PA Cleanways Kids

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Community Investigation Form
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Community Investigation Form

1. Does my community have mandated (required by law) waste
pickup?

Yes___ No___

2. Who are the waste haulers in my community?

(Use chart below and include addresses and phone numbers; you might
need them later.)
Indicate whether they are:
   Local haulers,
   Municipal employees (work for the municipality), or are they part
----of a large
   National (or regional) waste hauler.

Do they offer curbside recycling as part of their services?

Identify Waste Haulers

Name and Address	Phone	L, M or N	Recycle? (Y or N)

3. Is my community mandated to have a recycling program?

Yes___ No___

4. Does my county have a designated recycling coordinator?
(Name, address, telephone #.)

____________________________________________________

____________________________________________________

5. What does my community collect for recycling? (i.e., Paper, glass,
plastic, aluminum and steel cans, newspaper, magazines. Municipalities
are usually only mandated to recycle three items; some recycle more.)

____________________________________________________

6. Is there a permanent drop off recycling location and/or annual
one-day community collection of hard to recycle items at various
locations throughout the community? (Appliances, batteries,
Christmas trees, bulky waste, tires, electronics, etc.)

____________________________________________________

7. Where does the hauler take the recycled items? Where are
they sent from there?

Plastic ______________________________________________
Glass _______________________________________________
Aluminum ____________________________________________
Steel Cans ___________________________________________
Paper _______________________________________________
Corrugated Cardboard __________________________________
Appliances ___________________________________________
Batteries ____________________________________________
Tires ________________________________________________
Christmas Trees ______________________________________
Leaves/Yard Waste ____________________________________

8. Do the recycled items generate money? Does it cover recycling
costs?

____________________________________________________

9. Does my community collect leaves and/or other organic
material and compost them?

Yes___ No___

10. Find out where the trash goes after it is picked up:

- Does it first go to a transfer station?
- To which landfill(s) or waste-to-energy plants?
- The cost per ton?
- What they take and don't take. (tires, metal, paint, leaves, brush,
construction waste, household hazardous waste, computers, etc.)
- Transfer Station, Landfill or Waste-to-Energy Plant Cost Per Ton
Exception (Items they do not take)

11. If your county has a waste-to-energy plant, where does the
burned ash go? Are there any special regulations about
handling it?

___________________________________________________

12. How does my community handle the items that are NOT
accepted by the landfill or waste-to-energy plant? Any
special collections?

___________________________________________________

___________________________________________________

13. How many years of landfill space are remaining at landfills
used by my county? How has the county planned for additional
capacity after that time?

___________________________________________________

___________________________________________________

14. If your county has a local solid waste authority, find out who
serves on it, when they meet, and the issues they are working on.
Attend some meetings and ask your county recycling coordinator
or solid waste coordinator how your county plans for solid waste
disposal and recycling.

15. Research which businesses, industry, government agencies
and colleges in your community recycle and what they recycle.

___________________________________________________

16. Public schools must recycle if they are in a community. But
not all of them do. Find out if YOUR school recycles paper,
aluminum cans, or plastic. If your school doesn't recycle, see
what you can do to help start a recycling project for even
one item.

___________________________________________________

17. Find out what other organizations (non-profit, youth,
watershed groups, environmental, business clubs, etc.)
have special collections, support recycling or help
communities manage waste.

___________________________________________________

___________________________________________________

to Get Involved