Recycling Patch for Scouts and Youth Groups

The next time you see a Scout, take a moment and ask about her/his uniform patches. The likely response will be one of genuine enthusiasm and a story about how a patch was earned. Each patch represents an opportunity in exploration for the individual wearing it. Many patches have a connection to the environment that can foster career choices, community leadership and future civic role modeling.

Monroe County has created a recycling patch program as an incentive for young people to get more involved with local recycling. Individuals at any age can improve the quality of our environment by putting into practice “Reduce, Reuse and Recycle” and by participating in our Monroe County Solid Waste Management Programs. The patch can be earned by completing a number of requirements listed in the criteria below. The suggested requirements include visiting the Monroe County Recycling Center, surveying neighborhood recycling boxes, starting a home composting project, organizing a Reuse-A-Shoe event, hosting a clothing drive, promoting an E-Waste or Household Hazardous Waste collection, researching the life cycle of a product’s packaging, or becoming an America Recycles mentor for your school. Participants are also encouraged to develop a recycling idea of their own. The patch program is available to Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Cub Scouts, and youth groups. For details on how to complete the patch program, click on the link below.

Recycling Patch Requirements

“America Recycles” Needs Your School

America Recycles (AR) is a national campaign geared to increase the purchase of recycled-content products and recycling throughout America so that we conserve natural resources for future generations. It strives to make consumers aware of the importance of “buying recycled” and to emphasize the message that you are really not recycling unless you buy recycled products. The theme for the national AR campaign is “It All Comes Back to You.” Our local campaign encourages Western New Yorkers to make a pledge to support recycling and increase their purchases of recycled content products.

What do we want you to do?

The Western New York America Recycles Committee is geared toward school-age children. Others may make a pledge online (and save paper) by clicking here. We ask teachers, PTAs, Scouts, or school environmental groups to help us promote recycling and the purchase of recycled-content products by coordinating a 15-minute recycling activity in as many classrooms as possible and (for elementary and middle schools) conducting an environmental project.

What is the activity?

For high schools, a five-minute presentation followed by 10 minutes for students to fill out a pledge card. The official Pledge Card and Presentation are included in the “Related Documents” section at the bottom of the page. In addition to the above activity, elementary and middle schools should demonstrate existing environmental efforts and conduct a new program or event (like: conducting a waste audit, litter collection, cell phone/ink jet cartridge collection, clothing or sneaker drive, etc.). Contact the person below for details. 

What’s in it for your school?

Prizes--including a schoolwide ice cream party, rain barrels, reusable shopping bags, gift cards, etc.

What’s in it for the students?

Students learn why it’s important to support recycling and buy recycled content products. Their individual pledge cards may also be eligible for local and state prizes.

How does the process work?

1. Make the presentation to as many classrooms as you can.
2. Collect pledge cards for whole school.
3. By November 23rd, mail cards and project details (if applicable) to:
   50 W. Main St., Suite 7100
   Rochester, NY 14614
   Attn: Tina Stevens 

Where can I get further information?

New York state has developed a 36-page booklet which contains America Recycles Day lessons and activities for you to share with your students. The booklet and a poster are available below. Information may also be obtained by calling 585 753-7646.

America Recycles Materials to Download

• America Recycles Day Teacher’s Activity Booklet (756k PDF)
• AR Presentation
• Pledge Cards
• Cover Letter

Ink Jet and Cartridge Recycling Fundraiser

The Monroe County Department of Environmental Services and Just Imagine it... (585 872-5802) are excited to announce an ongoing fundraising program promoting recycling at home, in schools or at your place of business. It is a simple program that protects the environment and promotes recycling while helping your favorite school or charity programs.

It is called “Cash for your Class.” It is a recycling program that recycles your empty printer cartridges. Yes, the empty cartridges from your printers, copiers and fax machines. Please don’t throw them away! Your local school or charity can receive up to $1 for each inkjet and $5 for each laser empty cartridge.

It’s very Simple.

Just Imagine it... will place bins throughout your school or business to recycle these cartridges. Your employees can place the empty cartridges from businesses or home into the bins provided. Every couple of weeks Imagine it... will pick up your empty cartridges.

This type of program is currently in place in schools and businesses around the country with much success. It has a domino effect! Parents, faculty, students, PTA, employees and friends not only donate their empty cartridges, but also sign up their place of business. Imagine it... will drop off bins to the companies, pick up the empties and write a check to your designated school or charity in the company’s name. A letter will be sent quarterly to all participants notifying the total amount of donation and acknowledge the current participants.

Just Imagine it... Saving the our environment while funding your favorite charities.

Visit the Imagine It... website to find out more or to sign up your school or business.

Reuse-A-Shoe Program

Monroe County Department of Environmental Services (MCDES) is participating in a program with the National Recycling Coalition and Nike, Inc. that will allow area residents to recycle their unwanted athletic sneakers instead of throwing them in the garbage. Nike’s Reuse-A-Shoe Program recycles and grinds athletic footwear and turns them into sports surfaces.

Sneaker collection barrels are located at 444 E. Henrietta Road (Building 15) in both public access doors. The doors are open to the public 8:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Residents making appointments (585 753-7600 Option 3) to bring unwanted paint, chemicals, etc. to the county’s Household Hazardous Waste Facility may also bring in sneakers for recycling. The program accepts sneakers (any brand) only—no shoes, boots, sandals. The sneakers must not be the light-up variety or contain any metal (eyelets, grommets, spikes, cleats, etc.) and cannot be tied together or in plastic bags.

MCDES will also hold sneaker collection drives at the Monroe County Resource Recovery Facility and at area schools. For more information call 585 753-7526.

Nike’s Reuse-A-Shoe program started in 1993 and has recycled over 16 million pairs of sneakers. The footwear is separated into three main materials—upper fabric, midsole foam and outsole rubber—and then ground up. Nike has successfully found constructive uses for all of the materials from these post-consumer and defective athletic shoes.

Cash for Trash

Do you know how much trash your organization generates?

Do you know where it goes?

Do you know how much it’s costing you?

Did you know that you may be able to reduce those costs to zero or even receive an income?

Make an assessment

If you answered NO to any or all of these questions, then you are probably spending more than you need to. This article is intended to help you make an assessment of your particular situation and decide if further action would result in significant savings to your organization.

How much trash does your organization generate?

Your first step should be to dive right into your dumpster. Try to find out what you are currently discarding. Make estimates of what percentage is cardboard, paper, plastic, metal and trash (bathroom, breakroom and cafeteria waste).

NOTE: Regulated medical waste and hazardous waste are subject to strict regulatory requirements and are not addressed in this document. Once you have some idea, call your current waste and/or recyclables hauler to schedule a review of your waste management practices. You should do this on a regular basis and here are some questions to ask:

• How much waste and/or recyclables do they haul annually? (tons)
• How many times a week do they pick up your container(s)?
• How much do they charge for container rentals?
• How much do they charge for tip fees?
• How much do they charge to haul the container to the disposal/recycling facility?
• How much do they pay you for collected recyclables?
• What additional materials could you recycle?

Where does it go?

When you are talking with your hauler, you should ask where your trash and recyclables are being taken. You should deal only with haulers who take your wastes to New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) permitted disposal facilities and your recyclables to NYSDEC/Monroe County permitted/authorized recycling facilities.

How much is it costing you?

To the extent possible, add up the cost information you have for each category below:

• Disposal--landfill or waste-to-energy facility tip fees
• Transportation and/or Container Rental--some haulers combine these, some charge separately
• Recyclables Revenue--how much are you being paid for collected recyclables?
• Internal Handling--amount of time building services people spend moving these materials
• Regulatory/Liability/Insurance--difficult to quantify

Generally, any scrap material which is clean, source-separated, non-confidential, identifiable and available at reasonably large quantities is recyclable, and someone will either come to pick it up for free, charge a nominal fee, or pay you for it. Some of the common items found in trash which may bring income include: corrugated cardboard, boxboard, office paper, newspapers and magazines, plastics, pallets and metal.

Did you know that you could reduce those costs to zero or even receive an income?

We think that an example best describes what the potential is in applying these Cash for Trash techniques and how to actually do the financial analysis.

For the purposes of this example, we described the waste “Before Cash for Trash” in the following manner:

• 30 tons per year of corrugated to recycler without income
• 10 tons per year of office paper to recycler without income

After “Cash for Trash,” analysis of the 250 tons of mixed waste resulted in the following additional materials being separated:

• 10 additional tons of office paper
• 30 additional tons of corrugated
• 20 tons of newspapers, magazines and miscellaneous paper
• 10 tons of metal
• 30 tons of plastic

The table below shows the bottom line cost before and after Cash for Trash.

In addition to the savings itemized above in terms of avoided waste management costs, revenue can sometimes be received for the collected recyclables depending upon the volume and quality of the material. The table below provides an idea of the range of values associated with some common materials.

Start Now!

The following worksheet is provided to assist you in taking a preliminary look at your current costs and potential savings/revenue. Print this form to calculate your own savings!

Where to go for information?

If you are interested in further information on this subject please call the Monroe County Department of Environmental Services at 585 753-7526.