Home Recycling
CSI NUMBERS:
11860 Waste Handling Equipment
11863 Bins
12300 Cabinets & Storage
DEFINITION:
A built-in kitchen recycling center is a section of kitchen cabinetry designed to accommodate easy sorting of recyclables.A built-in recycling holding area is a location within the home that conveniently holds sorted recyclables until picked up or taken to a collection point.
A hazardous material storage cabinet is designed to prevent unhealthful exposure to hazardous materials such as paints, solvents, cleaners, batteries, yard chemicals, pesticides and others. These materials need to be sorted for proper disposal. They need to be in a location where access is controlled and outgassing into the living areas is prevented.
CONSIDERATIONS:
The primary location in a home where refuse is received and collected is the kitchen. This is the best location to initially separate materials that can be recycled. A kitchen that does not have a specific spot and system for sorting recyclables must rely on an owner-initiated makeshift system that may be used inconsistently if it has any inconvenience associated with it. Recycling is more likely if it can be accomplished in a neat convenient manner.
The recycling holding area is the next step for making recycling convenient and routine. After materials have accumulated in the kitchen, they can then be transferred to containers in an area convenient to conveying them to the street for pickup or car to be taken to a collection center. A good location for the holding area is a section of the garage.
The outside wall of a garage is a good location for a hazardous material storage cabinet. A vent to the outdoors from the cabinet is easily installed in that location. These cabinets can be locked to increase child safety.
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COMMERCIAL STATUS
TECHNOLOGY:
Commercial cabinetry is available with recycling centers. There are simple dividers for trash cans also available. A holding center can be a section of the garage with conventional wheeled trash containers for each type of recyclable. This feature is added to a home with minimal effort on the part of a builder and it uses off the shelf materials. A hazardous materials storage/holding cabinet is not a commercial product and must be constructed on-site or adapted from another type of cabinetry.
SUPPLIERS:
There are local suppliers of all materials needed for recycling centers and holding areas. The hazardous material cabinet can be constructed from off-the-shelf materials.
COST:
An additional cost of $100 to $150 is added to custom cabinets for built-in kitchen recycling centers. The holding area can cost $60 for containers. Constructing the hazardous materials storage cabinet can range from $150 to $400.
IMPLEMENTATION ISSUES
FINANCING:
Available.
PUBLIC ACCEPTANCE:
Most citizens favor recycling and consider it a necessary worthy task. The participation level will increase if recycling can be convenient and routine. The health risks associated with hazardous materials and their disposal are not universally identified to their full extent. Many hazardous materials are disposed into the garbage and kept in the home in locations that can allow outgassing into the living areas.
REGULATORY:
Recyclables need sorting in different manners according to the requirements of the collectors or consolidators. There are no public regulatory issues.
GUIDELINES
1.0 Kitchen Recycling Centers
- These are simply components inside a standard section of a kitchen cabinet that can hold multiple containers (usually three) and easily slide in and out or hinge out of the cabinet.
- They are a standard offering of several suppliers listed in the Resources section.
- They require only standard installation skills or procedures.
2.0 Recycling Holding Area
- This can be as simple as providing three trash containers with wheels (for locations with curbside pickup) in an assigned section of the garage that will not interfere with other activities in the garage.
- The location for recyclables could also be in a covered box alongside the house that blends with the house. The goal is to make recycling convenient and routine. This can be accomplished in many ways according to the design/layout of the house and type of recycling service.
3.0 Hazardous Material Storage and Holding Cabinet
- Ideally, this is built on an outside wall of the house, or in the garage.
- Prefabricated metal cabinets connected to an outside vent can be used. A cabinet can also be constructed from exterior plywood, weatherstripped door, and connected to a through-the-wall vent of 4 to 6 inch diameter.
3.1 Primary Features
- A vent to the outdoors,
- A lockable door,
- Shelves for holding materials that are in use,
- Room for containers to hold empty hazardous material containers until they can be properly disposed.
RESOURCES
PROFESSIONAL ASSISTANCE
See "Interior Designers" in Yellow Pages.
COMPONENTS / MATERIALS / SYSTEMS
see "Kitchen Accessories" and "Kitchen Cabinets & Equip - Household" in Yellow Pages
Rev-A-Shelf
2409 Plantside Drive
Jeffersontown, KY 40299
800-626-1126
www.rev-a-shelf.com
kitchen cabinet storage management systems and containers
Hi-Rise Recycling Systems
16255 N.W. 54th Ave.
Miami, FL 33014
(305) 624-9222
multi-story recycling system
Jade Mountain
P.O. Box 4616
Boulder, CO 80306-9846
(800) 442-1972
www.jademountain.com
garden composters and vermicomposters
GENERAL ASSISTANCE
City of Austin Solid Waste Services Information Line
(512) 499-2111
information on garbage collection, curb side recycling and yard waste collection.
City of Austin Waste Reduction Assistance Program
499-2737
This program assists Austin-area businesses in reducting their waste stream, recycling saving money. Contact Bob Fernandez for more information
City of Austin Household Hazardous Waste Collection Facility
4411 Meinardus Road (call for directions)
Austin, Texas 78744
(512) 416-8998
The City accepts household quantities of home chemicals for disposal and recycling. The Center is open every Wednesday from noon to 7 p.m. to collect materials such as paint, motor oil, garden chemicals and pesticides, pesticides and cleaning chemicals. The facility is not designed to accept waste from businesses. To use the facility you must be a resident of Austin.
AUSTIN AREA RECYCLING DROP-OFF CENTERS
Ecology Action
707 E. 9th St.
AUSTIN, TX 78701
www.ecology-action.org
recycle@ecology-action.org
Phone : 512-322-0000
Fax : 512-322-0625
For an up-to-date listing of recycling centers, times and events, please visit Ecology Action's web site.
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Sustainable Building Sourcebook web version copyright Sustainable
Sources 1994-1999.
