Chiara's G4 Blog

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We are trying to set up a tour of the facility as well as a possible interview with the staff regarding energy used in recycling. Contact information for DWM (link thing not working here!!! Whyyyy?) :

http://www.denvergov.com/recmor/ContactsMoreInfo/tabid/425384/Default.aspx 

Survey:
Survey will be given to 100 people, both inside and outside of GW, and possibly outside.
Questions:

1. Do you recycle?
2. Do you own a recycling bin?
3. What do you recycle?
4. Do you ever reuse items, if so, what? And if not, why?
5. Circle recyclables (diagram will be given)
6. What in your opinion is the best benefit from recycling?
7. How much do you think is thrown away that can be recycled?
8. Is recycling better than reducing and reusing?

Last week (week of Oct. 5), we had planned to put Project Trashcan into effect. We had already cleared the project with Mr. Goldstein, as well as the head of the cleaning staff. Unfortunately, the message to not clear the trashcans in the North Lobby wasn't properly distributed. Not only were they empty, all the OTHER ones were empty as well, leaving it impossible for us to wiggle in our procedure. We plan to talk to the people again, so that we may continue with this part of the G4 Project.

Materials:

• Gloves
  
• Rolling Cart
• Plastic Wrap
• Masks (?)
• Trash & trashcans

Procedure:

Week One: No recycle bins next to trashcans

1. Take the 8 trashcans from the North Lobby, loading them onto the rolling cart, to the basement level outside the Wood Room.
2. Lay plastic wrap on floor, and dump contents of each trashcan one by one onto the wrap. Separate the contents into two piles: trash and recyclables. Separate the recyclables into their respective types (plastic, paper, etc.)
3. Record findings.
4. Repeat for each trashcan.
5. When finished collecting data, take percentage of recyclables found in trash.
6. Separate trash from recyclables, and dispose of as required.
7. Repeat process throughout the week.

Week Two: Have recycle bins next to trashcans

1. Follow same procedure as Week One, but this time take into account amount of recyclables in the recycle bins.
2. Take percentage.
3. Interpret data.

Miscellaneous Data

Taken from the Recycling Meeting on Oct. 7

• Recycling, though useful, does not fully dispose of the problem as the recycled materials are just used to make more environmentally unfriendly products.
• Reusing is the best way to handle the problem.
• 2,000 trees from the rainforests are cut down every minute. Growing back trees individually is more than 10-times slower than the destruction.
• The recycling process is EXTREMELY long and takes up energy:

1. Recycle, collect, deposit, sort (with highly advanced technology - does that mean less energy consumption?), degrade to simplest form, turn into a cube.  
2. Collect cube, melt, use energy to create new item.
3. Repeat process