Reston Recycles!

Reston Recycles! is an easy project where residents work together to increase recycling participation in their neighborhood. Learn the importance of recycling, what can be recycled in Fairfax County and how to recycle where you live.

Recycling -

	Reduces the need for landfilling and incineration.
	Prevents pollution caused by the manufacturing of products from virgin materials.
	Saves energy and decreases emissions of greenhouse gases that contribute to global climate change.
	Conserves natural resources such as timber, water and minerals.
	Protects and expands manufacturing jobs.

And, it's the law! Fairfax County requires recycling.

How Does Recycling Save?

	By recycling all of your home's waste newsprint, cardboard, glass and metal, you can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 850 pounds annually.
	Recycling an aluminum can saves enough energy to run a television for 3 hours.
	Americans throw away enough aluminum every 3 months to rebuild our entire commercial airline fleet.
	Every glass bottle recycled saves enough energy to light a 100 watt bulb for 4 hours.
	Producing from recycled paper means 35% less water pollution and 74% less air pollution.
	For each ton of paper recycled, 17 trees are left standing to gather carbon.
	Producing from recycled steel means 86% less air pollution.
	Aluminum made from recycled aluminum uses only 5% of the energy needed to make virgin aluminum.
	Plastic made from recycled plastic uses only 25-43% of the energy needed to make virgin plastic and releases far fewer toxic chemicals.

Sources: Aluminum Recycling, American Forest and Paper Association Recycling, Environmental News Network, EPA, Plastic Resource Inc., Bureau of International Recycling, National Resources Defense Council

Inform your Neighbors!

By participating in Reston Recycles! your neighbors can learn useful, convenient information such as:

	How to recycle at home - What items are collected by your cluster, building, or commonly used contractor and how to prepare them for pick-up.
	How to recycle other common items including computers, cell phones, Styrofoam peanuts, bubble wrap, compact disks, audiotapes, and videotapes.
	Local Drop-Off Centers - the locations of near-by collection centers, what they accept, their hours, phone number and website address.
	The connection between recycling and global warming, and how recycling affects the economy.

Knowing what and how to recycle can be confusing because each neighborhood, building or homeowner has individual contracts with haulers.

REACT teaches residents what and how to recycle. After surveying residents at the 2002 Reston Festival, REACT found that only 45% of respondents living in Reston were very familiar with how and what to recycle. In talking with residents, we have learned that even conscientious recyclers are unaware of some recycling requirements.

Reston Recycles! incorporates community-based social marketing research that shows that simply providing information does little to change behaviors. However, utilizing seemingly minor, additional tools such as reminders, neighborhood leaders and reinforcements greatly increases participation in community programs which promote environmental sustainability.

"Lots of folks have ideas for community projects that protect the environment, but without an organization to provide support, it's hard to find the time to organize a project yourself."

John Higgins, REACT Treasurer

With Reston Recycles! you can organize your neighbors to increase recycling in just 2-3 months with these easy steps.

Hold an open house in a home or a common area. We provide displays which explain why recycling is important for the environment and what can be recycled in Fairfax County, as well as brochures on how to recycle in your neighborhood. You find a few volunteers in your neighborhood to help distribute flyers and keep a survey box on their porches.

Your volunteers distribute brochures to residents who missed the open house. Later, the volunteers deliver surveys door-to-door to assess any change in recycling participation.

Once surveys are collected and tabulated, the volunteers distribute fliers in the neighborhood with the results.

Lastly, celebrate your efforts in completing the project!

REACT supplies brochures, flyers, surveys, survey boxes, open house displays, and celebration refreshments. Contact us for more information on how you can participate and how we can help!