Moseley Richmond Special Recycling
Moseley Architects is expanding our recycling efforts to include non-standard items that are not collected by TFC, our recycling service provider. As a quick reminder, here are the items that can be recycled in our standard bins located throughout the office:
- Plastic bottles (#1 and #2 plastics) with caps removed
- Glass bottles and jars
- Aluminum or steel cans
- Office paper, cardboard, newspaper, magazines
In our efforts to be good stewards of the environment and reduce, reuse, and recycle as many materials as possible, the Seeds of Green members have been thinking outside the bin! As a result, the following items can now be recycled at our Richmond office:
1. Plastic Bags – Plastic bags are everywhere, and are not usually accepted by standard recycling services. However, stores such as Ukrops, Walmart, Food Lion, Kroger, and Whole Foods all accept plastic bags for recycling. A special blue recycling bin will be placed in the central kitchen for plastic bag recycling. What plastic bags are included, you ask?
- plastic grocery bags
- newspaper or plotter paper plastic bags
- dry cleaning bags
- bread bags
- produce bags
- toilet paper, napkin, and paper towel wraps
- furniture wrap
- electronic wrap
- plotter paper wrap
- plastic retail bags (hard plastic and string handles removed)
- zip lock bags (remove hard components)
- plastic cereal box liners (if it tears like paper do not include)
- diaper wrap (packaging)
- plastic shipping envelopes (no bubble wrap/remove labels)
- case wrap (e.g., snacks, water bottles)
- All clean, dry bags labeled #2 or #4.
There are some types of plastic bags that should NOT be included. The following are considered contaminants and could jeopardize recycling programs:
- NO food or cling wrap
- NO prepackaged food bags including frozen food bags (e.g., prewashed salad bags)
- NO film that has been painted or has excessive glue
- NO other bags or films
- NO bio-based or compostable plastic bags
Please only place these items in the plastic bag recycling bin, and not in the standard recycling bins. A Seeds of Green member will take the bags to an appropriate recycling center on an as-needed basis.
2. #5 Plastic – #5 plastic containers, caps, and lids are not recyclable through most standard recycling services. This category includes the caps from water and other drink bottles, plastic straws and coffee stirrers, as well as containers such as margarine, cottage cheese, sour cream, and yogurt tubs. Other likely candidates are ketchup and shampoo bottle tops. Look for the #5 label on these items. Blue recycling bins will be placed in each kitchen for their collection. A Seeds of Green member will take these items to Whole Foods for recycling on an as-needed basis. Whole Foods participates in Preserve’s “Gimme 5” program. The #5 plastic is used to make toothbrushes, razor handles, and a variety of kitchen products.
3. Tyvek Envelopes – DuPont™ Tyvek® envelopes are made of high density polyethylene which is 100% recyclable. DuPont manages a nationwide recycling program that collects used Tyvek envelopes – even those that have been printed on – and recycles them into other useful materials that provide sound alternatives to the use of wood, such as park benches, playground equipment, etc. A DuPont used Tyvek envelope collection pouch is located in our office supply area (on the bottom shelf below the pens and pencils). Seeds of Green members will ship the envelopes back to Dupont when enough have been collected.
4. Compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) – CFLs have received plenty of positive attention over the last several years since they use a fraction of the energy of traditional incandescent bulbs, and have a lifespan of about 10 times longer. However, burnt out or broken CFLs do need to be properly disposed of since they contain a small amount of mercury. Moseley has a fluorescent lamp collection and recycling program for office lamps, and used CFLs or other fluorescent lamps from home can be included. Burnt out or broken CFLs that you bring from home can be given to Dusty Sims in a sealed plastic bag, and he will add them to our office fluorescent lamp recycling bin.
Note – It is important to handle broken CFLs carefully to avoid exposure to mercury. The EPA recommends carefully sweeping the broken bulb pieces into a sealed plastic bag, and picking up any small residual pieces with sticky tape or a damp paper towel. Vacuuming is not recommended. See the link below for further information on mercury in CFLs.
http://www.energystar.gov/ia/partners/promotions/change_light/downloads/Fact_Sheet_Mercury.pdf
Don’t forget about our existing battery recycling container that is kept in the administration suite. Keep an eye out for more exciting special recycling efforts in the future!
Phones for Haiti – Recycling for a Good Cause
Do you have old cell phones, chargers, or phone batteries lying around your house? Moseley Architects’ Seeds of Green members would like to put those phones toward a good cause. Bring in your old phone equipment, whether it works or not, and we will collect them and arrange for their shipment to ReCellular using their prepaid labels. If you don’t feel like removing your personal data from your old phone, don’t worry, they will do it for you. Collection boxes will be located in each office. Here in Richmond the collection box is located in the Green Pod on the desk between Gillian and Bryna. Check with your Seeds of Green liaison for the box location in your office.
Read more about the program at www.phonesforhaiti.com, and in the brief article below.
Thank you in advance for your contribution!
“PHONES FOR HAITI” CELL PHONE RECYCLING PROGRAM LAUNCHED
Used Phone Purchases to Benefit American Red Cross
ANN ARBOR, Mich., January 14, 2010– ReCellular today announced a new way for Americans to provide support to the millions of victims of the January 12th earthquake in Haiti. Used cell phones can be sent in by downloading a prepaid mailing label at www.phonesforhaiti.com, with the proceeds going to the American Red Cross’ charitable efforts.
“The devastation in Haiti is slowly becoming all too clear,” said Steve Manning, ReCellular CEO. “Sending in your used phone is a simple and effective way to help with the rescue and rebuilding efforts already underway.”
There are an estimated 130 million phones retired in the United States every year. If even a small percentage of them are sent to Phones for Haiti, it would contribute millions of dollars towards relief from the devastating earthquake. ReCellular will give 100% of the phone value as a contribution to the American Red Cross; charities have already earned more than $20 million dollars in contributions through their partnerships with ReCellular.
With rescue and repair missions already underway, it is critical that funds get to the region quickly. By using the postage paid label, supporters can have their used phones to ReCellular within just a few days, allowing for the rapid distribution of funds. All phones are accepted, though newer phones will provide the most value to the charity – in some cases $100 or more.
“The overwhelming response from all Americans to the crisis in Haiti reflects the depth of generosity of the American people,” said Manning. “We are proud to be able to coordinate this opportunity when the need is so great.”
Richmond’s Dish Drive
The call for your unwanted dishes, cups, and flatware was answered! In our Richmond office dish drive, we collected numerous glasses, cups, mugs, plates, bowls, and 
spoons, which are available for your use in the three office kitchens. We could still use bowls, plates, forks, and knives, so check your cupboards at home and see if you have some of these items that you wouldn’t mind donating. Hopefully the availability of these items will encourage folks to use them instead of their disposable counterparts. Remember to check the cupboards for a reusable item before you grab that paper cup or plate. When you’re finished, just set it in the dishwasher. A Seeds of Green member will make sure the washers are run when full, and emptied when clean.
Recycling’s Dirty Dozen
Here are the Top 12 Mistakes people make when it comes to curbside single-stream recycling (list courtesy of Boulder, Colorado’s Ecocycle Times).
- Plastic Bags: Plastic bags are far and away the WORST contaminant in the recycling bin. They are not recyclable through the curbside program. Plastic bag markets require that these materials be clean, dry and empty. Once they go in a commingled bin, they definitely do not meet the first two criteria. Mountains of wet, soiled plastic bags are pulled out by hand each week and sent to the landfill. Please keep bags out of your curbside bin and recycle them at participating grocery stores like Ukrops and Walmart. Better yet, purchase some reusable grocery bags. Here’s a great video from a recycling facility in Boulder, Colorado to illustrate the fact. (If you’re having trouble viewing the video, here’s the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jg1YAmfbL-w&hl=en_US&fs=1&)
- Materials Bagged in Plastic Bags: The only thing worse than plastic bags are materials tied inside them. Workers need to slow the conveyor belts, rip the bags open toget recyclables out and then add the bag to the plastic pile bound for the landfill. These inefficiencies are very costly to the program.
- Non-Recyclable Plastics: CVWMA accepts narrow-necked plastic bottles labeled with a number 1 or number 2 ONLY. This includes many soda and water bottles, milk and juice jugs, and household cleaner bottles. Plastics with other numbers or 1 and 2 plastics that are not bottles (like margarine tubs and other food containers) are not recyclable in this program. They are from the same family of plastics, but the two forms have been slightly modified to achieve different properties for strength, fluidity, crack resistance, etc. Even when the plastic number is the same, the manufacturing processes to create those qualities make the two containers incompatible. Including these incompatible materials in recycle bin contaminates the rest of the batch causing it to be disposed in the landfill.
- Plastic Lids and Caps: Plastic caps are NOT recyclable and are a significant contaminant, both on and off the bottle. Tossed in separate from the bottle, they are not pulled out by the processing screens and contaminate both the glass and the plastic materials.
- Caps and Lids Left on the Containers: Left on the bottle, caps and lids of all kinds are frequently keeping liquid inside the container (see hit list item #6). Please remove and recycle separately metal caps and lids. Please THROW AWAY plastic lids!
- Liquids: Liquids trapped in containers with the lids on creates a mess at the recycling center when these materials are baled. It’s difficult to compress the sealed containers and the liquid explodes all over the floor, creating a stickystew with a stench. Please help avoid this mess and pour your liquids out before tossing the container in the bin, and please do a quick rinse of all containers to remove soda pop and other sticky leftovers.
- Ceramics and Non-Recyclable Glass: Glass that isn’t a bottle or jar should not go inthe bin! Ceramic, china plates or cups, dishes, mirrors, laboratory glassware, light bulbs, Pyrex, porcelain and window glass have a different melting point and chemical composition from container glass and ruin new glass containers. If our market sees just one contaminant like these on the top of a load of glass, the entire load willlikely be rejected.
- Diapers and Other Bio-Hazardous Waste: Diapers and other sanitary items are not recyclable, and, of course, neither are the biohazards that come with them.
- Shredded Paper: Shredded paper is too small to sort — the pieces literally fall throughthe cracks of the sorting machines and end up all over the floor of the facility, or worse, in with the glass. Recyclers are encouraged to avoid shredding except when absolutely necessary, and to compost shredded materials when and if you have access to curbside composting.
- Hazardous Waste: Take your hazardous materials to an appropriate CVWMA facility.
- Scrap Metal: Scrap metal items of all sizes cannot go in the curbside bin because they can damage sorting equipment.
- Frozen Food Boxes: Paperboard boxes that were designed for freezer foods have a coat of a plastic polymer sprayed on them to protect against freezer burn. That same coating prevents the box from breaking up in the recycling process. These materials are not recyclable or compostable.
Make your holiday season a green one
Wrapping paper isn’t accepted by most recycling facilities (including CVWMA) because it contaminates the recycling process. “But why?”, you ask. It’s because wrapping paper is not accepted by some recycled paper mills. There are a number of reasons for this. Wrapping paper is often dyed, laminated and/or contains non-paper additives such as gold and silver colored shapes, glitter, plastics, etc which cannot be recycled. Some wrapping paper is very thin and contains few good quality fibres for recycling. A lot of wrapping paper has sticky tape attached to it which makes it very difficult to recycle.
Instead of using wrapping paper this year, try something different. Create some great looks and reuse items found around your house.
These scrap items can be used to make that gift even more special. Some of these items can also be reused year after year.
Make sure you recycle all of those cardboard boxes that the toys and other presents come in. The plastic bags that most toys and electronics come in can also be recycled at facilities that recycle plastic grocery bags.
And if you get a new computer, cell phone, digital camera, or other electronics, don’t just throw out the old ones. Bring your old electronics to a company like Best Buy, who has a great e-cycling program.
Recycling Plastic Bags
Plastic bags are everywhere. Although often quoted as consuming oil resources, most plastic bags are actually made from natural gas. The bad news is most plastic bags are not recycled. Part of the reason is because many local recycling agencies do not accept plastic bags. They are lightweight, fly out of the backs of recycling trucks, and become litter. They also jam up the recycling machines and cause expensive repairs. The good news is that most plastic bags are recyclable. Stores such as Ukrops, Walmart, Food Lion, Kroger and Whole Foods all accept plastic bags for recycling.
Although the United States Environmental Protection Agency stated in 2000 that only 1% of plastic bags were recycled, significant attention resulted in a 700% growth in the recycling industry as new capacity led to a 7% rate.
When most people think of plastic bags, the first thing they think of are plastic grocery bags. But did you know that many other types of plastic bags can be recycled along with your plastic grocery bags as well? All of the following can be recycled right along with your plastic grocery bags.
• newspaper bags
• dry cleaning bags
• bread bags
• produce bags
• toilet paper, napkin, and paper towel wraps
• furniture wrap
• electronic wrap
• plastic retail bags (hard plastic and string handles removed)
• grocery bag
• zip lock bags (remove hard components)
• plastic cereal box liners (if it tears like paper do not include)
• Tyvek (no glue, labels, other material)
• diaper wrap (packaging)
• plastic shipping envelopes (no bubble wrap/remove labels)
• case wrap (e.g., snacks, water bottles)
• All clean, dry bags labeled #2 or #4.
There are some types of plastic bags that should NOT be included. The following are considered contaminants and could jeopardize recycling programs:
NO food or cling wrap
NO prepackaged food bags including frozen food bags (e.g., prewashed salad bags)
NO film that has been painted or has excessive glue
NO other bags or films
NO bio-based or compostable plastic bags
So when going to the grocery store, it’s preferred that you use reusable grocery bags. But a certain amount of plastic bags is unavoidable. So let’s make sure to recycle all we can.
Waste Free Lunches
The following article was sent in from Dave Burnett who is a project manager in Moseley Architects’ Charlotte office. The article is about efforts being made to green the cafeteria at New Town Elementary School.
What is a Waste Free Lunch Day? Waste Free Lunch Day is an initiative to teach the students the importance of limiting their contribution to landfill by reducing the amount of trash produced during a lunch sitting. This goal is achieved by the students bringing their lunch to school in only reusable containers eg.
• Lunch box instead of paper bag
• Reusable plastic sandwich box instead of baggie
• Reusable drink container instead of juice box
• Crackers/cookies/chips in a reusable plastic box rather than an individual packet
• Regular silverware instead of disposable plastic
• Cloth napkin rather than paper
There will be bins available for the kids to recycle plastic and paper items and to compost all organic leftovers. At the end of the lunch session, the number of trash bags produced will be compared to an average day and the total reduction extrapolated into the possible savings over a 180 day school year. If this experiment is successful, the goal is to make this a monthly event to reinforce the impact that a change in habits can produce.
Each day, our cafeteria produces an average of 27 large trash bags filled with largely unnecessary waste. Plastic bags, paper bags, drink bottles and containers, wrappers and packages, plastic silverware and juice boxes, unopened food and leftovers. Hundreds of individually packaged items become trash each day. Our cafeteria currently generates 4,860 bags of trash per year, which equates to 5.2 bags per child per year.
This year, we decided to make a difference!
A small change to our lunch packing habits can make a big difference to the annual landfill contribution made our school.
After a preliminary audit, we were amazed to find how much food was being thrown away untouched. Kids were throwing out unopened packs of chips, cookies, yogurts, cheese, milk cartons and even silverware – items which could be either returned home for use another day or some even donated to a local shelter or food bank.
Our cafeteria currently “loses” up to 200 forks a month – silverware just thrown into the trash rather than being returned to the counter for washing. This is a perfectly preventable $50 a month expense and unnecessary contribution to landfill.
We set out with two goals; to reduce the amount of trash that we produce and to teach the kids how and why along the way.
Our first Waste Free Lunch day was on October 21st 2009. We advertised our date using our school website, the kid’s agendas and the ConnectEd system. We set out photos and examples of how to pack a “Waste Free Lunch” around the school. We showed the kids how to use only reusable containers for their drink, sandwiches, snacks etc, how to bring a fabric napkin and to use reusable silverware instead of disposable.
The response from our New Town families and staff was FANTASTIC ! It was very exciting to see how many children had their lunches packed entirely in reusable containers – enabling them to create no waste at all for the day.
We composted leftovers, recycled plastic, donated unused food to a local women’s shelter and showed the kids where to put their forks. Our final trash count? 10 bags. 17 less bags of trash produced than an average day and a 63% saving! Imagine, 3,060 less bags every school year. Now that really would be making a difference!
Our next Waste Free Lunch Day is November 18th.
Our new goal: To make every day a Waste Free Day.
Reusable Grocery Bag Tips
Keep your bags in your car. Don’t store them in the trunk because you’ll forget that they’re there. Storing them in the back seat pocket is a better option because you’ll be more likely to see them. Keeping a bag slid in between the passenger seat and the center 
console is another option.
Most of us write a list of what we need before going to the grocery store. Write “REMEMBER BAGS” at the top of your grocery list each week. Use a pad of paper like in the picture and write this down on every page so you won’t forget.
Hang a bag on the door knob to your garage or someplace near by. It will serve as a constant visual reminder to bring your bags with you. If you don’t want to hang a grocery bag, create a door tag (similar to a Do Not Disturb Tag) and hang that on the door knob.
Hang a bag in your pantry. Most people check out their pantry when writing up their grocery list.- Enlist your children’s help in helping you remember to bring your bags.
Many local stores have programs to encourage you to use reusable grocery bags. Stores like Ukrops and Target offer a 5 cent credit for each reusable bag you use in the store.
MilkMuny Fundraiser for Woolridge Elementary School Green Club
My name is Jay Yeman, and I am a mechanical engineer in the Richmond office. I am a parent volunteer for the 
Woolridge Elementary School Green Club. Our club participates in a fundraising program with a company called MilkMuny. MilkMuny is an upstart company similar to TerraCycle in that they take a product (in this case milk and juice cartons) that is normally thrown into the garbage and make them into a useful and unique product
More than 510,000 tons of milk and juice cartons are generated every year in the United States, but sadly, less than .05% ever get recycled according to an EPA report of Municipal Solid Waste. Paper cartons ARE recyclable, however, “because of the wax lining, are not universally recycled. Each locality is different, depending on their recycling process capability”, says the National Recycling Coalition.
MilkMuny will pay 50 cents for every carton sent to them and even pay for the shipping costs! MilkMuny will accept up to 1,000 cartons over the course of the school year. Click HERE to see which brands we are collecting (note: the 25 cents/carton noted in the flyer is incorrect). The Woolridge Elementary School Green Club is collecting all of the brands listed on the flyer. I am asking Richmond office employees who are interested in helping out to please save your milk and juice cartons, thoroughly rinse them out, and drop them off at my desk. If you are really ambitious, you can save me some work and break down the cartons per the following instructions:
- Thoroughly rinse the cartons with water.
- Use a utility knife to cut the top and bottom off of the carton. The sharpness of the knife makes a huge difference in the accuracy and cleanliness of the cut. These cuts need to be as close to the top/bottom as possible with no more than a quarter inch of loss on the walls of the carton. This leaves the four vertical panels of the carton, all connected.
- Clean and wipe the panels clean.
- Bring the broken down cartons to work and drop them off at my desk.
If anyone else out there in Moseley Nation is interested in participating in a similar fundraising program for their school, simply send me an e-mail and I will send you additional information.
Certified Automotive Recycler
While I know most of us are working hard at making our buildings kinder to the environment, my husband works hard to take care of another big piece of the environmental picture.
He works for Brooks Auto Sales which is a small business in Oilville, Va. As you drive by, you may quickly think.. oh boy.. he works at a car junkyard. What most people don’t know is that he is an automotive recycler. All those unwanted, broken, wrecked, no longer nice looking vehicles come to him. When you take a vehicle to be disposed, you need to look for a CAR certified facility. CAR is a Certified Automotive Recycler.
When a vehicle comes in it is carefully cataloged and given a number. It is dismantled with all useable parts reserved for refurbishment and resale. They accept all vehicles regardless of condition as long as you have a clear title to surrender with the vehicle. The unique number is marked on every part for resale and serves as a tracking system. (Helps police distinguish them from stolen parts!) His yard is networked with other recyclers and they trade/sell parts all over the state to places that need them. Many parts are collected for core buyers that will refurbish parts no longer working. Batteries are recharged and resold or sent to a recycler that will refurbish them. All fluids are drained and captured. Anti-freeze and Freon is gathered to be recycled and resold. Oil, transmission fluids, brake fluids are poured into a holding tank on site. They are then reused in a clean burning heating system that heats my husband’s shop during the winter months. All metals are dismantled and sorted to sell to those companies that will melt it down for reuse. Mercury switches are also sent to a company that handles the proper disposal of these items. Tires are sent to a recycler that will chop them up and create new items for our use.
Before rushing to the car parts store… think if you could use something recycled. It is usually cheaper and once again, we are working on helping this environment we live in!!
