Every day we separate white from mixed paper and hold onto our soda cans until they get to a recycling bin. SLAC recycles a wide variety of materials including construction materials and, at times, exotic hazardous materials that would otherwise become hazardous wastes. We’re all making a difference, but how much? As it turns out, we’re making a big difference.

"We see good results as to what people are putting in the bins, and we don’t see very many recyclable materials in the trash," reported Richard Cellamare (ESH). "This helps reduce the quantity and costs of disposing wastes to our landfills."

SLAC currently recycles items such as white paper, mixed paper, newspaper, beverage containers (glass, aluminum, bimetal, and certain plastics), corrugated cardboard, scrap metal, computer and other electronics waste, garden and wood wastes, construction materials and chemicals. A pilot program for transparencies is also in place.

It doesn’t end there. SLAC is constantly looking for more ways to recycle – including recyclable materials that are not easy to collect at SLAC, said Cellamare. "We’re looking into Styrofoam, but it is a very difficult material to handle and collect for recycling."

Since 1999, when SLAC changed the collection methods of its recycling program, things have significantly improved. Now, thanks to the efforts of Jean Hubbard (PUR), the subcontractor pays SLAC for money-making recyclables like white paper—the most valuable of all recyclable papers.

After discounting highly variable recyclables such as scrap metal and recycling materials, the percentage of recyclable materials coming out of SLAC has increased. Including all recyclable materials, that percentage was as high as 75 percent in fiscal year 2001.

Part of the success of the recycling program depends on individuals taking the time to recycle and sorting recyclables properly. If you don’t already have a cardboard desktop box to collect and sort your used paper, get one from Stores (Bldg. 81, ext. 8901).

Employees have also initiated some of their own recycling efforts. For example, the Library initiated the program to reuse paper in the Cafeteria for scratch paper, and Doug Kreitz (BSD) initiated the re-use of woodcuttings for art projects.

In addition to recycling, it is important not to forget the necessity of reduction—the reduction of waste, which is much more effective than having to recycle.

Being green also means using recycled materials when possible. Liam Robinson of Site and Engineering Maintenance, which oversees the recycling subcontractor and janitorial contracts, told us, "Our group recently purchased 250 gallons of recycled paint which we used to paint the Instrumentation and Controls Alcoves throughout the Klystron Gallery."

With continued efforts by the Laboratory community, and the addition of recycling programs for new materials, the future of recycling at SLAC looks promising. Let’s do our best to keep it that way.