Recycling Matters when it comes to Climate Change!

1. Recycling Matters when it comes to Climate Change! Viccy Salazar EPA Region 10

2. Making an environmental difference.National Parks have: Opportunity Access Responsibility

3. Opportunity • New administration, new mandates. • You are already participating in the Federal Green Challenge! • Signing up is different than action – so act! • Climate Friendly Parks • DOI commitment to the environment • EMS Requirements • Your impacts and those of your visitors • Executive Order 13423

4. Access • NPS is unique in its ability to connect with a “friendly” environmental audience. • 272 million visits in 2007 • If 10% of the visitors each recycled only 1 extra aluminum can – the results would be huge! • Roughly 544 tons recycled instead of thrown away • Save over 112,000 Million BTU of energy • Equivalent to 1,000 households of energy for a year or • 900,000 gallons of gas not used.

5. Education • At entry • At concessions • While camping • Within Jr. Rangers • Within other Ranger led programs • Signage Make the Connection • between environmental actions and natural habitats Share how you “walk the talk” Think about… Where are your access points and what can you do to influence your visitors?

6. Responsibility NPS Mission Public Trust Plants Animals You and me! Future Generations Land and Sea

7. NPS Mission The National Park Service preserves unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and values of the national park system for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations. The Park Service cooperates with partners to extend the benefits of natural and cultural resource conservation and outdoor recreation throughout this country and the world.

8. Never doubt that a small, group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.- Margaret Mead

9. Some Terms: GHG Emissions • There are many Greenhouse Gases (GHG) associated with the product life cycle (CO2, CH4, N20, etc.), • Each GHG has a different impact on global warming • Data normalized using Global Warming Potentials (GWP) • a relative scale which compares the impact of the GHG to the impact of the same mass of CO2 (GWP of CO2 =1) • for example, GWP for CH4 = 23 and for N20 = 296 • emissions of 1 million metric tons of CH4 and N20 are equivalent to emissions of 23 and 296 million metric tons of CO2, respectively • Normalized GHG data are expressed as carbon dioxide equivalent, or CO2e Source: http://cdiac.ornl.gov/pns/current_ghg.html

10. Waste and Materials Lifecycle and Climate Change Recycling • Materials Extraction • energy and transportation emissions • reduction in carbon storage • Manufacturing • energy, process and transportation emissions • Use • energy emissions • Land filling • landfill gas emissions • offsets from energy recovery, if used Composting • Waste Management • transportation emissions

11. *Assumes recycled material would otherwise have been landfilled. Aggregate refers to concrete recycled as aggregate. Source: Solid Waste Management and Greenhouse Gases, EPA, 2006 Energy Savings per Ton Recycled *

12. Greenhouse Gas Reduction from Recycling 100 Additional Tons of Aluminum • Reduction in Metric Tons of C02 Equivalent = 1360 This is equivalent to: • Passenger cars driven for one year = 290 • Gallons of gasoline = 154,900 • Number of tree seedlings grown for 10 years = 34,870 • Railcars of coal = 6.9 • Household electricity use for one year (number of households) = 170 Source: EPA Waste Reduction Model (WARM)

13. Benefits of Composting Materials Extraction Manufacturing Recycling Use • Land filling • reduced landfill emissions • Composting • increased carbon storage Waste Management

14. Greenhouse Gas Impact of Composting 1,000 Additional Tons of Food Waste • Metric tons of C02 equivalent = 1,740 This is equivalent to: • Passenger cars not driven for one year = 377 • Gallons of gasoline = 198,178 • Number of tree seedlings grown for 10 years = 44,615 • Railcars of coal burned = 9 • Household electricity use for one year (number of households) = 223 Source: R9, Composting Food Waste Methodology, 2007

15. Long-haul is not a limiting GHG factor for many recyclables Material Production & “Break-Even Point” (miles) Forestry Savings Truck Rail Freighter (MTCE/ton collected) Aluminum 3.44 116,000 451,000 524,000 Corrugated 0.79 27,000 104,000 120,000 Newspaper 0.68 23,000 90,000 104,000 Steel 0.48 16,000 63,000 73,000 LDPE 0.36 12,000 47,000 55,000 PET 0.33 11,000 43,000 50,000 HDPE 0.30 10,000 39,000 45,000 Glass (to bottles) 0.07 2,000 9,000 11,000 “Break-Even Point” is where GHG emissions transporting the recyclables equals GHG emissions avoided when the recyclables displace virgin feedstocks. Avoided disposal-related emissions are not included. 24

16. Tips for an effective Program

17. Key Steps to Success • Designate a recycling program coordinator • Find a hauler that accepts recycling • If your park does not produce enough recyclables for a recycling program to make economic sense, work with other communities around you to partner on waste service. • Wait until you have a full load for either pick up or drop off. • Make sure your contract with the hauler includes: • Your recycling plan (what materials –composting?) • Number of recycling bins needed and what kind. • Who is responsible for emptying the bins • How often and where the recycling bins will be emptied. • Work with janitors/cleaning staff • Enlist local groups or clubs to help promote and manage the program

18. It will be more successful if… • You always place recycling bins beside a trash container. This prevents trash from contaminating your recyclables and keeps recyclables out of the trash. • Recycling station are highly visible and in convenient locations. • Place larger stations in areas where high volumes of waste will be generated. Located recycling stations near parking lots, camping areas, play areas, and make sure they are clearly marked. • Recycling bins are visually different from other waste bins. This way the public can clearly see which is for recycling. • You educate visitors on your park’s recycling program. Education is key in creating a successful recycling program that your park guests will participate in. Your window of opportunity to educate your guests may not be very long, so make sure to: • Have clear signage that designates your recycling, trash, and composting • Provide educational material at your park stations • If you have overnight campgrounds, lodges or hotels provide your guests with educational material on your parks waste management system

19. Decide on recycling bins Make sure you have appropriate bins that animals cannot disturb.

20. It will be more successful if… • You provide composting opportunities. Provide these in areas where food is available, and when doing any maintenance in the park. If you cannot use the organic material in the park, find a composting hauler or try to find a volunteer group to start a compost for you. There are a number of different ways to compost. The Climate Friendly parks webpage can help you decide on a method. • You recycle at park offices as well. • Consider recycling other materials, such as electronics and used oil. The Climate Friendly webpage has a list of how to recycle particular commodities. • Watch out for illegal dumps. An illegal dump may have a great deal of recyclables, but may have hazardous material as well.

21. Resources to help • Federal Green Challenge www.federalgreenchallenge.net • Monthly webinar series • Climate Friendly Parks http://www.nps.gov/climatefriendlyparks/ • Greening the Department of the Interior.http://www.doi.gov/greening/index.html • Recycle on the Go. http://www.epa.gov/recycleonthego/

22. Questions? Viccy Salazar EPA Region 10 206-553-1060 Salazar.viccy@epa.gov