A Day with RCSWD and Vermont DEC by Eco/AmeriCorps Member Paige Kehoe

On October 8th I had the opportunity to accompany Brian Sales, our outreach coordinator, and Ann Bjur, an environmental analyst with the Vermont DEC, for the day. Our first stop was a tour of the Casella Material Recovery Facility (MRF). This is where zero sort recycling is brought to be sorted by material and shipped out for reuse. It was amazing to get a behind the scenes look at where our recycling goes after it gets picked up at the end of our driveways.

The zero sort recycling is put through an intricate system of machinery where, with the help of Casella employees, each recyclable is separated by type. The separated material is then bailed and picked up by a variety of companies who will use it to make brand new products. It was inspiring to see the dedication the employees had to making sure every recyclable sent into the MRF was sent out to be reused, rather than going to a landfill.

The second part of the day was centered around business outreach. We made stops to a wide variety of businesses including grocery stores, hotels, and restaurants. The purpose of the trip was to get an inside look into how businesses in Rutland manage their waste, and to offer assistance to ensure as much waste is being diverted from landfills as possible.

It was gratifying to see all the ways businesses have developed to divert recycling and organics from their waste streams. It was also a great opportunity to witness how large of an impact in person outreach can have on waste management. Many businesses were open to improving their operations after speaking with Ann and Brian.

Finally, the best part of the day was visiting Rutland City's Allen Street Campus. The staff and students are extremely dedicated to waste reduction, and were kind enough to give us a sneak peek into how they do it. Every day they conduct a waste audit to ensure all their waste is separated properly. They then combine all the trash, which they have incredibly reduced to only one bag a day!

This is an approximately 85% reduction in waste for the school. Next, they combine the food scraps and bring them out to the school’s very own compost system. They are producing beautiful soil, which they will soon be able to use to grow a variety of crops. It was truly inspiring to see how the students have fully bought into the idea of waste reduction, and I can’t wait to see all of the amazing projects they work on next!