The Women’s City Club of New York is studying recycling compliance and understanding, in order to improve the lives of New Yorkers and to ensure a long-term sustainable future for our city. After extensive research, we feel that the following information will be helpful to New Yorkers to learn about recycling and improve their recycling habits. It is our responsibility as New Yorkers to follow NYC Recycling Laws that encompass every residence building, business, city agency, and institution. It is also our duty as New Yorkers to improve our environment and our world. The Women’s City Club thanks HSBC Bank USA, NA for its support of this project.
The Women’s City Club began the project by surveying its members about recycling. Although, the results showed that most respondents knew what and how to recycle, they indicated that recycling is confusing at times. Our members also had great recommendations on how to improve recycling. (See survey results).
Alexandra Fairweather, the Women’s City Club of New York Intern, had the great opportunity to meet with different people and organizations to discuss recycling and hear anecdotal reports. She met with Ermin Siljikovic, Manhattan Public Housing Recycling Outreach Coordinator, at the Office of Recycling Outreach and Education, Council on the Environment of New York City and attended OROE’s monthly educational recycling program. Alexandra Fairweather strongly encourages you to sign up for this fun and interesting event.
Alexandra Fairweather also met with Marylyn Wellemeyer, a long-time active Women’s City Club Member, and her superintendent to learn about her building’s great recycling program. A unique aspect of this Upper-West Side building is a monthly newsletter that highlights issues including eco-friendly initiatives and recycling reminders. In addition, the building residents are forming a Green Committee to spread greater awareness of recycling and eco-friendly initiatives.
At the invitation of Andrea Schaffer, Principal of CityMatters LLC, Alexandra Fairweather conducted a building wide meeting at her residence, attended by her neighbors. At this event, Alexandra Fairweather gave a presentation on recycling, reviewed WCC informational pamphlets, played a recycling game, discussed recycling practices and misconceptions, and led a discussion on how the building could improve its recycling practices.
Alexandra Fairweather thanks the Women’s City Club and Columbia University for the opportunity to develop and implement this project. She hope that her work and the work of others will inspire you to get involved in WCC’s efforts to “Green New York.” After all, it's our city - together we can make it healthier and more sustainable for all New Yorkers.
Why Recycle?
Recycling reduces pollution and is good for the environment, your community, and health!
• The United States produces 70% of the world's solid waste.
• 80% of US products are used once and then thrown away.
• Landfills are responsible for 36% of all methane emissions in the US, one of the most potent contributors to global warming.
• New York City residents currently recycle only about 17% of their total waste--half of what they could be recycling under the NYC curbside program.
• Our non-recycled products are buried in the ground and burned. Non-recycled waste in NYC is sent to landfills in Pennsylvania, Ohio and Virginia or burned in Newark, NJ.
• Landfill waste and the burning of garbage create byproducts that pollute the environment. Dangerous substances from Landfills such as mercury can find their way into oceans, streams, rivers, fish, and eventually into human beings.
• Less energy is required to create products out of recycled materials. The more times recycled materials are used, the greater the conservation of natural resources is.
• The average New York City resident discards nearly four and a half pounds of waste per day, or more than three-quarters of a ton per year. *(Recycling)
Misconceptions:
“Many residents are confused about what to recycle, because so many products display the universal recycling symbol. However, NYC does not possess resale markets for all of these products, so NYC cannot recycle items unless specified by the NYC recycling guidelines. For instance, the only plastics accepted for recycling in New York City are bottles & jugs (with necks smaller than their bodies). All other plastic containers and all other plastic items should be placed in the trash — even if they are labeled #1 PETE or #2 HDPE.” *(NYCWasteLe$$: What to Recycle in New York City)
How to Recycle In NYC
• For What and How to Recycle Go to the “NYC Recycling Guidelines.” Even if it has a universal recycling symbol that does not mean it is necessarily recyclable.
• Not all items are recyclable under the NYC Curbside Program, because New York City does not possess the resale markets to do so. However, you can recycle many materials by donating items, selling items, and going to exchange vendors.
• Plastic bags, #5 plastics, Ink Cartridges, batteries, CDs, textiles, cell phones, furniture, and additional materials have vendors that recycle or reuse materials not recycled by NYC’s Curbside Program.
• For Tips of Disposing Items
• Finding Vendors
• For quick tips on several vendors, please scroll to to the bottom of this page.
How to Reduce Your Impact: Reduce, Reuse, And Recycle
• If you are concerned about the privacy of your mail, remove address labels and tear up or shred mail. In order to reduce the amount of mail you need to throw out, avoid putting your name on mailing lists for contests, sweepstakes, and magazine cards.
• You can also contact companies to remove yourself from their mailing lists or register online or by mail to the Direct Marketing Association’s Mail Preference Service.
• You can remove yourself from phone directory lists, which use 19 million trees a year, resulting in 268,000 cubic yards of landfill space by going to www.yellowpagesgoesgreen.org to be removed from mailing lists.
• Share catalogs or try shopping online. Try shopping online to avoid catalogs or share catalogs
• Purchase items and packaging that can be recycled, which will encourage more recycling markets in NYC.
• Bring your own bag to the super market and reuse plastic bags
• Discard plastic caps and lids and rinse recyclables
• Do not place any “compostable” plastics in your recycling bin. Compostable products are manufactured, sometimes made out of products such as corn, to break down in a compost process.
Amazing Stories of Recycling in Unique Ways: Impacting Our World One Item At a Time
Profile of a Columbia University Eco-Rep:
Prospero Herrara is a senior, studying Earth and Environmental Engineering, at Columbia University, and he is an Eco-Rep. Eco-Reps are residential advisors and representatives on Columbia University’s campus that work to educate students about eco-friendly initiatives and promote environmental change. To hear about the initiatives that Prospero and other Eco-Reps have been working on watch the video. Hopefully his initiatives will inspire you to take action in your local area.
Zimbabwe Refugees create art out of found materials
In Zimbabwe 85% of the adult population is unemployed and 20% of the children are orphans. Yet despite the difficult circumstances, children in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe have been sorting through their cities in search of Vaseline jar caps, shoe polish lids, pieces of wire, discarded buttons, scraps of cloth, and bits of yarn. These children have been creating dolls, cars, and all kinds of toys out of these found materials. Although, these children make these dolls out of necessity, their work is helping the environment as they re-use materials. In addition, these students have inspired students on Eastern Long Island at the Ross School to create products out of garbage materials to promote eco-friendly practices in the U.S.
Students on Eastern Long Island Creating Art
Out of Found Materials
Ross School students work towards preparing students for the challenges of the 21st Century and undoubtedly, the environment is one of the 21st’ Century’s greatest challenges. Students at Ross are creating art out of found materials, combating that challenge one art piece at a time.
Recycling Events in NYC
• Lower Eastside Ecology Events
• Textile Collections Days and Information
• Electronic Recycling Collection Days and Information
• The Council on the Environment of New York City and its Office of Recycling Outreach & Education continually add recycling events in NYC to their site.
Eco-Friendly Websites
• Recycling in New York City
• Council on the Environment of New York City
• Lower East Side Ecology Center
Quick Tips: Some Places You Can Go To Recycle Plastic Bags, #5 Plastics, Batteries, Textiles, Cell Phones, and Furniture. (For additional materials see vendors-above.)
• Find plastic bag drop off centers, such as stores, here.
• To recycle #5 plastics such as yogurt cups, hummus tubs, and other food containers there are collection points at selected Whole Foods and the Park Slope Food coop. To learn more about local drop off stations go to “Preserve Gimme 5”.
• While not recyclable in the NYC Curbside Recycling Program, a business in Washington Heights is offering a take-back program for their large #5 take-out containers used by the restaurant. (The restaurant only accepts their take-out containers.) Participants, by accumulating credit, can get a free soda for 10 containers, free appetizer for 20 containers or free brunch with coffee and soda for 30 containers. 107 West is located at 811 West 187th Street between Pinehurst and Ft. Washington Avenue.
• Clothing & Textiles make up 5.7% of the city’s waste, but are 100% recyclable. CENYC sponsors weekly holds textile collections at Union Square Greenmarket (Mondays & Saturdays 8-6), 97th Street Greenmarket (Fridays 8-2), Grand Army Plaza Greenmarket (Saturdays 8-4) and Tompkins Square Greenmarket (Saturdays 8-4). Items in wearable condition can also find a new home through Freecycle™ New York City or local charities. Contact Wearable Collections for information on setting up a collection in your very own apartment building.
• Drop off items such as textiles and furniture at a NYC Recycling “Stop N’ Swap” or drop off day events for items.
• You can also donate many items such as textiles, furniture, and cell phones to non-profits, thrift-stores, and consignment shops. For instance, furniture can be donated to Goodwill Industries, The Salvation Army, St. Vincent DePaul, Housing Works, Everything Goes, Furnish-a-Future and other non-profit organizations.
• Sell items through online material exchanges or consignment shops
• Computers & Electronics contribute about 70% of the toxicity to landfills. Recycle your computer equipment by delivering it to any Goodwill Industries store in New York City. You can also recycle your electronics at Per Scholas, Staples, or Best Buy for a small fee.
• Any store that sells cell phones in New York State has to take them back
• NYC stores that sell rechargeable batteries or products that contain rechargeable batteries (with the exception of small food stores) must accept up to ten batteries of the same shape and size as they sell, no purchase necessary.
• 22% of NYC’s waste consists food scraps and yard waste. Donate edible food to pantries or soup kitchens. Food waste can also be composted instead of buried in a landfill. Compost is a nutrient-rich, soil-like material made from broken-down (i.e. recycled) organic material and is a cost-effective, better-quality alternative to chemical fertilizers. Learn more out about composting, click here.
*(Recycle)
Citations
"NYCWasteLe$$: What to Recycle in New York City." 14 Apr. 2009
"Recycling |." CENYC. 14 Apr. 2009
