There’s a separate FAQ page here if you don’t feel like reading through all of this.
Project F.R.E.D. is a local project (that is, it’s run solely by me in my community) that aims to recycle materials that would otherwise be thrown away. We operate out of Eureka, CA. Project F.R.E.D. has recycled small amounts of cardboard, though presently the majority of our work is the recycling of cans and bottles.
Specifically, the project provides containers at locations where recyclables are likely to get thrown away. We also handle taking these recyclables to the recycling center.
In addition to providing a place for other people to put their recyclables, Project F.R.E.D. actively engages in “saving” cans, bottles, and cardboard from being thrown away. Whenever I see a can, bottle, or cardboard box in a trash can, I shamelessly reach in and pull it out, adding it to my collection destined for the recycling center. I also occasionally roam the streets of Eureka armed with plastic bags, collecting recyclables as I find them lying in the streets. This sub-project, branded Project F.R.E.D. Mobile, has recycled a significant number of cans and bottles.
If you’re a local business or organization that needs help recycling, or you just want someone to take away your recyclables because you don’t have the time, and you’re in or near Eureka, drop me a line. I may be able to help. Note that I’m going back down south for college at the end of September, so my services will be time-limited, unfortunately.
The best way to reach me is through email; my email address is at the bottom of this page.
Project F.R.E.D. started as a project for a class in high school. Somewhat jokingly encouraged by my classmates to name the project after myself, I was able to find words to create a sensible acronym: Frequent Reduction of Environmental Destruction, or F.R.E.D.
My friend Mark had pointed out that it was a shame that the cardboard lunch trays my school handed out got thrown away, as they could probably be recycled. This got me thinking about the possibility of recycling these trays. After all, my school had a cardboard dumpster outside; it was simply a matter of getting kids to recycle the trays instead of dumping them in the trash.
My project started with the goal of making receptacles for the trays, next to the trash cans around school. Due to limited resources, only a few receptacles were made, and I decided to keep them in the cafeteria. But as trays were often taken out of the cafeteria and thrown away elsewhere, the rest of my project’s work was me walking around school, taking the cardboard trays—the reasonably clean ones, anyway—out of trash cans and putting them in the cardboard dumpster outside. I also rescued any cans and bottles I came across, and recycled them as well.
I’ve since graduated, and no longer run Project F.R.E.D. at my high school. Instead, we operate primarily at Eureka Floor (my place of employment each summer), where I have a bin set up for people to put their recyclables. (If you haven’t figured it out already, I’m using “we” and “I” interchangeably when referring to the project.)
Obviously I didn’t do all of this alone. I’d like to thank the following people:
Contact me at: fredhope2000 (at) gmail.com. My homepage.