Category Archives: New Systems

New Waste Recycling Systems

Waste Recycling Increases Energy Generation

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Did you know that the heat created by municipal solid waste can be harnessed for creating electricity? The rate of cities and towns developing such energy sources is increasing and becoming a popular way to reduce energy costs.

The heat level of municipal solid waste varies, with rubber and plastic waste recycling generating more heat than paper and food waste recycling. To illustrate, rubber materials have a heat level of twenty seven million BTU per ton while paper containers have a heat level of sixteen and a half million BTU per ton.

Based on information from the end of 2011, only .3% of total energy generation can be attributed to municipal solid waste. This information provides encouragement for those businesses exploring and preparing to enter the waste-to-energy market. The field is wide open for opportunities and illustrates how energy can be created from non-traditional sources that are frequently found in municipal transfer stations. For materials that could be waste recycled, but are not, converting to energy provides a solution to overflowing landfills. While emissions concerns would need to be addressed, if the electricity generated has greater value than the worth of the waste materials being sold for recycling and reuse, negotiating a solution for reaching an environmental balance is worth exploring.

WasteCare Wants You to Remember: Whether you’re a town official, resident taxpayer, or  local business, investigating the opportunities for waste-to-energy generation could help to reduce energy costs while reduce landfill waste. Take that trash and find ways to turn it into green!

Promoting the Business of Waste Recycling

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Representatives from businesses throughout the world may have individual interests, but at the Sustainable Packaging Forum in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania last month, they all agreed on one thing: recycling needs to be less politically driven and more focused on market demands and innovation.

Michael Washburn of Nestlé Waters, believes that extended producer responsibility is the best way to solve the social, environmental and economic challenges associated with waste recycling materials.

Nestlé, one of the largest beverage companies in the United States, used twenty billion PET bottles in 2011 – and the company wants them back to recycle and manufacture into new bottles. However, getting the material back isn’t solely up to them – waste disposal and recycling is part of the larger social and governmental function. Washburn believes that market-driven waste recycling would produce better results and increase the volume of returned material as more power is put directly into the hands (and wallets) of the consumer.

Nestlé, and other industry representatives aren’t advocating removing local and state governments from trash and recycling efforts, but believe industry is better equipped to develop and implement innovative recycling ideas as it directly impacts their bottom-line.

Attendees at the conference agreed that the situation isn’t all bad. Recent waste management statistics show that landfill use is down and the use of recycled packaging is increasing. However, more work must be done to maximize recovery and gain access to recycled materials to further reduce packaging waste.

WasteCare Wants You to Remember: Whether you own a small, mid-sized, or large business, it’s your responsibility to make sure that you are properly managing your waste disposal and waste recycling. When you do what’s right, you’ll be saving the environment, saving money, and reducing the risk of government legislation!

Sports Teams Go Green

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The United States Environmental Protection Agency and the Green Sports Alliance group recently signed an agreement to work together on addressing environmental stewardship issued faced by sports teams, organizations, and venues.

Green Sports Alliance is a not-for-profit organization committed to helping athletic teams, leagues, and venues cut-back on their impact in the environment. The two groups will collaborate on concerns surrounding waste disposal and waste recycling management, better conservation of water and energy, and improved sustainability practices. The Environmental Protection Agency will provide athletic groups working with Green Sports Alliance access to their Energy Star Portfolio Manager, an tool that allows building and building managers and owners to track, assess, and manage their energy and water usage.

The Green Sports Alliance currently works with one hundred sports teams and venues from thirteen difference athletic leagues. The group hopes that this partnership with the Environmental Protection Agency will provide their members with additional tools and resources needed to create baselines and support continuous improvement of performance and efficiency.

WasteCare Wants You to Remember: When it comes to reducing your waste disposal and increasing your waste recycling, you don’t have to do it all alone! Finding a partner or establishing a collaboration can help to improve your access to resources and services.

GE Waste Recycles Appliance Materials

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General Electric Appliances, in a partnership with Appliance Recycling Centers of America, has reached a milestone of diverting 5.5 million pounds, equal to roughly 100,000 units, of refrigerators and freezers from landfills. It is estimated that over nine million refrigerators end up as disposed waste in landfills every year.

The two companies recently released a report stating that close to ninety percent of the materials in the appliance has been waste recycled and will be reused in new products. The remaining materials that cannot be reused is being utilized in cement manufacturing. Almost 100% of the foam used to insulate the appliances is being recovered and reused.

The GE appliances are broken apart at a recycling center in Philadelphia using a 40-foot-tall device that dismantles and reduces each unit into smaller pieces. The recycling program is currently available to new GE appliance consumers in a twelve-state region along the eastern coast of the US. When purchasing a new refrigerator or freezer the participating retailer will remove the old appliance for recycling.

WasteCare Wants You to Remember: When your business waste recycles and reuses materials, you cut back on the amount you need to spend on new, raw materials. This allows you to potentially increase profit or reduce prices for consumers. Is your business throwing money away with your trash?

Curbside Food Waste Recycling

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The town of Brattleboro, Vermont is set to begin a compost curbside collection test pilot that will accept everything from left-over food scraps to kitty litter. Approximately one hundred and fifty volunteer residents have agreed to participate in the test run that will last between three and four months.

The test run began in early August and with the goal of identifying strengths and weaknesses in residential pickup of organic waste. The collected organic waste material is being transported to a new Solid Waste Management composting facility in Windham.

The new program is in direct response to the new billed signed into law in June, by Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin banning organic materials from state landfills. By 2014, all Vermont businesses, non-profit organizations, schools, hospitals, and major food producers will be required to recycle and compost. A date of July 1, 2020, has been set for all residents to recycle and compost.

The test program may be extended into the winter months to determine how the colder temperatures and snow impacts the organic waste.

WasteCare Wants You to Remember: Whether you’re a business-owner or a resident, a large population of your waste material is food waste. When you invest time to improve your waste recycling of organic material, you reduce your costs for waste disposal.

A Beautiful Landfill For Hawaii

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Wondering how to get residents and businesses to recycle more in your community? Take a lesson from government officials on the big island of Hawaii and spruce up your transfer station! Hawaiians says their newly re-designed transfer station is one of the most beautiful place on the island and as a result, there has been an increase in recycling efforts.

The landfill re-design was part of an effort to instill a sense of pride and community well-being as curb-side pick-up is not offered on the main island. Residents must bring trash and recyclables to one of 21 facilities where the materials are self-sorted – if the resident does not sort, then all materials are sent to the landfill.

The facilities were originally build in the 1970s and have suffered much wear and tear. Five years ago, officials decided to begin the re-modeling process so that residents would enjoy bringing their waste in and staying to properly sort the recyclables.The facilities are now drive-up in design and provide large bins for various types of waste, making it easy for residents to know what is accepted and where to put it. Some of the facilities also have taken advantage of renewable energy such as solar electricity and rainwater harvesting – thus cutting down on expenses. As a result, an increase of 15% has been seen in the waste recycling rate.

WasteCare Wants You to Remember: What does your community transfer station look like? When a space is clean and well cared for, people are more likely to respect it and work to keep it that way. Can a little housekeeping increase the waste recycling rate in your town? It certainly did in Hawaii!

 

Whole Foods Waste Recycles Cooking Oil

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Whole Foods Market, a supermarket chain that focuses on organic and natural products, is saving energy and costs in waste recycling cooking oil. Earlier this month, a test pilot to recycle used cooking oil began in the chain’s Everett, Massachusetts location.

The facility will take the spent canola cooking oil used in the commissary’s industrial fryers and use it to power a generator which will provide almost 100% of the electricity needed for the seventy thousand-square-foot facility. The Everett location is responsible for preparing food to be sold in Whole Foods store throughout the Northeast and Tri-State Region.

The special generator was manufactured by the company Lifecycle Renewables which develops ways for cooking oil to power appliances, lights, and other equipment.

Reusing the canola oil is expected to save Whole Foods’ 20% on its energy bill and waste-disposal fees while keeping more than one thousand gallons of used oil out of landfills. It is believed that this is the first commercial food business in the United States to utilize a wide-scale vegetable oil to energy system. If the pilot is successful, Whole Foods will likely adopt the practice nationwide.

WasteCare Wants You to Remember: Is cooking oil a part of your business? If so, you might want to consider the options for reusing, recycling, or possibly selling the used oil. It could help to save you disposal fees and reduce your electric bill!

 

Waste Recycling At The University Of Colorado

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The University of Colorado is making a bold move and enhancing the recycling system in place for the school’s residence housing and cafeterias.

As the new school year started in early September, students, faculty, and staff at this Boulder, Colorad campus were greeted with a switch from separate recycling bins located throughout the dorms and eateries to single-stream bins.

The commingled recyclables, which included paper and bottles are being collected and processed by the non-profit group Eco-Cycle.

The switch to single-stream was done with the hope that recycling would become easier for all students and employees and therefore boost participation and the amount of materials that is waste recycled each month.

The University is staying with dual-stream recycling models for its academic and administrative building and over the year with collect data on which of the two methods was most successful for reducing waste disposal.

For this year, the school’s recycling goal is reduce the amount of landfill waste generated from one hundred and seventy pounds per person to one hundred and forty seven pounds per person pounds. The school is aiming for a waste recycling rate of ninety percent. The University began its recycling program in 1976 and its sports stadium is currently working toward a zero-waste goal.

WasteCare Wants You to Remember: Not sure what kind of recycling program to try in your business? Learn a lesson from the University of Colorado and conduct a trial experiment! The tools and services for waste recycling are always changing and improving so if you are willing to try something new you might just stumble upon a great new way to save your company some money!

 

More Polystyrene Bans in California

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Hermosa Beach, California is expected to become the state’s sixty-fifth city to enact a ban on polystyrene food containers.

The new rule will also include polystyrene packaging used by supermarkets for food items including rotisserie chickens, individual deserts, and packages of muffins. The California Grocers Association is concerned that the inclusion of these types of packages will cause hardships for grocery store owners. Currently, the clear polystyrene packaging used for food is recyclable unlike its styrofoam counterpart which is primarily used by restaurants.

The Hermosa Beach city council, which has a population of 20,000, is convinced that grocery stores in the area have access to affordable, alternative materials such as PET and polyethylene packaging to replace the clear food containers. Currently, one-third of the polystyrene bans in the state include the clear polystyrene packaging.

The new rule is expected to being in March 2013 and will include polystyrene plates, bowls, trays, wrappings, condiment containers and cartons, and cups — but it does not apply to cup lids, straws, utensils or packaging used for uncooked fish, poultry, or meat.

WasteCare Wants You to Remember: As a business owner it pays to be ahead of the trends. When was the last time you looked at pricing for more environmentally friendly containers? You may find that going green is easier on your budget than you expected!

City Limits Household Trash

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Citizens in Hamilton, Ontario Canada are only allowed to waste dispose of one, thirty-six gallon trash container per resident per week at a maximum weight of fifty pounds.  This number has been reduced from the original rule of a weekly maximum of nine containers per week.

Hamilton is comprised of six smaller towns that merged together in 2000. There is a total population of a little over half a million and the municipality manages over five hundred million pounds of waste annually.

In 2000, when the nine-container per household rule was in place, the waste recycling rate was only sixteen percent. Between 2001 and 2006, Hamilton updated its waste management strategic plan and as a result improvements were made to its materials recovery facility with the addition of a composting area, a recycling area, and increased community education and outreach. During this time period, the waste recycling rate of the city rose to forty percent.

However, the number of allowable containers per week was still to high and it was decided that it should gradually be reduced. The city first moved to a three-container maximum in 2008, and then progressed to a one container plus one bag rule, and then finally to the one bag or one container rule that stands today.

Since enacting the rule in mid-2010, ninety-eight percent of the residents have complied. Those household who exceed the weekly limit are given three warnings before fines are administered.

WasteCare Wants You to Remember: How is your town or business handling waste disposal and waste recycling? The more you throw away, the more you pay, so it’s worth it to increase your volume of recycled materials!