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State of Recycling in Arkansas—2009

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State of Recycling in Arkansas—2009 in State of Recycling Arkansas—2009 June 2010 Arkansas Department of Almost There Environmental Quality Arkansas’s current goal is to recycle 45 percent Solid Waste Trends of our solid waste stream Landfilled Recycled by 2010. In 2009, we recy- Landfilled Trend Recycled Trend Inside This Report cled 44.9 percent through 4.0 business and community 3.5 s programs. This is a slight n 3.0 Recycling/Market 2 o increase from the last 2.5 Development Branch T report, even though recy- n 2.0 Activities o 1. 5 lli cling markets collapsed i Targeting Wasted 3 1. 0 like the rest of the econ- M Resources 0.5 omy. (See “Surviving the 0.0 Recycling Through 4 Fall” on page 8.) 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007- 2009 08 the Decades While the amount of mate- rial landfilled continues to Year Environmental 6 rise, so does the amount of Initiatives Thrive at creased 66.6 percent while We’re sure to reach our material recycled. A look at Harding University the amount landfilled has 2010 goal if we keep up the the trends shows recycling only increased 30 percent good work on recycling. Materials Recycled— 7 is increasing faster than since 2001. (Note the Let’s also try to reduce the 2009 landfilling. In fact, the steeper trend line for recy- amount of waste we landfill amount recycled has in- Comparing the 8 cling in the above chart.) in 2010 and beyond. Numbers Surviving the Fall 8 Message from the Director Arkansans recycled more leaders who exemplify than ever before in 2009, what it means to live in As used in this bringing hopes that we will The Natural State. both meet and exceed our report, “2009” Whether it’s the second- goal of recycling more than grader who learns in the means the period 45 percent of our waste classroom the benefits of stream this year. from July 1, 2008, recycling juice bottles or to June 30, 2009. This goal will be achieved the business owner who thanks to the hard work knows waste reduction and diligence of our neighbors and community (Continued on page 2) ADEQ Director Teresa Marks Page 2 State of Recycling in Arkansas—2009 Recycling/Market Development Branch Activities The Arkansas Department of Environ- at least 4,500 Arkansans. This included grand opening of a Landfill Gas to En- mental Quality, specifically the Solid conducting 16 full- or half-day environ- ergy Facility also attended by the Gov- Waste Management Division, is mental education workshops for teach- ernor and state legislators. charged with administering solid waste ers. Other presentations were made at In addition, the Solid Waste Manage- management programs in the state. schools, businesses, community group ment Division’s Programs Branch ad- The Recycling/Market Development meetings, and special events. Section ministers two grants programs that Branch focuses on recycling and other staff also conducted nine waste audits enhance recycling in Arkansas: waste reduction activities. The Branch and assisted with 13 electronics collec- provides technical assistance and edu- tion events. ♦ The Solid Waste Management and Recycling Grants program cational programs throughout the state, On the Market Development side, ma- provides funding (from a per ton plus administers the Recycling Equip- jor work focused on the Recycling fee on solid waste generated in ment Tax Credit Program. Equipment Tax Credit Program and the state) for a variety of recy- On the Recycling side, major projects the Arkansas Marketing Board for Re- cling, composting and other waste for the year included working with the cyclables. The Recycling Equipment reduction programs and projects Rechargeable Battery Recycling Cor- Tax Credit Program provides a state throughout the state. In 2009, poration and Radio Shack to provide income tax credit to Arkansas busi- more than $3.8 million was dis- recycling of all household batteries nesses that invest in recycling. The tributed through 152 grants. (except vehicle batteries which are Market Development staff processed 85 already accepted statewide for recy- tax credits for almost $16 million worth ♦ The Computer and Electronic cling) in central Arkansas and assist- of recycling equipment in 2009. They Recycling Fund (a portion of ing with the recycling program at Riv- planned and conducted four meetings the revenue from sales of erfest. On-going major projects in- in various areas of the state for the surplus state-owned electronic clude providing assistance and train- State Marketing Board for Recyclables. equipment) provides grants for development and promotion of ing for Craighead County’s Environ- Market Development personnel also environmentally responsible mental Schools program and working attended or conducted an assortment of methods of managing electronic to develop a statewide solid waste trainings, business summits and meet- waste. In 2009, ADEQ approved management curriculum supplement. ings, both in and out of Arkansas. Mar- nine grants totaling $140,000 for Recycling staff members gave nearly ket Development staff manned a booth e-waste recycling projects. 300 educational presentations reaching at a business expo and attended the Message from the Director (continued) (Continued from page 1) sluggish economy that caused recy- while processing dozens of tax cling markets to plummet, the facili- credits for businesses to purchase helps the bottom line, Arkansans are ties maintained their programs last recycling equipment. committed to improving our environ- year. Many streamlined their opera- We will continue to provide financial ment by keeping waste out of landfills. tions and looked ahead toward better support for recycling efforts in 2010, economic times. In fact, growth in the state’s recycling and we’ll also focus on ways we can rate has significantly outpaced the The Department of Environmental recycle electronic waste and keep it increase in waste disposal since 2001, Quality understood the economic strug- out of landfills. a testament to dedicated Arkansans gles of our state’s recycling community, Our state of recycling has looked and a sign that we can easily eclipse allowing facilities to use grant money better and better every year. With this year’s recycling goal. to sustain day-to-day operations. your help, we can continue that That dedicated effort is seen in our The Department provided nearly $4 trend in 2010. state’s recycling facilities. Despite a million in recycling grants in 2009, State of Recycling in Arkansas—2009 Page 3 Targeting Wasted Resources Global security company Lockheed LMMFC Camden Operations spans that the most recent additions at Martin has set its sights on a new 1.5 million square feet, with three Camden Operations are recycling cen- enemy: wasted resources. Go Green, a administration buildings, six manu- ters at three production facilities. company- facturing Teams comprised of Camden employ- wide initia- facilities, ees aid the mission’s success with tive kicked two labora- “Lean” planning events that help off on Earth tories and guide decisions to improve operations, Day 2008, is almost 200 reduce waste and further Lockheed a commit- storage Martin’s goals. With a focus on cost ment to magazines. effectiveness and cost efficiency, these make exist- In reducing Lean events resulted in the wastewa- ing concern the facility’s ter treatment system renovation for the envi- carbon foot- which reduced sludge generation by ronment print, the 49 percent. part of facility im- Lockheed plemented Corporately and locally, Lockheed Martin’s culture, brand and long-term an energy management system, re- Martin is partnering with suppliers strategy. The resulting company pol- ducing costs more than $209,000 and for innovative packaging programs to icy combines a big picture outlook and saving 2,332 metric tons of carbon reduce waste being sent to area land- long-term planning with immediate dioxide. Through process upgrades, fills. Recycling contracts ensure that action and results. waste management methods and facil- more than 95 percent of the com- ity refurbishments, Camden Opera- pany’s computer equipment is recy- A world leader in tactical aircraft; de- tions also saw a 33 percent drop in cled. In Camden, surplus equipment fense electronics; missile defense; sur- solid waste in a mere two years. and materials are donated to area veillance and reconnaissance; naval schools, non-profits and churches. systems; space-based systems; and The corporate Go Green initiative tar- Area groups received equipment and unmanned systems, Lockheed Martin gets waste reduction through recycling materials such as computers, forklifts doesn’t typically fight battles itself. efforts. Its success requires setting and surplus paint and adhesives. Yet with 1,000 facilities in 500 U.S. realistic goals, using effective proce- cities across 46 states, this is a battle dures and achieving the active partici- As the company moves toward a tar- Lockheed Martin is determined to win. pation of all employees. The Camden get of eliminating adverse environ- Environmental, Safety & Health mental impact from its operations, “Reducing … environmental impact (ESH) and Facilities departments de- carbon emissions, solid waste and wa- never happens by simply willing it to veloped a recycling program that re- ter usage are expected to be reduced be so. It requires robust practice, dedi- sulted in an overall recycling rate of by 25 percent within three years. cated people and buy-in from every 80 percent. Further testament to the LMMFC Camden Operations is doing corner of the enterprise” notes En- company’s commitment to Go Green is its part to help. ergy, Environment, Safety & Health Vice President Dr. David J.C. Consta- ble on the company Web site. Apparently, the company has all those “When we think of waste, we can no longer think of factors in place. Through their active throwing it away. After all, there is no “away”. There is participation in Go Green, Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control only here, and our land is finite and precious.
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