San Diego Unified recognized by City for recycling efforts

San Diego Unified was recently named one of the Recyclers of the Year by the City of San Diego based on its school and facility waste diversion and recycling efforts. The district was honored at an awards ceremony at the San Diego Zoo in April.

Each year, the City’s Environmental Services Department selects businesses and organizations located within the City that have implemented or expanded innovative and successful waste reduction, recycling and recycled product purchasing programs during a one-year time frame.

Overall, the district diverts nearly 583 tons of material each month from the landfill and saves approximately $21,000 in disposal costs each month. Recycling savings include:

• Mixed recyclables (paper, plastic and metal containers etc.) and shredded paper from schools and facilities at approximately 257 tons per month
• Construction and demolition material (157 tons/month)
• Wood and landscape material (84 tons/month)
• Asphalt (48 tons/month)
• Scrap metal (16 tons/month)
• Electronic waste (13 tons/month), and
• Other materials, including pallets, universal waste lamps and batteries, and used oil, antifreeze, and oil filters (totaling 7.6 tons/month)

Janet Whited and Char D'Ambrosia

The District has had waste and source-separated recycling collection service with EDCO for more than 20 years, including hundreds of commingled recycling bins throughout the District. Moving forward, the district’s goal is to achieve an additional 15 percent reduction in solid waste disposal by enhancing current waste-diversion programs from schools and administrative offices this school year.

As part of the partnership, EDCO publishes information about recycling, and has also created a dedicated website for San Diego Unified (www.sdusdrecycles.com) staff and students to inform them of ways to reduce waste and increase recycling, and it provides resources, tools, and incentives to support these efforts at all district schools.

San Diego Unified was one of several businesses citywide to receive the Recycler of the Year award. The award evaluation focused on waste and recycling collection systems; the amount and types of materials recycled or diverted from landfill disposal; purchase of environmentally preferable products, education and outreach programs and activities; recycling policies or procedures that have been incorporated into daily operating procedures; and incentives that encourage waste reduction and recycling practices.