Just up in June, “What’s in Your Cart?” – Costco helps customers sort it out for recycling. In April, all Oahu Costco warehouses were outfitted with recycling information: educational product-specific shelf signs, colorful “Did You Know?” signs scattered throughout the store, and our multimedia recycling educational display.

Other recent episodes: (April) SECRETS OF RECYCLING Chapter 4: “The Pick up Job” aka “Dead Leaves Don’t Wear Plastic.” (May) Car Care Recycling – Lex Brodie’s shows how to be green while caring for your car, recycling tires, used oil, batteries, antifreeze and more.

Upcoming episodes:

• (July) “Where Do Things Go” – Honolulu Theatre for Youth live performance at the Tenney.
• (August) “Sort It Out” – Live performers tour schools on Oahu.

Watch new episodes of Opalavision monthly at www.opala.org and on The Green Channel, Oceanic Time Warner Cable’s interactive, digital Channel 332.

Another year, another winner in the fourth annual Lex Brodie’s Earn & Learn School Recycling Challenge, co-sponsored by the City’s Department of Environmental Services.

Punahou School has been among the top schools every year, beat out by the Pearl City High School Band last year, but back as number one this year. In a single collection event, Punahou collected more than 25,000 HI-5 beverage containers, earning $1,341, while Hawaii Baptist Academy, a skilled newcomer to the competition, took second collecting more than 23,000 HI-5 containers and earning $1,167. Lex Brodie’s Tire Company Foundation presented a check for $1,000 to Punahou School and $500 to Hawaii Baptist Academy. Look for the action in an upcoming “Tiny TV” episode on OC16.

All of the participating schools are winners in that they raise funds for their schools and organizations through recycling revenues and learn the importance of protecting our environment by reducing waste. Lex Brodie’s incentivizes the effort with matching fund awards, which has helped to get more and more schools engaged each year. For the 2011 school year, the competing schools recycled more than 500,000 HI-5 beverage containers, earning more than $27,000 for their schools.

To get your school involved in the 2011-2012 contest, click here. When you reserve a HI-5 bin for your next event, your school is automatically entered into the competition.

In 2010, the City awarded RRR Recycling Services Hawaii a contract to process the mixed recyclables collected in the City’s curbside recycling program. Under the terms of this innovative “revenue sharing” contract, the City pays RRR a “per ton” fee to process the material, while sharing with RRR the revenue generated from the sale of the recyclables.

Since the new contract began one year ago, about 1,725 tons per month of mixed recyclables are captured in the blue carts. Doing the math, for every ton recycled, the City gets back an average of $67.00, or over $115,000 per month. The projected annual revenue of $1.4 million will help keep costs down for taxpayers while reducing landfill-bound waste and making the aina a little greener.

The City is currently conducting a waste composition analysis that is designed to gauge the effectiveness of the curbside program and identify opportunities to improve the program. More details to come.

More information on the curbside recycling program is available here.

Keep it simple! That’s the motto David Glaspell, the resident manager at the University Villa, applies to the building’s recycling program. His 80 unit building has one recycling container in the trash room on each floor. All recyclables (except cardboard) go into the same collection cart — the trash goes down the chute — offering a simple means of recycling. The cost of the carts was reimbursed to the AOAO through the City’s Condo Recycling Assistance Program. One of the University Villa residents collects the materials every week: HI-5 containers go to a redemption center and the rest goes to a Community Recycling Bin located down the street at Kuhio Elementary school.

To keep the recycling program fresh in the minds of the residents, David posts signs above the mailboxes (a common area frequented by most) which he changes regularly to make sure he gets the residents’ attention.

For more information on the Condo Recycling Assistance program, click here.

A “do good, feel good” philosophy helped an ENV employee take the top spot in the 2010 City and County of Honolulu Employee of the Year ceremony May 5, 2011, at Mission Memorial Auditorium.

Lindsey Todd, a crew leader and driver at the Honolulu Refuse Yard, garnered the top selection from a pool of 20 other City department employees of the year. (Lindsey is pictured here with ENV director, Tim Steinberger.)

The 57-year-old, who has been with the City’s refuse division since 1977, said that providing good service and seeing people satisfied is very rewarding. “When I am a part of something good and see the satisfaction on the faces of the people we’re serving, I feel good.”

Although not really thinking of retiring as of today, Lindsey is an avid fisherman and paddler. He places the City recognition right up there with his trophies won in 1979 and 1999 at the Molokai Hoi with his club, Hui Lanakila.

Congratulations, Lindsey!

The Discover Recycling Event for teachers is set for Saturday, September 24, 2011. This fun and educational event invites teachers (and student leaders) to learn more about the in’s and out’s of recycling on Oahu and the City’s recycling resources for schools.

The day begins with a Tour de Trash to see what happens to our trash and recycling after it is picked up from homes and businesses. Following the tour, a delicious zero-waste lunch will be served while partner organizations showcase their school recycling education programs.

Contact Tamara Farnsworth (tfarnsworth@honolulu.gov) for more information and to reserve your space. Also, check out the Learning Center at opala.org.