See You Next Year!

RecycleMania is over for the year, thanks to everyone who participated! TWU plans to participate in RecycleMania again next spring, but keep reducing, reusing and recycling with the helpful tips below in the meantime!

Be Part of the Solution: RECYCLE!

TWU participated in RecycleMania for the first time this year!  RecycleMania is a friendly competition and benchmarking tool for college and university recycling programs to promote waste reduction activities to their campus communities. Over a 10-week period, schools report recycling and trash data which are then ranked according to who collects the largest amount of recyclables per capita, the largest amount of total recyclables, the least amount of trash per capita, or have the highest recycling rate. With each week’s reports and rankings, participating schools watch how their results fluctuate against other schools and use this to rally their campus communities to reduce and recycle more. To learn more about RecycleMania visit their website. 

For our first time out, TWU participated in the Benchmark Division instead of the Competition Division. To see TWU's entry and official results, click here.  For even more detailed information about TWU's recycling rates click here.

During the 10-week tournament (ending April 2nd) the TWU Conservation and Recycling Committee will be emailing a weekly tip to encourage recycling (as well as reducing, reusing and other options to live more sustainably). The tips will also be posted around campus and on this web page.

Recycling (as well as Reducing and Reusing) Tips:

Cigarette Butts

Did you know?…..

 "Each year more than 1 billion pieces of litter will accumulate on Texas highways. Of those, 13 percent are cigarette butts. That means 130 million butts will be tossed out in Texas alone this year."
--Texas Department of Transportation

• Cigarettes are the number one source of litter in the world, with an estimated several trillion littered annually.
• The filters are made of cellulose acetate tow, not cotton, and can take over ten years to decompose.
• Littered cigarette filters contain toxic chemicals which are released into the environment.
• Cigarette litter causes numerous fires every year, many of which are fatal.

http://www.cigarettelitter.org/

Recycling Tips

1. Textile waste can be reclaimed, yet 85% still goes to landfills.  http://eartheasy.com/wear_menu.htm
2. Use cooler water to do laundry.  90% of the energy used for laundry is from heating the water.  http://www.bchydro.com/guides_tips/green-your-home/appliances_guide/washing_laundry.html
3. Recycle ink cartridges.  Some stores offer "rewards" for recycling.  This can mean money in your pocket.
4. Become a member of our on campus environmental organization TREES!!
5. Be creative when using containers. You can reuse jam jars, yogurt containers, etc. to store your leftovers.
6. Opt to receive online statements from your bank/cell phone bill/etc. instead of paper statements (some have little cash incentives if you do too like Sprint!) Why waste paper getting your bank statement mailed to you when you can check it out online.
7. Return to tap water and filtered water instead of landfill-clogging bottled water.  There are two refillable bottle-stations in the Denton Student Union – one across from the Post Office and one on the 2^nd floor lobby.  There are also stations in the new Dallas building.
8. Get rid of baths - don't take baths take showers. You will on average save about half the amount of water that you would if you were taking a bath. Install a low-flow showerhead. It saves up to 1.5 gallons a minute.
9. Avoid producing as much waste as possible by using REUSABLE coffee cups, water bottles, pens, and razors.
10. Remember if you bring your REUSABLE cup to the Student Union on all campuses (and to the CFO Kiosk on the Denton Campus) you can get up to 22 oz. of coffee for $0.99 cents and up to 32 oz. of soda for $0.59.
11. Turn down the thermostat on your hot water heater to 130 degrees. It’s hot enough to wash anything and much safer. Lowering the temperature 10° can cut your water heating costs 3-5 percent.
12. Recycle plastic bags at your local Krogers, Walmart, Staples etc.
13. Find a printer that prints double-sided and set it so that all your printing is done double-sided.
14. Print on once-used paper, IF you are using an InkJet Printer.  CAUTION:  Not recommended for use in a printer that uses toner.  The print from the printed side melts onto the rollers.
15. Recycle old technology.

    Denton:  http://www.cityofdenton.com/index.aspx?page=324

    Dallas:  http://www.dallascityhall.com/sanitation/electronic_waste.html
    The City conducts free E-waste recycling collection events four (4) times a year. The dates and locations can be found on our website. E-Waste is also accepted during regular operating hours at the Home Chemical Collection Center (HC3) located at 11234 Plano Road.

    Houston:  http://www.recycleinfo.org/site/Documents/Centers.pdf

16. Purchase rechargeable batteries.
17. Replace paper napkins with cloth napkins – embroider your name on each one.
18. Replace paper towels with a set of cloth towels.
19. Purchase bleach-free, toilet paper that is made from the highest post-consumer waste content you can find (80% minimum).
20. Reuse envelopes, folders, boxes, etc. when mailing out information. 

Other Resources:

http://www.globalstewards.org/ecotips.htm

http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/green-living/ways-to-go-green

http://planetgreen.discovery.com/go-green/recycling/top-recycling-tips.html

http://earth911.com/

http://eartheasy.com/live_recycling.htm www.squidoo.com/agreenlife

Reducing Consumption

Watch the video The Story of Stuff for a good summary of the issues related to overconsumption.

1.     Reduce paper, time and postage.

Have your reimbursement checks automatically deposited to your bank (find information here).

 2.     Think twice before attaching notes or print screens to invoices and check requests. Ask yourself if it really is necessary.

No need to waste printed note paper that say, “Please handle” or “Received”.  No need to attach screen shots to invoices and check requests.

 3.     Reduce bulk mail

Request to have your name and address removed from catalog and other junk mail.  Look up their website to find a contact email address.  If you can, scan a copy of the address which includes the bar code and any Customer # and/or Keycode to include in the email.  Sometimes the website will only allow you to contact them through the website.  In that case be sure to include the address exactly as it is on the catalog and the Customer # and/or Keycode if there is one.

You will be surprised what a difference it makes.  In January alone TWU's Controller’s Office asked to be removed from 100 distribution lists.  Most of them were inch-thick catalogs and many of them duplicates.

4.     Other ways to reduce mail offered by the City of Dallas 

• Stop getting credit card junk mail. Most credit card companies use a central service to screen out people who don't want to receive their mailings. To avoid getting most credit card junk mail, call 888-567-8688. (You will be asked for your social security number.)
• Stop junk mail before it starts. Whenever you fill out a form or place an order, always write "Do not rent or exchange my name" or ask the order taker to please "flag your file" so that your information won't be shared.
• Don't fill out product warranty cards. A warranty is valid whether or not you return a card, and sending one in will put you on more mailing lists. Also avoid contests — another mechanism for compiling mailing lists.
• Remove the paper from your monthly bills. These bills are another opportunity for businesses to send you more junk. Sign up for automatic payment and ask companies to e-mail you a statement. It may take an hour or two to set this up, but you'll save time and stamps in the long run.
• Cut the catalogs. Most catalogs have an 800 number customers can use to place orders. Call and request that they remove your name from their list - and ask where they got your information, so you can call that business or organization and tell them to stop selling or trading your information.
• Return "high-end" junk mail. For First Class mail and mail marked "Address correction requested" or "Return postage guaranteed:" Ink out the barcode and write "Return to Sender - Refused by Addressee" on the front (this is the correct instruction for the U.S. Postal Service). You can also write "Please remove my name from your mailing list" on the envelope so the sender knows why you're returning it.
• Call or write bulk mailers. The sender of this mail paid a lower postage rate, so the USPS will not return undeliverable or unwanted mail to them. Open the envelope and look for an 800 number or a Business Reply envelope, and then call or write back to them and ask to be removed from their list. If you're writing, enclose the label with your name on it — these often contain codes that will make it easier for mailers to locate and delete your file.
• Stop previous resident mail. Mail addressed to a previous occupant of your house or apartment: If it is first class or "address correction requested mail", write "Return to Sender: Moved, Left no Address" on the envelope, cross out the barcode, and drop it back in the mail. If it is bulk mail, call or use a business reply envelope to tell the sender that the addressee has moved.
• Say "no" to flyers and advertising supplements. These are addressed to "Resident", and your address will appear on a separate postcard (usually featuring pictures of missing children) that accompanies the ad. The name of the company responsible for these mailings will be printed in the bulk mail seal on the upper right corner of the card. Contact this company - their information may appear on the card, but if it doesn't you can consult your phone book - and ask to be removed from their distribution list. It may take a few weeks before your request takes effect, and you may have to notify the company more than once. 

More Tips

• Want to wear your favorite shirt, blouse or pants, but it is a bit too big or too small?  It’s missing buttons or has a broken zipper?  Don’t throw it out, you can REUSE it.  Bring it to the Student Union on Wednesday, March 2 and have it altered.   Click here for the flyer.
• Try to be print conscious.  Do you really need to print that email?
• If your printer is capable of printing double-sided take advantage of that whenever possible especially if you have to print long documents.
• Print on the back of paper that is already printed on one side, but ONLY if you are using an inkjet printer.  CAUTION:  Do not do this on a laser printer. The toner from the printed side sticks to the rollers.

Cheap Drinks!

• Free Filtered Water - Did you know that you can refill a REUSABLE water bottle for FREE at the new refillable bottle-stations located in the Student Union across from the Post Office and in the 2nd floor lobby, on the new Dallas Campus, and soon in the new Denton Fitness Center? The water is filtered and refrigerated!
• 99¢ Coffee - Did you know that if you bring your own REUSABLE cup (up to 22 oz.) to the Student Union Baker's Dozen or Garden Room or to the kiosk in CFO you can get a cup of coffee for $0.99 plus tax?
• 59¢ Soda - Did you know if you bring your REUSABLE cup to the Student Union on all campuses that you could get up to 32 oz. of soda for $0.59 plus tax?  

What is Recyclable on Campus?

Denton Campus

Below is a graphic showing what can be placed in the recycling bins and dumpsters on the Denton campus (click for a larger version):

Dallas Campus

At the Dallas campus you can recycle all of the above materials; however glass must be placed in bins separate from the rest of the recyclables.

Houston Campus

Currently only paper and cardboard can be recycled at the Houston campus.

More Information

For more information on recycling and other green initiatives; please visit the Texas Woman's University Going Green website!