Waste Management Division

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Green Up Day 2009 - Waste Composition Study

(photo: setting up waste sort for waste collected on Green Up Day)

33% of litter collected is recyclable or compostable!

Through a grant from the Solid Waste Program, Association of Vermont Recyclers (AVR) studied the waste composition of 19 bags of roadside litter collected from 10 Vermont towns by Green Up volunteers. The study found overall, 33% of the wastes collected could be diverted from disposal (including recyclable containers, uncontaminated cardboard and paper, metals). For all the facts - check out the full report.

Trash on the Lawn Day

Photo of Thetford Academy --Trash on the Lawn Day
(Photo Credit: Jeb Wallace-Brodeur, Times Argus)

The Association of Vermont Recyclers (AVR) coordinated the Trash on the Lawn Day as part of the statewide Youth Environmental Coalition. The student’s waste audit prompted the school to revamp its waste reduction practices.

Each year, Vermonters generate about 600,000 tons of waste, almost one ton per person per year. Through reuse and recycling, Vermonters kept about a third of these materials out of the landfill in 2001. Reuse and recycling provide benefits to Vermont’s (and the region’s) environment and economy. Recycling reduces greenhouse gases, saves energy, and conserves natural resources. Recycling also creates jobs from collecting materials, sorting and processing them to converting them into new products. Additionally, America’s aluminum, steel, paper and glass industries rely significantly on recovered wastes for their raw material feedstocks.

Learn more about the economic and environmental impacts Vermont’s recycling programs provide.