Recycling on the Hawaiian Islands

Hang ten for recycling in Hawaii. Find places to recycle anything in Hawaii at RecyclerFinder.com

When compared to the rest of the country, the state of Hawaii does remarkably well in terms of waste management. Recycling rates in Oahu are well above the national average, and the capital city of Honolulu ranks among the top cities in the country in terms of landfill diversion. In fact, over 70 percent of Oahu’s municipal waste is diverted from the Waimanalo Gulch Landfill. Waimanalo Gulch is currently the only municipal solid waste disposal site on the island of Oahu, and there have concerns over its expansion over the last several years. Other major landfills in the state include the West Hawaii Landfill in Waikoloa as well as a site in Kekaha. Overuse of these sites would of course be disastrous for the surrounding environment, but officials hope that increases in recycling and expansions of waste-to-energy projects such as the H-POWER plant will further decrease what is sent to Waimanalo Gulch.

The most recent recycling data that is available is for 2010. While the amount of waste that is recycled each year seems to have remained relatively constant, the general rate at which material is recycled has been steadily increasing since 2008. This rate was close to 30 percent in 2010, a significant change from the 2008 rate of 25 percent. This is definitely a positive trend that shows that Hawaiians truly care about reducing the amount of trash that goes into their landfills.

Another major contributor to the decrease of municipal solid waste that is simply thrown out is the expansion of the H-POWER waste-to-energy plant. The H-POWER plant has been in operation in Campbell Industrial Park since 1990. It currently processes 600,000 tons of waste each year and provides seven percent of Oahu’s electricity. Not only does the plant provide a way of disposing of nearly all of the waste collected from Oahu’s homes in a manner that is actually beneficial to the island’s environment, but it also reduces the amount of waste sent to landfills by 90 percent. This is accomplished via incineration. The over 2,000 tons of waste that is sent to the plant each day is incinerated as it is converted into energy. In the end, only ten percent of the waste is thrown out as ash. The plant also reduces Hawaii’s reliance on imported oil. In fact, one ton of trash can as much energy as 60 gallons of oil.

These and other efforts made by the Department of Environmental Services show that those in the state of Hawaii truly care about the environment. With a little more work, it is possible that the people of Oahu can reduce the amount of municipal solid waste even more.

Sources:

http://www.opala.org/
http://www.keepinghawaiiclean.com/landfills.htm

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From “Roach Coach” to Green Lunch Trucks

Is this truck suppose to be a rat or a pig? Guess it depends on what they're serving! If you can tell the difference that is.

Lunch trucks, often referred to as roach coaches, are popping up all over many American cities. They’re popular with new bohemians, hipsters and anyone who wants to grab a quick bite to eat but wants to avoid the typical burgers and fries of fast-food chains. The impression these food trucks give is that they focus on green living, recycling and a devotion to the environment and the local community. However, is a lunch truck really more environmentally friendly than a traditional restaurant? For the most part, the answer is yes.

A lunch truck doesn’t use as much energy as a traditional restaurant. Restaurants have to keep their dining rooms well lit and comfortable, which often means compensating for the heat given off from the kitchen. Although food trucks use energy for cooking and fuel to get around, they don’t have to maintain large kitchens, bathrooms or dining spaces.

When it comes to mileage, you might think that a food truck obviously consumes more energy than a restaurant. However, a restaurant’s customers often drive in for their meals. A lunch truck can park at busy locations like office buildings or mall parking lots, eliminating the need for individuals to waste gas. In addition, food trucks tend to focus on providing locally produced food, which requires less transportation to get from the grower to the consumer.

Because lunch trucks provide meals to on-the-go diners, they usually serve their food on disposable dinnerware. However, many food trucks offer recycling or compost bins, reducing the amount of waste they create. Restaurants that serve food on reusable dinnerware don’t create as much waste, but more energy is wasted in the dish washing process. In sum, lunch trucks do tend to be more green than restaurants. They use less energy, take up less space and best of all, they come to you. Next time you’re hungry, walk over to the food truck and order lunch for the whole office. You’ll save gas and help the environment.

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CD Case Recycling: Music to Our Planet’s Ears

Say goodby to CD's, the 90's and these nut jobs! My eyes hurt!

MP3 players, such as iPods, have revolutionized how the masses buy music and provide a compact way to carry around entire music libraries, while also reducing one’s carbon footprint. These rechargeable gadgets have popularized digital downloads and reduced the demand for CDs, making them a big win for the environment, which is music to our planet’s ears.

Of course, with this eco-friendly move away from CDs, which are notoriously hard on the environment with their material requirements, manufacturing process, packaging and long-distance delivery, there are plenty of folks who now are wondering what to do with all of those old CD cases that are taking up space on their bookshelves. The key, of course, is to recycle, which leads to the question of where exactly this CD case recycling happens.

Some CD cases have a recycling code, which most often consists of a triangle with a 6 inside and PS underneath. This lets us know that CDs are categorized as type 6 plastic – aka polystyrene. This type of plastic is not often accepted for pick-up in curbside recycle bins in most cities, but using a site like RecyclerFinder.com is an simple, convenient way to locate recycling facilities that accept CD cases. This makes it easy to do your part to save the planet and helps you get rid of all of those old cases that are no longer needed.

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The Magical World of Recycling

The Happiest Place on Earth!

Theme parks aren’t known for their recycling efforts or for attempting to reduce their carbon footprint. But with recent developments it seems that amusement parks are starting to do their part to keep the world as green as possible as long as possible.Major theme parks like Six Flags and Disney World have started recycling programs in order to keep the millions upon millions of plastic cups and the like out of landfills. Some amusement parks have even switched to biofuel to fuel rides and machines, friendly cleaning products and locally grown ingredients in their eateries.

An online company called Green Halo Systems allows users to track what they recycle and where it’s going. What this means for amusement parks is that Green Halo software will give them the ability to see what they waste and how much they waste. Now companies can see first hand the impact they have on the environment rather than having to make an educated guess. Any data from Green Halo software can be shared with multiple users and can also be printed out.

Other efforts some theme parks are making to go green are using LED lights, switching to water-saving fixtures and switching from plastic trash bags to ones that are biodegradable.

For many of us, an amusement park is one of the last places that we could think of as going green, but why not? It’s place where a large amount of people gather, eat and walk, which can add up to quite a lot of trash in a short amount of time. Amusement parks are doing their part to keep the environment intact, make sure you’re doing yours.

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Environmental Education a Standard in Today’s Schools

Our educational system seems to be working just fine!

A generation ago, when classroom wastebaskets were filled with worksheets and empty lunch packaging, there was little emphasis on recycling or preserving the environment. Today’s schools have made big strides towards becoming green. Most have a standard recycling program throughout the building, and many teachers include environmentalism in their instructional units. Today’s students are taught to recycle, reuse and to conserve.

A typical school recycling program includes colored bins in classrooms and common areas where students can place plastic, glass and paper. Many schools have annual recycling drives that encourage students to bring in aluminum cans or other recyclables to help raise funds for the school. During lesson time, teachers also encourage reusing containers and paper for projects or note taking. These steps have made recycling a normal part of the student routine.

Elementary students also learn about caring for their environment in other ways. Taking a cue from First Lady Michelle Obama’s kitchen garden, many schools also introduce children to the importance of protecting our environment through hands-on experience in a class garden. Students may participate in preparing the soil, selecting and planting seeds, watering, weeding and harvesting the produce.

Environmental field trips also help to reinforce young students’ awareness, with nature center and forest preserve visits becoming more and more popular. The quintessential zoo field trip has become focused on the plight of endangered species and practical ways students can contribute to their conservation.

Through school wide mandates, classroom lessons and field trips, today’s school children receive a comprehensive education in how to reuse, restore and conserve the earth’s resources.

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