Environmental Education – Adams County

The Adams Clermont Solid Waste District is pleased to partner with Adams Brown Recycling to provide several environmental education programs and services to students in Adams County schools. The Education Specialist, Dee Edge, is available to assist schools with general environmental education, recycling programs, solid waste reduction projects, and food waste reduction/diversion programs

ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION
The Education Specialist works closely with school administrators and educators to develop and implement specialized environmental educational programs for their students. Classroom presentations, hands-on activities, technical assistance, and educational materials are available to schools and businesses on a variety of topics pertaining to waste reduction, recycling, and other environmental topics.

 

SCHOOL RECYCLING CONTAINERS AVAILABLE
A large amount of the waste generated in schools can and should be recycled. Examples of recyclable materials commonly found in schools include paper, cardboard, bottles, and cans. Once a recycling plan is established in a school, the Adams-Clermont Solid Waste District can provide free indoor recycling containers to be used year-round in classrooms, hallways, cafeterias, and other areas throughout a school building. These sturdy plastic recycling containers are blue in color and are branded with a white recycling logo. The containers vary in size and shape depending on the application, from a 3 gallon rectangle shaped deskside container to a 32 gallon can with removable lid.

 

 

ADAMS BROWN RECYCLING STATION TOURS
All of the materials collected at the public drop-off recycling sites in Adams and Brown Counties end up at the Adams Brown Recycling station in Georgetown for processing. We welcome the public to schedule a tour of the facility throughout the year. Tours begin with a discussion about recycling and why it’s important. Then participants proceed to the buying area where they will get to see items the items that are purchased, watch aluminum cans take a ride on the conveyor belt, and get the whole group weighed on our large item scale! After that, the tour continues to the tipping and sorting area to see the journey the recyclables take after they are collected from your curbside bin or community drop-box. The tour ends with a visit inside the Glass reFactory where recycled glass bottles, jars, and jugs are turned them into beautiful sun-catchers that are sold around the country.
Call today to schedule a tour for your group or class: (937)378-3431 extension 104.
CLICK HERE for a video tour of Adams Brown Recycling

 

FOOD WASTE REDUCTION/DIVERSION PROGRAMS, SHARE TABLES, AUDITS:
School cafeterias generate a large amount of unnecessary food waste on a daily basis, which is not only costly to the school at the point of purchase, but also at the point of disposal. The Educational Coordinator is available to conduct an in-person food waste audit to identify the types and quantities of the foods and beverages that are commonly disposed of, and can develop a program to potentially reduce such waste. Share tables, carts, or refrigerators are a common tool to reduce waste. Each food waste reduction/diversion program is specifically designed to meet the individual needs of the requesting school. Several components of this program have been successfully implemented in multiple schools around Adams County.

END-OF-YEAR SCHOOL RECYCLING PROGRAMS:
Like clockwork at the end of each school year, students and staff typically perform the annual ritual of ridding their desks, lockers, and classrooms of mountains of paperwork and other accumulated material. A 2019 study conducted in three Clermont County elementary schools showed that the vast majority of the material disposed of during these annual clean-outs is recyclable. Each school in the study collected an average of over two tons of recyclable material during their end-of-year school clean-out, which averaged around seven pounds of recyclable material per person. The Educational Coordinator is available to assist school administrators or custodial staff with setting up a end-of-year recycling program in their school.

 

THE “GREEN MACHINE” TRAVELING DISPLAY
The Green Machine is a popular custom-built traveling display that is used to teach about recycling and taking care of the environment. It can be seen at many local fairs and festivals throughout Adams, Brown, and Clermont counties. The Green Machine may also be available to come to your event or school to accompany a presentation from our Education Specialist!

 

Please contact Dee Edge via email at dedge@abcap.net or by phone at (937)378-3431, extension 104, for information about free environmental education programs available to your Adams County school, business or group.