State Parks Litter and Waste Reduction Program

Case Study Case Study Summer 2001Summer 2001

Fort Flagler State Park Fort Flagler State Park Improvements to Recycling CentersImprovements to Recycling Centers

Funded by Washington State Department Funded by Washington State Department

of Ecologyof Ecology

State Parks Litter and Waste Reduction Program

Fort Flagler State Park used $2,000 from Ecology to reduce litter & solid waste by providing educational recycling centers in Environmental Learning Centers (ELC) and rental housing.

State Parks Litter and Waste Reduction Program

The recycling

center at Fort Flagler ELC was purchased from a Canadian firm at a lower cost then available in USA. Unique center uses educational information to help users keep sorting work clear.

State Parks Litter and Waste Reduction Program

Simpler systems have been used in rental houses at Fort Flagler.

State Parks Litter and Waste Reduction Program

As part of the general kitchen use information provided to housing renter, a handout for using the recycling center is provided.

State Parks Litter and Waste Reduction Program

With funds from DOE and free services from Murrays Disposal, Fort Flagler is the first State Park in Washington to recycle glass, cans, plastic, paper & cardboard using education tools.

One of the goals of this case study has been to help other parks follow this good example of litter and solid waste reduction through education and recycling.

State Parks Litter and Waste Reduction Program

Guests at the Fort Flaglers Environmental Learning Centers(ELC) have been very supportive of the improvements to parks recycling center. Several expressed their delight at having the equipment available to help teach good environmental ethics to ELC students.

State Parks Litter and Waste Reduction Program

Benefits of project: • Park users are receiving a lesson

on recycling • Park users like the ease-of-use of

the system • Park users like the idea of Parks

promoting recycling

State Parks Litter and Waste Reduction Program

Benefits of project: continued

• Amount of material being recycled is increasing - thereby reducing the amount going to the landfill (environmental benefit)

• Reduction in the amount of landfill waste is saving the Park money

State Parks Litter and Waste Reduction Program

• Local business, Murrays

Disposal, provides free service removing recyclable materials collected at Fort Flagler, which saves the Park money! Due to the great success of this project in 2001, Ecology will fund a second step on this project in 2002 and 2003.

State Parks Litter and Waste Reduction Program

Washington State Department of Ecology suggested Fort Flagler try to quantify both the materials being recycled and the amount of money being saved on dumping fees.

Is the amount being recycled going up?

Is the amount spent on disposal going down?

State Parks Litter and Waste Reduction Program

With the support of State Parks Litter Program Coordinator, Ecology believes the collection of these hard numbers at Fort Flagler will be useful in convincing other Parks to institute similar programs.