Monthly Archives: November 2012

Salt Lake City Expands Material Waste Recycling Program

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Select neighborhoods in Salt Lake City, Utah will start offering waste recycling for glass as part of the regular curbside collection later this Winter, and the city hope to expand the offering to all residences throughout the city by April, 2013.

Even before the program began, advance communication and press resulted in over twelve hundred residential customers signing up to participate. The new recycling program is expected to divert hundreds of tons of waste glass – bottles, jars, and other objects – from the city’s landfill.

Before launching the new curbside recycling collection program, residents who wanted to recycle their waste glass had to take the material to one of twenty specially marked recycling bins located throughout the city. While some residents did participate in that effort, the total collection of waste glass materials was one thousand seven hundred tons in 2011. With the curbside glass recycling initiative, that number is expected to double within the first year.

All curbside recycling residences will be provided with a 35-gallon bin designed for monthly collection. The service will cost $6 each month and will be added to residents’ water bills.

WasteCare Wants You to Remember: Is your community doing all it can to fully recycle and re-sell waste materials? Every object that ends up in a landfill is costing citizens money so turn your trash into cash with recycling!

Market Grows For Green Packaging

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Wondering where growth is happening in the green products market? The packaging market for green materials was worth nearly one hundred and ten billion dollars in 2011 and is expected to reach one hundred and eighty billion by 2018.

Europe is leading the world market in green packaging, due to the high levels of  regulations throughout the European Union and less available space for landfills. North American businesses are in second place but still significantly below their counterparts across the Atlantic. The surprise may come from green packaging businesses in the Asia Pacific region as countries such as China, India, and Indonesia are expected to experience the fastest growth in the adoption of green packaging in the upcoming years.

A few of the major factors moving individual and business consumers to embrace and demand green packaging include a growing public awareness about energy consumption, carbon emissions,  and waste recycling and reduction goals designed to save on waste disposal costs while helping to protect the environment.

WasteCare Wants You to Remember: If your business is in waste materials recycling or green packaging, there’s plenty of opportunities to expand in the global market. What are you doing to make some “green” while helping to preserve the environment?

Scrap Metal Theft Ends With Prison Time

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Thinking about the easy money to be made handling “questionable” scrap metal? Are you under the erroneous impression that recyclable materials are easy to misappropriate for your financial gain? Concerned about the trustworthiness of your employees? In recent weeks, six individuals from Tennessee were arrested and charged for their participation in an intricate plan of stealing truck-loads of waste scrap metal materials worth close to two million dollars. The illegal activity had been gradually taking place over a two year time period.

Each of the six people involved were charged with property theft in excess of two hundred and fifty dollars which is consider a class A felony and if convicted, carries a sentence of fifteen to twenty five years in jail.

It is estimated that cargo theft crimes result in a loss of up to thirty billion dollars each year for businesses and that close to eighty percent are considered “inside jobs.” In this case, the crime was started by employees of a trucking company which was responsible for hauling scrap metal material waste throughout the state. Through a scheme that involved paying off various security guards and drivers, the materials were then sold “under the table” to another scrap metal yard which promised not to document the transaction. The metal scrap was then hauled to another facility in Alabama and sold for cash which was shared by all the participants.

WasteCare Wants You to Remember: There’s money to be made in the waste recycling of scrap metal but only if you do it above-board and adhering to the law. Be smart and protect both yourself, your business, and employees from the dangers of stealing!

Waste Recycle Election Year Political Signs

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The city of Denver, Colorado will be offering a new home to political yard signs in the weeks following the November 6th presidential and local elections.

A regionally based independent business, Alpine Waste & Recycling is once again offering its annual election day Yard Sign Recycling Campaign and will make available to residents special containers in which to waste recycle no longer wanted political placards, including both window and yard signs.

The idea to establish a special program for recycling the materials in political yard signs began in 2007 by Alpine’s recycling unit and has been offered every year since. The majority of political signs are constructed from HDPE plastic or corrugated plastic and have demand in the recycling and re-sale market.

After municipalities collect the  yard signs through their standard recycling collection, they are transported to Alpine’s recycling facility and prepared for plastics processing. Ultimately  the former political signs will be turned into plastic pellets. The pellets are then used in the manufacturing of various consumer items, such as trash cans, toys, lawn chairs, and other solid plastic goods.

WasteCare Wants You to Remember: Election Day happens every year so what is your community’s plan for waste recycling the materials in political signs? If you’re not recycling and reusing, then you’re taking up valuable and costly space in your local landfill!

Transforming Plastic Bags Into Roads

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In India, the Center for Plastics in the Environment has begun advocating for the use of plastic materials waste to be utilized in the construction of asphalt roads. A pilot study has been successfully completed on a few roads which were paved using a combination of waste plastic with bitumen. The true test of the quality and durability of the new hybrid material was how it upheld during the country’s monsoon season which brings substantial rains and flooding. All test roads performed above expectations and the decision was reached that all municipal roads would be built and repaired using the new formulation.

It is expected that this new, waste plastic paving material will be added in the States Public Works Department approved materials list, so that all businesses looking to be considered for paving and repair work will be aware of it.

It is anticipated that the new paving material will save money as well as approximately fifteen percent of the bitumen normally needed for the asphalt will be replaced by the waste materials collected from thin polyethylene and polypropylene food carryout bags that are infrequently recycled and have low reuse abilities.

WasteCare Wants You to Remember: Are you in the business of paving roads, driveways, or office parking lots? When was the last time you took at look at the materials used in your asphalt? You might be able to save some green by using waste recycled plastics!

 

NextLife Expands Material Waste Recycling Footprint

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NextLife Enterprise, a resin manufacturer and plastics recycler is contributing to jobs growth and green-friendly economic development by opening a new recycling facility in Rogers, Arkansas that will expand the company’s reach beyond the recycling of plastic material waste. The new plant currently has three sorting, shredding and baling lines and employs seventy people.

The facility will also process metal, aluminum, corrugated cardboard, and glass. Only twenty-five percent of the waste material recycled will be plastics, but that total amount is expected to be close to sixty millions pounds annually. Right now, the new plant is handling roughly one million pounds of waste material per week, but full production levels are expected for next year.

The new facility and increased reach of the materials recycled and recovered was something NextLife clients and consumers had been asking for. To meet customer needs, partnerships have been formed to handle special recycling concerns such as child safety seats and household appliances. The company goal for the new plant is to be a full-service material waste to recovery solution that handles each step of the recycling and reuse process for their customers.

WasteCare Wants You to Remember: As more business and consumers embrace material waste recycling, more economic growth and job opportunities are created. What can your business do to expand in this in-demand field?

Safe Waste Recycling for Business Electronics

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In just a few years it is expected that the average U.S. citizen will own or have access to at least seven computerized electronic devices. These range from cell phones, tablet and handheld computers, GPS devices, as well as traditional desktop and laptop computers. From a business standpoint, most companies are concerned about protecting data while the technology is being used but what happens when it’s time for employees to upgrade their machines? All businesses, large and small, need to have a plan that goes beyond wiping the device of personal and corporate data. A solid plan must also include the safe disposal of the equipment to ensure that donations are properly handled and more importantly, that electronics stay out of the community’s landfill.

Working with an EPA certified electronics waste recycler will help your business to ensure that all data is removed from obsolete machines and that your equipment doesn’t fall into the wrong hands. Offering your employees a e-waste recycling day to collect old equipment is a great way to make sure risks are reduced while generating awareness in the importance of environmental conservation.

Most certified recyclers will be able to provide an estimated environmental savings that is generated as a result of the electronics collected. Donating outdated but still functioning equipment to a reputable charity can also help to gain your business positive publicity and good-will. Taking care to address the full life-cycle of your electronic equipment can be a win-win situation for all involved.

WasteCare Wants You to Remember: Promote waste recycling in your workplace by offering your employees a convenient, economical, and safe way to retire their outdated equipment. It will help to keep the environment, and your data, safe and secure!

Frankenstorm Creates Solid Waste Collection Nightmare

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Throughout the Northeast, New York City metro area, and Mid-Atlantic region, Hurricane Sandy, also called “Frankenstorm” for its Halloween appearance is creating wide-spread and chronic problems for municipalities’ solid waste collection and waste recycling efforts.

The appearance of a winter snow storm on the heels of the hurricane is certain to continue to impact many communities for at least another week as solid waste and recycling services try to reach homes and businesses through the on-going clean-up and power restoration efforts.

While many communities and waste recycling companies have established plans and policies for handling storm conditions and natural disasters, the strength of Hurricane Sandy and level of destruction caught many by surprise. In coastal New Jersey, one of the areas hardest hit by the storm, the Jersey City Incinerator Authority has placed all garbage and recycling collection on hold until further notice. Similar reductions or temporary eliminations of service have also occurred in Ocean City, Maryland and the New York City metro region.

WasteCare Wants You to Remember: Does your business have an emergency plan for material waste disposal and recycling for when a natural disaster hits? Simply letting garbage pile-up outside a dumpster while waiting for return of service isn’t always in your business’ best interest. What can you do to reduce your waste output while service is interrupted?

 

New Innovations for Material Waste Recycling of Plastics

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Faerch Plast, a specialized packaging company, is in the process of developing a new cPET plastic that can be identified and separated in a waste stream of mixed plastics by the use of infrared technology. Currently, infrared cameras can identify the types of plastics but only when the container is not black. Dark, opaque plastic doesn’t allow light to shine through and thus cannot be detected.

This new formulation of cPET contains a different pigment composition which allows some infrared light to be detected by the camera regardless of the color of the container. The company is currently testing the material in the United Kingdom in the manufacturing of meal trays used in cafeterias and for supermarket prepared foods. Stakeholders in the food service and restaurant industries utilizing the trays are excited about the possibility of reducing garbage disposal costs due to the re-use of the cPET material for up to three to four times before the quality degrades.

Faerch Plast believes it can manufacture the materials and still maintain pricing that is neutral to other meal tray options that require waste disposal instead of being eligible for waste recycling.

WasteCare Wants You to Remember: Research and development is always happening in the world of plastics. When was the last time your business priced options for switching to a green-friendly, recyclable version of a routinely ordered supply? If you found it too expensive before, you may want to check back regularly!

Hotel Chain Waste Recycles Mattresses

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The Hilton Worldwide Hotel Chain recently announced that it is launching a new material waste recycling program for mattresses when new beds and box springs are installed at its hotels.

The company has said that at on average, eighty five percent of the materials used in the manufacturing of the mattresses and box springs will be recycled and therefore diverted from landfills. The steel springs will be removed and sold as metal scrap for use in tools, construction materials, and automotive parts. Wood will be recycled for use in creating flooring, particle board for shelves and pressed wood furniture. The cotton material will be re-purposed to create new automobile oil filters and carpet padding.

The hotel chain, on average, purchases more than twenty five thousand mattresses per year for its United States locations. The new recycling program will help owners and managers to reduce material waste disposal fees while showing a commitment to environmentally sustainable practices.

Hilton is partnering with the DH Hospitality Group which has been contracted to facility all aspects of the mattress recycling program and will ensure that recycling centers are recycling the components and not engaged in reselling or recovering.

WasteCare Wants You to Remember: Many businesses, like Hilton Hotels, need to constantly update and refresh stock or materials to meet their customers expectations. What do you routinely throw in the dumpster that has monetary value on the reuse or recycling market? You might be surprised by what you’ll find!