DO
	DO Start a recycling program at your school or office BY Emily After working at my office for about 4 months, I noticed that when the "recycle bins" were emptied, they seemed to just be going in with the rest of the trash. Sure enough, upon further investigation, I found out that our office building doesn't recycle! This is the twenty-first century! How could they not recycle? I decided to take the matter into my own hands. The giant bins of paper next to the printer seemed a bit overwhelming to take on, so I decided to tackle the bottles and cans. The first thing I needed to do was stop people from putting garbage along with bottles and cans into the blue bin in the kitchen (I never found out who the culprit was, but somebody was tossing in banana peels on a daily basis). I made a few signs with the traditional recycle symbol and crossed out banana peels and posted them above the recycling container. I then sent out an all office email letting people know that things weren't actually getting recycled and how they could help. Although the occasional banana peel still ends up with the cans, the system works pretty well. I called around to try and find out what to do with the stuff that was piling up. Although my city has a recycling program, office buildings (and apartment houses) are not required to participate. I found a few companies that would pick up recyclables for a fee, but I didn't really have the budget for that. Instead, I talked to the cleaning crew at our office and found out that they would be happy to take clean, sorted bottles and cans and turn them in for their redemption value! It was a win-win situation - we weren't adding countless bottles and cans to the landfill, and the cleaning crew was making some extra on the side. That was definitely a non-traditional solution, but after further calls, I did get our building to start recycling paper... or so they say. First step -- designate a container for recycling. If you don't have a green or blue bin, you can designate a specific trashcan and clearly label it for recycling. Let people know what and where to recycle. Send out an office email or put up flyers announcing the program, including specifics (i.e. bottles and cans only, or no paperclips). Keep an eye on the bin and reminding people not to throw away trash (like banana peels) with the recyclables. Make sure recycling happens and your recyclables don't just end up in the trash. Contact your city to find out if they will pick up your stuff, or locate a local recycling spot where you (with help from your friends) can drop off stuff on an ongoing basis. Take it a step further and collect empty inkjet cartridges, old cell phones and other electronics. There are various programs for recycling these items, including Recycle for Breast Cancer (www.recycleforthecure.com), which not only keeps things out of landfills, but also raises money for a breast cancer foundation. You can go to their website and order a free collection bin and pre-paid mailing labels. You would be surprised at all the things that you can recycle -- from eyeglasses (www.givethegiftofsight.org) to prom dresses (www.fairygodmothersinc.com). To find out more, check out www.earth911.com, a website with all sorts of community specific information about where and how you can recycle anything.