Art with Re-purpose Project Guide

Art with Re-purpose Project Guide PROJECT NAME: Art with Repurpose PROJECT FOCUS: Waste reduction, reuse, and repurposing INTRODUCTION: In the U.S., the average person generates more than four pounds of waste per day! (U.S. EPA) Some of this waste is recycled, with the materials processed into the raw materials for new products, but most of the waste is thrown into landfills. Clearly, waste reduction is a big problem! In 2009, the City of Chicago Department of Environment commissioned a Waste Diversion and Characterization Study, which aimed to find out what Chicagoans throw in the trash and how much of that waste could be disposed of in another way (e.g., recycling, composting). To collect data for the study, the City audited the waste in over 500 samples of trash from across the city. The auditors found that 29.5% of the solid waste (by weight) was paper, 12.5% was plastic, and 0.8% was beverage containers, all materials frequently found in school waste streams as well as residential ones. Chicago Public Schools Environmental Action Plan highlights several goals for reducing waste, including increasing recycling rates and promoting reuse of equipment and supplies. In this project, Clubs will use their creativity to help their schools meet these waste reduction goals. Club members will take an inventory of the trash and recycling in the school to identify the most commonly wasted items. Then, they will design art project(s) that re-purpose the waste materials that would otherwise end up in landfills or at recycling centers. Once Club members have designed a procedure for collecting these items from around the school, they will build the works of art. They will then use these art project(s) as tools to educate other students, staff, administration, and the community about waste reduction. 1

MATERIALS: General C3 Club Action Project supplies: 2 8-packs of poster markers 1 ream of multicolored 30% recycled paper (8.5 x 11 ) 10 100% recycled-paper multicolored poster boards 2 rolls of masking tape C3 Club Network Supplies (distributed at Kickoff Meeting) Project-specific materials (provided): For Phase I: Disposable gloves Tarp Scale Garbage bags For Phase II: Standard Materials: Box cutter Glue Glue sticks Hot glue gun (with glue sticks) Paint Paintbrushes Paper cutter Permanent markers Tape measure Twine Wire Wire cutter Additional Materials, selected by teacher according to Club s art project: Box cutter replacement blades Duct tape Flour (for paper mache) Glue Glue stick Glue sticks for hot glue gun Hammer 2

Level Paint Paintbrushes Permanent marker Safety glasses Twine Wire Wire cutter Materials for teacher to provide: Clean waste items (plastic bottles, toilet paper tubes, etc.) collected from around the school (see Phase I and Phase II) Old containers or bowls (for paints and/or mixing paper mache paste) Clipboards/pencils Additional art supplies 3

GOAL: Reduce the amount of waste entering the waste stream through reduction, reuse, and repurposing. OBJECTIVES: 1. Collect and analyze data about waste at the school. 2. Design and build works of art from materials collected from the waste stream. 3. Develop educational campaigns and new initiatives to reduce waste in the school. 4. Build support at the school for ongoing efforts to reduce waste. 5. Reach out to the community to teach parents and neighbors about reducing, reusing, and repurposing their waste. PERFORMANCE MEASURES: The success of your project will be tracked with several performance measures. These measures are designed so that you will have quantitative successes to report at the end of your project. Part of Phase I: ( Learn ) is to audit the current status of these measures at your school, then to set goals to accomplish by the end of the year. In Phase IV ( Thinking Back & Looking Ahead ), you will re-assess the situation to track the difference that your project has made. Performance Measure Current Amount (measure during Phase I) End-ofthe-Year Goals (set during Phase I) Final Amounts (measure during Phase IV) 1 Number of students actively involved in your C3 Club 2 3 4 Number of waste items used (i.e., kept from the waste stream) in art project(s) for school art project(s) Number of participants in educational activities at the school Number of participants in educational activities during community outreach 5 Number of pledge forms collected 6 Number of waste items used (i.e., kept from the waste stream) as part of community outreach efforts 4

PROJECT TIMELINE, MILESTONES, AND REPORTING: This timeline is designed to give you milestones to guide you in your project development, implementation, and evaluation. At the end of each project phase, you will submit an online report (4 total reports), where you will sign off on having completed each of the milestones below. Remember that this timeline is just a starting point to plan your project, which you will tailor to address the needs of your individual school community. Please note that if you have extra time as you work on your project, we encourage you to work ahead on future project milestones. To fill out your online report, please follow the link in the appropriate reminder email from C3 staff. Please be sure to submit your report on time, even if you have not yet completed all of the milestones. Remember that teacher stipend checks are contingent on the timely completion of reports. Due dates are listed for each phase. Phase I: Learn September 30 December 6 Materials List Due: Friday, November 22 MILESTONE #1: Explore the life cycles of common waste products and identify why waste in schools is a problem. MILESTONE #2: Conduct an audit of the waste being thrown into trash and recycling bins in the school. MILESTONE #3: Discuss school-specific goals for the project that support the overall goal of reducing waste. MILESTONE #4: Research/brainstorm initial ideas for using waste identified in the audit as part of an art project that can serve as an educational tool for teaching students, staff, and community members about waste reduction. MILESTONE #5: Report your findings and goals to administration and the janitorial staff, and secure their approval to move forward with reducing, reusing, and repurposing waste at the school. MILESTONE #6: Choose an idea, and create/brainstorm designs for making this work of art. 5

MILESTONE #7: Assess materials needs and submit materials requests to C3 by Friday, November 22. MILESTONE #8: Fill out the performance measures for Current Amount and set End-of-the-Year Goals. MILESTONE #9: Complete online report: Due Friday, December 6. Online Report Due: Friday, December 6 Phase I Procedures Read through the steps outlined for Phase I, and contact C3 with any questions. Please note: These milestones can be adapted so that they most effectively meet the needs of your individual school community; however, please communicate any major changes to C3 staff early on in the process. MILESTONE #1: Explore the life cycles of common waste products and identify why waste in schools is a problem. Use the videos listed in the appendix to explore waste production and disposal. You might also encourage students to conduct some independent research about what happens to the waste from the school and their homes. MILESTONE #2: Conduct an audit of the waste being thrown into trash and recycling bins in the school. Decide how many rooms the Club will sample throughout the school. Focus on high waste areas, like the lunch room, and try to select a sample of classrooms that might represent how waste is generated differently throughout the school (e.g., audit the waste in one or two classrooms each of primary, intermediate, and middle school grades if you re in a K-8 school). Break your Club into two teams. Each team will be responsible for sampling the waste in certain locations in the school. Assign, or have teams select, locations from the list of locations generated in the previous step. Read through the WASTE Inventory worksheet (found in the appendix) together, and discuss how Club members will use it. The purpose of this audit is to identify the waste items most commonly thrown in the trash or recycling bins. It is not necessary to count and record every single item that is found in the trash or recycling bin, though Club members could certainly record this information if they would like. Club members will collect data about the number of waste items and the weight of waste items. They can then use this information as they determine their goals for waste reduction. (See Milestone #3.) 6

Club members will also make observations of the volume of the waste in the trash and recycling bins. The WASTE Inventory sheet does not require Club members to record quantitative volumes, though you could provide meter sticks and assist with calculations (as necessary) if you would like students to calculate the volumes. Discuss why it might be important to look at the waste in several different ways (number of items, weight, and volume). (See Background Information about Waste in the appendix for additional information about waste.) How do quantity, weight, and volume impact collection of waste? Large volumes and weights make waste difficult to collect and manage. Think about having to carry a garbage bag filled with rocks (heavy!) and a garbage bag filled with cotton balls (not heavy!) to the dumpster behind the school. Or, consider how much space (volume) would be taken up in classrooms by trash if it wasn t removed every day. How do quantity, weight, and volume impact transportation of waste? Heavier vehicles use more gas and emit more greenhouse gases than light vehicles. Also, think of how the volume of trash impacts the number of garbage trucks you need! How do quantity, weight, and volume impact the landfill? Volume is usually the most important of these three factors in a landfill, as it determines how quickly the landfill is filled and thus how many landfills are needed. Club members will use one WASTE Inventory worksheet for each location in the school. (You can copy the worksheets double-sided.) Once Club members have completed these audits, the data can be combined on the WASTE Inventory Tracking Sheet. After using the WASTE Inventory worksheets to audit the trash and recycling, discuss which waste items were most common in the trash and recycling. This discussion can include Club members perceptions of which factor (number of items, weight, or volume) seems most important. MILESTONE #3: Discuss school-specific goals for the project that support the overall goal of reducing waste. The overall goal of this project is to reduce the amount of waste entering the waste stream by encouraging people to reduce, reuse, and repurpose waste. What can you do to promote this goal in your school? Tie goals to the results of the waste audit completed in Milestone #2. (e.g., have Club members set school waste reduction goals for waste items identified in the waste audit.) Compare the data collected for number of waste items to the data collected for weight of waste items. Is there a lot of overlap between the lists (i.e., were the piles with the largest number of items also the piles that were the heaviest?)? Use this discussion to elicit Club members ideas about which waste items are most in need of reduction from the school waste stream. 7

Consider goals for direct repurposing of waste via the art project and reduction of waste through education efforts that use the art project as a teaching tool. MILESTONE #4: Research/brainstorm initial ideas for using waste identified in the audit as part of an art project that can serve as an educational tool for teaching students, staff, and community members about waste reduction. Before Club members begin brainstorming ideas, discuss the materials that are available for the project. Club members will collect waste items from the school (through a process that they will design themselves). Club members can also select items from the C3 Art with Re-purpose Materials List. Club members will choose the necessary materials as they finalize their project design, and you will submit a request for these additional materials (see Milestone #7). Look at the Repurposed Art Ideas guide in the appendix for ideas and resources. When brainstorming ideas, it might be helpful to think about the waste materials through multiple lenses. o Was there a certain material that made up the items in several of the piles during the waste audit? For example, did Club members find cardboard food packaging and cardboard boxes? Could those items be combined as part of a single project? o Was there a certain color that students found interesting in the waste materials? How could they use waste objects of this color to create an interesting art piece? For each proposed idea, Club members should also list ideas for where the art project might be installed in or around the school. MILESTONE #5: Report your findings and goals to administration and the janitorial staff, and secure their approval to move forward with reducing, reusing, and repurposing waste at the school. Discuss possible locations for displaying/installing works of art in or around the school and approved locations for collecting the waste items needed for the project. Agree on plans for keeping administration and janitorial staff informed of the project s progress and for securing additional approvals as the project progresses. MILESTONE #6: Choose an idea, and create/brainstorm designs for making this work of art. Before Club members begin their designs, discuss any constraints that they should keep in mind while designing. For example, discuss the materials that Club members will have available. (If they would like to use other materials, they need to include ideas about where/how to obtain them.) Also note any restrictions or permissions resulting from the meeting with the administration and janitorial staff. Club members can work in groups to develop designs for the chosen project. Vote on the design that Club members would like to implement. 8

MILESTONE #7: Assess materials needs and submit materials requests to C3 by Friday, November 22. Identify which waste materials will need to be collected from around the school to complete the art project. Have Club members use the Art with Re-purpose materials list to select up to $300 of materials that will be necessary for creating the art project. Complete the C3 materials request list and submit it to your C3 liaison. MILESTONE #8: Fill out the performance measures for Current Amount and set End-of-the-Year Goals. The performance measures chart is found on page 4. MILESTONE #9: Complete online report for Phase I, due Friday, December 6. Phase II: Act December 3 March 14 Report Due: Friday, March 14. MILESTONE #10: Design a procedure for collecting the items you will need to make the art project(s). MILESTONE #11: Use the collected items to create/install the art project(s). MILESTONE #12: Develop a plan for using the work(s) of art to educate students and staff about waste reduction in the school. MILESTONE #13: Implement the education plan in the school. MILESTONE #14: Complete Online Report: Due Friday, March 14. Online Report Due: Friday, March 14 Phase II Procedures Read through the steps outlined for Phase II, and contact C3 with any questions. Please note: These milestones can be adapted so that they most effectively meet the needs of your individual school community; however, please communicate any major changes to C3 staff early on in the process. 9

Obtain administrative approvals as needed. It may be necessary to obtain administrative approval for the activities listed under Milestones #10-14. Speak with the appropriate school officials to make sure that these activities are permitted. MILESTONE #10: Design a procedure for collecting the items you will need to make the art project(s). If Club members choose to set up receptacles around the school to collect the specific items, develop an outreach education plan to ensure that students and staff know how the receptacles should be used. If you don t have any extra receptacles and can t afford to buy any, get creative! Find some boxes, cover them with illustrations and instructions, and make sure that the janitorial staff knows that they aren t trash. (If you re looking to buy some receptacles, consider whether your school has earned any incentives from CPS recycling program, or try a site like www.donorschoose.org.) The Art with Repurpose DIY Projects guide referenced in the appendix also has instructions for building recycling bins out of cardboard. Decide how/when Club members will collect the items from around the school. If Club members propose using materials that are not provided by C3 or collectable from the school, they should develop a plan for obtaining those materials. MILESTONE #11: Use the collected items to create/install the art project(s). Secure a place for Club members to store any works-in-progress between Club meetings. Record the number of items used to create the works of art. Include this information in the performance measures table on page 4. MILESTONE #12: Develop a plan for using the work(s) of art to educate students and staff about waste reduction in the school. Plan an educational activity, such as an all-school announcement, classroom visits, an educational video, or an assembly. Determine your goals for the event/activity. o The educational activity should showcase the art piece the Club created. o The activity should encourage participants to reduce how much waste they generate. o The activity should provide tips for how the participants can make simple behavioral changes to reduce their waste generation. If appropriate, present the education plan to administration and receive approval for implementing the plan. MILESTONE #13: Implement the education plan in the school. Be sure to engage as many people in the school as possible! MILESTONE #14: Complete Online Report: Due Friday, March 14. 10

Phase III: Make a Difference March 11 May 16 Online Report Due: Friday, May 16 MILESTONE #15: Plan Art with Re-purpose community outreach efforts aimed at reducing waste in the community. MILESTONE #16: Prepare presentation materials, including information about Club successes and how community members can take action. MILESTONE #17: Design pledges specifying actions community members can take to decrease waste. MILESTONE #18: Determine logistical details for efforts (e.g., administration permission, location, additional advertising, supplies, volunteers, assigning Club responsibilities, etc.). MILESTONE #19: Implement the outreach plan. MILESTONE #20: Calculate impacts based on pledge forms collected and, if applicable, number of waste items removed from the waste stream as part of community outreach efforts. MILESTONE #21: Complete Online Report: Due Friday, May 16. Phase III Procedures Read through the steps outlined for Phase III, and contact C3 with any questions. Please note: These milestones can be adapted so that they most effectively meet the needs of your individual school community; however, please communicate any major changes to C3 staff early on in the process. MILESTONE #15: Plan Art with Re-purpose community outreach efforts aimed at reducing waste in the community. Determine your audience. Who makes up your community? Neighbors? Parents? A nearby organization or business? Determine your goals for these efforts. Some potential activity ideas include: o Leading workshops to teach community members how to create art projects to repurpose their waste. o Starting a waste drive to collect certain waste items from the community. o Creating a flyer with tips for reducing waste in the home. 11

Decide how to use the Club s art piece as part of the community outreach efforts. Determine the time and location of the outreach efforts. You might consider hosting a stand-alone event, or you could conduct your outreach efforts as part of a preexisting school or community event. Request approval from administration as necessary. Make a work plan that outlines how tasks will be distributed among Club members and how materials will be obtained and prepared. MILESTONE #16: Prepare presentation materials, including information about Club successes and how community members can take action. Keep the intended audience in mind when designing materials. Create marketing materials to publicize the outreach efforts. MILESTONE #17: Design pledges specifying actions community members can take to decrease waste. Consider making paperless pledges using dry erase boards (take a picture to keep a copy), electronic pledges, or a petition-like pledge (one statement with a list of signatures). Try to include specific environmental actions in your pledges (e.g., I will use both sides of the paper instead of I will help the earth ). MILESTONE #18: Determine logistical details for efforts (e.g., administration permission, location, additional advertising, supplies, volunteers, assigning Club responsibilities, etc.). As necessary, brainstorm lists of specific tasks that will need to be completed, and divide them among Club members. Determine specific action steps for marketing the outreach efforts to the target audience. MILESTONE #19: Implement the outreach plan. Collect pledge forms from participants, or count the number of pledges signed (if using a paperless pledge). If the Club is leading community members in an art project that repurposes waste, keep track of the number of waste items that are used in creation of the project. MILESTONE #20: Calculate impacts based on pledge forms collected and, if applicable, number of waste items removed from the waste stream as part of community outreach efforts. Record your impacts (e.g., number of items distributed, number of people educated) in the performance measures chart found on page 4. MILESTONE #21: Complete online report for Phase III, due Friday, May 16. 12

Phase IV: Thinking Back & Looking Ahead April 29 June 6 Online Report Due: Friday, June 6 Phase IV Procedures Read through the steps outlined for Phase IV, and contact C3 with any questions. Please note: These milestones can be adapted so that they most effectively meet the needs of your individual school community; however, please communicate any major changes to C3 staff early on in the process. MILESTONE #22: Re-conduct the WASTE Inventory. MILESTONE #23: Fill in Final Amount on the Performance Measures Chart. MILESTONE #24: Reflect and plan ahead for future projects. MILESTONE #25: Complete Online Report: Due Friday, June 6. MILESTONE #22: Re-conduct the WASTE Inventory. Re-conduct the WASTE Inventory (in the appendix) like you did in Phase I. MILESTONE #23: Fill in Final Amount on the Performance Measures Chart. The performance measures chart is found on page 4. MILESTONE #24: Reflect and plan ahead for future projects. Take time to celebrate! Review the Club s accomplishments, and have a green celebration if you have time. Invite members of the administration, staff, and parents who helped with the project along the way. Record Club members ideas for additional projects that the Club could complete in future years or that Club members could take on themselves. MILESTONE #25: Complete online report for Phase IV, due Friday, June 6. 13

CLUB ACTION PROJECT WORKSHOPS*: *Attendance is mandatory for at least one teacher representative per school. Dinner will be provided. Workshop Location: Chicago Center for Green Technology, 445 North Sacramento Blvd. September 30, 5:00 7:30 p.m. December 3, 5:00 7:30 p.m. March 11, 5:00 7:30 p.m. April 29, 5:00 7:30 p.m. ADDITIONAL RESOURCES: C3 First Year Project Guides Related to this Project: Waste Audit Guide Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Rethink! Online Resources and Local Resources: CPS Paper Waste Busters Climate Change and the Life Cycle of Stuff (U.S. EPA) More ideas in the Appendix 14

Life Cycles of Waste Resources WASTE Inventory Sheet WASTE Inventory Tracking Sheet PROJECT APPENDIX Table of Contents Background Information about Waste Repurposed Art Ideas 15

Life Cycles of Waste Resources Away: A Story of Trash (video) 26 minutes http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqrvrvqb51k Climate Change and the Life Cycle of Stuff (website) http://epa.gov/climatechange/climate-change-waste/life-cycle-diagram.html Following Garbage s Long Journey Around the Earth (radio clip) 31 minutes http://www.npr.org/2012/04/26/150735732/following-garbages-longjourney-around-the-earth Municipal Solid Waste in the United States (website) http://www.epa.gov/osw/nonhaz/municipal/msw99.htm Tools to Reduce Waste in Schools (information booklet) http://www.epa.gov/osw/education/pdfs/toolkit/tools.pdf 16

WASTE Inventory Room/Location: Date: 1. Sort the trash and recycling on a tarp by placing the waste items into piles according to waste type (e.g., plastic bottles, copy paper, broken crayons). 2. Which five piles look like they have the most (number) of items? Count the number of items in those five piles. Waste item: Number of WHOLE items: Number of items in PIECES: 3. Which five items look like they have the heaviest piles? Place one pile at a time in a garbage bag and use the scale to weigh them. Waste item: Weight of the items: Volume: Compare the volumes of the different piles. Record some notes/observations, especially about which piles have the greatest volume: 17

WASTE Inventory Tracking Sheet Use this worksheet (or something like it) to tally the common waste items that you identified using the WASTE Inventory forms from around the school. Waste item: Total number of WHOLE items: Total number of items in PIECES: Total weight of item: Now, use this sheet as you develop goals for waste reduction in your school. Things to think about: Which of these waste items would you like to reduce in the waste stream? How could you use these items as part of an art project? How could you collect items from around the school (without having to search through the trash and recycling bins during each Club meeting)? Ideas: 18

Background Information about Waste For full infographic, visit http://www.epa.gov/osw/nonhaz/municipal/infographic/ 19

Information on Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) and What You Can Do About It Compiled by the Chicago Department of Environment (DOE) August 2006 Information provided by the US Environmental Protection Agency and DOE MSW more commonly known as trash or garbage consists of everyday items such as product packaging, grass clippings, furniture, clothing, bottles, food scraps, newspapers, and appliances. In 2003, U.S. residents, businesses, and institutions produced more than 236 million tons of MSW, or approximately 4.5 pounds of waste per person per day. The City of Chicago collects approximately 1.1 million tons of residential garbage and recyclables annually. Pick-ups are weekly, Mondays through Fridays. Collections are made weekdays with 350 daily routes. Several MSW management practices, such as source reduction, recycling, and composting, prevent or divert materials from the waste stream. Source reduction involves altering the design, manufacture, or use of products and materials to reduce the amount and toxicity of what gets thrown away. Recycling diverts items, such as paper, glass, plastic, and metals, from the waste stream. These materials are sorted, collected, and processed and then manufactured, sold, and bought as new products. Composting decomposes organic waste, such as food scraps and yard trimmings, producing a humus-like substance. Other practices address those materials that require disposal. Landfills are engineered areas where waste is placed into the land. Landfills usually have liner systems and other safeguards to prevent groundwater contamination. Combustion is another MSW practice that has helped reduce the amount of landfill space needed. Combustion facilities burn MSW at a high temperature, reducing waste volume and generating electricity. Solid Waste Hierarchy EPA has ranked the most environmentally sound strategies for MSW. Source reduction (including reuse) is the most preferred method, followed by recycling and composting, and, lastly, disposal in combustion facilities and landfills. Currently, in the United States, 30 percent of the wastestream is recovered and recycled or composted, 14 percent is burned at combustion facilities. The remaining 56 percent is disposed of in landfills. 20

Source Reduction (Reducing and Reusing) Practices such as backyard composting, two-sided copying of paper, electronically sending documents and transport packaging reduction by industry have yielded substantial benefits through source reduction. Source reduction has many environmental benefits. It prevents emissions of many greenhouse gases, reduces pollutants, saves energy, conserves resources, and reduces the need for new landfills and combustors. Recycling Recycling, including composting, diverted 72 million tons of material away from disposal in 2003, up from 15 million tons in 1980, when the recycle rate was just 10%. Typical materials that are recycled include batteries, recycled at a rate of 93%, paper and paperboard at 48%, and yard trimmings at 56%. These materials and others may be recycled through curbside programs, drop-off centers, buy-back programs, and deposit systems. Recycling prevents the emission of many greenhouse gases and water pollutants; saves energy; supplies valuable raw materials to industry; creates jobs; stimulates the development of greener technologies; conserves resources for our children s future; and reduces the need for new landfills and combustors. Recycling also helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global warming. In 1996, recycling of solid waste in the United States prevented the release of 33 million tons of carbon into the air roughly the amount emitted annually by 25 million cars. Recycling in Chicago Recycling is one of the simplest things we can do to protect our environment. By recycling, we turn trash into reusable materials, help create jobs in Illinois, and conserve natural resources. The City of Chicago s recycling program keeps aluminum, cardboard, glass, Recycling one ton of paper saves 17 trees. So far, Chicago's four sorting centers have recovered enough paper to save over 2 million trees. plastic, tin, paper, yard waste and hazardous materials out of landfills. The city s Blue Bag program diverts between Chicago's four sorting centers collect enough aluminum in one year to make 50 million soda cans. 21% and 25% of the city s waste from landfills annually. Since its inception in 1990, the City s Christmas Tree Recycling Program has recycled 83,300 trees. In 2003, 57% of all of Chicago's waste was diverted from landfills due to private as well as public composting and recycling efforts. A large portion of this was waste from construction and debris, which comprises approximately 40% of the city s waste stream. The City has passed an ordinance which requires demolition and construction contractors to recycle 25% of their waste in 2006 and 50% in 2007 and beyond. 21

For more information on recycling in Chicago, visit: http://www.cityofchicago.org/streets/bluebag/bluecrew/. For information on home composting in Chicago, visit: http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/homecomposting/. Combustion/Incineration Burning MSW can generate energy while reducing the amount of waste by up to 90 percent in volume and 75 percent in weight. EPA s Office of Air and Radiation is primarily responsible for regulating combustors because air emissions from combustion pose the greatest environmental concern. In 2001, in the United States, there were 97 combustors with energy recovery with the capacity to burn up to 95,000 tons of MSW per day. Landfills Under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), landfills that accept MSW are primarily regulated by state, tribal, and local governments. EPA has established national standards these landfills must meet in order to stay open. Municipal landfills can, however, accept household hazardous waste. The number of landfills in the United States is steadily decreasing from 8,000 in 1988 to 1,767 in 2002. Total landfill capacity, however, has remained relatively constant, because new landfills are much larger than their predecessors. Landfills in Chicago In 1983, Chicago s first landfill moratorium was enacted. The moratorium prevents the opening of new landfills and the horizontal expansion of old landfills. There is currently one active landfill in Chicago, an 850-acre facility in Calumet. Chicago s waste is transferred to landfills in southeast Wisconsin, central Illinois and northwest Indiana. By reducing the amount of waste you generate, you not only save landfill space, but also reduce the amount of energy used to transport your waste and prevent the resulting air pollution. Household Hazardous Waste Households often discard many common items such as paint, cleaners, oils, batteries, and pesticides that contain hazardous components. Leftover portions of these products are called household hazardous waste (HHW). These products, if mishandled, can be dangerous to your health and the environment. Hazardous Waste in Chicago The State of Illinois has only six years of landfill space remaining. The City of Chicago is in the process of renovating a 12,770 square foot warehouse on Goose Island that will serve as a permanent drop-off point for electronics, pharmaceuticals, and potentially hazardous household chemicals and house a training facility for ex-offenders living in Chicago. Computers recycled through the facility and program will then be made available to area schools, non-profit groups and low-income families. This Household Chemicals and Electronics Recycling Center will open soon. In the meantime, the DOE holds several household chemical and electronics drop-off days throughout the year. You can find the schedule for other drop-off days at http://www.epa.state.il.us/land/hazardous-waste/householdhaz-waste/. For more information on the new Recycling Center, please contact 311. 22

Repurposed Art Ideas Pinterest C3 has compiled a collection of inspirational ideas on the social media site Pinterest. To view the collection (called a board on Pinterest), follow these steps: 1. Visit www.pinterest.com. 2. Either log in with an existing account, or create an account. To create an account, follow the instructions on the Pinterest home page using an email address or a Facebook account. 3. Once you are logged into the site, locate the search bar near the top left of the screen. (The search bar is marked with a magnifying lens.) 4. Type C3 Naturemuseum into the search bar. Several images will appear on the screen. 5. Look just under the search bar to find where it says, Pins, Boards, and Pinners. Click on Pinners. 6. A board titled, Art with Re-purpose should appear. Click on this board to see the collection of inspirational ideas. 7. If you click on an individual photo, you can visit the original site from which the post originated. Many of these sites contain instructions for completing similar projects. Art with Re-purpose DIY Projects IIT students created a document for C3 that provides step-by-step instructions for several doit-yourself projects that repurpose waste. The guide contains instructions for making a vertical garden, cardboard recycling bins, a paper mural, and woven pencil holders. The Art with Re-purpose DIY Projects guide is available electronically and as an attachment to this Project Guide. 23