Office

Recycle City's office workers, like Amy Woo, use computers to reduce the amount of paper they use. Office workers send email to each other, which requires no paper at all.  Many city documents are available on the Internet, to reduce the need for printing and mailing paper copies.

At Recycle City Hall, they always print on both sides of the paper. (If all offices in the U.S. increased their two-sided copying to 60 percent, we would save over 15 million trees, or 890,000 tons of paper a year!) When paper can't be used again, workers put it into a recycling bin.

When the Recycle City government buys office supplies, it purchases recycled paper and other products that use less packaging or are made from recycled material. When it's time to buy  office equipment, computers and lighting supplies, the city purchases energy-saving models with "Energy Star" or "EPEAT" labels on them.

Here are some ideas for any office:

• Use central bulletin boards to post flyers
• Use email rather than paper for announcements and internal memos
• Circulate documents electronically among several people
• Fax directly from the computer, or scan documents to fax Edit and proofread on the computer before printing
• Print drafts on paper that's already been used on one side
• Use single spacing in documents
• Store files on electronic media such as CDs, memory sticks, or on the network
• Reuse file folders and envelopes

Mayor's Office

Once a month, Mayor Turner hosts a special town meeting to honor citizens and businesses that have made an extra effort to reduce, reuse, and recycle. At the meeting, she presents a special plaque made from recycled materials, a cash award, and issues a proclamation that is publicized in the local newspapers.

Mayor Turner studies model programs in other cities and introduces successful ideas to the Recycle City Council. She also checks city government offices to determine the amount and types of waste they produce and makes sure that reuse and recycling policies are followed.  Mayor Turner also monitors the town’s Environmentally Preferable Purchasing (EPP) Policy, which requires city agencies to buy safer products that generate less waste.

City representatives work closely with federal, state, and county health departments and environmental agencies, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, to make sure local policies work to support other regulations that protect the environment.

To encourage even greater participation in waste reduction efforts, Mayor Turner and the Recycle City Council are creating economic incentives for local businesses and waste companies. So far, they plan to:

• Link the cost of garbage pick-up to the amount being thrown away, so that people who reduce waste and recycle will pay lower fees
• Give tax savings to waste haulers who pick up and recycle used equipment from local businesses
• Reward "green companies" that reduce the amount of waste they generate and manage their wastes responsibly
• Pass laws requiring businesses and city institutions to recover more materials for recycling or composting (including a law to require yard trimmings to be composted)
• Support local recycling efforts by keeping businesses up-to-date on recycling services and drop-off points
• Find new markets for recovered materials and inform local businesses about them

Plastic Bench

The benches outside City Hall are made from recycled high-density polyethylene (HDPE) plastic. Before the plastic in this bench was recycled and processed, it stored milk in gallon jugs at the local grocery store.

Recycle City has wooden benches, too. When they need repainting, the city saves money and reduces waste by using recycled paint that was dropped off at the Hazardous Waste Disposal Center.

Copy Room

To reduce the amount of paper they use, Recycle City employees use recycled paper and copy on both sides. They scan documents to send electronically instead of faxing or mailing them.

For coffee breaks, they use mugs that can be washed and reused. By using re-usable cups, the workers don't have to throw away foam or paper cups—saving resources and energy, and helping decrease the amount of waste that goes into the landfill.

Everyone brings their refillable water bottles rather than buying bottled water, and they put empty soda cans and bottles in collection bins for recycling.  

Town Meetings

The 3R Committee meets at City Hall on a regular basis to share information about how to reduce waste and encourage reuse and recycling.

A city government official attends these meetings and reports the results to Mayor Turner. The 3R Committee works with local government and businesses to create better, more profitable markets for reused and recycled materials. (By buying and selling these materials in larger quantities, everyone gets better prices).

The 3R Committee conducts email and letter-writing campaigns to encourage companies to reduce unnecessary packaging and the use of hazardous ingredients in their products. 3R members let companies know when they are pleased with changes and recommend these businesses to Mayor Turner for special awards.

Some members monitor state government debates for proposed laws that could improve waste management and the environment.