In This Issue
 Welcome!
Welcome to the Spring 2009 Be SMART newsletter. We hope this newsletter finds you donating and recycling all of the old items from your basement as you do your annual spring cleaning. In this issue you will find information on the proposed Wisconsin Electronics Recycling bill, some resources for starting up a compost pile (just in time for the gardening season!), and news about what has been keeping the Coalition busy.
Remember to visit www.RecycleMoreWisconsin.org for information on what is recycled in your community, alternatives to landfill disposal for many items that
are not traditionally picked up at the curb, a slideshow showing what happens to recyclables after they are picked up, and reasons why recycling saves energy, conserves resources, prevents pollution, and creates jobs.
Also be sure to check out the Be SMART Coalition's 2008 Annual Report and the waste reduction information at www.besmart.org.
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Be SMART/AROW Talks Begin
Karen Fiedler, Chairperson, Wisconsin Be SMART Coalition
Just like other agencies and companies, our organization is looking for ways to be more effective and efficient in these tough economic times. As part of our annual strategic planning review process, on February 25 the Be SMART Steering Committee discussed pursuing a partnership with the state recycling association, Associated Recyclers of Wisconsin (AROW). The timing is right as AROW has also recently completed a strategic planning process and is interested in taking the great education programs that Be SMART has developed statewide via its new education committee. Because of the state budget cuts and anticipated local government cuts, members are concerned about the long-term viability of the Be SMART program. Our synergies with AROW could lead to a partnership that creates greater stability for Be SMART programs. A most of you are aware, Recycling Connections Corporation (RCC) now
serves as the Executive Director and non-profit umbrella for the Wisconsin Be SMART Coalition because we are not incorporated. RCC serves a similar role for AROW.
As discussions progress between AROW, Be SMART and RCC representatives in the coming months, meeting notes and updates will be posted to the Members Only section of the Be SMART website for your information. We are committed to maintaining the innovative and creative local programming that Be SMART is noted for, while sharing our successes with others in the state and adopting some of their successful programs as well. Our main public communication tool will be the www.RecycleMoreWisconsin.org
website, but we will also contact Be SMART members and partners directly if a substantial change in the organization’s operations is recommended.
Please let me know any concerns or issues you have as we proceed, and be assured that your input is important! As always, our goal is to do a better job reducing, reusing and recycling in Wisconsin.
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Coalition Supports Proposed Electronics Recycling Bill
Karen Fiedler, Chairperson, Wisconsin Be SMART Coalition
The Wisconsin Be SMART Coalition supports Senate Bill 107, Wisconsin’s Proposed Electronics Recycling Bill. The bill establishes a collection and recycling system in Wisconsin for certain consumer electronic devices discarded by households, and bans landfilling or incineration of these devices in Wisconsin. This would internalize the true cost of the product and provide a system for proper recycling that recovers valuable metals, helps address the issue of exporting electronic waste to developing countries without proper environmental controls, and establishes tracking and reporting of waste to assure environmental compliance.
The Be SMART Coalition has a history of involvement in electronics recycling. In 2004 the Coalition received a grant from Dell, and in cooperation with a Wisconsin recycling company, Cascade Asset Management, collected over 89 tons of computers, printers, and accessories at State Fair Park on a single day from over 1,900 participants. The Coalition also coordinated a cooperative bid for the recycling of computers in southeast Wisconsin. Last year more than 31 communities and agencies throughout the state recycled over 512 tons (or 1 million pounds) of computers and related equipment through the cooperative contract.
Some member municipalities have established residential computer recycling drop off sites, however due to increasing budget cuts local governments cannot continue to bear the cost to recycle residential electronics. Generally we have not been able to include televisions due to the additional cost and lack of infrastructure.
Recycling creates new business opportunities, provides jobs, recovers feedstock for new products, and creates new markets. Residents want to dispose of electronic waste responsibly, but they need convenient, responsible programs that are easy to use and assure protection of public health and the environment.
Action is needed now. The change in technology to flat screens and digital TV will result in disposal of hundreds of thousands of televisions in Wisconsin within the next few years. Visit Senator Mark Miller's website for more information on SB 107, and contact your representatives to ask for support.
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Wisconsin Be SMART Coalition Wins Outstanding Achievement in Education Award
The Associated Recyclers of Wisconsin (AROW), a nonprofit association that provides statewide proactive leadership on waste reduction and recycling, announced the winners of their 2009 recycling awards during a luncheon at their annual conference in March. Awards were given to businesses or individuals who have achieved excellence in waste reduction and recycling.
The Wisconsin Be SMART Coalition received the Outstanding Achievement in Education Award, which was presented by AROW Executive Director, Karin Sieg, to Coalition Chair Karen Fiedler, Waukesha County. The Coalition, with over 50 municipalities and serving 1.3 million residents in southeast and northeast Wisconsin, provides waste reduction and recycling education programs for municipalities, residents and schools. In 2008, RecycleMoreWisconsin.org
, a statewide website and campaign that provides community specific recycling information to residents was launched. The Coalition also began a pilot program, Recycling Assistance to Schools, which provides onsite assistance and information to area schools to establish or improve their recycling programs. Back to top
Be SMART Conservation Challenge Participants Honored
Six UWM students who took part in the Be SMART Conservation Challenge during the 2008 - 2009 school year were be recognized at the UWM Institute for Service Learning's Distinguished Service Learner Awards on Sunday, May 3. The Wisconsin Be SMART Conservation Challenge invites people to carry out a plan of their own design that reduces waste, conserves resources or prevents pollution.
Abby Buechel helped her workplace, a NE WI restaurant, reduce waste by switching from take-out boxes to bags for leftovers. Customers are given a choice, and servers describe the waste reducing benefits of the smaller packages. Using the bags reduces the packaging sent home with customers and cuts the use of shipping cartons for take-out containers by over 60%. She also researched products and found a biodegradable box that the restaurant uses for customers who do not want a bag.
Lindsay Jaszewski and Nathan Jansky noticed that the Shorewood Pick 'n' Save store where they both work already prevented waste with some successful reuse approaches such as using day-old bread to make bread pudding. The two participants changed the store's practice of throwing away certain unsold baked goods at closing time by arranging a rotation of several food pantries to transport and receive unsold rolls, bagels and croissants. Each day, an average of 109 items are donated. Lindsay and Nate also took measures to promote the use of reusable bags and encouraged the expansion of their project to other Pick 'n' Save stores.
Upon learning about negative environmental impacts of meat production, Erica Ramirez and Merisela Rodriguez Gutierrez took on the challenge of becoming vegetarians for a full semester. The role of meat in their Mexican culture made it difficult for them to explain their new diets to their families, but they overcame the challenges. At the semester's end, Erica is no longer a vegetarian but eats less meat and consumes meat only from a neighborhood Matanza that sells locally raised, non-feedlot meat and her family now adjusts the amount of food prepared so that fewer uneaten leftovers are discarded. Merisela is continuing her vegetarian diet, inspired by the benefits to the environment, knowing that her new food choices are healthier and the enjoyment she found in being exposed to new foods she might not have tried. Her family has been influenced by her project and now prepares more
plant-based foods.
Krystel Wilburn took a hard look at the waste created at the daycare where she works and involved the staff in brining about several changes that conserve resources, reduce waste and save money for the daycare. The agency now buys supplies in bulk, makes healthy snacks for children and no longer buys individually packaged portions, unwanted scraps and containers are used in children's crafts, and children share what they learn about recycling with their families. The daycare director now presents waste reduction ideas in workshops she gives through a professional association for daycare center operators.
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My SMART Idea – Composting!
Becky Curtis, Recycling Assistant , City of Milwaukee DPW
You have reduced, reused, and recycled your way to a lower trash output each week. Still wondering how to deal with the various fruit scraps, vegetable peelings, and other organic scraps that you produce in the kitchen? Americans generate 474 pounds of food waste per person annually, much of which is compostable organics. Choosing to compost your organics is a SMART way to turn waste into something useful. This can be done in your backyard, or even right in your own kitchen.
 Spreading compost on your lawn and garden improves soil quality and returns nutrients to the soil, reducing the need for watering and fertilizers. You will end up with healthier plants and a higher crop yield! Compost will also help to perk up droopy houseplants. Composting also keeps organic materials out of landfills, where they can produce methane as they decompose. Methane is a greenhouse gas more potent than carbon dioxide.
If you don’t have outdoor space for a compost pile or bin, there are options for indoor composting. Done right, indoor composting is odorless and will not attract pests. Worm composting can be done right under your kitchen sink in a simple container you purchase or make. Or try fermenting your scraps in a small bucket that keeps odors in. When the scraps are ready, bury them outside. For the gadget-loving, there is a small cupboard-sized machine that will compost up to 120 pounds of scraps per month using microchip technology to regulate air, temperature, and moisture levels within the composting chamber. There are abundant resources out there for all types of composting. Try wormwoman.com
, kitchengardenfoods.com, and naturemill.com for a start!
Check your local ordinances to find out what kind of composting is allowed where you live. No matter where you live, there is a compost method that’s right for you!
This article is also posted on the Be SMART Article Archive along with more than 60 waste reduction articles. Coalition members can now find all of the article templates in the Member's Only section and are encouraged to reprint the articles in community publications.
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Environmental Newspaper Supplements
The annual "Green Pages" was published in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on April 2, 2009. This year's theme was SMART Choices, and all stories focused on decisions everyone can make to Save Money And Reduce Trash. Read the full 2009 Green pages on the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel website.
Walworth County published “The Beacon’s Green Pages” as part of the larger news edition of The Beacon on April 10, 2009. It featured articles that gave Earth Day history, information about Walworth County’s recycling initiatives, and general waste reduction information. The Beacon is a free community newspaper with a distribution throughout Walworth County and adjacent areas in northern Illinois. This was Walworth County’s first joint publication project with the Wisconsin Be SMART Coalition.
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