What's New with RAVI - St. John!

Did you know that more than half of the garbage in our landfill is recyclable?

A grass-roots effort on St. John has produced great results as a citizens group has formed to recycle aluminum cans. The St. John group, which was formed in July 2008, decided that recycling must be introduced on St. John as a way of educating the public to the advantages of helping our environment and reducing the landfill bulk.

The group decided to collect aluminum cans and started with a pilot project in Coral Bay. A home-made wooden bin was constructed by volunteers which incorporated a simple plastic bag for collection. Within days, the collection bag was full!  In the two weeks that followed it was clear that people will recycle if given the means to do so.

To further show their dedication, the group joined the Recycling Association of the Virgin Islands RAVI). This association allows the group to have greater access to what is being done Virgin Islands-wide. With the strength of its partners, Virgin Islands Resource Conservation and Development Council, Inc. (V.I. RC&D) and the V.I. Waste Management Authority (VIWMA), St. John RAVI will be able to make a greater impact on the community in terms of recycling education. It is hoped that the VIWMA will partner with RAVI-St. John in two areas: To allow more recycling locations and to take the lead in removing the recycled aluminum to a suitable metals firm on St. Thomas.

Did you know?

The energy needed to replace (rather than recycle) the aluminum cans discarded in the US each year could power a city the size of Atlanta for a year?

St. John RAVI knows the importance of recycling as St. John generates more trash per capita than the other islands.  We are a tourist destination, with more than a million visitors per year. Tourists are used to recycling and we want them to continue to do so when they visit our island.

With the help of the community, a small group of dedicated volunteers proved that recycling aluminum is a small but worthwhile step in the quest to make recycling the norm and not the exception.

Yes, St. John recycles, and so can you! Please consider starting a recycling effort in your neighborhood. Knowing you are helping our fragile environment is satisfying indeed. On St. John, you can be one of our volunteers. Contact Paul Devine at 340-693-9410 or allawe@sjcf.org. Better yet, JOIN RAVI and be part of this ever-growing recycling movement!

Join our grassroots effort to promote recycling in St. John!
Download our Membership Application Form

DECEMBER 2009 Newsletter

Thanks to a V.I. Waste Management Authority (VIWMA) grant to the St. John Community Foundation, RAVI recycling efforts on St. John will increase dramatically. RAVI-STJ purchased 12 new recycling bins and 60 roadway signs-all in an effort to make people aware of the aluminum can recycling program and to help keep St. John clean.

The St. John recycling program is now over a year old and completely volunteer. With 36 existing aluminum can collection locations, businesses and individuals can place recyclable materials across St. John. The VIWMA grant will allow an additional 8 new locations and will replace bins in high-volume areas.

In January, volunteers will construct concrete bases for the road signs which will be placed on all major roadways on St. John. Working closely with DPW, the signs will be strategically located to inform the public of recycling collection bins and to educate about littering.

The new and more stylish collection bins will be located at new and existing business sites and on designated public locations.

RAVI-STJ has provided the means by which recycling has become a common practice on St. John and is growing every day. The process is simple: place bins in locations across St. John, recruit volunteers to “adopt” the bins, and provide a central container to store the aluminum cans while a volunteer trucking company delivers to a metals firm on St. Thomas. Already, the rapid growth of the program has required RAVI-STJ to think of new methods to cope with the steadily increasing volume. Additional volunteers have been brought on board and increased delivery of the cans has been arranged. Increased call for RAVI memberships will provide additional funding to keep the program moving.

At current rates, the St. John recycling program will be collecting 800,000 aluminum cans per year by the end of 2010. That’s 13.5 tons of aluminum cans which will not reach our rapidly growing landfills. Recycling aluminum cans saves 50% of the energy needed produce new cans, not to mention the reduced raw materials. Aluminum cans can be recycled over and over which greatly reduces our need to diminish natural resources, especially fossil fuels. Recycling makes sense and that’s the message RAVI wants the community to learn about.

Soon, a recycling educational program, funded by VIWMA, will be launched to include the general public and school-aged children. Presently, one private school has a year-round recycling program and it is hoped that all St. John schools will have permanent recycling programs and recycling curriculum as part of the educational process.

We all need to keep our islands pristine and our landfills free of materials which can be reused. Hopefully, the clear advantages of recycling will become a way of life in the Virgin Islands.

September 2009
March 2009
February 2009
January 2009
November 2008
July - October 2008

Recycling Association of the Virgin Islands (RAVI) St. John Chapter meetings are held the third Tuesday of every month at 6:00 pm in the St. John Community Foundation office on the 3rd floor of the St. John Marketplace.

Email the RAVI - St. John Chapter at allawe@sjcf.org or call the V.I. RC&D Office at 340-692-9632 x5 for more information.

• V.I. Waste Management Authority
• "Leave Only Footprints" video - produced by V.I. RC&D Council & St. Croix Hiking Association member Ivan Butcher - highlights litter and pollution issues on St. Croix.
• Going Green on St. Croix: Where to recycle or purchase recycled or biodegradable products.
• Greener Choices from Consumer Reports®. A wealth of information on products & green ratings, electronics recycling, eco-labelling, toxics, global warming, and more!
• GreenPlaybook.org provides valuable tools to help communities and residents develop and implement Green Buildings, Green Communities and Green Infrastructure.
• GreenBiz.com
• Green Hotels Association
• National Recycling Coalition
• Tree Hugger
• EPA Region 2 Recycle on the Go Program: encourages recycling in public places such as parks, stadiums, convention centers, airports and other transportation hubs, shopping centers, and at special events.
• EPA Region 2: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
• EPA Region 2 Waste Management Information

The Recycling Association of the Virgin Islands (RAVI) is a volunteer grassroots organization comprised of individuals, businesses, government agencies, non-government agencies, organizations and clubs; initiated in St. Croix in February 2007 through a project measure enacted by the Virgin Islands Resource Conservation and Development Council, Inc. (V.I. RC&D).

Our Vision: All residents and visitors are engaged in waste reduction practices by supporting and participating in recycling programs throughout the territory.

Our Mission: To establish a thriving community of recyclers dedicated to conserving resources through the implementation of comprehensive programs that result in waste reduction, reuse, and recycling.

Our Purpose/Activities:

• Network: Provide members with contacts, research and up to date information. Support existing businesses and start-ups.
• Advocate: Support legislation that affects solid waste policies and advances waste reduction practices.
• Educate: Implement projects and workshops that generate awareness of and commitment to recycling.