Welcome to the Shoreway Environmental Center
SanMateo.Patch.com published a story about the students from Baywood Elementary School in San Mateo, CA. They were the first group of students to participate in the free tour of the solar-powered ReThink Waste Shoreway Environmental Center.
The students learned about the 4Rs, resource conservation, the CartSMART recycling, composting and garbage collection program, and met Recyclist, the talking robot made from recycled materials. The grand opening also featured haute couture fashion modeled by some of Recology’s zero waste staff. This fun field trip is more than an introduction to recycling.
Learning about resource conservation and a resource recovery program like CartSMART is essential in preparing students for the world they will inherit. Recently, the National Climatic Data Center, a part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), published a graphic showing some of the significant climate anomolies and events that occurred across the world 2011. Among them were extremely hot weather in the United States and the United Kingdom, France, Spain Switzerland, and Finland, and torrential rain and floods across Central America, in Thailand, South Korea, Norway and Brazil, and unusually heavy snowfall in Chile and New Zealand. Extreme weather events are not only disasterous for those whose lives they affect, they are also expensive. The NCDC created a chart to illustrate the growing number of climate and weather disasters since 1980 whose costs exceeded $1 billion.
The connection between resource conservation, resource recovery and the climate is clear only to some. Fortunately, organizations like the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have developed educational resources to help bridge the gap. Rethink Waste and the folks at the Shoreway Environmental Center and doing their best to fill in the rest.
Communities partner to make sustainable organics recycling possible
An article in the December issue of MSW Management titled Rethinking Sustainable Organics included a quote from Henry Wallace, secretary of agriculture to President Franklin Roosevelt. The quote is:
“[n]ature treats the earth unkindly. Man treats her harshly. He over plows the cropland, overgrazes the pastureland, and overcuts the timberland. He destroys millions of acres completely. He pours fertility year after year into the cities, which in turn pour what they do not use down the sewers into the rivers and the ocean… The public is waking up, and just in time. In another 30 years it might have been too late.”
United States Department of Agriculture’s Soils and Men: Yearbook of Agriculture, 1936
In 1936, we already knew that through unsustainable management of cut trees, shrubs, and spoiled or leftover food we were depleting fertile soil of carbon and other nutrients. These materials can be managed to provide a soil amendment that returns minerals and carbon to the ground so that a piece of land will remain fertile despite years of cultivation that would otherwise depleted it. Bob Shaffer, an agronomist, says that only 10% of the planet has land that is suitable to raise crops and fortunately, over time, compost made from recycled food scraps has been embraced by farmers.
Recology has been working for 15 years with the City of San Francisco to make food scraps recycling possible. Now, 60% of what we at Recology touch in San Francisco stays out of landfills. One way we do this is through advanced composting processes, technology and the knowledge we’ve gained over 15 years. Greg Pryor, manager of Jepson Prairie Organics has mastered the process through testing all kinds of technologies and techniques at the composting facility, which opened in 1996. Jepson Prairie Organics is located among agricultural lands in Northern California, and has created 1,100,000 tons of compost since it opened. The composting processes that Recology has developed have resulted in VOC emissions that are far below state minimum requirements, prevent the creation of methane gas, and create a specially-blended compost and compost teas that are useful to biodynamic farmers.
Closing the loop on sustainable farming is possible when communities that consider sustainability issues as they plan their garbage programs–or resource recovery programs in the case of San Francisco–are willing to partner with companies like Recology in this great experiment of human social and ecological survival. We are glad that more and more cities are catching on.
Junk: a symphony, a book, a treasure
New Music
In the spring of 2010, Nathaniel Stookey, a participant in the Recology San Francisco Artist in Residence program, performed a composition called Junkestra at the San Francisco Symphony. It was played with more than thirty instruments made entirely from objects that were discarded at the San Francisco Dump. Among them were bird cages, bicycle wheels, drawers, sewer pipes, railings, saws, and fixtures. And somehow, Stookey pulled it off. Cnet.com published a nice article about the project, which included a link to the composition’s third movement that you can download here (3MB). Just two years earlier, in 2008, the composition was part of the opening of the California Academy of Sciences building in Golden Gate Park, and was made into a CD performed by the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra.
The Book
There are other treasures that have emerged from the Artist in Residence program. For over twenty years, the program has inspired artists and the public to see garbage in a different way. Through the program, artists scavange the “junk” that people throw away–sometimes the volume of useful things can be overwhelming–and they transform what they find into works of art. Last year, Recology produced Art at the Dump: The Artist in Residence Program and Environmental Learning Center at Recology, a book that profiles the 78 artists who had participated in the program since its founding.
Cultural Treasure
The program has won numerous awards and recognition, including the Best Art from Trash – 2011 award from SFWeekly, The Acterra Business Environmental Award in 2009, inspired Recology’s GLEAN (formerly the Pacific Northwest Art Program) in Portland, RAIR (Recycled Artist in Residence) in Philadelphia, and was recently profiled for being the nexus of environmental activism. The program has become a beacon of culture, education and entertainment in San Francisco.
Join us for the first exhibit of 2012! 503 Tunnel Avenue in San Francisco.
- Upscale by Kaiya Rainbolt
Article Profiles the Recology SF Artist in Residence Program
WEAD, the Women Environmental Artists Directory, has included an article about the Recology San Francisco Artist in Residence Program in issue #4 of their online magazine. Entitled, A Nexus for Art and Environmental Activism: The Recology San Francisco Artist in Residence Program, the article traces the history of the residency program and its role in bringing attention to important environmental matters. Included are the many artists who have addressed environmental issues in their residency work, as well as those with a social practice whose residencies have engaged community. The article illustrates how the residency activates artists, and demonstrates that even for those individuals whose work is not overtly environmental in focus, the residency experience has impacted their artistic practice and views about the environment and sustainability.
WEAD was founded in 1996 by Jo Hanson, Susan Leibovitz Steinman, and Estelle Akamine to use the unique perspective of women to further the field and understanding of ecological and social justice art through international collaborations. Hanson was the founder of the Recology Artist in Residence Program, and Steinman and Akamine both had residencies during the early years of the program. We are happy to continue our relationship with this organization which presents a distinctive voice on important issues effecting our planet.
Robin Lasser, Dining at the Dump, 2002, c-print, 31 1/2 x 29 1/2″ |
Cupertino’s Environmental Recycling Day and Shredding Event
The City of Cupertino and Recology South Bay have teamed up to bring you an Environmental Recycling Day and Shredding Event on January 21st!
Location: Parking Lot A of De Anza College, 21250 Stevens Creek Blvd in Cupertino
Cupertino residents can shred their documents, drop off their yard clippings for composting and recycle e-waste such as computers, monitors and certain appliances. We will also accept reusable furniture, clothing and shoes as well as toys and play structures for recycling.
Unacceptable materials include painted or treated wood, mattresses and products containing toxic chemicals, such as paints, pesticides and fertilizers.
This collaboration between the city of Cupertino and Recology (it happens twice a year) is to offer a free drive-through, drop-off service for Cupertino residents in an effort to encourage extended use of products and prevent valuable resources from being sent to landfills.
Each household is allowed one trip, and unloading of materials will be the responsibility of the resident. Residents must also provide a current waste collection bill and personal identification such as a driver’s license to verify Cupertino residency.
For more information, call Recology South Bay, which serves Cupertino at 408.725.4020 or visit http://www.recologysouthbay.com.
Thanks for recycling!
A successful Coats for Kids drive made for a warm holiday
- Snow people made of old light bulbs
It’s been a great holiday. Cabinet and Lighting Supply in Reno, Nevada came up with a creative way to reuse old light bulbs. Many people rented or recycled their Christmas trees. For the fifth year in a row, Recology Vacaville Solano and Recology Dixon employee owners worked with a local agency to help a family in need have a special Christmas. The Recology Yuba-Sutter donated new blankets and tarps to the Red Cross and Recology San Mateo County collected coats for kids, teenagers and adults in six Peninsula cities and various drop off locations.
The Coats for Kids collection program concluded on Dec. 20th and Recology San Mateo County would like to thank the cities and residents of Belmont, Burlingame, Foster City, Menlo Park, Redwood City and San Carlos for their participation in this worthwhile program.
Residents in the participating communities placed coats in a clear plastic bag marked “Coats for Kids” next to or on the top of their blue recycling cart on their regular collection day for pick up by the Recology collection drivers. Collection containers labeled “Coats for Kids” were also placed at various locations throughout several communities and Recology’s office where residents were also able to drop off coats.
In just days, Recology and all participating cities in San Mateo County collected over 750 coats! The coats were then sorted by Recology staff and donated to St. Anthony’s Church and Samaritan House for distribution to those families in need.
Recology San Mateo County General Manager, Mario Puccinelli was glad to do it. “Recology has been providing our Coats for Kids Program for many years in the communities we service. It has proven to be a great program helping those in dividuals and families in need,” he said.
The Coats for Kids program is going to be held annually by Recology San Mateo County with the hopes of having more communities participate next year.
 Recology San Mateo County (Gino Gasparini) unloading coats at St. Anthony’s. |
 Left to right, Sandra Tinoco and Yvette Madera (Recology), Father Medina (St. Anthony’s), Sarah Prescott (Recology) |
 Tammy Del Bene on Santa’s lap along with the rest of the Recology crew and the Menlo Park Firefighters Association which was donating and distributing “Toys” that same day at St. Anthony’s.Left to right, Sandra Tinoco and Yvette Madera (Recology), Father Medina (St. Anthony’s), Sarah Prescott (Recology) |
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About Recology San Mateo County:
Recology San Mateo County was chosen in 2008 by RethinkWaste to provide recycling, compost and garbage collection services for its twelve member agencies. Recology’s roots in recycling go back to the 1920s in San Francisco, when garbage men, known then as “scavengers,” actively sought out alternative uses for refuse.
Recology SF Artist in Residence Exhibitions Jan 2012
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Terry Berlier: Even the Windmills are Weakening
Donna Anderson Kam: Beginning at the End
Ethan Estess: Stories from the Changing Tide
Rent a living Xmas tree or recycle one
It’s not just in San Francisco. All along the Peninsula you can find companies and organizations offering to rent and sometimes deliver a Christmas tree for the holidays. The idea may seem quaint but the implications are an important signal of American’s changing attitudes.
According to the National Christmas Tree Association, 25-30 million pine and fir trees are sold each year during the holidays. These trees take between 7 and 15 years each to grow to six or seven feet–the height which makes them acceptable to most Americans. And while there are as many as 4,000 Christmas tree recycling programs across the country, the status quo is that most of the 25-30 million trees end up in a landfill. In the Bay Area, Recology would compost Christmas trees but due to their high acidity, they are being made into biofuel.
In addition, there’s the question of which is the more sustainable solution: a tree that’s been cut down or an artificial tree? To get at an answer, we would need more detailed information than is currently available to us. Where were the real trees grown and under what conditions? The top producing states are Oregon, North Carolina, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Washington. And how were they trees transfered to their final destination? How were they disposed of? As for artificial trees, we know that 80% of those sold world wide are made in China. Most are made from plastic and metal and are most likely not recycled at the end of their use as decoration.
Renting a live tree bipases these questions. The trees are never cut, and the transportation to and from the point of purchase would be about the same under any scenario. But there are other benefits. According to Mercury News, for about the same price as a high-end precut tree, families can enjoy the smell of a tree for the entire season, reduce the risk of fires, and we would add, have to do a little less vaccuming after the holidays.
If you celebrate Christmas, consider a real tree that you can use over and over again. If you did get a pre-cut tree, visit Recology San Francisco‘s, Recology San Mateo County‘s or Recology Auburn Placer’s websites, call Recology Butte Colusa Counties or Recology Vacaville Solano to see how you can recycle your tree.
San Francisco Dump’s Artist in Residence Program Announces 2012 Residency Recipients
Recology San Francisco is pleased to announce recipients of artist residencies for 2012. The six selected artists are Beau Buck, Tamara Albaitis, Amy Wilson Faville, Michael Damm, Julia Goodman, and Jeff Hantman.The Artist in Residence Program at Recology San Francisco is a one-of-a-kind initiative started in 1990 to support Bay Area artists while teaching children and adults about recycling and resource conservation. Artists work for four months in a studio space on site and use materials recovered from the Public Disposal Area. Over ninety professional Bay Area artists have completed residencies. Applications are accepted annually in August.http://www.recologysf.com/AIR
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Starting or building on successful recycling programs
Recology Humboldt County will now provide curbside recycling services to residents of the unincorporated Blue Lake and Fieldbrook areas of Humboldt County. Recyclables will be collected in blue bags from the curb, along with garbage service. Recology Humboldt County’s Mike Leggins is excited to get the new recycling program up and running because “[i]t’s a low-cost means to get recycling service started.”
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In Marysville, Recology Yuba-Sutter customers will get a free on-call curbside bulky-item pick-up once a year (1 per customer in areas that have the 3-cart service) in addition to their annual free dump coupon program.
They will also have access to up to 50-gallons of free compost through an annual compost give-away at the Marysville Transfer Station. Outreach and education is also part of the plan to help customers understand how they can decrease contamination of the recyclable materials they put into the yard debris and recycling carts.
We are happy that enthusiasm for our resource recovery programs is catching on!
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