Recycling Matters
    Fall 1994

FEATURES:

Where DOES the Recycling Go?
The low-down on commingling.

Take It or Leave It
During Move-Out Week, the average student left behind: 57.4 lbs trash, 1.4 lbs donated items, 4.4 lbs scrap wood, 10.9 lbs paper for recycling.


Plastics Recycling at UM

If it Weren't for Junk Mail, I'd have No Mail at all
Advice on how to cut back your daily junk mail.

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Shredded Paper

Does your department or office shred confidential papers? Waste Management Services maintains a listing of community organizations that take shredded office paper for re-use as animal bedding or packing material. For a copy of the list of local businesses who will pick it up, call 763-5539.

At-desk Recycling Boxes

Need a handy way to store office paper for recycling at your desk? This 10 X 7 X 12" cardboard box has recycling guidelines printed on it. Empty your paper into the nearest recycling can. Call 764-2663 for a complimentary box.

When in Doubt, Don't Throw it Out!

Samples of paper that you are not sure of can be sent to us for a determination on recyclability. Send samples in campus mail to Waste Management, 1110 East Huron St. -1631. Include your name and phone number and we'll call you with an answer.

Where DOES the Recycling Go?

At least once a month, we receive calls from concerned recyclers who have spotted our Recycling Truck Operators dumping all the material in the same truck.

This is now standard procedure at the University, and a new innovation in the recycling industry known as commingling. Commingling involves collecting two or more recyclable materials together, and sorting or separating them at a recycling facility.

When the University program started many years ago, Waste Management Services had four separate truck routes to handle the paper materials in four different ways (white office paper, mixed office paper, newspapers and corrugated cardboard.) The system had intensive labor, vehicle and energy requirements. Over time, we began to commingle similar materials together, until last Fall (1993), when a move was made to put all paper materials on the same collection route.

The change did not affect the recycling system inside buildings. Changes are occurring at selected loading docks, where Building Services staff now combine cardboard and office paper in the same recycling cart. Newspapers were put in tied plastic bags to facilitate sorting later on.

Once collected, the commingled paper materials are hauled to a local recycling processing facility, where they are dumped out, sorted and baled separately. From there, the bales are shipped to paper mills that reprocess mixed office paper (also known as "filestock"), newspaper and cardboard, respectively. When market conditions are favorable, white office or higher grade paper is sorted out as well.

The commingled system provides several benefits. It reduces the number of truck routes needed, adds new buildings to the program, frees up already limited space at loading docks, and enables the driver to pick up more material per stop. All of these increase collection efficiency, and help keep the cost of recycling competitive with the cost of waste disposal.

Naturally, everyone will ask "So why are we still separating materials inside the building?" Several reasons: Newspapers need to remain separated since they are collected in bags. The in-building separation of office papers keeps the program flexible should market conditions shift in the future. And, commingling is being implemented at loading docks in some locations, where office paper and cardboard can go into one recycling dumpster.

Take It or Leave It

Each spring, 10,000 students move out of the University's fifteen residence halls. Sweaters, instant oatmeal, soap, canned spaghetti, loft wood, toasters and carpets are just some of the items typically left behind. During Move-Out week, Waste Management Services and the Housing Division teamed up to divert 23% of the waste stream from landfill disposal.

The trash alone piled up to 286.91 tons, or about 57.4 pounds per student for the week. Seven (7) tons of materials were collected and donated to community organizations. An additional 22 tons of scrap and loft wood were recovered to be turned into chips for landscaping and industrial furnace fuel. Fifty-four (54) tons of mixed office paper, cardboard, newspapers, cans and bottles were collected for recycling. An undetermined amount of carpeting, wood and furniture was salvaged by the community.

Collection boxes for food, toiletries, clothing and household items were set up in residence hall lobbies and lounges. Waste Management Services coordinated the collection and distribution of items to agencies. Food went to the Huron Harvest Food Bank which distributes groceries to over 50 non-profit agencies in Washtenaw County. Toiletries, bedding, bathrobes and sleepwear were donated to the Shelter Association of Washtenaw, which manages a night shelter in Ann Arbor. Household items and proceeds from deposit cans and bottles helped out the Prospect Place Family Shelter in Ypsilanti. Clothing was shared among The Salvation Army and Purple Heart Services Foundation.

Students were asked to put bulky items like carpets, wood and furniture in designated "Take It or Leave It" areas outside each residence hall. These items were then made available to charitable organizations and scavenging by the general public. Unfortunately, the heavy rains on the last day of Move-Out really put a damper on the scavenging rate this year. The amount of bulky waste items hauled to the landfill this year (119 tons) was a six-fold increase over the 21 tons landfilled in 1993.

The one item that remains the toughest challenge for waste management staff is carpets. Many students dispose of their room carpets and there is no way to recycle them at this point. Staff encourage students to store their carpets for use the following year.

Plastics Recycling at UM

Plastic jugs are included in the "Mixed Containers" recycling category, which also includes glass bottles, aluminum, and steel cans. Last year, UM recycled 85 tons of mixed containers. The majority of this material came from Housing's residence halls and Dining Services. Before recycling jugs, it is important to rinse out the contents, throw away the plastic cap (yet another type of plastic), and flatten the jug by stepping on it.

In the University program, only narrow-mouth plastic jugs marked HDPE #2 are acceptable. (Note: In Fall 1995, PET #1 and #3 plastic bottles were added.). Even though some margarine tubs are labeled HDPE #2, they are not accepted. Plastic containers, like milk and detergent jugs, are "blow molded," meaning the shape is made by blowing air into a mold, similar to blowing air into a balloon. The tub shaped plastics are "injection molded," whereby the plastic is stamped into its shape. These plastics cool at different temperatures. The reprocessing stage is disrupted if the two are mixed together.

End markets for other plastics have not yet been developed in Michigan, and they are not handled by our current recycling processor.

The plastic resin identification code was developed by the Society for Plastics Industry (SPI) in 1988 and is now mandated in 39 states, including Michigan. SPI categorized hundreds of plastic resins into 7 major categories. Some consumers see the familiar symbol with the chasing arrows and assume that all containers are recyclable. This is not true. This can be confusing for many people, and understandably so! SPI, in conjunction with the National Recycling Coalition (NRC), attempted to overhaul the coding system in 1994, without success.

1. PET Polyethylene Terephthalate. Accounts for 20-30% of all plastic bottles manufactured. Most commonly found in 2-liter soda pop bottles and are returnable under Michigan deposit system
2. HDPE High Density Polyethylene. The most common plastic used in plastic bottle manufacture, about 50-60%. Usually found in milk and detergent jugs.
3. V Vinyl/Polyvinyl Chloride.
4. LDPE Low Density Polyethylene. Used in film plastics and plastic grocery bags. Can be recycled at some local grocery store chains.
5. PP Polypropylene.
6. PS Polystyrene. Used in disposable food service tableware, plates and cups. The foam variety is sometimes mistakenly called "foam" and is used for rigid packing material and peanuts.
7. Other All other plastic resins and multi-material plastics

If It Weren't for Junk Mail, I'd Have No Mail At All

For every personal letter you receive in the mail, you also get a catalog and over seven pieces of bulk "junk" mail. Surprising? Perhaps not, when you think of all the times you've yelled "JUNK!" while sorting through your mail. In 1992, 62 billion pieces of bulk mail were sent nationwide: 40% of all the mail handled by the U.S. Postal Service.

Services, products, and information provided though bulk mailings do have benefits, but weigh them against the thousands of tons of bulk mail that is wasted: trash on arrival to your office or home. Some mass mailings are not recyclable because of the foils, glues, and enclosed samples. You can recycle most the mail if you sort out the undesirable items from the rest.

Free your mind and your mailbox from the continuous flow of bulk mail by getting your name off some lists. Try these suggestions:

1. Get off future direct mailing lists by sending your full name and address to:
   
   Mail Preference Service
   c/o Direct Marketing Association (DMA)
   11 West 42nd Street
   P.O. Box 9008
   Farmingdale, NY
   11735-9008
   
   (3,500 businesses use this list, so after sending in your request you should only receive bulk mail from businesses and organizations too small to join DMA. Be sure to include all variations and spellings of your name.)
   
   
2. Sending your name to DMA won't get you off lists that your name is already on. Send individual letters or postcards to each company stating you don't want their bulk mailings. Use the company's postage-paid return envelope (or 800 telephone number) if one is provided.
   
   
3. Write "Refuse to Accept! Return to Sender!" only on junk mail addressed directly to you (not to "Current Resident") and put it back out for the mail carrier to recollect. Although they don't return bulk mail to senders, you are sending a strong message to the Postal Service to reconsider it's practice of not charging senders for the handling or disposal of rejected junk mail.
   
   
4. When you do give your address or new subscription to a company or group, be sure to tell them not to sell, share or trade your name.
   
   
5. Now you can download a postcardwhich requests that your name be taken off mailing lists, and then print it. You need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view the file and print it on card-stock (a heavier weight) paper.

Source: Will Nixon, "Are We Burying Ourselves in Junk Mail?" E Magazine, Nov/Dec 1993, pp. 30-37.

Content modified: August 6, 2001

Please direct questions and comments to Recycling (get address) (38.107.191.119).

*This website is intended for use by University of Michigan faculty, staff and students. Please keep questions limited to recycling and waste disposal within the University and Washtenaw County.

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