Renewable News Writing Sample

Legislative Session 2002 Begins

The Time for RFT Members to Act is Now!

Lynn Thompson, RFT Communications Chair, has put together a brief summary of the excellent information covered at our September, 2001 Legislative Issues Forum. We also have available, for our members, packets of legislative "how to" information given to attendees at the Issues Forum. To receive a packet, please call the RFT Administrative Office at 877-867-4RFT (4738) or send your request by email to: rft@recyclefloridatoday.org.

RFT ISSUES FORUM, SEPTEMBER 2001 – "A HUGE SUCCESS"!

By Lynn Thompson, BellSouth, The Real Yellow Pages

If you missed September’s Issues Forum, here’s a brief summary of the information covered there. Elected officials and political consultants participating included State Representative Doug Wiles, former Jacksonville mayor Tommy Hazouri, Tallahassee lobbyist Robert Trammell, former Miss Florida Candace Rodatz, Jacksonville City Councilwoman Elaine Brown, and RFT’s own Carroll Copeland.

Do you have a relationship with your elected officials? If not, you’re missing a great opportunity. An awareness of the "big picture" for the state is essential – solid waste is not the only important issue. Florida had a $700 million deficit in the current fiscal year before September 11. Legislators must deal with the reality of funding all the projects promised to the state’s citizens. Participants agreed that the budget deficit and reapportionment after the 2000 U.S. Census changes will be the only two issues on legislators’ minds during this session.

Did you know that the state has a $52 billion budget, with $22 billion of that outside of the trust funds? The transportation trust fund is rarely "raided" by legislators; in addition to the importance of roads to the tourism industry, citizens will complain if their roads aren’t fixed. The Solid Waste Management Trust Fund was never intended to last forever when it was established. Making it "unraidable" would require changing Florida statutes, and legislators aren’t likely to give up the freedom they have now to shift those funds to other projects.

Tips for being more effective when interacting

with elected officials:

Each local delegation to the legislature meets in a public forum to identify the issues that are important to their constituents. Find out when yours is meeting and go there to state your position.
Put a "face" on an issue you want to get through in Tallahassee. As impressive as your statistics may be, the threat of the West Nile virus to children & seniors if tires are illegally dumped will more effectively show the effects of insufficient state funding for tire disposal. (Remember that "big picture".)
Don’t underestimate the impact of local media. They can be invaluable in making the public aware of your issue so they’ll rally behind you.
Get to know your local news reporters. Find an advocate there who shares your viewpoint and feed that person all the information they need to write columns or news stories on your issue.
Timeliness in the news is also important. Find out when the committee addressing your issue is meeting, and be in the press clips about a week before then. Front-page coverage won’t do you any good if it’s six months earlier.
The squeaky wheel definitely gets the oil; the more a legislator hears from constituents about an issue, the more attention will be paid to it.
Make your issue a solution to a problem faced by legislators, and they will get the point. Don’t just present them with more problems.
The main effect of term limits in Tallahassee is that power is more centralized and at the top, not with long-term committee chairs. Legislators’ staff also has more power now – they may have been there longer than the elected official!
If you hold a legislative day in Tallahassee, it’s better to have it early in the session. Schedule meetings with legislators in advance, briefly explain your issue to them, and ask for their support.

(continued on page 8)

Legislative Day

February 5, 2002

State Capitol Rotunda

RFT has been invited by Keep Florida Beautiful to join them for Legislative Day activities on February 5th. You are welcome to attend, visit with your Legislators, see the process in action and network with all the professionals that keep the Legislative process in action! Visit our RFT booth in the rotunda. See you there!

Note: If you are coming to Tallahassee for Legislative Day, you are encouraged to make your own arrangements for accommodations, transportation and restaurants.

RFT Leadership

2001-2002

Board of Directors

Chair

Sally Palmi 352-374-5245

Alachua County Division of Waste Management

Vice Chair

Steven Lengefeld 321-427-0001

SP Recycling Company

Treasurer

Ray Moreau 800-441-7949

Southern Waste Information Exchange, Inc.

(SWIX)

Secretary

Christopher J. Snow 813-276-8408

Hillsborough County SW Management Dept.

Colin Cassidy 561-640-4000

Solid Waste Authority of Palm Beach County

Carroll Copeland 850-643-3777

Liberty County Solid Waste Department

Donald Freedland 954-480-4390

City of Deerfield Beach

Mitch Kessler 813-971-8333

Kessler Consulting, Inc.

Stephanie Ragans 850-668-7602

Wilmington Paper Recycling Management

Victor Storelli 954-984-2045

Recycle America

Lynn Thompson 904-996-6772

BellSouth, The Real Yellow Pages

Committee Chairs

Communications

Lynn Thompson 904-996-6772

BellSouth, The Real Yellow Pages

Conference

Donald Freedland, Co-Chair 954-480-4390

City of Deerfield Beach

Nancy Paul, Co Chair 850-414-9346

Leon County

Education

Carroll Copeland 850-643-3777

Liberty County Solid Waste Department

Legislative

Ray Moreau 800-441-7949

Southern Waste Information Exchange, Inc.

(SWIX)

Membership

Ray Moreau 800-441-7949

Southern Waste Information Exchange, Inc.

(SWIX)

Organics (FORA)

Christopher J. Snow 813-276-8408

Hillsborough County SW Management Dept.

RecycleFlorida Today, Inc.

P.O. Box 15889

Tallahassee, FL 32317

877-867-4RFT (4738) toll free

Fax: 850/386-4321

Email: rft@recyclefloridatoday.org

www.recyclefloridatoday.org

Unless otherwise noted, the opinions expressed

in RENEWABLE NEWS are those of the author

of the respective article and not necessarily the

opinions of RecycleFlorida Today, Inc.

Printed on Recycled Paper

Letter from the Chair

[photo of Sally Palmi]

Happy New Year, RFT!!!

So much has happened in the last six months, I don’t quite know where to begin. This year started off as a big challenge for our industry. Our supplemental funding sources through the state have been virtually eliminated, markets have been crazy and of course the biggest impact on all of our lives has been the tragedy of September 11th. But amidst all of this, some great and exciting things are happening for RFT.
     We had a tremendous Issues Forum in September. Great attendance, super speakers and valuable information that is helping all of us effect change in our communities. Not to mention the beautiful venue of St. Augustine and the wonderful Casa Monica Hotel. Thanks to all of you who attended and participated!
     And in lieu of the current legislative flavor, (the many freshman in the legislature and major budget shortfalls) RFT has taken a step we have never done before. We have hired the services of Lobbyists Lamonica and Trammel to help have our voices heard.
     RFT has contracted with Lobby Tools, an on-line legislative tracking system that provides our membership with daily updates on all the issues that may be affecting our communities. Thanks to Ray Moreau, you can find all of this information and much more on our web site. So visit RFT at www.recyclefloridatoday.org
     We have created a partnership between RFT and private industry to help fund this mission and make sure the legislature is aware of the valuable resources, services and ideals represented by our industry. Although it will be difficult to secure the funding of the past, the important message is source reduction and recycling are here to stay! We are innovative, creative and share in the well-being of our state through employment of our citizens, economic development and preservation of what makes this state great - our fragile environment.
     We spoke with House Natural Resources Committee and were well received. Most agreed with our stance on returned funding for scrap tire recycling and recovery and I believe many learned some things about us they didn’t know before; our strong education campaigns, the number of jobs and businesses in Florida supported by recycling and of course, the many successes we have achieved over the last decade are what make us leaders!
     It doesn’t stop here. Our membership continues to grow daily. Despite the reduced funding, recycling remains strong! But we still need your help!!!! What makes our industry and our organization great is the continued support and participation we get from our members. I urge you to get involved - join a committee, let us hear from you on issues that concern you, your businesses, your communities and pass our message along to all that you meet.
     Finally, as you go about your day-to-day lives, remember September 11th. Continue to keep those affected both directly and indirectly by this tragedy in your thoughts and prayers. Be thankful each and every day for all that you have, your freedoms, your families, your jobs and each other.
     I am proud to represent all of you as chair of RFT and I’m looking forward to seeing all of you in June. Remember, Recycling Rules!

[Resource Management Group Ad]

County Connection

Project ReCompute: A Bridge Across the Digital Divide
By Michael Murphy, Hillsborough County Recycling Task Force
     Project ReCompute started as an idea on how to bridge the "Digital Divide" while giving a second life to thousands of computers after their original owners had moved on to newer equipment.
     FDEP funded the project under the Innovative HHW Grant Program, and Verizon Communications matched the amount. There was also an in-kind donation from Secure Environmental Electronic Recycling (SEER). The following goals were set:

Survey the county’s population to discern the depth and make-up of the problem

Conduct pilot collections to validate the survey results

Refurbish usable computers for use by families without access to technology

Develop family-based computer literacy training for recipients of refurbished computers

Develop public/private partnerships to insure the success of the project

     A survey was developed and conducted by volunteers and staff of Hillsborough County Solid Waste Management Department and the Recycling Task Force. The results were mainly in line with national trends.
     Pilot collections were conducted using local schools as collection sites to facilitate local knowledge, provide ease of participation in a neighborhood setting and for ease of traffic flow. The results were a 4.5% participation rate, higher than the national average, with almost half of the computers being refurbishable. They were refurbished to specifications set by the County School System, with a free ISP service.
     A six-hour basic computer literacy curriculum was developed. The training is divided into two three-hour sessions, with the first half of each session being for the entire family and the second only for the adults. The pilot class revealed that children were already adept at the keyboard, and parents were often intimidated by the children’s familiarity. The adult-only sessions allowed us to quickly bring the parents up to speed.
     After training, the family left with the computer they had been using for the two sessions. To expand the project’s reach, the Task Force partnered with AmeriCorps volunteers from Hillsborough READS, and trained them to be our trainers. Fourteen AmeriCorps members taught at least one class per month during the grant period. Over 550 family members were trained in sessions of 10-12 families each utilizing local schools, public libraries or community centers as training sites.
     Project ReCompute was named Best New Program by the North American Hazardous Materials Management Association’s 2001 Hazardous Materials Management Conference in Portland. The public/private partnership has proven successful, with twenty-two partners to date. Additional funding has been sought and awarded, and additional grants applied for. The continued project success looks very good and transferability of the entire program should be high for all types of counties. For more information, contact Michael Murphy at 813-276-2931.

Business Equipment Reuse Center Soars!
By Susan Lancianese, Solid Waste Authority of Palm
Beach County
     The Solid Waste Authority of Palm Beach County’s Business Equipment Reuse Center (BERC) is now open. The SWA received an Innovative Recycling Grant from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to implement the reuse center.
     The dynamics of the program are simple. The SWA collects usable office equipment such as desks, chairs, file cabinets, tables, and electronics from commercial businesses that may be downsizing, refurbishing their offices, or have a surplus. In the past, few options existed for these companies to reuse or redistribute instead of disposing of this unwanted yet still usable equipment. Now, businesses are encouraged to contact the SWA so that this valuable resource can be redistributed within the community, and not landfilled. Companies such as Florida Power and Light, Pratt and Whitney, Boca Resort and Club, and Ernst and Young have contributed to the program.
     After the SWA collects the material, items that are damaged are sent to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Drug Farm where residents of this rehabilitation facility refurbish the furniture as needed. Drug Farm residents also assist in running diagnostic tests on any computers that are collected through the program.
     Finally, the SWA redistributes the usable equipment to local nonprofit organizations. SWA staff schedule appointments to pick up the equipment currently one day a month. The SWA looks for this to increase as the BERC is further developed.
     This program is a win/win/win for the donor business who are avoiding disposal costs, the nonprofit organizations who are receiving much-needed equipment at no cost, the SWA and the citizens of Palm Beach County because valuable landfill space is conserved. For more information on the BERC, contact Susan Lancianese, Education Program Manager at 561/640- 4000 extension 4315.

[photo of equipment at center]

3

County Connection (continued)

Collier County’s Public Education and Marketing Campaign
By Denise Kirk, Collier County
     Collier County initiated an aggressive public education and marketing campaign to inform county residents that the recycling/waste reduction program was expanded as of July 1, 2001, and it shows.
     Haulers reported an 18% increase in curbside recycling in July with an additional 145 tons of material diverted form the landfills.
     Hits on the Solid Waste Management Department’s website, www.colliercountyrecycles.com tripled. Over 1200 curbside bins were picked up by residents in July. The Recycling Hotline, (941) 775-3900, had the best month ever with more requests for recycling info than the three previous months combined.
     Announcing the expanded
recycling program, radio and
television commercials aired with
the theme "Recycling is the future.
The future is now," and visual
statistics like, "Collier County
residents generate enough trash to
completely cover an 18-hole golf
course every two weeks." A slide
stops in front of moviegoers on 20 screens at the local theatre. Local newspapers support the program with favorable editorials and coverage.
      Plastics #3 through #7, magazines, office paper, junk mail, brown paper bags, catalogs and cardboard were added to the curbside and multi-family recycling program that previously consisted of newspapers, phone books, aluminum and steel cans, brown/clear/green glass and plastics #1 and #2. And beginning October 1, 2001, paperboard will be added to the list of recyclables. Watch the numbers grow even more by the end of the year!
     These indicators show that Collier County is on the right path to achieving its goal of boasting the highest recycle rate in the state.

High Tech Research in Sarasota County for Sorting CCA treated Wood
By Helena Solo-Gabriele of the University of Miami
     During this past summer, Sarasota County Environmental Services, in conjunction with Meyer and Gabbert C&D Recycling, the University of Miami, and the University of Florida, installed a system to sort wood treated with chromated copper arsenate (CCA) at the county’s Solid Waste Disposal Complex. The system installed at the Sarasota County facility was a pilot scale study which demonstrated new technologies for sorting CCA-treated wood from other wood types.
     One thousand tons of lumber is handled at Sarasota County’s landfill per year. More than 5 percent of the lumber is treated with chromated copper arsenate, a pesticide added to the wood to combat insects and fungus. The compound, which contains arsenic, can be hazardous if buried because of its potential exposure to soil and water.
     During disposal, CCA-treated wood mixed with untreated wood makes separating visually difficult, especially for wood that has been weathered. Laser, xrays, and chemical technologies were employed in the research at the county facility to sort treated wood from nontreated wood. Once sorted, uncontaminated wood can then be chipped and used in landscaping as a water conservation tool and for beautification.
     Results of the study were extremely successful and showed that chemical technologies were well suited for sorting small quantities of CCA-treated wood and for spot-checking wood piles. Laser and xray technologies were found to be economically feasible for larger facilities such as the one located at Sarasota County’s Solid Waste Disposal Complex. For more information about this project, including a copy of the final report, please visit the following web site: http://www.eng.miami.edu/~hmsolo/sarasota/ index_sara.htm or call Helena Solo-Gabriele at 305-284-3489.

Pinellas County To Develop Waste Composition Model
by Robin Mitchell, Kessler Consulting, Inc.
     Pinellas County was awarded a grant under the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Innovative Recycling Grant Program to develop an advanced waste composition model that can be used by all Florida counties to characterize their waste stream. The County, through its Utilities Department of Solid Waste Operations, will be working closely with Kessler Consulting, Inc. and Franklin Associates, with Highlands, Indian River, and Levy Counties serving as waste sorting sites for collection of data. Additional data will come from recent studies in other Florida counties and sorting events in Charlotte, Okaloosa, Sarasota, and Citrus Counties.
     The project is expected to produce substantial benefits for Florida and also has nationwide implications. While accurate and up-to-date waste composition data is essential for sound solid waste management planning, sampling studies are costly, especially when numerous material categories, various generator types, and multipleseason sorts are included.
     FDEP requires that all counties report waste composition information to the department annually and suggests that counties update the information every five years. Pinellas County’s project will develop a user-friendly, computer-based model that will enable Florida’s solid waste managers and planners to determine local waste stream composition by entering county-specific information into an interactive format. If the model is eventually used by all or most of Florida’s counties, the project will result in cost savings of millions of dollars.

Organics (FORA) News (continued)
FORCE (continued from page 5) • Installation of a toll-free number: 1-800-566-4413. • Filling the postdoctoral position with Dr. Gladis Zinati of Michigan State University, who has a PH.D. in soil science. • Development of a Technical Advisory Group (TAG) • Installation of an office and laboratory at the Sumter County Solid Waste Facility (SCSWF), in Lake Panasoffkee. • Ongoing Activities • Installation of an additional MSW composting digester • Hiring of an agricultural field technician and a multi-county extension educator • Development of a Scientific Advisory Council (SAC) • Coordination of the Composting in the SE Conference and Expo in Palm Harbor in October. FORCE is the designated host of this regional conference. For more information, visit http://conference.ifas.ufl.edu/compost/index.html. • Upcoming Activities • Preparation as needed of the 40-acre site • Initiation of feedstock processing • Installation of first generation research plots	[Graphic of FORCE logo] • Development of educational media and planning of educational programs The FORCE mission is to advance the state’s organics recycling infrastructure by bringing together academic research, entrepreneurs, processors and marketers, organic feedstock producers and product end-users to evolve solid, practical uses for organic wastes in Florida. The project will address issues such as crop growth, yield and quality, water use, improved soil water and nutrient holding capacity and pest suppression. For more information, contact project coordinator Miriam Zimms at the toll-free number, or visit the FORCE website.
Industry Sector News
Florida’s Recycling Loan Program Hard at Work By Guillermo J. Gutierrez, Florida First Capital Finance Corporation
When James Pope and Barbara Drake of Main Recycling in Jacksonville decided to expand their business, they investigated the benefits of the Florida Recycling Loan Program (FRLP). Through the FRLP, a program of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), Main was able to obtain a below-market interest rate loan ideally suited for its special needs. "In times like these it is more important than ever to conserve our country’s precious resources while reducing waste that contributes to the pollution of our environment," said Ms. Drake. "The FRLP made it possible for our company to purchase the necessary equipment to build our business and create jobs." The FRLP enabled this company to purchase four industrial scales, a cable stripping machine, a bailer and a 72’’ steel conveyor. The company specializes in the purchase of scrap metals from individuals, manufacturers, institutions and government facilities. After metals are sorted and compressed, they are shipped to mills, smelters or exported to buyers in the Far East. The FRLP provides Florida businesses with access to capital for the purchase of equipment and machinery to expand industrial recycling activities. The program offers long-term (up to 10 years), fixed-rate loans, designed for companies that manufacture products from recycled materials or convert recyclable materials into raw materials for use in manufacturing. The FRLP is administered for	DEP by Florida First Capital Finance Corporation, a private, nonprofit corporation created by the State of Florida to ensure small business access to capital through state and federal (SBA and USDA) financing programs. [photo of Main Recycling facility]

Organization & Non-Profit News

Hospital Waste
Reduction Program
By Laurie Tenace, Florida Department of Environmental Protection

     The Department of Environmental Protection is starting a new program that could help hospitals in your area.
     DEP’s Pollution Prevention (P2) and Recycling sections are partnering to provide free waste assessments and waste management assistance to Florida hospitals.
     The program is based on Hospitals for a Healthy Environment (H2E), a national initiative. H2E developed from a memorandum of understanding signed by EPA and the American Hospital Association in 1998. H2E has two major components: to reduce the amount of waste produced in hospitals by 50% by 2010, and to eliminate mercury from medical waste streams by 2005. See the H2E web site at http://www.h2e-online.org/.
     DEP staff will be visiting hospitals around the State to provide free help in these areas. Along with a waste assessment, the selected hospitals will get information on recycling, mercury reduction, environmentally preferable purchasing, energy conservation, and general waste management.
     Please contact Laurie Tenace at (850) 488-1865 or laurie.tenace@dep.state.fl.us or Michael Ohlsen at (850) 921-9230 or michael.ohlsen@dep.state.fl.us if you would like more information about the program or to suggest a hospital that would like a free waste assessment.

Olympic Recycling
by Gina Hawkins, City of Gainesville

     It’s not a "medal" event yet but recycling will reach global proportions in Salt Lake City in February at the Winter Olympics. The Salt Lake Organizing Committee for the 2002 Winter Olympics, or "SLOC" for short, invited Gainesville’s Gina Hawkins to scrutinize their plans for reducing waste.
     SLOC has a zero waste policy. Approximately 3,000 tons of material will be generated over the course of the 10-day event. SLOC’s vendor must reduce waste by, at a minimum, 85% through recycling and composting or they will have to pay penalties.
     The review team’s focus is waste reduction within three major constraints: security, budget and media coverage. Not surprisingly, the key issue for SLOC is security. Security issues effect the placement and type of receptacles for the collection of materials. Security issues, budget and media coverage limit the number of volunteers that can be involved. Personnel for the Olympics, paid or volunteer, must wear an official Olympic parka, gloves, snow pants and boots. This uniform plays a part in security and media coverage, too, since it is part of the Olympic image. The price of the uniform? More than $1,000 each.
     Other members of the review team include Will Ferretti of the National Recycling Coalition, Gary Liss of the Grass Roots Recycling Network, Scott Vitters of Coca-Cola, Ginny Black of the U.S. Composting Council, U.S. EPA officials, State of Utah officials, and representatives from local municipalities, among others. Gina will review SLOC’s plan on behalf of SWANA.

Kessler Consulting, Inc.

half-page ad

Legislative Issues (continued from page 1)

• Get to know your elected officials. Find them at the state’s website, www.myflorida.com. Find out what their personal issues are; they are real people, with families and concerns just like yours. They are looking for issues on which they can make a difference. They want to be educated; help them ask the right questions in committee meetings to achieve your goals.

• Keep your message consistent. Go to town meetings and speak to make elected officials aware of your issues.

• Be sure to thank your officials for the job they’re doing, and make them aware of what you’ve been able to accomplish because of their past support.

• If you are in a position where you can’t speak personally, find someone with a group who’s benefited from your recycling programs and have them speak for you.

• Give your legislators an opportunity for good public relations; if they’ve helped you fund a facility, invite them to be a guest of honor at its grand opening. When a program they’ve supported is working well, make them aware of it, and ask for their continued support. No county wants to slide back from its past accomplishments.

• Don’t be intimidated by elected officials! See them as real people, not just an office.

Remember, the legislature is in session now, so it’s time for you to put these suggestions to use! RFT’s board can never be as effective alone as can its entire membership.

Pocket Guide to
Florida Government
by Gene Jones, SWIX

     For all the details on the Florida Legislature that you require, choose The Official 2002 Pocket Guide to Florida Government.
     This handy publication, by the Florida Chamber of Commerce, contains pertinent information on the Florida Legislature, as well as a comprehensive look at the Executive Branch, Congressional Delegation and many Government Agencies.
     This guide includes:

• Lawmaker Photos and Background Information
• House and Senate Committee Assignments, Staff Names
• District and Capitol Phone Numbers, Addresses
• State Agencies Contact Information
• Fax Numbers and Email Addresses
Call 800/204-6002 to request an order form to be emailed or faxed to you.
You may also purchase online at: https://www.flchamber.com/home/secureweb/
pocket_guide_order.asp

Florida First Capital Finance Corporation

half-page ad

America Recycles Day
Above and Beyond by Kimberly Larkins Robinson, Broward County’s Office of Integrated Waste Management
After an award-winning America Recycles Day 2000, where do you go next? As Broward County’s Office of Integrated Waste Management (OIWM) found out, you can only go above and beyond. America Recycles Day 2001 expanded outreach efforts on "buying recycled" to include a Home Depot Extravaganza across five major Broward cities; a highly successful recycled paint giveaway at the Habitat Re-Store in Fort Lauderdale (which unexpectedly turned into a two-day event when many residents turned out to get their free paint!); and the 3rd Annual Deerfield Beach Bash, co-sponsored by OIWM and the City of Deerfield Beach. OIWM and the City of Deerfield Beach also sponsored a county-wide ARD 2001 school contest, with winning entries displayed during the Beach Bash. Each student was required to submit their idea of a futuristic house made from recyclable and recycled materials in a 2 or 3- dimensional format with a writing requirement to meet academic standards, which allowed teachers to integrate the contest into their lesson plans. Educating residents on the "buy recycled" concept was further enhanced with the many recycled-content items provided as promotional giveaways in 100 mini-shopping carts given to residents who correctly answered recycling questions. Add ARD t-shirts (provided by OIWM) and printed flag cards donated by the Sun-Sentinel newspaper, and America Recycles Day 2001 outreach efforts spill over and beyond the two days of activities held in Broward County. For information on outreach programs in Broward County call Marnie Rosen at 954-765-4202 x273 or send an email to mrosen@broward.org.
	[photo] Millie Glass (Broward County) proudly displays booth at Home Depot Extravaganza in Sunrise
	[photo] Marnie Rosen with K-12 winning entries, ARD 2001 School Contest
Kessler Consulting seeks a Project Manager (ad)	[photo] Cheryl Miller (l), Deerfield Beach Recycling Coordinator and Marnie Rosen (r), Broward County Outreach Coordinator, co-hosted the 3rd annual Deerfield Beach Bash

America Recycles Day (continued)
Orange County Celebrates "America Recycles" Day By Susan ElAmrani, Orange County
America Recycles Day is a nationally recognized annual event that emphasizes the importance of recycling. Orange County Solid Waste celebrated Orange County Recycles Day on Saturday, November 17, 2001 in support of the national event. This year’s event was filled with fun, food, and plenty of activities.	Also, a presentation board was displayed to explain the recycling process along with recycled content product examples. Many residents who attended received recycling bins so they could begin participating in the curbside recycling program. New to the event this year was the Equipment Road E-O. The heavy equipment was fun to watch as well as the recycling and garbage trucks which expertly maneuvered around a difficult timed course. Many people were given their first look at the equipment in action, and the equipment operators did a great job impressing the audience with their skilled maneuvering. All of these great activities would not have been possible without the participation of the following sponsors: CH2MHill/Joint Venture City of Orlando Consumer Development Group Onyx/Superior Services Recycle America Republic Services SCS Engineers, Inc. Waste Management WCG Engineers Several Orange County staff volunteered their time and talent to plan this event and gave up much of their Saturday to work at the event as well. There was considerable partnership of local businesses, government agencies, and enthusiastic Orange County employees. Orange County Recycles Day will certainly be remembered as a key element in the effort to promote recycling.
[photo]
It all started with the Orange County registration booth where everyone had an opportunity to win special prizes made out of recycled content, and were given a ticket for a complimentary meal. Then there was a vending area where local business and government agencies came out to talk to the event attendees about a variety of recycling related subjects. Vendors also handed out free educational items. Some of these vendors along with the Orange County Utilities Human Resources section provided position vacancy information and job applications as part of the job fair. The children really enjoyed the clowns and getting painted with festive designs, and the DJ kept everybody grooving throughout the day.
[photo]	Stan Miller & Associates 1/4 page ad
All this fun focused around the importance of participating in the Orange County recycling program and buying products made from recycled content. Everyone was given the opportunity to view the Orange County Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) in action along with the recycling truck display.

RFT Membership News
Membership News By Ray Moreau, SWIX, RFT Membership Committee Chair Well, as most of you are aware, RFT has easily doubled its size during the past two to three years. We are now 412 members strong and still growing! This is indeed good news for RFT as an organization and for recycling/waste reduction in Florida in general. It means that despite recent reductions in recycling grant funding at the State level, people and organizations throughout the State are STILL interested in making a difference in how we manage resources in Florida and are willing to join with their colleagues to create a more effective "voice" for what they believe in. Now, that being said, we CANNOT rest on past laurels. We did achieve our goal of 85 new members last year. But your Membership Committee has a goal of 100 new members in 2001-2002 and we need your help to get this done. I would like each and every current member of RFT to consider the following specific actions during the next few months: 1. If you think of any individual or group or individuals that should be approached about RFT membership, PLEASE notify Gaylene Stanley, Ray Moreau, Colin Cassidy, Russ Ketchem, Steve Lengefeld, or Tom Edwards (our contact information is in your new Membership Directory). Let us know whenever a potential member(s) comes to mind and we will follow up. 2. If you have any specific membership recruitment ideas that you want to share, please do NOT hesitate to share them with us. Use email, the phone, the fax machine, or old fashioned "snail" mail! 3. Lastly, challenge yourself to sign up ONE new RFT member yourself personally. Think about the impact this action would have on RFT membership if each one of us did this - we’d double the size of the organization in one year! I think you’ll agree, signing up one new member each is DOABLE. And there is NOTHING to replace the "personal" touch that each of you brings to membership recruitment. 4. To make your membership recruitment efforts worthwhile, we have a contest in progress. The Member that brings in the most new members from July 1, 2001 to June 1, 2002 will be awarded a $25.00 check. Last year, we had a tie and four people received a check for $25.00. Remember, RFT’s membership is its LIFEBLOOD... please continue to support membership growth. I hope to see each of you soon.	RFT Welcomes the Following New Members Ronnie Barron, Organic Soil Builders, Inc. Carol Cobb, Monroe County, Solid Waste Management Darlene Copeland, Redco Recycling James Florio, Marion County Public Schools Karen Gray, Resource Depot Michael Heimbach, City of Hallandale Beach Becky Jackson, Alachua County Public Works Terry Lohman, Sandhill Recycle Center Frank Loscialo, Recycled Fibers Division Leonard Marion, Osceola County Solid Waste Jill Mondo, FL Independent Tire Dealers & Retreaders Assn. Laura Mueller, Sarasota County Gov’t Environmental Robert Peoples, Solutia, Inc. Tom Strickland, City of Gainesville Eric Vogt, Florida’s Mulch Express Ben Walker, Abitibi Consolidated List Serve Down – What’s Next? By Ray Moreau, Membership Chair Coming Soon! Our List Serve that began in July is evolving into a new service geared to better serve our members. We are in the process of setting up an RFT Discussion Board. It will be Internet based and accessible on RFT s existing web site, www.recyclefloridatoday.org. This new Discussion Board will require all RFT members that are interested to log on to RFT’s Web site, enter a password which will be provided to all members, click on the Discussion Board button, and then post questions and/or answers related to solid waste management, recycling, reuse and waste reduction. The Discussion Board will be available for viewing by all members. No RFT member’s personal email program will be impacted by this Discussion Board feature, since the new service will be Web site based. Watch for details about our new RFT Discussion Board coming soon! This new Web based technical assistance tool, along with our new Legislative Tracking service (LobbyTools), should be ready to go before February 1 of this year.
Mark Your Calendar
February 5 – Keep Florida Beautiful Legislative Day, Tallahassee. Call 850-385-1528. February 12 - Training Class in Production & Utilization of compost for Horticultural Cropping Systems, Immokalee. Call 941-658-3400. February 17-20 – Southeast Recycling Conference, Orange Beach, AL. Call 334-277-7050. February 20-23 – Greenprints: Sustainable Communities by Design Conference, Atlanta, GA. Call 440-872-3549. March 10-14 – ISRI Annual Convention & Exposition, Las Vegas, NV. Call 202-737-1770 or visit www.isri.org. March 14-15 – Georgia Recycling Coalition Semi-Annual Membership Meeting, Dalton, GA. Call 404-634-3095 or visit www.georgiarecycles.org.	March 24-27 – Carolina Recycling Association Annual Conference & Trade Show, Asheville, NC. Call 919-545-9050 or visit www.cra-recycle.org. April 19-21 – Econatural 2002 conference on ecological awareness & education, Miami. Call 305-380-0387. April 22 – Earth Day, worldwide. Visit www.earthday.net. May 6-8 – *2002 BioCycle* International Symposium – Composting & Compost Utilization, Columbus, OH. Call 610-967-4135. May 20-23 – Waste Expo 2002, Las Vegas, NV. Call 800-527-9007. May 30-June 2 – 12th Annual Key West Recycling Seminar, Pier House, Key West. Call Herb Lund at 954-973-8010. June 3-6 – RFT Annual Conference & Exhibition**, Hutchison Island Marriott Resort, Stuart. Call 877-867-4738 or visit www.recyclefloridatoday.org.