Note: please note that this issue brief should (a) link back to the issue overview on this topic, (b) be focused either the local, state, national, or global level, and (c) be neutrally presented, based on facts, and include footnotes for each of the items.  See the Research Guide and Information Sources to assist you. 

Goal Statement

• Link here to the Recycling overview page for the goal statement related to this issue brief 

Scope of the Problem  factual statements on the extent of the problem in the past, current, or future

• Topeka Capital-Journal describes possible recycling budget cuts. Shawnee County's recycling program needs to either "grow — or go," interim recycling director Steve Bolton told county commissioners Monday morning. Bolton was among several people who discussed the future of the program with Commissioners Vic Miller, Shelly Buhler and Ted Ensley in a meeting that lasted nearly two hours. Without taking a vote, commissioners chose to seek input from Heartland Visioning partners and from the county's solid waste management committee, which is appointed by the commission and apparently hasn't met for some time. Chiquita Cornelius, a member of that committee, was among those attending Monday's meeting.[2]  

•  Every year, the United States generates approximately 230 million tons of "trash"--about 4.6 pounds per person per day. Less than one-quarter of it is recycled; the rest is incinerated or buried in landfills. With a little forethought, we could reuse or recycle more than 70 percent of the landfilled waste, which includes valuable materials such as glass, metal, and paper. This would reduce the demand on virgin sources of these materials and eliminate potentially severe environmental, economic, and public health problems. [3] 

• The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that 75% of our solid waste is recyclable, this includes everything from alumium and paper to batteries and hazardous materials. The EPA also projects that recycling programs can help to create job oppotunities in addition to the environmental benefits. 

Past Policy  key legislation and milestones including significant policy and funding shifts, major studies, etc.

• The EPA is a program to integrate waste prevention and recycling activities into the waste management programs at various postal facilities through conduct of pollution prevention opportunity assesments (PPOA). The PPOA conducted a summary at the USPS facility in Topeka, KS. Since 1988, EPA’s National Risk Management Research Laboratory (NRMRL) has managed a technical support effort known as the Waste Reduction Evaluations at Federal Sites (WREAFS) Program. WREAFS was established to provide pollution prevention solutions to environmental issues through research, development and demonstration of pollution prevention techniques and technologies, and transferring lessons learned within the federal community and related private sector industries. [4] 

   

Current Policy  summary of current policies in the form of legislation, programs, and funding

• All Topeka recycling programs are voluntary. Drop-off locations are placed at various intervals throughout the city.

• Topeka, KS is one of an increasing number of municipalities that are using green infrastructure to enhance the livability of their community with open spaces that work for people and water quality throughout the watershed.^[1] 

   

Policy Options   

• Link here to the Recycling overview page for the policy options and/or model programs related to this issue brief
•   Curbside Recycling Model 

Key Organizations/Individuals   contacts for public and private organizations and key individuals

• Current guide for Shawnee County, KS, recycling department
• Washburn university Tree Huggers (Student Org)

Glossary of Terms

• Link here to the Recycling overview page for the glossary of terms related to this issue brief  

Bibliography   web sites, reports, articles, and other reference material 

• Statistics regarding solid waste-- Information on per day/year waste [3]

• "Green Infrastructure: Smart Conservation for the 21st Century"-- Monograph for the Sprawl Watch Clearinghouse

• Article--Shawnee county recycling program must 'grow or go' [2]

• EPA is a program integrating waste prevention and recycling activities. [4]

Footnotes

1. pg 23, " Green Infrastructure: Smart Conservation for the 21st Century", report by Mark A. Benedict and Edward T. McMahon for the Sprawl Watch Clearinghouse [http://www.sprawlwatch.org/greeninfrastructure.pdf /] ▲