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This summer our college interns worked on an exciting initiative promoting organic recycling/ source separation. The student participants:  Kyle Bason Pearse Callaghan Maya Copeland Anthony DeLillo Kristoffer Fregil Jaha Walgern-Bell Demetrius Woods Jahari Yates

Here are SIX videos within a playlist on our YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUx0A8Q4a2IJXoFFEztd75ITdBh-cWUzG

The 7TH video demonstrating source separation that the students uploaded: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=aDp8GIlgFWs

STUDENT INTERNS ENCOURAGE SOURCE SEPARATION DURING SUMMER PROGRAM -       TO PRESENT THEIR PROJECT, FINDINGS AND SUMMER INTERNSHIP JOURNEY TO THE GREENBURGH TOWN BOARD, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19TH AT 7:30PM - GREENBURGH TOWN HALL
In its seventh year, the Greenburgh Town Hall Summer Internship Program partnered with the Greenburgh Nature Center to engage students in a unique initiative encouraging residents to source separate.  Over the course of their eight-week program, students learned, applied and demonstrated source separation - separating food waste from trash.  They prepared signage designed to inform and educate the public about appropriate source separation while demonstrating  this practice for the public at the Anthony Veteran Park pool during planned weekend visits to the site as well as during special events and at the Theodore D. Young Community Center's Summer Camp program held on the Westchester Community College Campus.  
"The environmental and monetary benefits of source separation are numerous and significant. On the Initiatives trip to the Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) in Yonkers, the Interns learned every recyclable item in our materials stream possesses revenue per ton of recycled material sold back onto the market. For example, a ton of recycled aluminum, the most valuable recyclable material, sells for a net profit of $1,400.00 per ton. A ton of corrugated cardboard sells for a net profit of approximately $600.00 per ton. In total, the MRF facility, which manages the recycled commingles (plastic, glass and metal) and paper recycling of 36 municipalities within Westchester County including Greenburgh, generates an annual profit of $5 Million. This profit returns to the County to manage and sustain our waste management facilities and keeps taxes on our material management low. By practicing proper source separation, Westchester and Greenburgh residents increase the quality of our recycled goods and therefore revenue generated, as well as minimize the amount of natural resources (oil, natural gas, trees, etc.) needed to produce new paper, metal, plastic and glass products. 
At this moment, more remains to be done. On the Initiatives trip to the Wheel to Energy facility at Charles Point in Peekskill, we learned how the materials which are not recycled in Westchester County are instead burnt in a 62,500 sq. ft. boiler at over 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit. Through the incineration of approximately 2,050 tons of "trash" waste per day, the facility generates 60 megawatts of electricity annually, enough to power 60,000 households. In addition, the steam created in the boiler is sold to the facilities' neighbor, White Plains Linen, to clean a large percentage of the restaurant linens in the county. The most significant information the Interns learned, however, related to Food Waste. According to the facilities manager, wet food waste has a low BTU and its presence in the boilers slows down the burning process of the entire facility. If food waste were to be removed through the implementation of curbside food waste pick-up, the efficiency and productivity of the Waste to Energy facility would increase overall. In addition, the Food Waste could be transported to a commercial composting facility to produce a high quality soil additive. In theory, this organic additive could be sold to commercial and private buyers for a profit and used in municipal green spaces and annual planting projects instead of the current expensive, man-made alternatives." 
 
To assist interns in developing an integrated approach to applying what they were learning, guest speakers who are recognized leaders in the field of materials management met with the interns to help broaden their learning and understanding of associated concepts as well as trends and their potential impact on local government decision making in the not-so- distant future. 
 
Another major component of their summer internship program was an introduction to the culture of the work place environment including learning about local government, education and career planning, teamwork, "life line planning" as well as public speaking skills through a workshop sponsored by Toastmasters, International.  
Students met Town Council members, Town Department Heads, community consultants and with local and state government leaders including New York State Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins who stressed the importance of acquiring a formal education and making responsible choices.  They also learned about the significance of "giving back" as modeled by a local family with a legacy of helping to improve the quality of life for others, world-wide.   Apple Bank contributed $5,000 to the summer internship program.  Town Clerk Judith Beville oversees the internship program for students.
 


Brianna Barnes, a much younger student produced an excellent public service announcement --tips for cyber safety.

Here is that link about the Cyber Five: https://youtu.be/e2sqRFySDug
PAUL FEINER


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