

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GJ CRI collects electronics for LifeSpan Technology.

New In The World Of Recycling

Home Depot takes fluorescent bulbs

Home Depot now offers a recycling program for unbroken C.F.L. bulbs. If the bulb is broken, the Mesa County Hazardous Waste facility will accept it. Remember to use caution when cleaning up a broken CFL bulb. Improper disposal creates a hazard because they contain mercury.

Wal-Mart commits to reducing plastic bag waste

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. has committed to reduce its global plastic shopping bag waste by an average of 33% per store by 2013. This is expected to eliminate more than 135 million pounds of plastic waste globally. Stores are offering reusable bag options and will continue the plastic bag recycling program for its customers. (American Recycler, Sept.2008)

Aluminum Association Sets Aggressive Recycling Target

Each year Americans discard over 50 billion aluminum cans, most of which end up in landfills. The Aluminum Association has announced an industry-wide effort to increase the industry’s recycling rate for used aluminum beverage containers to 75% by 2015, up from its current recovery rate of 54% in the U.S. This increase would result in the avoidance of nearly 9 million tons of greenhouse gases, equaling the removal of 1.6 million cars from the road a year. It would also result in an energy savings of 139.7 million MBTUs. (Source: www.aluminum.org)

Drop Off Face Lift and Other Changes

Upon completion of the Riverside Parkway project, the physical address of the City Shops Maintenance Yard and recycling drop off was changed. We are at the same location, but the address is now 333 West Ave. Bldg F.

The recycling center is open Monday-Friday 7:00 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Please plan on making your visits to the drop off during those hours.

We have obtained new tanks for the drop off and have an attendant on duty to assist you. You can mix plastics (solid #1 and #2 only) with steel (tin) cans and aluminum, but glass must always be separate. Thank you! Please do not leave material outside the maintenance yard gates during off hours.

Recycle to help local non-profits

Partners, Inc. and Cats League and Assistance of the Western Slope (CLAWS) have set out tanks at the West Avenue drop off to accept paper. They will receive proceeds from the sale of paper you place in their tanks. Please remember to put only newspapers, magazines, catalogs, office grade papers, opened junk mail (sticky labels and plastics discarded), and paper back books. No cardboard, brown packing paper, paper towels, egg cartons, gift wrap, etc.

New Electronics Hours

Electronics are now collected for LifeSpan Technology Recycling at the West Avenue drop off Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m.—3 p.m. The drop off attendant will assist you with fee payment and with the handling of your items. You can also go online at www.gjcri.com for the complete fee schedule, or phone us at 242-1036.

Please remember to always leave your electronics with the attendant to avoid fines for illegal disposal.

Thank you!

You already know that Grand Junction is experiencing an energy boom. What we have found out is that the boom has spilled over into the recycling arena… in some very big ways! The first is in the amount of material being generated by local residents and businesses. Back in 2002, we were thrilled to report that you had broken the 2 million pound mark. That number doubled, to nearly 4,000,000 pounds, in 2007! All of that material resulted in the diversion of 8% of the City’s trash from permanent entombment in the Mesa County Landfill. While we are still far below the national average of 32 %, Grand Junction is making great strides in recovering commodities from the City’s trash stream and giving them life as new products.

Another effect of the boom has been the number of new residents signing up for the curbside program, up from 20 per month to 30+ per month in 2007. There are now nearly 3,000 residential homes in the City actively involved in curbside collection, and the River Road drop off is a constant whirl of activity.

Recycling is a hot topic in many sectors of our community and part of a larger vision to cut waste and promote sustainability. An example is Alpine Bank which has achieved a “Green Building” award, setting standards and goals for energy conservation and aiming to reduce waste by 50% by the end of 2008 through recycling. Local entities such as St. Mary’s Hospital are achieving LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification, with recycling programs a big part of the process. City schools are involved in cardboard recycling efforts and are being encouraged to do more with the introduction of single serve plastic milk bottles in the lunchrooms. The City of Grand Junction, through it’s CORE (Conserving our Resources Efficiently) leadership group, is working toward recycling at local events (the first will be JUCO) and in public buildings.

Smaller businesses are interested in reducing their impact on the planet as well. We receive calls every day from local business wanting to recycle, and frequent requests from the public for talks, tours and our participation at events.

Wow! Recycling has become exciting! But, hold on…handling these various requests for service and processing all of the material that people are more and more eager to recycle takes equipment, manpower, and the structure to house and maintain that equipment and employ those people. Equipment costs money, and the competition with the natural gas companies has put the qualified labor pool out of reach of many local businesses, such as ourselves. Instead of expanding the recycling program in 2007 to meet the public’s requests for service, we were actually forced to cancel half of our commercial accounts!

In other words, building an infrastructure to recycle in a big way requires a financial investment. So, what happens next… after Grand Junction has demonstrated a desire and willingness to recycle? Mesa County Government is spearheading an evaluation of waste diversion and recycling in the valley in comparison to other areas of the state. We eagerly await its recommendations. In the meantime, talks are underway within the City to determine what will be necessary for the program to expand to meet the needs of officials, businesses, and the public and also what funding the City is willing to provide to achieve those goals.

Would you like more recycling options? Would you like to see more of your neighbors recycle or to have recycling at your workplace? Thanks to your commitment and effort through the years, 2008 may prove to be the next turning point for recycling in the Grand Valley.

Don’t Trash That Old Computer!

February’s electronics collection event garnered 9,000 pounds of CPU’s, CRT’s, and printers from area residents, small businesses and government agencies. Recycling this much material saves an energy equivalent of 2,319 gallons of gasoline and diverts the following from the landfill:

• Lead: 649 pounds
• Plastic: 2,676 pounds
• Glass: 1,863 pounds
• Metals: (aluminum, steel, copper, tin and iron): 3,345 pounds
• Zinc: 104 pounds
• Barium and mercury: 9.5 pounds

For information about upcoming electronics recycling events, call Sammie Baratta at Lifespan Technology, 256-0182. Waste Management also has an electronics recycling program. Phone: 243-4345.

Plastic’s Outlaw

Over the past 30 years the plastic bag has made its way into every aspect of our lives. So much so that it is now a major contributor to unsightly blight- blowing around the countryside, clogging waterways, sticking to fences and being ingested by animals and birds mistaking its tiny, photo-degrading particles as food.

In an attempt to control the problem created by bag litter, some state and local governments across the country are taking steps to restrict their distribution or disposal. In April 2007 the City and County of San Francisco banned the use of non-compostable plastic bags by retail businesses with $2 million or more in annual sales. The State of California also enacted legislation requiring large supermarkets to provide free recycling collection for plastic shopping bags and make reusable bags available for purchase. In a similar move, the City of New York has mandated that all retail operations occupying 5,000 or more square feet or that have five or more outlets provide convenient recycling for plastic shopping bags. Some businesses are taking the problem in hand without waiting for legislation. Austin, Texas based Whole Foods Market is eliminating the use of the disposable plastic shopping bags from its 270 Canadian, UK and U.S. stores by April 22, 2008.

Around the World

According to Reusable Bags.com, between 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags are used worldwide each year, and that figure increases by more than half a million bags every minute. The vast majority are used once, often for a matter of minutes, and then end up in landfills or as litter. Planet Ark, an international environmental group, reports that thousands of whales, seals, turtles and other marine animals are killed by plastic bags each year worldwide. They block drains, trap birds, and are swallowed by livestock.

The response is global. From France to South Africa to India restrictions or bans are being debated. Japan, Germany , Italy as well as cities across Canada and Britain already have them in place. In Australia, about 90% of retailers have signed up with the government’s voluntary program to reduce bag use. In January of this year the Chinese government banned the free distribution of plastic shopping bags. While the bags can still be purchased by consumers, it is the hope of the Chinese government that eliminating the give away practice will encourage people to opt for reusable bags.

When Ireland passed a tax on plastic bags in 2002, plastic bag use dropped 94 percent within weeks. Within a year nearly everyone had purchased reusable cloth bags. Plastic bags were not outlawed, but carrying them became socially unacceptable and the tax, now at 50 cents per bag, made it worthwhile for shoppers to rethink their habits.

Recycling In Colorado

Boulder County is the leader in recycling around the state. Since its resolution by City council in May 2006, the City has been working toward achieving an 85% recycling and composting rate. Projects being worked on include expanding recycling programs to include composting, commercial waste collection, construction and demolition debris. Also under discussion are landfill bans for electronics and possible ordinances requiring manufacturers of some goods, such as electronics, to either take back their products for recycling at the end of its useful life or to support infrastructure that recycles the product. Boulder County commissioners in the meantime have adopted Zero Waste as a guiding principle for government decision making, in the hopes of achieving a 50% or better waste diversion for the county as a whole by 2010.

Beginning February 1, 2008, Colorado State agencies will be utilizing recycled content paper in all of their 280 copiers. The Greening Government Initiative calls for the state to implement an Environmentally Preferable Purchasing policy by June 2008.

According to Biocycle, in 2006, Colorado landfilled 6.9 million tons of municipal solid waste and diverted only 12.5%, well below the nationwide average of 32%. Grand Junction is below even the State average, at only 8 %.

Composting—The Natural Way to Recycle

by Pat Garland, aka “Mother Mulch” Recycling plastic, glass and newspapers is something many of us do. But what about yard waste- grass clippings, leaves and plant debris? How do we recycle the kitchen waste- coffee grounds, banana or potato peelings and those egg shells? All these things take up space in the trash and are destined for the landfill. But all are also organic and can instead be composted. Compost is the only method of recycling that can be done naturally.

There are several different ways to compost. Compost bins are available at local retailers and through garden supply catalogs. Bins can be constructed using old pallets or a trash can with holes drilled in the sides and bottom to allow air flow. You can compost without any structure at all. Grass clipping are the easiest to compost. Leave them right on the lawn. As soon as the blades of grass are cut the composting process begins.

A favorite method of composting is to dig small holes (I use a bulb planter to dig the holes 6” – 8” deep) between the plant rows and bury food scraps. A compost pile located in a corner of the yard also works well. Pile the material together and mix it up. The composting process requires Nitrogen (green material) such as kitchen waste, grass clippings (no meats, fats, greases or dairy products), and Carbon (brown material) including leaves and plant debris. Green and brown material should be a 50/50 mix by weight. The green will weigh more than the brown.

The living organisms within the compost that do all the work need both water and air to stay alive. You want the mixture to be only wet enough for a handful to form a ball when squeezed, without water oozing out between your fingers. If it’s too wet it will begin to smell rotten, an indication the pile needs air. Using a garden fork to lift the pile and turning it over is the best method to incorporate air into the pile. Tough, yes, but critical!

Some insects are good composters and should be left alone. The heat of a pile (up to 140 degrees F) will usually kill many other unwanted pests. The unpleasant pests in your compost pile-flies, roaches, and even cats and dogs-can be discouraged by covering the pile with soil or leaves to mask the odors of fresh, rotting material.

The commercial composting facility at the landfill accepts clean yard waste free of charge. If you can’t have a pile of your own, take advantage of this service and allow them to do the work. They also sell high quality, finished compost to the public.

Composting is my hobby. Readers with questions or just wanting to brag about their composting are welcome to email me.

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Pat Garland is a Master Gardener and formerly Compost Education Technician with the CSU cooperative extension and Mesa County Landfill.

Innovation Leads to Less Sorting At Home!

Breaking News!!! While some cities are spending millions (yes-millions!) of dollars on high-tech separation systems to sort recyclables, we at GJ CRI have been busy experimenting with our own designs. We have devised a system for a fraction of the cost that will allow you to mix more material together now and allows us to sort it much faster than ever before.

This system will help us deal with all the material that is currently pouring in to the facility. Additional funding is necessary to speed up processing in other areas of the facility and to handle the anticipated expansion and growth. Here are the four categories:

• NEW!!! Place your #1 and #2 plastic containers in the same container with your steel and aluminum cans.
• Keep your glass jars and bottles together in a separate container
• Place newspapers, magazines, office paper, etc. in a separate container
• Flatten and stack only non-glossy, corrugated cardboard and recycle with brown paper grocery bags.

Just a note about glass: Glass must be kept separate from other materials in order to be properly color sorted, marketed and made into new glass. Mixed glass is trash. Worse yet, if broken glass gets mixed with cardboard or paper it can ruin an entire load of material as glass pieces will break machinery at paper mills.

Please remember that glass bottles with lids left on them will explode in the hot sun. We barely avoided a tragedy with one of our workers two summers ago. Please remove all lids! Put metal lids with cans and discard the rest. Thanks!

Cutting Paper Waste

In an effort to minimize the impact of our operation and the amount of paper we generate we have put your pick up schedules and our newsletters. If you would like us to remove your name from paper mailings, please sign up to receive the Waste Not, Grand Junction! Newsletter by email.

Other ideas:

1. Return mass mailed items in their own self-addressed envelopes with a request to be removed from their mailing list. (Simply writing “refused “ on the envelope won’t work.)
2. When you make a contribution or place an order by mail or phone ask that your name not be sold or given away.
3. Call the number given on catalog’s and ask that your name be removed from the mailing list.

In our most recent newsletter we printed an address for reducing junk mail. Since then we have discovered that the P.O. Box has been closed and mail is not being forwarded to the correct box!

If you would like to utilize the Direct Marketing Association service to reduce junk mail please visit them online at www.dmachoice.org or call them for more information at (212) 768-7277.

We apologize for any inconvenience this error may have caused you.

Schedules

2008/2009
Please note that the schedule you have received has two years printed on it. Make sure that you are checking the correct year for your scheduled pick up. Schedule changes due to a holiday are printed in bold and are marked with an asterisk.

Combine Us

Did you know?….
GJ CRI has designed a new system that now allows you to combine your #1 & #2 solid plastic containers with your steel and aluminum cans.

Glass must remain separate from any other material.

Thank you for continuing to remove lids and rinse containers.

GJ CRI Gyre Contest

The first five people to correctly answer both questions will be awarded $10.50 from GJ CRI (That’s 6 months of free curbside recycling!)

What is a gyre?

What is happening to the gyre?

Call the office at (970) 242-1036 with your answers and Good Luck!!!

All schedules are in the PDF format. To view and download these documents, you will need Adobe Reader (Free Download).

We are often asked what happens to the material we collect once it leaves your curb or alley. We are also asked why we do not accept all materials, such as various numbers of plastics and low grade cardboard. The answer is that part of our job is to market the material around the country and arrange transportation to those markets. Producing the cleanest material, obtaining the best market prices, and transporting the material for the least cost are key elements in making a recycling program work.

So, let’s take a look at where materials are currently going: We have been sending glass jars and bottles to Coors in Golden, Co. for over a decade. Coors’ bottles contain 30% recycled content, a mixture of brown, clear and green glass.

Aluminum is trucked to a mill in Alabama where it is processed and rolled into sheets of aluminum for resale to various industries. Newspapers, magazines and catalogues are made into cellulose insulation at a manufacturing plant in Salt Lake City. Cardboard is sent to Washington State where it is processed into new cardboard products. Finally, “natural” plastics, such as milk bottles, are made into plastic lumber in Colorado. Colored HDPE (#2) and PET (#1) are sent to California and made into carpeting or plastic furniture.

As dependable markets for other materials develop in the future, we will investigate methods and costs of transportation and may add to the list. For now, you can be assured that you are part of a national and international system of commerce that is saving resources and redistributing commodities that should not end up as trash.

Your Recycling Schedule, and much more…now online

Many thanks to curbside recycler Saman Sadeghi for responding to our request for technical assistance! Check out Saman’s web design talent on our fantastic, new web page www.gjcri.com. It is complete with past edition newsletters and links to other local resources. Along with all of our publications, guidelines, and order forms, you can now view and print out your recycling schedule. Under Schedules and Pick up, simply click on the route number/pick up day displayed in the lower left hand corner of the mailing label on this newsletter. You can also sign up to receive your newsletter via email.

See Mark Your Calendar on the flip side of this newsletter to see which holidays might affect your pick up schedule.

Need website services for your business?

You can contact Saman Sadeghi at Degi Designs.com.

Program Updates

Bins and Bags

A new order of recycling bins has arrived. These are the sturdy, open, eighteen gallon, stackable containers with logo. They are U.V. resistant and come with a 10 year warranty. The price is $12.00, which includes tax and delivery. Remember that you don’t need to use our containers. Any container of reasonable size and weight (no more than 40 lbs. when full, please) will do.

You can print out the order form online at our new website or contact us for delivery.

Drop Off Center

As construction on River Road in front of the City’s maintenance yard nears completion, the security gate into the yard will be reactivated. This should take place in mid December.

The hours of access into the yard will be 5:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Electronics Event

Save your electronics for this winter’s one day event coming Friday, February 8, 2008. Lifespan Technology will be holding the event, so call them for details at 256-0182.

A regular collection schedule at a new location will start up in the spring.

Tidbits

Recycling in Good Company in Grand Junction

Do you ever look down your block and feel like you are the lone recycler? It is true that participation in some areas is still sparse. Don’t get discouraged! Grand Junction is a growing community of curbside recyclers. Just this year so far over 350 families have signed up for recycling, an average of 30 per month, 35 per month since August!
This is the fastest growth we have experienced since 1992.

Mark your Calendar

For the six holidays listed here, pick ups will be delayed by one day. For instance, Thanksgiving falls on the fourth Thursday, November 27, 2008. We will instead pick material the next day, Friday, and Friday’s will be moved to Saturday. If in doubt, please call us!

We will observe the following holidays in 2008:

• New Year’s Day-January 1
• Memorial Day –May 26
• Independence Day - July 4
• Labor Day-September 1
• Thanksgiving Day– November 27
• Christmas Day-December 25

Just a reminder about sharing:

We are aware that some participants are having their friends, family, and businesses add to their stack of recyclables at the curb. While the intention is good (we all want to see as much material recycled as possible!) please remember that we are only equipped and staffed to pick up material from the single family residences that are signed up. Excessive material at the curb cuts our efficiency and raises our costs. Please ask your friends and relatives to sign up or let them know about the River Road drop off, conveniently located near downtown Grand Junction.

Thank you!

It’s really not such a mystery. The amount of trash generated each year in this county increased from 88 million tons in 1960 to over 230 million tons in 2005. The sad fact is that while Americans are now recovering, recycling or composting nearly 32% of their trash, the sheer volume of trash seems to be outpacing all of our efforts to divert it to productive uses.

Population growth certainly accounts for a portion of the increase. But consider that the average amount of trash generated per person has increased from 2.7 to 4.5 pounds per day and is rising, a reflection of manufacturing and packaging practice as well as consumer consumption and habit.

The Mesa County landfill received 191,995 tons of material in 2006, up 31% in five years. This, in spite of increased use of other landfill programs such as composting and hazardous material collection and reuse options.
An 8% increase in material recovered for recycling during that same period has helped keep City trash in check. Trash volumes are up only slightly, from 24,068 tons in 2001, to 25,634 tons in 2006.

Rather than be discouraged by the numbers we, as consumers, need to take actions that will reverse the trend. We can look for ways to produce less waste in our own lives, and we must let manufacturers, stores, and policy makers know that we also expect them to take action to reduce waste in America.

Rethinking The Convenience Of Bottled Water

Worried about paying $3.00 per gallon for gas at the pump or $4.00 for a gallon of milk? Consider that, according to the Earth Policy Institute, Americans are now paying as much as $10.00 per gallon for bottled water!

Per capita consumption of bottled water, now at 27.6 gallons a year, has nearly doubled since 2000. It is estimated that less than a quarter of the plastic bottles produced in this country are recycled, primarily in the 10 states that have enacted bottle bills (a system of refunding a pre-paid amount on bottles returned to collection centers.) This leaves millions of plastic bottles trashed each year that won’t degrade in landfills for hundreds of years.

The Natural Resource Defense Council reports that manufacturing, transporting, and disposing of plastic bottles also consumes oil and contributes to global warming.

Let’s not be deceived by the convenience of bottled water! Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!

Properly Disposing Of Your Electronics

It is estimated that 1.1 million units of e-waste (monitors, CPU’s, cell phones, TV’s, copiers, etc) are disposed of each year by Colorado businesses and residents. This e-waste stream will add nearly 51,000 tons of lead, 15 tons of arsenic, 107 tons of cadmium, 209 tons of silver, and 25 tons of mercury to the state’s landfills by 2015. Soil, air, and water contamination from these toxins, and the associated human health risks, contributed to Colorado’s 2005 ban on e-waste disposal in landfills by business. Violators face fines of up to $25,000 per day. Similar bans on residential e-waste disposal are in the works.

Proper disposal of e-waste insures that data is destroyed and toxic electronic components are not landfilled, dumped or sent overseas, where environmental controls and human safety standards are not monitored.

There are costs associated with recycling e-waste. Items must be safely stored and transported to a dismantling location and personnel must be thoroughly trained to dismantle each item. Some of these costs must be passed along to recyclers in the form of a recycling fee.

Some of the larger computer manufacturing companies have programs in place to take back their equipment from customers. Check with your product’s manufacturer for such programs. Some states, like California, have initiated “Advanced Recovery Fees”, whereby the purchase price of the unit includes a fee to help with proper disposal costs at its end of life. Colorado has no such law in effect, but local residents and business still have an option. LifeSpan Technology Recycling, a Grand Junction business, is one of only eight firms in the U.S. to be designated a Certified Electronics Recycler (IAER), incorporating management standards set by the EPA. LifeSpan, in conjunction with GJ CRI and the City of Grand Junction, offers a drop off option in Grand Junction. Currently this is by appointment only. Call 256-0182 for times, location, and to set an appointment to properly dispose of your items.

Some current fees are:

ITEM FEE
Monitors $12.00
CPU (towers) $ 8.00
Printer (Small) $ 8.00
Laptops $ 5.00
Keyboards $ 1.00
Cell phones free
VCR $ 8.00
TV’s (per inch) $ 1.25
Copiers (table top) $25.00
Copiers (floor) $100.00

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Some systems less than 3 years old are tested and reused, although residential waste electronics are usually too outdated to reuse.

Political News

In Colorado, HB07-1141 requires persons (with some exceptions) paying $0.50 per pound or more for metals (including aluminum, copper, and brass) to obtain identification from the seller and requires the seller to provide a statement identifying where he/she obtained the metal. This is in response to a recent national surge in crime involving theft of commodity metals, particularly copper, from construction sites and other locations.

HB 1288 went into effect on July 1, 2007 and institutes a charge to waste producers to fund the Recycling Resources Economic Opportunity Program created in Section 25-16.5-106.7 of the Bill. The fund provides for loans and grants for waste diversion and recycling activities such as education, infrastructure expansion and program development within the State. Moneys will be available beginning July 1, 2008.

A provision of HB 1288 increases the fee for tire disposal from $1.00 to $1.50. In response to that provision, Mesa County Landfill is imposing a $50.00 per tire fine on waste haulers dumping tires with trash, rather than delivering them to the designated tire disposal site.

For more information and updates on legislative actions relating to recycling and the environment, and for links to other websites, visit the Colorado Association for Recycling.

Local Efforts

Creating a sustainable infrastructure for growth in recycling has been a goal in Grand Junction, and that goal is being achieved. Markets are strong for all materials and the amount of recyclables collected is up 8% over 2001. Still, Grand Junction has a long way to go to catch up to the national average recycling rate of 27%.

In Mesa County, 415,506 pounds of hazardous materials were recovered in 2006, with 85% of that being recycled or reused.

The City of Grand Junction recently made a commitment to the continuation of curbside recycling by awarding GJ CRI a 10 year contract. With that commitment, the City and GJ CRI will proceed with plans to expand the current drop off center to include a newspaper buy back option.

This will begin after the completion of the section of River Road in front of the City Shops Maintenance Yard, probably in early 2008.

The center will have bins positioned and designated for participating local non-profit groups. The general public will be able to contribute paper to the bin of their choice and the non-profit will receive a periodic check.

Our Guidelines: See Something New?

Paper

Newspapers, magazines, office paper (shredded okay), envelopes, paper back books, and junk mail. Please remove the sheets of sticky address labels and plastics (like fake credit cards) from your junk mail! Discard all plastic wraps.

Cans

Mix your clean steel and aluminum cans together!
No aluminum foil, pie tins or TV dinner trays. No scrap pieces.

Plastics

Still just the #1 or #2 solid plastic containers. The lids are not recyclable, so please throw them out. (Sorry, no plastic bags)

Glass

Jars and bottles only. Remove all lids. (Throw plastic lids into the trash. Metal lids may be recycled with cans)

Cardboard

Empty, non-glossy, unwaxed, corrugated cardboard only. Flatten and stack. Brown paper grocery sacks (Keep these with cardboard, please.)

Phone Books

Remove and discard plastic wrap. Place phone books on top of paper, so we can see them.

The joy of giving Less: Ideas for reducing and reusing

Weddings, birthdays, holidays… the gift giving season is year around. With a little advance planning we can contribute more to each occasion by giving less …waste.
Look for commercially produced cards, gift wrap, and boxes that are recyclable and made from recycled material. (Most aren’t!) Take your own bags with you when you shop and put purchases from more than one stop into the same bag. Don’t accept bags if you don’t need them. Hang on to gift boxes, card fronts, and used wrap and ties to use again next year. Wrap gifts creatively in scarves, sacks or funny pages.

Easy gift ideas:

• Colorful fabric or canvas shopping bags.
• Refillable water containers or coffee mugs (If selecting plastic, it may be wise to purchase #2, #4 or #5 refillables, thought to leach the least toxins in reuse)
• Under sink water filters or filtering pitchers
• Any clothing and bedding made from hemp or recycled PET

There are many sites online with a wealth of ideas on socially and environmentally responsible options. Check these out:
Paporganics
Lagniappe Gift Wrap
Use-Less-Stuff

About our company

GJ CRI is a locally owned and operated business. Residential curbside recycling is offered in partnership with the City of Grand Junction under the direction of the Solid Waste Management Department. All money derived from the sale of commodities collected through curbside collection and at the River Road drop is returned to the City to help offset program costs.

All products listed in the guidelines brochure are sent to market (never landfilled.) We make every effort to deal with domestic markets.

GJ CRI also offers commercial recycling.

Contact Curbside Recycling Indefinitely, Inc.

Would you like to contribute more to the recycling effort?

Here are some ideas:

• Submit a researched article for publication.
• Sponsor printing and mailing of this newsletter, so we can get it out to the wider community.
• Make copies and distribute to friends and neighbors. Take some to work or to your dentist’s waiting
  room.
• Help us with creative ideas and tips for reducing, reusing, and recycling to pass along to others.
• Contribute technical support and website development.
• Learn about the recycling facility and give tours to area students.
• Kids! You can contribute articles to an upcoming newsletter for children. Let us know how you or someone you know is making the world a better place by creatively reducing, reusing or recycling. Sign up to receive the newsletter, coming soon!
• Help form a group to investigate ways to finance and support future recycling efforts (like at local events!)

Have you noticed that Earth Day (April 21st) is no longer celebrated on a large scale in the Grand Valley? Have you been looking for (and not finding) recycling bins at local events, concerts, and public buildings? Have you asked yourself why Colorado’s waste diversion rate (currently 2nd lowest in the nation) is not being addressed aggressively at the state and local level? And why are public education and awareness campaigns noticeably absent through the media?

The events, media coverage, and ongoing activities associated with Earth Day have in the past provided a public forum for addressing local and global environmental concerns. These concerns included the dumping of trash in the desert, resource depletion, the problems of mounting municipal waste, rising energy costs, and water and air pollution. The Earth Day forum also presented the opportunity for the public to learn practical solutions to apply in daily living: like recycling and installing home water filtration and solar systems. It allowed both children and adults to participate in educational activities like the desert clean up and interactive wildlife demonstrations. Most of the concerns of the past still exist, as do more recently identified issues which can (and do) affect your health and well being- issues such as pesticide spraying, fluoridated water, improper electronics disposal, global climate changes, and toxic emissions .

In November, a small meeting was held to talk about future Earth Day efforts and the reformation of the Grand Valley Earth Coalition, the non-profit entity which once organized such events and served as a meeting ground for local officials and concerned groups and citizens. The decision was made at this meeting to assess the current private and public sector interest in reviving the Coalition.

Are we to wait until increased growth and population impact living conditions in Western Colorado to the extremes that prompted the first Earth Day events in the 1970’s? Other areas of the country have waited until forced to pass mandatory recycling standards and remedial environmental legislation. Can we instead be proactive and come together as a community of involved, connected, and educated citizens to lead the Grand Valley to a new era of awareness and positive action? We pose the question.

Should you wish to become personally involved in planning and actively supporting future Earth Day events phone Pat Garland at 242-5866 or Elaine Foss at 242-1036.

From Waste REDUCTION to…… ZERO WASTE!

Zero waste policies are being deliberated and adopted in communities across the country. Some Colorado communities are joining in to take bold action in addressing problems associated with waste. Summit County has passed the first Zero Waste resolution in the entire Mountain West and the City of Boulder has already set an ambitious 50% waste reduction goal.

This past summer Boulder’s progressive environmental organization, Eco-Cycle, worked with the weekly local Farmers Market to produce the first ongoing Zero Waste event in the nation. That’s right a Zero waste event - a concept that, in part, establishes that everything brought to or leaving an event be either recycled, reused or composted!

Grand Junction loves its festivals, concerts, & other events. These events are perfect ways to demonstrate to our community creative ways to come together to celebrate without generating the types of waste that degrade the very surroundings we enjoy. Zero Waste principles learned at such events are transferable to smaller gatherings! If you would like to join a committee looking into ways to help community organizers and venders incorporate zero waste in events in the Grand Valley, give us a call at 242-1036!

“Mini” Guide For Recycling “Hard-To-Recycle” Items

Welcome to Curbside Recycling Indefinitely, Inc.’s Guide to Recycling “Hard-To-Recycle” Materials – those items that typically end up in a landfill (and shouldn’t be there!). This is designed for the committed recycler like you who is willing to go that extra mile to recycle everything you can. With efforts like yours, we’re keeping more resources out of landfills, preventing toxins from entering our soil and groundwater, and preserving natural resources for generations to come. Some items are still “hard-to-recycle” and at this time non-recyclable. But hopefully some of these tips will help you to clean out your storage space, closets or that junk pile by the shed. Save landfill space and do the right thing!

View and download the Hard To Recycle Guide

Tips for “Greener” Holidays

Whether celebrating Christmas or your child’s birthday, there are simple, tasteful and creative ways to conserve as well as consume! Unwrap gently (yeah, right!) save wrapping, bows, ribbons, and tissue paper for other holidays. Paperboard (shirt boxes) are great for storing all of that saved wrap! Be creative with your own wrapping. Have the kids (or the kid inside of you) color on plain paper. You can also use recyclable paper bags as wrap, and put holiday stickers on the package. Have fun while conserving on special occasions!

2005 In Review

The City of Grand Junction’s residents, through Curbside Recycling Indefinitely, Inc., recycled two and three quarter million pounds (1375 tons) of material as of the end of November, 2005. We project that the total for the year will inch very close to the 3,000,000 pound mark! All of that material is picked up (by hand) by the GJ CRI crew and offloaded at the River Road facility. There it is further separated into the required categories, bailed, and loaded onto trucks for delivery to mills and processors as far away as Ohio (1,583 miles!). Some of the sorting is done by Partners, Inc. kids who, as a group, have contributed 300 hours of court ordered community service. At the recycling facility they get a true taste of hard work. We appreciate these kids and thank Partners Inc. for being involved!

During the same period of time, (January-November, 2005) 35 million pounds of trash went into the Mesa County Landfill from City residences. This means almost 8% of the city’s trash is being recycled! Each trash truck load averages about 7 tons of waste. At this rate we (YOU) have diverted 196 truckloads of waste from going to the landfill.

Be Proud of yourselves, but know that there is still room for much improvement in our community!

Christmas Tree Recycling

Here it is again, the Holiday season! We will be offering a home pick-up service for Christmas tree recycling on Friday, January 13th. No more putting the tree on top of the Cadillac! We’ll be happy to pick-up your tree for a $5.00 fee. Please call the Curbside Recycling office @242-1036, to schedule a pick-up. The tree must be free of all tinsel, ornaments, bows, etc.

The Solid Waste Dept. provides a drop-off location as well. The recycling starts the day after Christmas and runs through the end of January. The location has permanently moved from the City Shops to the Orchard Mesa Cemetery, located south of Hwy 50 and Unaweep Ave. on Canon St. To get there, take the first right turn on Canon Street onto the gravel road. Signs will be posted. City forestry crews will be chipping trees on a daily basis. The chips are available to the public to take free of charge (provide your own way of loading and containers).

Please DO NOT drop your tree off at the City Shops.

Call us and we’ll pick it up for you!

Happy Holidays and best wishes for a green and wonderful New Year!