Knox County Tennesee

Knox County Solid Waste coordinates a recycling program in 85 Knox County schools, which includes recycling of all mixed paper and corrugated cardboard. Knox County services all recycling containers at the schools, and takes all of the material to a local recycling facility. This program is a great way to teach environmental awareness to students at a young age, as well as earn money for the schools. All revenue generated by recycling the paper and cardboard is returned to the schools. The schools save a great deal of money because not only are these funds returned to them, but money is also saved in disposal costs. In 2005, Knox County schools recycled 870 tons of paper and cardboard, which is an increase from the previous year. So, hopefully participation will continue to increase so that even more material can be diverted from the landfill.

The Earth Flag program is an educational program that is sponsored by Knox County Solid Waste and administered by Ijams Nature Center and Americorps. A team of Americorps members works in approximately 24 Knox County schools to address such issues as recycling, composting, and sustainability. The main objective is to create awareness of these waste reduction issues through activities in and out of the classroom. For a school to become a level 1 Earth Flag school, it must meet five basic requirements. These include:

1. Recycling (mixed paper, cardboard, newspaper, cans)
2. Reduce and Reuse (reuse paper before recycling it, clothing drives, book swaps)
3. Composting (at least 10% of compostable waste is composted)
4. School site sustainability (add a garden, nature trail to site)
5. Communication (communicate environmental progress to school, community)

After maintaining these goals successfully for three months, the school is presented with a navy flag in a ceremony to honor them for their efforts. Higher levels of the program may be reached if the school shows further commitment to waste reduction. For more information, go to www.ijams.org/.