RECYCLETTER

A Newsletter of the City Facilities Zero Waste Recycling Program (CFRP)

FEBRUARY 2012

Department of Public Works/ Bureau of Sanitation, Solid Resources Citywide Recycling Division (SRCRD), City Facilities Recycling Program (CFRP) Public Works Building 1149 S. Broadway, 5th . Los Angeles, CA 90015-2213 MS# 944 San.CFRP@lacity.org Karen Higgins CFRP Manager (213) 485-3844 Cathleen Chavez-Morris (213) 485-3752 Alfonso Lopez, Sr. CFRP Field Supervisor (213) 922-8300 Marivic Sabillo (213) 485-4221 Michelle Mikesell (213) 485-3884 Mistie Joyce CitiMAX Administrator (213) 485-3894
Check out the CFRP website for your Recycling Pickup Day:
http://san.ci.la.ca.us/srcrd/cfrp/recycling.htm

Theyre shiny, theyre colorful, theyre pretty. They hold information, photos, software, artwork, games, etc. The City of Los Angeles is now accepting CDs and DVDs in our Blue Recycling Bins. Though the following refers mostly to CDs, it is also applicable to DVDs. CDs and DVDs are recyclable. Although theyre a computerrelated item, they are not electronic waste. The disk itself is made of polycarbonate, the holographic coating is made of aluminum with traces of gold, silver and nickel, the liner is usually paper, and the case is usually polystyrene. Like most recyclable items made of multiple materials, the disk, case, and liner should be separated before being put into the recycling bin. The plastic and metal making up the disk separate during the recycling process. Jewel cases, if not cracked or badly scratched, are reusable. If you dont have extra CDs that need cases, they can be used to store many kinds of small items rubber bands, paper clips, small screws, nails, or washers, Post-its, business cards, etc. If theyre not in shape to be reused, the polystyrene can be recycled along with all other items marked as recyclable Number 6 plastics. If there is condential or sensitive information on the disk, you should make sure that the disk is unreadable before recycling. There are a variety of ways to do this. You could reformat, ll, and re-reformat the disk several times, although if the information is extremely condential you should use software designed for this purpose. You can also thoroughly scratch the holographic surface of the disk. Either of these methods will protect your information. Then, once the disk is separated and information-safe, and the casing and the insert are separated from each other, place whole, unbroken disks in a bag and place the bag with the disks in the blue recycling bin. Cases and inserts go into the blue bin separately.

NEW TO THE BLUE

Broken disks should go into the Black Bin.

WHAT DID WE DO LAST YEAR?

2011 Was A Very Good Year
In the past year, the City of Los Angeles started accepting in our Blue Recycling bins: Refrigerated and Shelf-Stable Cartons, Plant-based PET plastic bottles, CDs and DVDs 2011 CFRP Campaigns: 2nd Chance Week: collected 1,400 pounds of professional clothing donated to 3 City charities promoting professional employment for the homeless. Toy Drive: collected over 700 toys and books donated to the L.A. County Toy Loan Program. LAAS: collected over 20 large bags of linens donated to Los Angeles Animal Services. Used-Up Pens: collected 7,728 pens sent to Terracycle.net for recycling. Single-Use Bag Ban: 20,135 Reusable bags given out by the Zero Waste Program. Eyeglasses: collected 56 pounds for the Lions Club.

Bureau of Sanitation Enrique C. Zaldivar Director

Environmentally Preferable Purchasing

Environmentally Preferable Purchasing (EPP) has been established as a City Policy for setting specications in all City Purchasing Contracts. The philosophy behind EPP is that the products we buy and use should have the lowest total environmental impact in all areas including the manufacture, use, and disposal of the item. All commodities purchased should be within budget and serve the needs of the end users. EPP involves looking at several attributes of a product, choosing between different environmental impacts, while also looking at a products cost, ease of use, and functionality. It is a complex subject, so the Recycletter will be running a series of articles about the subject in coming months. The series will review the following attributes: Bio-based (e.g., corn or soy-based) Biodegradable Carcinogen-free Chlorouorocarbon (CFC)-free Compostable Contains recycled-content Durable, rather than single-use or disposable Energy efcient Free of persistent bio-accumulative toxics (PBT-free) Low amounts of volatile organic compounds (low VOC content) Low toxicity levels Made of rapidly renewable materials Mercury-free or free from other heavy metals Minimal packaging Minimizes the usage of virgin materials Recyclable Reusable Refurbished Water-efcient Upgradeable Reduces greenhouse gas emissions Ultimate disposal of the product at the end of its life cycle is safer compared to similar products

Low Toxicity
Consider one of the most straight-forward examples, the oor cleaning uid used by custodial crews. Cleaning fluids used to be full of strong solvents. They removed dirt and grime and made your oors shine, but the solvents were toxic to handle and dispose. They were also toxic to breathe for custodial staff and building occupants as the fumes had the potential to pass through air duct systems. Thanks to growing environmental consciounsness over the past few decades, an increasing number of manufacturers are making less toxic or non-toxic alternatives, allowing the City to specify EPP attributes during contract bids. General Services Department (GSD) custodial staff worked with GSD buyers to update the chemical cleaning product contract specifications and now purchase mostly green cleaning chemicals for use in City offices. For more information, please visit the City of LA EPP website at: http://www.environmentla.org/cgbp/epp.html If you would like to schedule a full presentation for your department or division regarding EPP, please email us at GreenPurchasing@lacity.org.