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Albemarle county public schools Recycling & Waste Management update

Stay informed about the state of recycling in Albemarle County, including global and local trends, ACPS initiatives, and the Child Nutrition Program's transition to sustainable practices.

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Albemarle county public schools Recycling & Waste Management update

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  1. Albemarle county public schoolsRecycling & Waste Management update April 11, 2019

  2. State of Recycling - Global • Global imports of single-use & disposable plastics grew 723 percent, to around 15 million megatons, from 1993 to 2016 (NPR, 2018) • China received ~40% of recycling market until 2017 when some recyclable imports were banned and acceptable contamination levels were tightened (Wall Street Journal, 2018) • March 2019: India announces it will prohibit scrap plastic from being imported (Resource Recycling, 2019)

  3. State of Recycling - Local • County began Solid Waste Advisory Committee in Spring 2016 with a focus to provide program support for public education and engagement for sustainable materials management. • Van der Linde’s mixed waste facility closed in February 2018 • Recycling in Albemarle County: Separating is Back! https://youtu.be/Rj9U22ABkc4 • Beginning July 1, 2019, RSWA will stop accepting Plastics #3-#7 (e.g., PVC piping, sandwich bags, vehicular plastics, Styrofoam and acrylic) • Waynesboro stopped accepting all plastics for recycling due to lack of markets for plastic recyclable material

  4. State of Recycling - ACPS • Environmental Management Policy EBAC approved in 2006 • Issued RFP for trash and commingled recyclable service in June 2018 • County Waste collects commingled recyclables and waste from schools (2 separate streams) • Commercial composting is active at AHS, MHS, WAHS, Murray High, Crozet, Meriwether Lewis, & Henley

  5. ACPS Success Stories MHS Recycling Recycling Carts – New Service Murray High Composting

  6. Child Nutrition Program Why use disposables? • Need for fast service- grab and go • Open lunch periods and limited number of lunch periods • Staffing shortfalls • Emergency needs • Equipment and Kitchen layout • Cost

  7. Child Nutrition Program • Current Practice • Washable trays - Elementary and middle schools. • Disposable items- combination of recyclable, compostable and non-compostable. • 25 different disposable items used at point of service. • 16 compostable, 5 recyclable. • In 2017-18, 11 compostable, 3 recyclable.

  8. Child Nutrition ProgramDisposable Container Types

  9. Child Nutrition Program • Cost Impact • $10,000 – estimated additional annual cost to maintain present status.

  10. Next Steps • Extend Composting/Recycling programs at school sites • Piloting compostable serviceware and tray recovery at Western Albemarle High School • Monitor effectiveness of composting/recycling • Continue efforts in exploring affordable products and effective practices which support ‘use less, recover more’

  11. References • https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2018/06/28/623972937/china-has-refused-to-recycle-the-wests-plastics-what-now • https://www.cvilletomorrow.org/articles/rswa-to-reduce-types-of-accepted-recyclables/ • https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-recycling-companies-face-upheaval-from-china-scrap-ban-1533231057 • https://resource-recycling.com/recycling/2018/02/13/green-fence-red-alert-china-timeline/ • https://plastics.americanchemistry.com/LifeCycle-Inventory-of-Polystyrene-Foam-Bleached-and-Corrugated-Paperboard-Foodservice-Products/

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