Author Archives: LauraZ

Washington University Awarded Honors For Food Recovery Porgram

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The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently recognized Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri for successfully reducing its overall volume of municipal solid waste and to for implementing  innovative food recovery and waste recycling programs.

The University’s Dining Services’ composting efforts have resulted in the diversion of over three hundred tons of uneaten or unusable food waste since 2011. Dining Services oversees campus cafeterias for students, faculty, and staff as well as smaller, dining cafes in select buildings and residence halls. The food scraps and waste collected by Dining Services is transported to St. Louis Composting where it is used for creating compost. WUSTL Facilities Department then reuses the compost for landscaping the campus grounds. In addition, the University is also utilizing cage-free eggs, locally produced fruits and vegetables, napkins made of 100% recycled materials,and compostable containers. Whenever possible, the university also donates edible food to Campus Kitchens, which provides meals for the homeless and needy in the community.

In addition, the WUSTL program is responsible for recycling more than twenty three thousand gallons of waste kitchen oil for use in campus-owned biodiesel delivery vehicles. The University was also the very first in North America to remove the sale of plastic bottled water on campus grounds – and decision which is estimated to have taken almost four hundred thousand bottles out of the waste and recycling stream.

WasteCare Wants You to Remember: Regardless of your business sector, food waste is generated on your premises every day employees are at work. What policies or opportunities do you have in place to help reduce the amount of food waste going to landfills? Making a few changes can help you to save money and the environment!

Municipal Partnerships Boost Recycling Rates

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Officials in Rochester Hills, Michigan, a city of seventy thousand residents located on the northern outskirts of Detroit, have recently reported that the municipality’s waste recycling rate has increased more than four-fold over the past five years. Administrators for waste disposal and recycling services credit the significant gains to the city’s partnership with Recyclebank.

Rochester Hills is credited with being the first municipality in the Midwest to partner with Recyclebank which is based in New York. Since collaboration started in 2008, the city has experienced a three hundred twenty three percent increase in the total number of pounds recycled by city residents and businesses. Based on this rate of success, Recyclebank’s contract has been renewed by the city for another five years of service.

As a result of the partnership, Rochester Hills residents have increased their waste recycling levels to an average of six hundred and seventy pounds per household each year. Tjhe city’s diversion rate currently stands at twenty seven percent. Since April 2009, the overall amount of collected materials for recycling is nearly twenty two thousand tons. In terms of the overall cost saving experienced by residents, the total amount of money saved since January 2011 is close to two million dollars.

WasteCare Wants You to Remember: Spending money isn’t always a bad thing – especially if it can help you to make or save more money in the long term. If your town or business doesn’t have a comprehensive waste management and recycling program it might be worth investing in a collaborative partnership. Reducing waste and increasing recycling, re-use, and re-selling is a sure-fire way to avoid escalating landfill fees and preserve the quality of life for all who live and work in your community!

Reduce C&D Waste With Deconstruction

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Cutting back on the total amount of construction and demolition materials your business disposes of in combustion facilities or landfills can provide several benefits.

The first step to take is to generate less waste. Carefully pre-planning and materials costing can result in less waste materials to dispose of once the construction or remodeling / renovation project is completed. Taking these preventative steps not only help to reduce the environmental damages associated with landfill disposal, but can also save money on disposal fees, labor costs, and the need to contract with outside services or vendors.

The best way to generate and use less resources, which also helps to cut back on greenhouse gas emissions, is to reduce, re-use, and recycle all C&D materials that are needed for the project. In addition, deconstruction and selective demolition can help to cut costs for large-scale renovation or building rehabilitation projects as they have the possibility to divert significant amounts of unwanted or unusable materials from landfills that can be re-sold or recycled. Materials recovered from deconstruction can often be donated to non-profit groups or charities for tax benefit.

Deconstruction can be utilized for a variety of projects. Whether it’s for an entire building or a simple room remodel, items such as cabinets, molding, shingles, historic architectural details and high quality wood have appeal on the re-sale market.

WasteCare Wants You to Remember: The next time you’re working on a construction or renovation project, consider the different ways that you can reduce the amount of waste you need to dispose of in the landfill. By looking at opportunities for recycling, donation, and re-selling, you’ll be able to save green and go green on every project!

Recycling Textile Waste Helps Uniform Manufacturer

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More than five million workers in the United States wear a uniform produced by Cintas, and now the world-wide garment manufacturer is collaborating with international not-for-profit group Know Hope to donate unused textiles to be recycled into bags and accessories sold to raise money for families living in impoverished and developing nations.

Based in Cincinnati, Ohio, Cintas Corporation will provide materials not used in the production of its uniforms to be used as lining in Know Hope’s reusable cloth bags. Funds from the sale of the bags go to help needy families in Haiti, Mexico, and Guatemala. Know Hope sold over four thousand three hundred bags and two thousand five hundred textile-based accessories in 2013.

The typical United States resident throws away close to seventy pounds of unwanted or outdated textiles each year, but for garment manufacturers the number of textiles disposed of in landfills is even higher. By partnering with Know Hope, Cintas can embrace its strategic plan of corporate sustainability, help developing communities, and reduce their disposal fees all at the same time.

Currently in the US, seventy five percent of textile waste generated by manufacturers is recycled, donated, or disposed of in an environmentally aware manner. The textile recycling industry in the US is responsible for close to seventeen thousand jobs.

WasteCare Wants You to Remember: Unwanted and unusable textiles are one of the easiest waste materials to recycle. Whether it’s donating clothing, towels, or linens that can be re-used by another or re-selling large quantities of scrap material for use in the production of new items such as carpets, furniture stuffing or insulation, disposing of textiles in a landfill is bad for the environment and your bottom line!

Hewlett-Packard Sees Boost In Cartridge Recycling

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International electronic products maker Hewlett-Packard Development has recently reported that in the last calendar year, it has increased the total quantity of HP Printer ink cartridges manufactured with recycled content by fifty percent.

Based in Palo Alto, California, Hewlett-Packard sustainability representatives stated in a recent press release that greater than seventy five percent of the company’s popular HP Printer, Copier, and Multi-function ink cartridges and close to twenty five percent of its HP Laserjet toner and ink cartridges are currently produced using a method of closed-loop recycled plastic. Closed loop recycling efforts rely of individual and business consumers to return unwanted on used waste materials – often for an cash or merchandise credit incentive – and those returned materials are then re-used to create new ones.

The closed loop recycling program at Hewlett-Packard utilizes recycled plastic from consumer recycled HP ink and toner cartridges as well as recycled waste plastic from other non-HP good, such as recycled plastic bottles and plastic clothing hangers. This recycled plastic is then used to create new HP ink and toner cartridges for their printers and copiers.

In the news release, HP has stated that since its printer cartridge recycling program was launched din 1991, over five hundred and sixty six million ink cartridges have been re-used and kept out of landfills worldwide.

WasteCare Wants You to Remember: How can your business better utilize the waste materials generated by employees or customers? As a result of HP collecting used ink cartridges, they not only save money on new production but they also save their customers money. Creative buy-back recycling programs can help both you and your customers!

Panasonic Begins Recycling Program For Rechargeable Batteries

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The Power Tools Division of Panasonic and the not for profit group Call2Recycle are collaborating to launch a new recycling and waste management program for rechargeable batteries.

The Secaucus, New Jersey -based Panasonic Corporation of North America will be working with Athlanta, Georgia – based Call2Recycle and customers of Panasonic’s power tools to ensure that collection boxes are well positioned for assembly line workers to place used rechargeable batteries removed from recycled cordless tools. All rechargeable battery packs and battery cells weighing less than eleven pounds will be collected and recycled by Call2Recycle. As part of the new initiative, Call2Recycle will also provide educational programs and materials for customers and retailers to explain how the program will to improve recycling and keep batteries out of landfills.

The new, national recycling strategic plan for all Panasonic power tools replaces the company’s prior recycling model which relied on a patchwork of various battery recycling vendors and services which varied by region and customer location. The new plan allows for great stability and make for a uniform service provided to all stores and customers regardless of location. It is also expected that the new program will help to increase recycling levels.

The collected and recycled used batteries will be shipped to an approved battery processing facility, which will dismantle the batteries and manufacture the components into new materials for use in new batteries or steel alloy products.

WasteCare Wants You to Remember: If your business or tool storage room has old batteries collecting dust, make sure you connect with your local waste transfer station or battery manufacturer to see if recycling opportunities are available. Many municipalities charge extra fees to dispose of batteries, due to their toxic and hazardous qualities, so recycling may be a way to save money and save the environment!

 

Paint Take-back Programs Gain Ground

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Governor Peter Shumlin of Vermont has recently signed into effect a new law establishing a paint recycling and take-back bill.

Much like legal requirements enacted in other states, Vermont House Bill 262 mandates that manufacturers of paint operate and fund a post-consumer take-back and recycling program in the state. The new law helps to facilitate a waste management plan for Vermont residents and businesses when it comes to architectural paint. The goal of the new law is to help shift the financial burden of managing the responsibility of properly disposing of paint away from local and state governments and to the producers.

Funding for the new regulation will be established by enacting a small recycling fee per each container that paint producers will pay to PaintCare. PaintCare is a national non-for-profit group created by the American Coatings Association to administer state paint recycling and disposal programs. All manufacturers of architectural paint are required to register with PaintCare.

Vermont is now the sixth state in the US to enact a producer responsibility paint recycling law. Minnesota recently adopted a similar regulation earlier in 2014 and many other states are considering enacting similar legislation.

WasteCare Wants You to Remember: If your business is in construction, remodeling, or facilities management, chances are you work with paint almost every day. If you live or work in a state with paint recycling programs, make sure you’re utilizing them to avoid any fees or fines that could result from improper disposal. Paint can be hazardous, so always be sure to properly store and dispose of unwanted or unusable cans. Never dump paint down a drain as it can contaminate your community’s water supply and land you in hot water with the Environmental Protection Agency!

Add Green Design To Commercial Construction Projects

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According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in less than twenty years, the majority of the buildings in the US will need to be overhauled. Based on a recent research report by According to Architecture 20301, seventy five percent of commercial buildings in the US will need to be renovated or re-built by 2035. This is good news for businesses and those in the construction industry as renovation of existing structures or new construction presents the opportunity to improve energy efficiency – and businesses that harness and reduce their wasted materials and energy save more money than those who don’t.

The EPA offers tools and training materials to help contractors, facilities managers, and building owners incorporate waste reduction and energy savings at all levels – from pre-design through final renovation or construction.

Utilizing green, or environmentally friendly, building practices allows  business owners to stay competitive, reduce their bottom line expenses, and offer employees and tenants a productive environment that isn’t damaging to their heath or well-being of the community.

In the USA, nonresidential building projects classified as “green” now make up forty four percent of the construction market. That’s up from just two percent ten years ago! It is expected that the total percent of green construction projects will exceed the fifty percent mark by the close of 2015.

The average lifespan of a new building is fifty to one hundred years, so plan on incorporating ways to reduce energy and waste right from the start and maximize your savings over the building’s lifetime. The EPA’s Energy Star program can help your business to stay competitive and make the right choices for energy efficiency.

WasteCare Wants You to Remember: Green construction is here to stay. Don’t get left behind the competition because you’re wasting money on outdated facility management practices or inefficient construction. Take the time to learn about green construction and renovation and plan to use them in your next building project. It’s a win-win situation for your bottom-line, your employees, and your community!

Food Waste Recycling Opportunities Increase In Michigan

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Residents and some businesses in Ann Arbor, Michigan are now experiencing increased opportunities to recycle and compost food waste and scraps along with other organic waste materials such as grass, leaves, and yard trimmings.

In 2012 when city officials reviewed the municipality’s waste management strategic plan, they realized close to fifty percent of all the city’s garbage was food waste. As a result of this analysis, officials suggested that the city broaden its waste and recycling collection program to include year-round composting for food scraps and table waste. The decision to make this change, along with contracting composting services to a private company, resulted in an immediate savings of four hundred thousand dollars to the city.

Ann Arbor has offered organic yard waste recycling since 2006, as well as seasonal composting services to some neighborhoods, but the step to allow all residents to include unwanted, uneaten, and expired food products into the recycling bin is a substantial one. The new food waste composting program is currently only available to residences, but includes the entire city. While the city is offering free counter-sized containers for composting, individuals can purchase larger carts for $25.

The city is expecting to process over fifteen thousand tons of food waste within the first full year of service. To date, of Ann Arbor’s twenty four thousand eligible residents, thirteen thousand have claimed their free city-provided composting bin.

WasteCare Wants You to Remember: If your city or town is trying to become “greener” and improve recycling while decreasing landfill expenses, try adding food waste or a yard waste collection program. Whether it’s for making compost, landscaping materials, animal feed, or organic-to-energy, there’s value to be found in what many consider to be garbage!

New Recycling Record Reached For Electronics

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A new waste recycling rate for consumer electronics and e-waste reached a record high in 2013 almost doubling the electronics recycling amount that was set three years ago in 2010.

In the past calendar year, more than six hundred and twenty million pounds of unwanted, outdated, and unusable home and business electronics were recycled in the United States. Popular items for e-waste recycling includes computers, phones, laptops, and computer gaming systems. This is an increase in thirty five millions pounds being collected from the prior year. Recycling data in this sector is compiled by the Arlington, Virginia-based CEA: Consumer Electronics Association which has been monitoring the field for many years.

The substantial boost in recycling is in part attributed to the CEA’s eCycling Leadership Initiative, which is designed to improve collaboration between electronics manufacturers, retailers, recycling groups and businesses, non profit organizations and state and local government agencies. Companies who have increased their commitment to providing recycling opportunities and services include DIRECTV, Apple, Dell, and Best Buy.

The eCycling Leadership Initiative has established a 2016 annual goal of total amount of electronics waste recycled to reach and exceed one billion pounds.

WasteCare Wants You to Remember: What does your business or organization do with outdated and unwanted computers, printers, cell phones, laptops, or specialty electrons equipment? If you’re finding that a supply closet is stuff full with these items, it’s time to do some research and discover e-waste recycling opportunities in your area! In some cases, a participating merchant will offer credit on recycled goods to be applied to new merchandise, and in other cases, functional equipment can be donated to a charitable organization. If you’re looking to save some green – and free up some space – look into electronics recycling!