DenverGov.org/DenverRecycles | DenverRecycles@DenverGov.org | Call 311 (720-913-1311) and ask for Solid Waste Management

DENVER PUBLIC SCHOOLSRECYCLES!

SPRING 2019

THE STATE OF RECYCLING IN DPSDenver Public Schools partners with the City and County of Denver for the collection of trash, recycling, and compost from DPS facilities. In 2018, DPS recycled and composted 1,855 tons of materials, which means the district diverted 20% of its waste from the landfill. The program is still growing, and there are many ways schools can work with Denver Recycles to reduce more waste.

DID YOU KNOW THAT DENVER RECYCLES OFFERS THESE RESOURCES TO SCHOOLS?• Assemblies and classroom presentations

for students

• Presentations and training for staff and parent volunteers

• Guidance for expanding a recycling program or starting a lunchroom composting program

• Classroom recycle bins and posters

EARTH DAY CLEANUPS & LITTER STUDY

Keep Denver Beautiful can provide everything you need to make your school cleanup a successful and fun experience. Email Brad.Paterson@denvergov.org to request your free supplies which can include:

• Trash bags (for collecting trash and recyclables)

• Loaner supplies (safety vests and gloves)

• Loaner tools (rakes, brooms and shovels)

• Safety information, lesson plans and curriculum focused on litter abatement

You can turn your cleanup into a learning experience by asking students to collect data on what types of litter they find, how much of each type and what was the original purpose of each item. This data can be used to guide your class in a conversation about what types of things typically become litter and ways to prevent or eliminate litter. Then, find creative ways to share your knowledge with the rest of the school community, so they can help prevent litter too.

You and your students can get outdoors, get a little dirty, and get that feeling of a job well done.

A Recycling Newsletter for DPS Employees • Spring 2019

Earth Day (April 22nd) is a great time to remind students that they have the power to be stewards of the planet. A tangible way to create this mindset is to start with a project close to home, like a school cleanup and litter study.

RECYCLE LANDFILLIf it’s empty, recycle it! If in doubt, throw it out!

CLASSROOM Recycle STATION

Questions? Contact Denver Recycles at 303-446-3557 or DenverRecycles@DenverGov.org.

CLASSROOM PAPER HARD PLASTICS LABELED # ♳–♹

CARTONS GLASS BOTTLES & JARS

CARDBOARD & PAPERBOARD

METAL CANS & FOIL

PROBLEM PLASTICS

CLASSROOM TRASH

FOOD WASTE, PLASTIC-COATED PAPER & PAPER TOWELS

2018_DPS_RecycleStation_PSTR_final_17x11.indd 1 7/27/18 12:44 PM

HAVE A SCHOOL RECYCLING QUESTION?

Email it to Denver Recycles with the subject line “School Recycling Newsletter,” and we will get you an answer and maybe even post it in our next newsletter.

Recycling Q&AYEAR-END CLEAN-OUT

DenverGov.org/DenverRecycles | DenverRecycles@DenverGov.org | Call 311 (720-913-1311) and ask for Solid Waste Management

The end of the school year can be a wasteful time, but it doesn’t have to be. By making reuse and recycling a priority during your school clean-out, your students and staff can practice how to manage materials more sustainably. Review these commonly asked questions to ensure your school recycles and donates more and wastes less when cleaning out classrooms and lockers for the summer.

Q: Who should be involved in coordinating and running the clean-out?

A: Identify a staff member (perhaps your school’s Recycling Coordinator), club, or group of students to take the lead in preparing for, promoting, and monitoring the clean-out. This could be an environmental club or Green Team, student council, or entire class that is particularly interested in being involved. Be sure to reach out to your administrator, facilities manager, and parent volunteers to share your plan and get their support.

Q: When is the best time to schedule a green school clean-out?

A: The best time to schedule a school clean-out is the day following your school’s regularly scheduled recycling collection day. This will ensure you have plenty of empty recycle carts to use in waste sorting stations throughout the school. You should also decide if there will be one designated clean-out day for all students or if each grade or floor will be assigned a separate clean-out day.

Q: Can we get an additional recycling collection the week of the school clean-out?

A: Yes, with advance notice, Denver Recycles can coordinate an additional recycling collection day during the week of your clean-out. Email Brad.Paterson@denvergov.org to schedule a collection.

Q: What materials should we collect and how?

A: Most of the material cleaned out of classrooms and lockers will be paper, but you should also plan for other recyclables and trash, as well as items that can be reused by the school or donated, such as school supplies and clothes. Make a plan in advance about where you will set up the sorting stations to make it easy for students and begin saving boxes that you can label for collecting items for reuse and donation.

Q: How should we prepare students and staff to participate in the clean-out?

A: Use school-wide announcements and instructional flyers for teachers to inform everyone about the clean-out. Make sure collection containers are properly labeled and enlist parent volunteers to help monitor sorting stations during the event.

Q: What should we do with things like electronics, appliances, hazardous materials, books and binders?

A: Electronics, appliances, hazardous materials like batteries and fluorescent bulbs (CFLs and tubes), books and binders should not be placed in the trash dumpsters or your purple recycle carts. Please contact DPS Facility Management (720-423-1903) to arrange to get these items specially collected and recycled.

DenverGov.org/DenverRecycles | DenverRecycles@DenverGov.org | Call 311 (720-913-1311) and ask for Solid Waste Management

EVERY CUP COUNTSRoughly 600,000 tons of paper beverage cups are used each year in the United States, and far too much of this valuable material ends up in landfills.

Denver is one of few leading cities in the country to add paper cups to its recycling program. As a result, all Denver households and DPS schools with a purple cart can now include hot and cold paper cups on their recycling list!

Paper cups were once thought to be non-recyclable due to their plastic coating, which insulates and prevents leaks. However, Denver Recycles and Alpine Waste & Recycling have partnered with a pulp mill in De Pere, Wisconsin that has the capability to separate the paper from the plastic and recycle both materials.

Before placing a paper cup in a purple cart, it must be empty. The cardboard sleeve should be removed and can be placed

in the purple cart separate from your cup. Lids, straws and stirrers also need to be removed and placed in the trash. Styrofoam™ cups should go in the trash as well. Following these guidelines is very important to the recycling process.

Even though paper cups can now be recycled, reusable cups are still the best environmental choice! To learn more and to see a list of all items accepted for recycling in Denver, please visit DenverGov.org/DenverRecycles.

RECYCLE THESE

r Aluminum cans & foil

r Cardboard

r Colored paper

r Construction paper

r Glass bottles & jars

r Juice boxes

r Junk mail

r Magazines & catalogs

r Newspaper

r Notebook & office paper

r Paper bags

r Paperboard

r Paper cups

r Paper folders

r Paper milk & juice cartons

r Pizza boxes

r Rigid plastic containers labeled ♳–♹ r Steel cans

Congratulations and a big thank you to Jeff Leija, Jillian Campbell, and Lisa Scheideler at DCIS at Fairmont for helping make their recycling and composting program a continued success. They were part of the planning process for the program from the very first meeting and offered valuable insight on how to make it work. Jeff makes sure the school’s two sorting stations are set up every day for lunch and gets the recycle and compost carts out for weekly collection. And Jillian and Lisa work with the student compost monitors and parent volunteers to ensure students are recycling and composting correctly in the lunchroom.

RECYCLING HERO

RECYCLING HERO

NOW RECYCLING

YOUR PAPER CUPSNOW RECYCLING

YOUR PAPER CUPSDENVER RECYCLESDENVER RECYCLES

Congratulations to the student Green Team at Edison Elementary that has been doing their part to make recycling a success at their school! These student leaders empty all the classroom recycle bins into the school’s purple carts each week, and they make sure the recyclables collected from classrooms are clean and that their fellow students recycle right.

The Green Team does this by removing all the contamination, or things that don’t belong in the purple cart, such as plastic sandwich bags, food, chip bags, wrappers, utensils, pencils and markers. Removing contamination from your school’s recycling so the recycling center doesn’t have to, makes the entire process more efficient and better for the planet.

If you see members of your school’s Green Team working hard, say "Thank you!" If your school doesn’t have a Green Team, email DenverRecycles@DenverGov.org to learn more about starting one.

RECYCLING SPOTLIGHT

DenverGov.org/DenverRecyclesDenverRecycles@DenverGov.org

Call 311 (720-913-1311)

Clear Your Clutter and Recycle it!

THE GREAT DENVER

CLEANUPSATURDAY, MAY 18, 2019 | 9AM – 2PM

North High School(Northwest) 2960 N. Speer Blvd.

Cherry Creek Transfer Station(Southeast) 7601-7699 E. Jewell Ave.

From garage cleanouts to neighborhood cleanups, bring all accepted items and materials to our FREE DROP SITES.

Public Works Roslyn Facility(Northeast) 5440 Roslyn St.

Public Works Central Platte Facility(Southwest) 1271 W. Bayaud Ave.

For a list of accepted items and materials, visit www.DenverGov.org/KDB or call 311 for more information.

ONE DAY ONLY!

The Great Denver Cleanup is sponsored by Keep Denver Beautiful, a program of Denver Solid Waste Management.