Recycling Tips

I am writing an extra post because I want to share some recycling tips for you. These apply specifically to the City of Phoenix, but most cities in the Phoenix area have similar recycling rules. Check with your locality to learn more!

Before working at Solid Waste, I considered myself a pretty decent recycler. It wasn't something I gave a great deal of thought to, and convenience was key, but I tried my best. However, I have improved a lot as a recycler. I always recycled paper, plastic bottles, cardboard, and glass bottles, but I didn't think about other items. Here are my tips:

Things you can recycle that you probably aren't (or I wasn't, until recently):

• Shampoo, conditioner, body wash bottles- just rinse them out in the shower to get the last bit out 
• Laundry detergent jugs- you can now recycle all plastics, 1-6, including these
• Plastic food containers, like margarine tubs
• Food cans
• Glass food jars 

Things you can't recycle that you (or friends and family) might be throwing in:

• Paper towels- just because paper is in the name doesn't mean its recyclable! paper towels are compostable though
• Pizza boxes- these are too greasy/contaminated
• Plastic bags- these get stuck in the machinery at the MRF. Take them to the grocery store to recycle instead

Most important is to keep out food waste, including paper containers that are greasy or food-y.

Hopefully that helps some well meaning people who just don't think about or realize all of the items that are recyclable! This is certainly not all inclusive, but you can look up your city or town online and see what their specific policies are.  Happy Recycling!

Thank You Letter

Although I am not finished with my internship quite yet, here is an idea for a thank you letter to my supervisors:

To Lorizelda Stoeller and John Trujillo,

Thank you both so much for this opportunity to intern at Solid Waste. I have really enjoyed all of my experiences out in the field and in the office. John, it is fantastic to have the support of a manager for the internship program, and have a manager who values the work of student interns. Lori, you are extremely kind and helpful, and lead by example.

I look forward to the rest of my year here at the City, and I hope to learn and contribute a great deal more.

Sincerely,
Megan O'Brien

Looking Back

What were the most important things you learned from this internship? Look back to your first blog post. Did you meet your initial goals? Why or why not?


Here are my goals from my first blog post:

My three goals for this internship:

1) Learn about city government and its sustainability programs

2) Gain research skills

3) Network and learn from my coworkers

I am only halfway through my internship, as it is a yearlong experience, so I still hope to learn a great deal more. Here are my thoughts so far on reaching my goals:
1) I have gone to some City Council Subcommittee meetings, and learned about how the Public Works department fits in to the City as a whole. I came in knowing very little about all of the programs in Solid Waste, which I now know is an extremely efficient and hard-working department with a lot going on behind the scenes. Not only have I learned about sustainability programs, but I have also helped shape them!

2) I have done a lot of research, and learned a lot about other cities and municipalities solid waste programs. I have emailed and called different people, and learned how to better organize and present information.

3) This is the goal I would like to focus on in the next half of my internship. While I have gotten to know my coworkers better, I would like to learn what they do in more detail and collaborate with them more on projects.

I have also done several events and ride alongs out in the field, and I have learned why the solid waste division values field experience so much. It is very important to know what is going on at every level. 

Although I am finished with this intern class, I am not done with my internship, and I look forward to learning a lot more in the coming months.