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NACC Has History of Recognizing the
Importance of Recycling
More and more we see the word “Recycling” recurring in our daily
lives. Most of us know that we need to do something and that the
benefits of recycling will help our environment.
Northeast Alabama Community College and Recycling for Scottsboro
formed a partnership for the disposal of recyclable materials on
campus as far back as August of 2006. Morris Necklaus, owner and
manager of Recycling for Scottsboro, worked with Northeast
personnel to set up bins throughout the campus for recycling
purposes. Necklaus pointed out that this program will prevent
more recyclable products from going into landfills and will make
more efficient reuse of items.
Dr. David Campbell, NACC President, noted that Northeast
contributed financially to this project by buying the recycle
bins that are located in buildings throughout the campus. “This
is a really great program,” Campbell stated. “It’s one of those
things that we can all do save energy and our resources. I know
some of our faculty even bring their paper from their homes to
have recycled here. People doing what they can to recycle
resources can add up to significant savings.”
The 2009 Recycling Report for NACC provided by Recycling for
Scottsboro included recyclable materials collected as: Mixed
Paper, Plastic/Aluminum Cans, and Cardboard, for a total of
16,353 pounds. “NACC recycling has had a significant impact on
our environment,” said Necklaus. “Recycling one ton of paper
saves 3.2 cubic yards of landfill space, 17 trees, 380 gallons
of oil, 4000 kw of energy and 7,000 gallons of water. NACC
recycled 7.403 tons of paper in 2009 and saved 23.7 cubic yards
of landfill space, 125 trees, 2,813 gallons of oil, 29,612 kw of
energy and 51,821 gallons of water.”
According to paperrecycles.org and the Paper Industry
Association Council, in 2008 a record-high 57.4 percent of the
paper consumed in the US was recovered for recycling. The paper
industry hopes to recover 60 percent of the paper Americans
consume by 2012. In 2008, the amount of paper recovered for
recycling averaged 340 pounds for each man, woman, and child in
the US. Paper is renewable and it is not only recyclable, it is
also made from a renewable and natural resource—trees. Few
things in life are as versatile and one would find it difficult
to live a day without using paper products.
Cardboard is a fully recyclable and biodegradable material
reports Earth911.com. Cardboard is used to ship approximately 90
percent of all products in the US. Recycling one ton of
cardboard saves nine cubic yards of landfill space and 46
gallons of oil. It is safe to dispose of because it contains
nothing toxic and is biodegradable.
According to Earth911.com and the Beverage Marketing Corp., the
average American consumed 1.6 gallons of bottled water in 1976.
In 2006, that number jumped to 28.3 gallons. More than 2.4
billion pounds of plastic bottles were recycled in the US in
2008 and even though the amount of plastic bottles recycled has
grown since 1990, the actual recycling rate remains steady at
around 27 percent. Recycling one ton of plastic saves 7.4 cubic
yards of landfill space.
Earth911.com and The Aluminum Association also report that over
50 percent of produced aluminum cans are recycled. A recycled
aluminum can is back on the grocery shelf as a new can in as few
as 60 days. Every minute of every day, an average of 113,204
aluminum cans are recycled. Last year 54 billion cans were
recycled saving energy comparable to 15 million barrels of crude
oil—America’s total gas consumption for one day—so discarding
one aluminum can wastes as much energy as pouring out half of
that can’s volume in gasoline. The average employee consumes 2.5
beverages per day while at work.
The benefits of recycling are evident. Necklaus added, “Why not
recycle? It’s the right thing to do. Too many people think their
efforts would make no difference but everyone’s actions count.
For example, recycling one 16-ounce drink bottle does not seem
like much but 8,500 of them go into making a 500 lb. bale of
plastic. That bale would save 1.75 cubic yards of landfill
space.”
Students know the importance of recycling and
“pitching in"! Recycling bins are located conveniently on campus,
like these being used by students (L-R) Kendra Mitchell of
Hollywood, Bart Morton and Samantha Morton of Crossville.
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