Recycle Reuse Reinvent

2010 District OHCE Leader Training

Life Cycle Approach• Re-think the product and its functions. • Re-duce energy and material consumption• Re-place harmful substances• Re-cycle. Select materials that can be

recycled• Re-use. Design the product so parts can be

reused.• Re-pair. Make the product easy to repair

Source: United Nations Environment Program

What is a Life Cycle Approach?

• A way of thinking that helps us recognize how our choices are part of a bigger system of events

• Recognition that our decisions influence what happens at each stage

• Helps balance trade-offs and positively impact:• Economy• Environment• Society

Lifecycle of a Cotton Shirt

Disposal

Reuse

Recycle

Source: Loughborough University, 2004

Waste

Lifecycle of a Washing Machine

98%2%Water Consumption

5%87%

1%

7%Solid Waste

96%

1%

4%Water Pollution

98%2%Air Pollution

96%4%Energy

DisposalUseDistributionProduction

Source: Loughborough University, 2004

Energy Use:Recycled & Virgin Content Products

Recycle

2010 District OHCE Leader Training

“Trash” Facts • The average American generates 4-5 lbs. of

garbage/day. • The average American family generates

approximately 2.5 tons of garbage a year. • Recycling one aluminum can saves enough

energy to keep a 100-watt bulb burning for almost four hours or run your television for three hours.

• Plastics require 100 to 400 years to break down in a landfill.

• Glass takes 4000 years to break down

Recycling Facts • 30-50% of the waste stream is organic• 23 states no longer accept yard waste in land fills

• In Japan, 50% of solid waste is recycled• In the US, 30% of solid waste is recycled

• In Japan, 16% of waste goes to landfills• In US, 60-70% of waste goes to landfills

Roadblocks to Recycling• Inconvenient

• Sort• Clean• Store

• No curbside pick-up• No local drop-off site• Bulky – hard to handle

Aluminum• 95% more efficient to recycle than to make

“new” aluminum• If you recycle only one thing, recycle aluminum• To prepare for recycling:

• Rinse containers with clear water• Remove stuck on food from foil & pans• Separate beverage cans and foil from spray

cans• If a group is collecting pull tabs for a charity,

remove and save pull tabs

Plastic• Recycling 1 pound of PET plastic (most

water & drink bottles) saves 12,000 BTU of energy

• 66% more efficient to recycle plastic than to make new

• Reuse intact containers then recycle when no longer useful

• Rinse and crush lightweight bottles to prepare for recycling

• Don’t forget the plastic wrapping around paper goods, electronics, etc.

Newspaper/Cardboard

• If all newspaper was recycled, 250 million trees could be saved

• Each ton of paper recycled saves: • 17 trees • 380 gallons of oil • 3 cubic yards of landfill space, • 4000 kilowatts of energy• 7000 gallons water

Steel

• 58% of steel/tin cans are recycled• In the US, we discard enough iron and steel to

continuously supply all of the nation’s automakers

• Using old steel to make new steel preserves natural resources and energy. For every ton of steel recycled, we save:• 2500 pounds of iron ore• 1400 pounds of coal• 120 pounds of limestone

Glass• About 7-8% of household waste is glass• Glass can be recycled indefinitely • A modern glass bottle would take 4000 years

to decompose – even longer in a landfill• Recycling glass cuts the waste involved in

producing glass by 80%• Recycling Glass causes 20% less air pollution

and 50% less water pollution than when a new bottle is made from raw materials

Special care items

• CFL bulbs • Batteries• Tires• Electronics• Motor Oil• Fire Extinguishers• Appliances

Donate or recycle…

• Eyeglasses• Hearing aids• Bathtubs, toilets &

sinks• Computers• Cell phones • Smoke detectors• Ink Cartridges• Telephones

• Books/Magazines• Packing

foam/peanuts• Paint• Cars• Clothes Hangars• Propane tanks

(grill)• Sewing Machines

Never Recycle:• Aerosol Cans• Brightly colored

paper• Ceramics/pottery• Disposable Diapers• Hazardous Waste• Household Glass• Juice boxes/coated

cardboard• Medical Waste• Wet paper

• Napkins/paper towels

• Pizza Boxes• Plastic bags &

plastic wrap• Plastic coated boxes

& plastic without recycle symbol

• Plastic screw on caps

Alternatives to Recycling

• Limit use of disposable products

• Compost organic material• Reuse products

Reuse

2010 District OHCE Leader Training

Why Reuse?

Reuse is less expensive than:• Recycling• Incineration• Composting• Adding to a landfill

ReuseDelays entry into the waste stream

• Garage/Yard sale• Magazine/Book Swap• Clothing “swap party”• Pass down “special” items• Use grass clippings & leaves as mulch• Donate to Salvation Army, Goodwill, etc• Refinish/re-cover furniture

We should always reuse:• Glass jars• Shoe Boxes• Worn out towels, sheets• Computer paper• Paper Bags• Leftover building material• Egg cartons (for non-food uses)• Holiday greeting cards• Outdated phone books

Use these more than once:• Dry Cleaning Bags• Butter/Margarine wrappers• Business cards• Used envelopes• Plastic grocery bags• Plastic bread clips/twist ties• Plastic produce baskets• Spray bottles• Mesh bags• Pantyhose• Laundry bottle caps and scoops• Cereal Bag liners

Reuse of food containers:

• Glass containers can be reused for all foods – but should not be used for pressure canning

• Reuse other materials as follows:• Foods with similar chemical composition• Foods that will be exposed to the same type

of process• Do not reuse porous materials such as:

• Paper• Paperboard• Expanded foam

• Do not reuse microwave packages with browning/crisping functions

• It is best not to reuse containers for foods with strong odors

Source: University of Illinois Cooperative Extension Service

Paper or Plastic• Neither are good if put into a landfill• More than 200 billion plastic bags are

consumed each year• Paper degrades as slowly as plastic

in a landfill and takes up more space

Reinvent

2010 District OHCE Leader Training

Reinvent – to bring back into existenceRevive – to bring back to life

• 98% of all textile items that go to landfills could be reused or reinvented

• With a plan, all leftover food can be part of another dish

• Most furniture has more than one life

Reinvent - Textiles

Repurpose large pieces of fabric• Curtains• Tablecloths• Sheets

Salvage useable parts of:• Mattress pads• Bath Towels • Blankets• Jeans• Other clothing

Reinvent - Textiles

An old t-shirt can become:• A shopping bag• A pillow case• A throw pillow• A child’s dress• A new shirt• A quilt or throw• A rug • A craft supply

Re-invent in the Kitchen• Meat

• Casseroles• Soups/Stews• Stroganoff• Sandwich fillings• Stir fry• Quiche• Fajitas, quesadillas, enchiladas, tacos• Slow cook leftover roast beef, pork or

chicken and shred for sandwiches or tacos

Re-invent in the Kitchen• Vegetables

• Freeze leftovers until you have enough to make a pot of soup or stew

• Add to casseroles• Add Italian dressing to drained cold

vegetables and serve as a salad• Puree or “juice” onions, celery &

peppers and add to other sauces for flavor

Re-invent in the Kitchen• Potatoes

• Make a thin white sauce and add a chopped baked potato for soup

• Scoop out the insides of baked potatoes, mash and season and return to the skins for “twice baked potatoes”

• Microwave and re-mash potatoes (adding a little hot milk)

• Make potato pancakes from leftover mashed potatoes

Re-invent in the Kitchen• Fruit

• Make jam, jelly or preserves• Make juice or puree and freeze in ice

cube trays• Mix with a little sweetener and non-fat

yogurt and freeze • Use syrup from canned fruit to baste

ham or marinate food• Layer fruit with cake and whipped

topping for dessert

Re-invent in the Kitchen• Pasta

• Combine with meat, veggies and sauce for a casserole

• Add Italian dressing and leftover veggies and chill for pasta salad

• Rice• Rice Pudding• Fried Rice• Mix with ground beef for meatloaf• Add to soup

Re-invent in the Kitchen• Bread

• French Toast• Bread Pudding• Let dry and make bread crumbs• Croutons

• Hot Dog/Hamburger Buns• Separate the top from the bottom and

spread with margarine, garlic powder and Parmesan cheese and toast or broil

Re-invent in the Kitchen• Bread

• French Toast• Bread Pudding• Let dry and make bread crumbs• Croutons

• Hot Dog/Hamburger Buns• Separate the top from the bottom and

spread with margarine, garlic powder and Parmesan cheese and toast or broil

Reinvent your kitchen/yard waste

39

Reinvent Kitchen/Yard Waste

OK to Compost• Animal manure• Cardboard rolls, cereal boxes, brown paper

bags• Clean paper, shredded newspaper• Paper towels• Coffee grounds and filters, tea bags• Cotton and wool rags• Dryer and vacuum cleaner lint• Crushed eggshells (but not eggs)• Fireplace ashes• Fruits and vegetables• Grass clippings, yard trimmings, hay, straw• Hair and fur• Houseplants• Leaves• Nut shells• Wood chips, sawdust, toothpicks, burnt

matches

Not OK to compost• Meat, fish, egg or poultry scraps

(odor problems and pests)• Dairy products

(odor problems and pests)• Fats, grease, lard or oils

(odor problems and pests)• Coal or charcoal ash

(contains substances harmful to plants)

• Diseased or insect-ridden plants (diseases or insects might spread)

• Pet wastes (dog or cat feces, cat litter) (might contain parasites or germs)

• Yard trimmings treated with pesticides (might kill composting organisms)

• Black walnut tree leaves or twigs (substances harmful to plants) 

Money-saving Skills Everyone Needs1. Make minor sewing repairs/alterations2. Create a household budget/balance a

checkbook3. Make soup4. Comparison shop5. Take care of your wardrobe6. Clean your house7. Bake in the microwave8. Apply paint9. Replace screens/filters10.Put together a resume

Money-Saving Skills Do it yourself Professional

Minor sewing repairs Sewing kit - $5 Replace buttons - $6Hem a skirt - $9-12

Make Soup Less than 50¢/serving Canned soup - $1/servingTake out - $3-7/serving

Take care of your wardrobe

Wash & iron at home< 25¢/item for water, energy, starch, etc.

Launder/press @ cleaners $2-3 for shirts$3-4 for pants

Clean with household products

A gallon of vinegar - $2.50A box of baking soda - $.75

A gallon of brand name cleaner $7-8

Replace AC/Furnace Filters

Cost of filter - $10-15 Cost of a service visit - $125 and up

Grow a garden Seed & fertilizer - $5-10 for a small garden

$50-75 at the grocery store Even more for organic

Source: MSN Money