1. Decide what will be recycled.  
The items to be recycled depend on what the local recycling center will accept.  Michigan Tech’s waste was characterized to identify the types of items that could be recycled. To get the program started, SEEn decided to only recycle glass products and magazines.  The glass products collected are mainly Snapple bottles. The lids have to be taken off at the recycling center and placed in the metal bins.  Magazines were in the results of the survey of solid waste generated on campus.  They are easily collected and include glossy paper.  It was important to determine if there was enough quantity of glass and magazines to recycle.  Otherwise, the recycling efforts would be useless. 
 

2. Acquired funds for purchasing materials.  
SEEn acquired funds for the recycling program by winning a poster contest during Earth Week 1998.  The poster showed how recycling was part of the solution for the solid waste generation on campus.  The money from the grant was used to start the recycling program. 
 

3. Purchase the recycling bins and containers.  
The bins and containers used by SEEn were simply the rectangle boxes for magazines and cylinder bins for the glass. SEEn’s bins were purchased from the following company: 

As more items are added to recycle, more bins will have to be ordered. 

4. Obtain permission to station the bins for public use.  
Because SEEn’s recycling bins are located in campus buildings, a person from facilities/public safety had to O.K. the location.  This was to prevent such dangers as creating a fire hazard. 
 
 

5. Purchase materials like trash bags & decorating supplies. 
The glass bins needed garbage bags for easy transfer to the recycling station.  This also helped stop any leaky messes.  Supplies like markers, poster board, and stencils were purchased to decorate the containers. 

 

6. Clearly mark the bins with recycling instructions.  
A decorating meeting was held to make posters and labels for the recycling bins.  The cylinder bin for the glass products looked a lot like a trash can so it had to be clearly marked with recycling signs.  Directions were located on the bins to specify only empty glass bottles and high gloss magazines are collected. 

 

7. Set up a collection schedule. 
SEEn members in the recycling committee volunteered to sign-up to take the recycle materials to the recycling center.  Also graduate students interested in the program for the Civil and Environmental Department volunteered to sign-up too. 

8. Keep a record of recycled materials collected.  
To access how well the recycling efforts are going, a record for the recycling materials is being kept.  This is a weekly tabulation of how much glass and how many magazines are being taken to the recycling center.  It also includes contamination found in the bins such as banana peels and soda pop cans.  This will help to determine if the bins need to be better marked. 

9. Publicize your efforts!  
SEEn has set up this web page to publicize their efforts and to get more people involved.  Other publicity tactics include posters, radio and television advertisements, flyers, etc.  SEEn know that if people do not know that they can recycle their trash, solid waste generation will continue ?.