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FUENTE NUEVA

WASTE AUDIT FALL 2013

The purpose of this project is reducing Fuente Nueva Charter School’s carbon and waste

footprint by educating the children and getting the administration and students involved.

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Table of Contents

1) Abstract/ Purpose……………………………………………………………………… 3

2) Planning………………………………………………………………………………... 4

a) Phase 1- Preliminary Phase

b) Phase 2- Life Cycle Analysis

c) Phase 3- Teams

d) Phase 4- Implementation

e) Conclusion

3) Waste Education Lesson Plan……………………………………………………….... 9

a) The full layout for a waste education lesson plan:

i) Time duration for lesson plan

ii) Overview of lesson plan

iii) Objectives and goals

iv) Vocabulary

v) Materials

vi) Introduction

vii) Activities and procedures

viii) Assessment

ix) Conclusion

x) Homework and Take-home Projects

b) Fun facts about Recycling

c) Where our waste goes

i) Sanitary Landfills

ii) Composting

iii) Recycling

d) Letter template to parents for “Waste-Free Lunch Day”

4) Physical Infrastructure Plan………………………………………………………… 18

a) Introduction

b) Bin Materials for Recycling and Compost

i) Recycling: Type, Cost, Where to buy

ii) Compost: Type, Cost, Where to buy

c) Bins: Waste Separation, Disposal, and Locations

i) Waste Separation

ii) Disposal

iii) Compost Bin Location

d) Signage: Infrastructure and Design

i) Infrastructure of signs

ii) Design

(1) How to make signs persuasive

(2) How to make signs easy to understand

(3) How to make signs look nice

(4) Bilingual Option

e) Getting the kids involved: Ideas for FNCS and participation

i) Ideas

ii) Participation

iii) References

iv) Cost Effectiveness of the Physical Infrastructure Plan Implementation

5) Conclusion & Discussion

a) Total emissions saved

b) Discussion on effectiveness

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Abstract

In an effort to reduce and divert the waste products at Fuente Nueva

Charter School, a waste audit was performed by students at Humboldt State

University determining the waste profile generated by the school in the fall

of 2013. This project aims to significantly reduce the school’s environmental

impact, while simultaneously educating and engaging the students within it.

The project includes a description of the current waste removal system, as

well as an analysis of the waste generated by the students and staff.

Additionally, the impact analysis section provides a detailed report on the

total amount of waste items produced and the embedded energy and CO2

emissions associated with each item. Finally, the report contains effective

suggestions for constructing the physical infrastructure needed to make the

system successful, including lesson plans, educational signage, and

composting facilities.

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Planning

During the fall of 2013, students enrolled in ENGR 308, Technology and the

Environment, undertook a project to assist Fuente Nueva Charter School in creating a plan to

reduce their waste by diverting recyclable materials, as well as compostable items, away from

the landfill. This document serves to provide the steps that were taken by the ENGR 308

students.

Phase 1 – Preliminary Phase

The ENGR 308 students initially conducted research and gathered peer-reviewed articles

on similar projects and policies. The students then conducted a waste audit at Fuente Nueva

Charter School on November 14, 2013. They evaluated one week’s worth of waste from all

students and staff and sorted the waste into categories. This waste was sorted into six categories:

paper compost, food compost, commercial compost, garbage, recycling, and odd items.

The categories were determined based on whether the materials could be recycled or

composted. Compostables were split into three categories; industrial compost, paper compost

and food compost. The industrial compost category consists of products that require regular

turning, higher temperatures, and higher moisture levels to break down the items. The paper

compost category consists of easier to break down paper products including napkins, paper

towels, tissues, and paper food trays. The food compost category consists of food products that

can be easily composted. The garbage category consists of non-reusable materials that are

destined for the landfill. The recycling category consists of materials that are able to be recycled

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including milk cartons, yogurt cups, mixed office paper, cans, bottles, glass, aluminum foil, and

cardboard. The odd items category consists of items that were still usable including a key hanger,

particle board, and miscellaneous art projects.

The table below shows the composition of the trash for the entire school for one week’s

worth of trash.

Table 1. Waste Audit Results

Category Weight

(lbs)

Percentage

Paper Compost 6.1 3.9%

Food Compost 58,4 36.8%

Garbage 43 27.1%

Recycling 38 24.0%

Commercial

Compost

3 1.9%

Odd Items 10 6.3%

Total 158.5 100%

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Phase 2 - Lifecycle Analysis

Following the waste audit, analysis of the waste was conducted. The students determined

the amount of embodied energy within the waste. Next, the ENGR 308 students created excel

spreadsheets to determine the embedded energy, pounds of carbon dioxide per pound of each

product, as well as the cost per pound of each product. The results of these analyses are provided

in Table 2.

Table 2. Embedded Energy, CO2 Emissions

Delete When Items

imported

Embedded Energy Co2 Emissions

Aluminum foil Mj/lb lb co2/lb

Apple 75.3 Mj/lb 31 lb co2/lb

Cheese 38.6 Mj/lb 3 lb co2/lb

Facial Tissue 280.3 Mj/lb 396 lb co2/lb

Juice Box 44199.5 Mj/lb 35 lb co2/lb

Kiwi 9.8 Mj/lb 2 lb co2/lb

Lettuce 737.5 Mj/lb 560 lb co2/lb

Napkins 8.9 Mj/lb 1 lb co2/lb

Office Paper 195.4 Mj/lb lb co2/lb

Paper 27.7 Mj/lb 0 lb co2/lb

Paper Boat 9231.7 Mj/lb 1 lb co2/lb

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Milk carton 6640 Mj/lb 633 lb co2/lb

Rice 9.8 Mj/lb 3 lb co2/lb

Other Compost (Too much variety to

calculate) Mj/lb

(Too much variety to

calculate) lb co2/lb

Paper Folder 1999.6 Mj/lb 94254 lb co2/lb

Paper Pail 21936.7 Mj/lb 6764 lb co2/lb

Trash Bags 600945.8 Mj/lb 97570 lb co2/lb

Yogurt Cups 0.1 Mj/lb lb co2/lb

Phase 3 - Teams

The class was separated into teams based on the skills and interests of the ENGR 308

students.

Meta Team – This team is responsible for evaluating the summation of embedded

energy reports, confirming findings, and creating an aggregate of what was found.

Education Team – This team is responsible for creating lesson plans that refer to life

cycle analysis for compost and recycling activities. These activities will portray the importance

and of recycling and composting.

Infrastructure Team – This team will examine materials and logistics. Analyze optimal

bin locations and form. They will also look at prices and conduct a purchasing plan. Ideally each

classroom, as well as all the common areas, will receive a blue recycling bin as well as one five-

gallon bucket for compostable materials.

Planning Team – This team will provide grant language, as well as create an

accumulated review/report of what has been done and what needs to be done.

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Phase 4: Implementation

The implementation process includes purchasing standard bins and providing them to

each classroom and common area. The recycling bins will consists of ten blue “Slim Jim Bins”

and the compost bins will consist of ten five-gallon bins. These bins will be constant and

uniform throughout the school to ensure that students and staff can properly dispose of waste

throughout the school. The estimated cost of the bins is estimated at $393.00 before shipping

(Table 3).

Table 3. Proposed Infrastructure Costs

Item Number Cost($) Total($)

Slim Jim Tall Can 10 $33.99 $339.90

5 Gallon Can 10 $5.29 $52.90

Total $393.00

The implementation process will also consist of educating the Fuente Nueva students on

the aspects of waste reduction. The education group will provide a workshop to encourage the

students to learn about how recycling and composting work.

Through a properly conducted recycling education program, which will meet Education

and the Environment Initiative standards, we estimate that 50% of the waste generated by Fuente

Nueva students and staff can be diverted from landfills. This will result in reduced spending

from the school for their weekly waste collection.

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Table 4. Current and Proposed Spending on Waste Services

Service Level Solid

Waste

Recycling

Service

Service

Cost1

Number of

Bins

Cost per

Month

Current 60 Gallon Can

Weekly Service

90 Gallon Totes

Weekly

$48.74 per

Month 4 $194.96

Proposed 60 Gallon Can

Weekly Service

90 Gallon Totes

Weekly

$48.74 per

Month 2 $97.48

1Retrieved from: cityofarcata.org/departments/environmental-services/garbage-recycling

With proper implementation, Fuente Nueva Charter School could reduce the cost of

disposing their waste by $97.48 a month. With the proposed infrastructure costs of $393.00, the

project would pay itself off in five months.

The project would also reduce the carbon and embedded energy footprint of Fuente

Nueva Charter School. Assuming full bins of waste transported to the Dry Creek Landfill in

Medford, Oregon, a 50% reduction in waste would equate to a reduction of 15.19 lbs. of CO2 per

week.

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Table 5. CO2 Emissions Pre- and Post-Project Per Month

Waste

Weight

Before

Project (lbs.)

Waste

Weight

After

Project

(lbs.)

CO2 Emissions

per lb. of

Waste

CO2 Emissions

Before Project

(lbs)

CO2 Emissions

After Project

(lbs.)

CO2 Emission

Reduction

(lbs.)

Trash 270 135 0.049 13.23 6.62 6.62

PRecycle 350 175 0.049 17.15 8.58 8.58

Total 620 310 0.049 30.38 15.19 15.19

Assuming Full Cans and their maximum weight going to dump in Medford, OR.

Conclusion

The waste from Fuente Nueva was evaluated for the embodied energy, carbon dioxide

emissions, cost per pound of waste, and the life cycle analysis. This project will not only reduce

the school’s carbon footprint, but it will also reduce the amount of money spent on garbage

service each month. The amount of money that can be saved by reducing the garbage bins from

four to two is $97.48. The cost of implementation is $392.80, not including shipping charges.

This project will also teach the children of Fuente Nueva Charter School fundamental skills that

will last a lifetime.

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Waste Education Lesson Plan

GRADE EEI STANDARDS

K-5 4.2.a. Students know plants are the primary source of matter and energy entering

most food chains.

4.2.b. Students know producers and consumers (herbivores, carnivores,

omnivores, and decomposers) are related in food chains and food webs and

may compete with each other for resources in an ecosystem.

5.3a. Students know most of Earth’s water is present as salt water in the oceans,

which covers most of Earth’s surface.

5.3.d. Students know that the amount of fresh water located in rivers, lakes,

underground sources, and glaciers is limited and that its availability

can be extended by recycling and decreasing the use of water.

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Title Waste Reduction and Diversion

Time duration Five thirty minute lessons over the duration of a week.

Overview This lesson will teach students about the life cycle of our food and

products and the relationship that those cycles have with other life

cycles. The objective outcome is to educate students about their

environmental impact as well as their responsibility to reduce and

divert waste.

Objective To instill the benefits of alternative ways of the disposing of their

waste.

● Students will be able to sort everyday items that need to be

disposed of into their appropriate bins (for example plastic water

bottles into the blue recycle bin).

● Students will learn the difference between recyclables,

compost items, and trash.

● Students will understand where their trash travels to.

Vocabulary

Aluminum - a silver metal that is strong and light. Also a material

soda cans are made out of.

Compost - a mixture largely of decayed matter of once living things

or their products and used for fertilizing and conditioning land

Landfill- a system of trash and garbage disposal in which the waste is

buried between layers of earth to build up low- lying land

Life cycle - the series of changes in the life of a product, including

reproduction.

Recycle - turning waste into material that can be used again

Recyclables - fit for or capable of being recycled

Solid waste - any discarded (abandoned or considered waste-like)

materials. Includes household waste. Solid wastes can be solid,

liquid, semisolid or containerized gaseous material.

Waste - anything we throw away or get rid of, that doesn’t get used.

Wood fiber - fiber obtained from wood and used in the making of

paper.

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Materials Make your own paper

trays

Compostable materials

Take-Home Recycling

Kit

Old Magazines

Used Cardboard

Construction Paper

Markers/Paint

Glue

Scissors

Composting Activity

1 Jar of Dirt

1 Jar of Soil

Recycling Relay

2 blue recycling bins

2 trash bins

2 bags of “trash” composed of the

same materials in each bag

Introduction

1) What is an ecosystem?

An interconnected system of organisms that are all working together.

Where energy and nutrients are exchanged back and forth within

different life cycles.

2) Life Cycle of a plant. What do plants need to grow?

- Soil and water.

Our water is in a continuous loop. A system of water evaporating

from plants, the environment, and from lakes and streams; then it

accumulates in the atmosphere as clouds which then falls back down

to the earth as precipitation which we then use to water our plants or

drink.

And what do plants provide for us?

-Nutrients

How do plants get their nutrients?

-For the plants to provide us with nutrients they need nutrients, which

they get from the soil they are grown in. Therefore we need to put

nutrients in to replenish the soil. The best and most efficient way of

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doing this is to put the unused plant parts right back in the ground.

3) Life Cycle of everyday products. -Building an understanding that our products are made from

resources and plants, and the vast amount of energy that goes into a

product.

Our wooden items, like a door or a chair or the paper we write on

every day, are made from trees. There is also a lot of water that goes

into the production of these products. Water and wood are examples

of resources we use to make certain products as well as the food we

eat. Also, a huge amount of energy goes into the making and

disposing of these items and both our food and the products we use

travel through many factories all of which use more resources. (show

a life cycle diagram of a products production and its inputs)

4) Waste

On November 14 a group of sorting experts collected 156 lbs of

trash from your school. Of that 98 lbs, over half of that can be

diverted.

Only 36 lbs of the trash collected is considered waste.

The average person uses 7 trees a year in paper, wood, and other

products from trees.

The average person generates over 4 lbs of trash every day. Each

year that equates to the weight of an adult cow.

5) Energy

Each day a dump truck drives 7 hours to haul our trash away.

That is the same as 1 whole day of school.

Each day Humboldt sanitation dumps 200 tons of trash. Or the

same as 1 adult blue whales.

954 gallons of gas used to transport trash to Red Bluff

The average American footprint uses 3-4 Earths amount of energy.

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Activities and

procedures

1) Discuss beneficial impacts for recycling

a) Utilize Visuals

b) Facts

c) Impacts

2) Show Video

3) Making your own paper food trays

a) Cut Rectangle that Measures 6 x 8 Scrap Book Paper

b) Cut Corners at an angle about 1 ½ Inches

c) Make slits at the corners these cuts should be 1 ¾ inches long

d) Creates sides to make a boat

e) Fold each slit to create flap

f) Create flap for each slit

g) Flatten creases and lay your paper play again

h) Cut a piece of paper to fit over both sides of paper

i) Refold all creased lines

j) Glue Sides

4) Composting Activity

a) Ask children if they know what is underneath them

b) Ask children how they receive their nutrients

c) Explain the difference between soil/dirt.

d) Have children feel the dirt/soil

e) Explain how soil receives its nutrients

5) Recycling Relay

a) Have students help sort items into recycling, compost, and a

trash can. This will be a competition between two teams (split

the class into two groups) that will have a relay-race style game

to test the students’ knowledge of identification and sorting of

trash, recycling and a few compostable items. The two teams

will each have their own area with a blue recycling bin, a trash

can and the compost spot which if outside can be the grass (this

will give further opportunities to make the connection that

though items will decompose and the nutrients will be returning

to the ground soil.)At the opposite end of the groups and there

currently empty bins will be 2 bags or boxes of the mixed

materials of “trash” around 20 or so feet away.

b) The students will then line up and then one at a time run over to

their teams trash bag select an item and then run back and place

that item in the appropriate bin and tap the hand of their next

team mate to run and select the next item. Until all materials are

sorted.

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6) Take-Home Recycling Kit

a) Explain what recycling is. Review the information in recycling

facts.

b) Have each child cut old cardboard boxes into four 8 ½ by 11-

inch pieces and glue different colored construction paper to each

side of the cardboard. Connect each piece of cardboard with tape

to form a placard that can stand on a table. Instruct the children

to label each piece of cardboard with one of the following

recyclables: aluminum, glass, plastic, and paper.

c) Have children cut out or draw the appropriate recyclable for

each cardboard placard using the magazines, newspaper,

markers, or paints.

d) When the children are finished decorating, ask them to take their

placards home. To encourage families to recycle, ask the

children to set the placards where their families keep their

recyclables or trash. Encourage children to share the information

they learned with their parents. Explain how the placards serve

as a friendly reminder of the importance and benefits of

recycling.

e) After completing the activity, give each child a sticker.

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Assessment Word Search

Recycle Maze

Recycling Coloring Page

Bilingual Recycling Coloring Page

Signs

a) Divide children into 2 groups

b) Have each group cut out Recyclable/Non-Recyclable items out

of magazines

c) Paste each item into separate posters.

d) Have children vote on their favorite

Children compare the life cycle of a butterfly and life cycle of

trash

a) What are some steps of the life cycle of a butterfly? (Answer:

birth, caterpillar, chrysalis, butterfly, decompose.)

b) What are some steps in the life cycle of a product? (Answer:

materials acquisition, materials processing, manufacturing,

packaging, transportation, use and disposal.)

Conclusions Emphasis on importance of separation and compliance.

Right now at Fuente Nueva over half of what we throw in the

trash is either recyclable paper or compostable food and paper

towels. This means that we can use these materials right here in

Humboldt and prevent them from having to travel 3 ½ hour to the

dump

By diverting the waste we produce into useful things right here at

our school and in our homes we eliminate the need for that very

long trip to the landfill. If we get our recyclable paper wet, dirty

and messy with food it can no longer be recycled. That is one

reason why sorting is so important.

Homework/

Take-home Projects

Make your own signs with images that identify what can be

recycled and composted

Take home recycling kit. Make a recycling box for your home.

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FUN FACTS about Recycling!

One ton of recycled paper uses: 64% less energy, 50% less water, 74% less air

pollution, saves 17 trees and creates 5 times more jobs than one ton of paper

products from virgin wood pulp.

Recycling just one aluminum can saves enough energy to run a TV for three hours –

or the equivalent of a half a gallon of gasoline.

A 60-watt light bulb can be run for over a day on the amount of energy saved by

recycling 1 pound of steel. In one year in the United States, the recycling of steel

saves enough energy to heat and light 18,000,000 homes!

If you had a 15-year-old tree and made it into paper grocery bags, you'd get about

700 of them. A supermarket could use all of them in under an hour! This means in

one year, one supermarket goes through 60,500,000 paper bags! Imagine how many

supermarkets there are in the U.S.!!!

So, one super market uses 86,429 trees in one year!

The average person uses 7 trees a year in paper, wood, and other products from

trees.

Cigarette butts and filters take 12 years to biodegrade. Aluminum cans take between

200 to 500 years to biodegrade. Plastic diapers and sanitary pads take between 500-

800 years. Styrofoam takes more than 5,000 years. And it would take a glass bottle

1 million years to biodegrade.

The average person generates over 4 pounds of trash every day and about 1.5 tons

of solid waste per year.

Over 75% of waste is recyclable, but we only recycle about 30% of it.

It has been estimated that 1 billion tons of plastic (the equivalent weight of nearly

3000 Empire State buildings” have been created. Since it takes hundreds of years to

decompose, most of it still exists.

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Where Our Waste Goes

Sanitary Landfills:

a) Most common form of waste disposal

b) Sanitary landfills are constructed on carefully chosen sites and lined with durable plastic

and clay to prevent trash coming into contact with the earth, particularly groundwater

c) Waste deposited in landfills is covered daily with soil or a special fabric cover. This

covering seals the compacted trash from the air and prevents pests (birds, rodents, etc.)

from getting into the trash

d) There is a big difference between a sanitary landfill and a dump. A dump is a big hole or

pile of garbage that does not prevent waste from coming in contact with the ground, has

many pest problems and stinks. A landfill is a specially engineered system designed to

contain garbage in a more sanitary way.

e) As garbage in a landfill decomposes it creates gas. Forty-five to sixty percent of the gas

is composed of methane and the rest is mostly carbon dioxide. Do you know that landfill

gas can be burned to create energy?

Composting

a) Compost is made from decomposed plant and animal material

b) Composting is a controlled decomposition of plant material to create humus

c) The composting process is a carefully regulated system of combining oxygen, nitrogen,

carbon and water…plus some microbes, who love to eat waste

d) Landfill space is saved when people recycle plant materials (yard trimmings, food

scraps) through composting

Recycling

a) Recycle old materials and turn them into new reusable materials.

b) Reduces amount of trash to landfills and reduce pollution from landfill leachate.

c) Recycling saves natural resources. Without recycling this material would come from

trees.

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Physical Infrastructure Plan

Introduction

The physical infrastructure team has consolidated this collective information to assist in the

implementation of the waste management system at Fuente Nueva Charter School. This

document contains effective suggestions on how construct the physical infrastructure materials

that are needed to make this system effective. Decoration, usage, and placement ideas for the

recycling bins, composting pile, and relevant signage are all included in this document.

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Bin Materials for: Recycling and Compost

1. Recycling:

Type

Rubbermaid Slim Jim Recycling Bin

Capacity: 23 gallon

Color: Blue with recycling logo

How many: About 10, one for each classroom

Example:

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Cost

One bin: $35 dollars each.

Bins must be without holes in the bottom, but lids are optional.

Where To Buy

The bins are available on the Home Depot website and are likely in stock at local Home

Depot stores.

Optional Lids

Utilization and efficiency of recycling can be dramatically increased when bins are

equipped with lids which reduce and/or minimize the deposit of misplaced or non-

recyclable goods.

2. Compost:

Type

Homer Bucket

Capacity: 5 gallon

Color: Orange

How many: About 10, one for each classroom

Example:

FIGURE 1 (SOURCE:HTTP://WWW.HOMEDEPOT.COM/P/RUBBERMAID-COMMERCIAL-PRODUCTS-23-GAL-SLIM-JIM-RECYCLING-BIN-FG3540-74BLU/100185248#.UQYZKXCWXTO)

Figure 2 (Source: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Homer-Bucket-5-gal-Orange-Bucket-05GLHD2/100087613#.UqY0vhCwXTo)

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Cost

One bin: About $3 each

Lids are recommended for the compost buckets but are optional.

Where to buy:

The recommended Homer Bucket is available at Home Depot and online at the Home

Depot website:

(http://www.homedepot.com/b/webapp/catalog/servlet/HomePageView?storeId=10051&

catalogId=10053&langId=-1).

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Bins: Waste Separation, Disposal, and Locations

1. Waste Separation

Four types

1. Plastic Recyclable

2. Paper (mainly for milk cartons)

3. Compost

4. Trash.

Trash will have its own separate bin (classrooms already have them) and one Slim Jim

will be needed for each classroom for a mixed recycling system. The recycling bin will

take all recyclable plastic and paper. There is also a need for a compost bucket in each

class due to the high level of organic waste. It is recommended to put shredded paper at

the bottom of each bucket to help reduce odor.

Compost Bin Materials

There are already worm compost bins on site that will be utilized for classroom compost.

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(If additional compost bins are needed, these materials are required):

4 pieces of 2x4 wood or plastic

Water Resistant Tarp

Long Spike Thermometer

2. Disposal

Since each class eats inside their own classrooms for lunch and there is no designated

eating area, each classroom with have a 23 gallon recycling bin for papers and plastics, a

5 gallon compost bucket, and a standard trash can.

Recycling will be picked up at the end of each day by the custodian who already comes

around to pick up trash. We recommend that the compost is taken out by a student or the

teacher each day (the position of whom would rotate at the discretion of the teacher) to

encourage student involvement.

3. Compost Bin Location

Compost bins will be needed at all locations in which food will be consumed and organic

waste will be generated. Each classroom will need a small 5 gallon bucket which can be

emptied daily into a one of the larger worm compost bins.

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Signage: Infrastructure and Design

1. Infrastructure of Signs

Signage to designate each recycle, compost, and trash bins inside of the classrooms could

be made from recycled materials such as cardboard. We could get even more creative and

try to make signs out of recycled materials found at the school. The use of recyclable

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materials for the signs would tie in well to the whole reduce, reuse, recycle mantra as we

would be finding new uses for materials that would otherwise be thrown into the waste

stream. Or another alternative would be simply using construction paper and markers and

making signs that could be laminated. Students could each decorate a sign, then the class

could vote on the best ones to laminate and use.

The signs inside the classroom should designate: which bin is which and what goes in

each. The recyclable, compost, and trash signs should be placed above each designated

bin. Nearby should be the signs that explain which items go in which. However this sign

and bin arrangement is done, is ultimately up to each of the classes.

2. Design

Materials should be of good quality as in something sturdy like, poster board or

cardboard. They should look clean and be presented well. Effective composition is

accomplished by designing a sign that is pleasing to the eye. Pictures and words should

be incorporated into the sign in a way that makes the eye attracted to looking at them.

This can be done through a variety of strategies like, posting the pictures in ways that

draws your eye from one to another as in triangles, avoiding tangents (where the

picture/word looks as if it will touch the edge of the board), and not overlapping images

in awkward ways. Effective color combinations are often done instinctually, but can also

be accomplished by analyzing the color wheel. As discussed in MotoCMS’s article on

color schemes, there are five main ones, monochromatic, analogous, complementary,

triadic, and tetradic.

Figure 3 shows an example of a sign that shows what kind of

paper can be thrown away.

How to Make Signs Persuasive

The use of psychology is an effective way to make signs

persuasive. In a study done by Arizona State University, it

was found that the language a sign uses and how it gets

across its message has a huge impact on whether or not

people will listen to it. Signs that suggest that you ‘should do’

or ‘do not do’ something for the: greater good of an

establishment, the environment, or for your fellow man, are

not always effective. However, signs that suggest that there is

a social norm that must be upheld are often followed more

willingly. Based off of this study we know that any

persuasive signs on campus should try and follow along these

FIGURE 3 (SOURCE: ANNIKA RAGSDALE’S PHOTO)

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same guidelines.

How To Make Signs Easy To Understand

Signs should try to use few words and mainly pictures to be effective. Pictures that have

been drawn may be more exciting and eye catching than a photograph printed out. Any

words on the signs can be in English and in Spanish to assist the students in their education

experience development in a bilingual school.

How To Make Signs Look Nice

We are going to want to make our signs look nice by using quality materials, effective

composition, and effective color combinations.

Monochromatic: Variations of a single color.

Example: Blue, Light Blue, and Dark Blue.

Analogous:A single color is chosen as the main color and is highlighted by the colors next to it

on the wheel.

Example:

Main Color: Red.

Highlights: Orange and Purple.

OR Main Color: Green.

Highlights: Darker Green and Yellow.

Complementary: Two colors are chosen across the color wheel from one another.

Example: Red and Green OR Yellow and Blue.

Triadic: Three colors are chosen that form a 120 degree angle between them.

Example: Red, Blue, and Green.

Tetradic: Four colors are chosen, two that are complementary to each other and another two

complementary to each other.

Example: Red and Green, Blue and Yellow.

Bilingual Option

By using two different languages it gives the students a chance to incorporate what they are

learning and use them in recycling as well. Signs that designate bins could be in both English and

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Spanish. Signs that show what goes where can have pictures and then the Spanish/English

equivalent to that item written underneath. An example of this can be seen in Figure 3.

Students are also encouraged to make creative recycling signs to make them excited about the

cause. Here are some sign examples:

Spanish example

“Cada persona deja una huella en la tierra, los que buscan ayudar al mundo solo dejan una

impresion de mano.”

English example

“Every person leaves a footprint on the earth, those who look to help the earth leave a hand

print.”

Possible persuasive signs for FNCS:

English versions

“Don’t forget to recycle!”

“Help your classmates recycle!”

“Join your friends in recycling/join your friends in making a difference and recycle!”

Spanish versions

“No olvide reciclar!”

“Ayude a tus compañeros reciclar!”

“Juntos con tus amigos reciclen y hagan una diferencia en el mundo!”

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Getting the Kids Involved: Ideas for FNCS and Participation

Having the children make their own signs will be the most effective way to have them recycle,

because they will attribute it to their own idea. Knowledge about waste, landfills, and embedded

energy involved in making the products that are being thrown away will help the children care

for the environment.

1. Ideas

Have an arts and crafts day where the kids could make art out of recyclable materials.

Encourage community recycling by decorating signs/placing them and the bins in the

classroom themselves.

Encourage teachers to have a reward system for recycling.

Students can collect coupons that they receive for recycling and putting the correct trash

in the right bins and be given a reward for collecting a certain amount.

2. Participation

To increase in participation we suggest that education efforts should focus on helping

students become more familiar with the details of how to recycle. If teachers can

incorporate any amount of recycling information and environmental science into their

lesson plans, students will understand more about why their actions are important.

Students and teachers can dump compost bins daily. This will allow kids to be hands on

and see the amount of food waste they accumulate. A buddy system can be set up in

classes so kids can go in pairs and each get a chance to dump waste.

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Cost Effectiveness of the Physical Infrastructure Plan Implementation

Costs in Dollars

Rubbermaid Slim Jim Recycling Bin- 23-Gallon Capacity – Blue

(Possible donation of bins by local businesses)

$15.00 Each (10 Needed)

$150.00 Total

Homer Bucket- 5-Gallon Capacity- Orange

(Possible donation of bins by local businesses)

$3.00 Each (10 Needed)

$30.00 Total

Crayola 64 pack of markers $14.00 Total

The Board Dudes SRX Medium Point Dry Erase Markers 10-pk. $7.50

Production Paint, Latex & Lead free. Outdoor strength paint $22.00 Each (4 Needed)

$88.00 Total

Generic Frames for recycling sign protection $6.00 Each (24 Needed)

$144.00 Total

Total Cost: $433.50

*This is an educated estimation of the overall cost of implementation of the physical

Infrastructure portion. Costs may vary depending on where materials are purchased or possibly

donated.

References

MotoCMS. (2013). The Power of Color Combination. Retrieved December 2, 2013, from

http://www.motocms.com/blog/project-news/color-combination-ultimate-guide/

Tracey, M. D. (2005, October). Crafting persuasive pro-environmental messages. Monitor on

Psychology, 36(9). http://www.apa.org/monitor/oct05/persuasive.aspx