Recycling Achievements Update
As most of you have noticed, our IT department has undergone a facelift. What happened to all those old monitors, CPUs, printers and other electronic equipment? We recycled them: all 10,191 pounds of it! The company that helped us recycle our e-waste was Atlanta Recycling Solution. Many thanks to our IT Director, Alan Pries, for facilitating this effort.
I would also like to acknowledge and thank the PS Recycling Patrol for their enthusiasm and dedication towards recycling and pledging their allegiance to Mother Nature. They diligently patrolled our campus at WorldFest making sure that everyone recycled. We have seen a significant improvement in recycling habits since last year. Thanks for your participation. Our young officers have expressed a desire for improvement since they noticed that some people had forgotten to throw away the trash in the garbage bins.
If you meet any of the following officers please take a moment to shake their hands and thank them for their hard work.
Grade 2: Nicolas Binder, Michel Cantacuzčne, Erica Cintrón, Jules Corbier, Madison Cunninghis, Alexandra Gazelle, Shayann Hendricks, Nathan Leopold, Sarah Siraj, Justin Steinworth, Badie Talebagha and Bonnie Watkins.
Grade 3: Cosette Doctor, Matias Fenandel, Maya Hendricks, Sophia Jactel, Mia King, Nadege Kolias, Nia Laing, Adam Malik, Jon McKenney, Ella Silvia, Lauren Valeri and Sidney Williams.
Grade 4: Yasmin Akhavan, Sophie Archer, Kevin Assi, Marina Brand, Ohio Ehimiaghe, Julia Masselos, Louise McGirt, Aigbekan Nosegbe, Naomi O’Halloran, Quinn Pratt, John Rudd, Anna-Maria Triea and Christopher Wong.
Food for Thought
Household battery recycling: An estimated 3.5 billion batteries, among which 10% are rechargeable, are purchased annually in the U.S. These electrochemical devices used to power portable electrical products contain chemicals like nickel, zinc and corrosive materials, some of which could be harmful. They can contain heavy metals like cadmium, mercury and lead, which can pollute air, water and cause serious harm to human health if not properly discarded. The 1996 Battery Act was implemented to phase out the use of mercury in batteries (except in button cell batteries in which up to 25 mg of mercury is still allowed) and regulate the recycling of the rechargeable batteries (Ni-Cd, considered as hazardous waste). A good rule of thumb is to recycle all batteries even though they do not all fall into the category of hazardous waste.
Places to recycle batteries: Rechargeable batteries (Ni-Cd and NiMH) are collected in many stores such as Best Buy, Home Depot, Radio Shack and Staples. Any kind of household dry batteries are collected for recycling in the IKEA store.
For further information
Earth 911: www.georgia.earth911.org
The Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation (RBRC): www.rbrc.org