 |
City of St. Louis
Department of Streets
Refuse Division
Recycling Program |
 |
City Government
As City employees, we have an obligation to lead by example. This includes reducing, reusing, and recycling the wastes
that we produce. It also includes supporting sustainable businesses, such as those that sell recycled-content products. In
this manner, we cultivate our local community environmentally, by helping to keep our air, soil, and water clean. We also
promote our City economically (e.g., business and economic development, job creation) when we patronize businesses that
provide reduce, reuse, or recycle services, or sell recycled products. As you move through your workday, serving our
citizens and each other, below are some ways for you to easily incorporate these things into your everyday activities.
Reducing
Reducing the amount of waste we generate is our highest priority, because then we avoid consuming resources or producing
pollution.
Purchase only what amount you need.
Purchase only when you need it.
Think before you print! Do you really need to print that document, e-mail, or webpage? You may be able to read it just
as well while it's on your computer screen. And, it can just as easily be saved to your electronic files.
To distribute information, e-mail it instead of printing, photocopying, or faxing.
Offer citizens the alternative of receiving their bills, statements, letters, reports, newsletters, etc. electronically
instead of by hard copy.
Use central bulletin boards to post flyers.
Store documents electronically on the computer server or hard drive.
If you absolutely must print or photocopy, choose just a selection of information to print or photocopy, or be sure to
make it double-sided.
Update outgoing and incoming mailing lists, to reduce undeliverable or duplicate mailings.
Reusing
Reusing materials is our second highest priority; reuse involves the consumption of some resources and generation of some
pollution, but less than if we recycle. Before recycling or trashing materials, consider the following options:
Check throughout your work area, Section, Office, Division, Department, or Agency; other employees may be
able to use or may be getting ready to purchase what you already have.
Broadcast an email to all employees; another Section, Office, Division, Department, or Agency may need what you have
available.
Surplus out your materials through the Supply Division or your Supply Officer; this could help the City earn money on
those items, or at least avoid disposal costs.
Provide details (and photographs) to the Refuse Division to be listed on a materials exchange.
Storing documents and projects electronically on reusable and portable flash drives, CDs,
DVDs, diskettes, etc. can reduce paper consumption and conserve storage space.
Water, coffee, juice, and other beverages may taste better from reusable mugs, particularly ceramic (rather than
disposable plastic or paper cups).
Meals and snacks can feel and taste better from reusable plates, bowls, and utensils, particularly ceramic or metal
(compared with disposal plastic or paper products).
Print or photocopy on any unused sides of paper.
Use rechargeable batteries on all battery-operated devices.
If all offices in the United States increased the amount of two-sided copying to 60 percent, we would save over 15
million trees, or 890,000 tons of paper a year! (USEPA)
Recycling
Recycling resources is our third highest priority; recycling consumes more resources and results in more pollution than
reusing, but less than landfilling.
Material Categories for Reusing or Recycling
Appliances
The City has a contract to ensure that appliances are properly recycled. For details, please contact the
Supply Division or email the Refuse Division at recycle@stlouis.missouri.org.
Batteries - Automotive
The City has a contract to ensure that automotive batteries are properly recycled. For details, please contact the
Supply Division or email the Refuse Division at recycle@stlouis.missouri.org.
Batteries - Rechargeable
The City participates in an industry-funded program that ensures that rechargeable batteries are properly recycled.
Please email the Refuse Division at recycle@stlouis.missouri.org to sign up
your office for service, which includes a storage box for your work area.
Cartridges - Ink and Toner
In development.
Cellular Phones
The City participates in an industry-funded program that ensures that cellular phones are properly recycled. Please
email the Refuse Division at recycle@stlouis.missouri.org to sign up your
office for service, which includes a storage box for your work area.
Containers (e.g., aluminum, glass, plastic, steel cans bottles, jars, and jugs)
If the Refuse Division is hauling your trash and you have space for a recycling dumpster (to be able to separate these
materials from your trash), please email us at recycle@stlouis.missouri.org.
Corrugated Cardboard
Please email the Refuse Division at recycle@stlouis.missouri.org.
Electronic Media (e.g., compact discs/CDs, floppy disks)
Please interoffice these items to the Refuse Division; we use them in our K-12 education program for arts and crafts
projects, to make games, etc.
Electronics
The City has a contract to ensure that electronics are properly reused or recycled. For details, please contact the
Supply Division or email the Refuse Division at recycle@stlouis.missouri.org.
Fluorescent Lamps
The City has a contract to ensure that fluorescent lamps are properly recycled. For details, please contact the
Supply Division or email the Refuse Division at recycle@stlouis.missouri.org.
Metals
If metal items (e.g., desks, shelves, organizers) have reached the end of their useful life, store them separately from
your trash and contact the Refuse Division (they'll be recycled with other scrap metals, such as appliances).
Office Furniture
In development.
Oil - Motor
The City has a contract to ensure that motor oil is properly recycled. For details, please contact the
Supply Division or email the Refuse Division at recycle@stlouis.missouri.org.
Pallets
Please email the Refuse Division at recycle@stlouis.missouri.org.
Paper - Office
The City earns revenue on used office paper. Please email the Refuse Division at recycle@stlouis.missouri.org
to sign up your office for service and/or to receive office paper recycling bins for your workstation.
The City also has a contract for document shredding services, which includes recycling of that paper. For details,
please contact the Supply Division or email the Refuse Division at recycle@stlouis.missouri.org.
City employees recycle junk mail, magazines, mixed office paper, and newspaper. According to
the United States Environmental Protection Agency, preventing one ton of paper waste saves 15-17
trees. Quantities recycled annually by City employees, and resulting benefits, are as follows:
| YEAR |
POUNDS |
TONS |
TREES SAVED |
| 2007 |
156,404 |
78 |
4.5-5 |
| 2006 |
133,475 |
67 |
4-4.5 |
| 2005 |
83,190 |
42 |
2.5-3 |
Telephone Books
Please email the Refuse Division at recycle@stlouis.missouri.org, noting how many
telephone books you have awaiting recycling.
Tires
The City has a contract to ensure that tires are properly recycled. For details, please contact the
Supply Division or email the Refuse Division at recycle@stlouis.missouri.org.
Buying Reused and Recycled
Regardless of the volume of material we set aside or collect for reusing or recycling, nobody
will want recyclables from us unless there is a market for them somewhere along the line.
Therefore, when purchasing or acquiring materials and supplies, it's important to buy products
that include post-consumer reused or recycled content (Note: "post-consumer" means that
consumers like you have used it; "post-industrial" refers to factory scrap that never reached the
consumer).
What kinds of products that are purchased for offices and shops are already available with
post-consumer reused or recycled content? Just a few examples are:
ink or toner cartridges
facial tissue
toilet rolls
paper towels
paper for printers and photocopiers
file folders (hanging and manila)
letterhead and envelopes
For details on the City's contracts for office paper, please contact the Supply Division or email the Refuse Division
at recycle@stlouis.missouri.org.
If you buy one case of 30% post-consumer recycled content paper, you will save 30 kilowatt hours of electricity and
52 gallons of water each year.
If you buy five cases of 30% post-consumer recycled content paper, you will save 153 kilowatt hours of electricity and
262 gallons of water, plus prevent two pounds of air pollution each year.
If you buy twenty cases of 30% post-consumer recycled content paper, you will save three trees, 615 kilowatt hours of
electricity, and 1,050 gallons of water, plus prevent nine pounds of air pollution each year.
For a detailed list of recycled products available through the City's office supplies contractor, ranked by percentage of
post-consumer content, please email the Refuse Division at recycle@stlouis.missouri.org.
A briefer list is available here as a downloadable PDF
or Excel spreadsheet
For a list of retailers that offer a wide variety of reused and recycled office supplies, visit
Reused and Recycled Office Supplies
Also available as a downloadable PDF
or Word document
For a list of vendors through whom you can purchase reused and recycled promotional products, visit
Recycled Content Premium and Promotional Products
Available as a downloadable PDF
or Word document
For information on Environmentally Preferable Purchasing, please visit the United States Environmental Protection
Agency's website at http://www.epa.gov/oppt/epp.
For questions, suggestions, or additional information, contact us by email at recycle@stlouis.missouri.org or by phone at 314.353.8877.
Return to Recycling Main Page
You are visitor number 1571
since Feb 20, 2007.
This Page Last Modified:
Thursday, 01-May-2008 14:30:29 CDT
© City of St. Louis |
Terms of Use | Privacy | Accessibility