Category Archives: Waste Recycling Innovations

Innovations in Waste Recycling

Tips For Recycling Vehicle Antifreeze

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If your business is responsible for managing and maintaining vehicles, then it’s important to understand the regulations for the proper use and disposal of antifreeze. Antifreeze is typically added to water in the cooling systems of cars, trucks, and marine craft to adjust the freezing point. Antifreeze is considered to be toxic to both people and animals as it contains lead, chromium, and cadmium in levels high enough to be considered a hazardous waste. Because of this, many states strictly regulate the disposal of antifreeze and make it illegal to dispose of it by dumping onto open land, sewers, storm drains, or septic systems as the heavy metal can contribute to drinking water problems and harm the wildlife and humans living in that community.

For businesses that rely on a regular use of antifreeze, establishing an antifreeze recycling program can reduce waste disposal costs and reduce the amount you need to spend on new materials. Recycling antifreeze by reconditioning it with special additives costs a fraction of what purchasing new would be and is relatively easy to do.

Recycling antifreeze is first done by removing contaminants such as oil and dirt and then adding select chemicals that extends the life of ethylene glycol, the primary ingredient in antifreeze. Ethylene glycol is derived from natural gas and has a very long effective lifespan, so it can maintain its usefulness for a longer period of time. The Earth911 organization can assist you in finding an authorized antifreeze recycling business or would like to learn more about the technology and chemical needed to perform this kind of recycling on your business site.

WasteCare Wants You to Remember: Antifreeze is a hazardous substance and needs to be properly stored, used, and disposed of. If your business frequently uses antifreeze, exploring recycling options, either in-house or through an authorized agent, may help you score points with customers for “going green” while saving money on purchase and disposal costs!

 

Boston Tests Food Waste Composting Program

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The city of Boston, Massachusetts has started a pilot program residents to collect food scraps and organic waste for use as compost.

The organic waste material is being collected for free at farmers markets throughout the city. The collection include items such as food scraps, tea bags and coffee grounds and filters, fruits and vegetables, egg and nut shells, and grains such as rice, bread and cereal, and pasta. In addition, house plants are also be accepted. The collected food and vegetation items are then used to create compost for both commercial and individual use.

The collection program will end in late October when the farmers markets cease operation, but the pilot will allow city administrators to test how residential composting can be incorporated into the city’s overall waste reduction plans.

Boston Mayor Thomas Menino credits the program to feedback provided during open community meetings about the “Greenovate” Boston initiative to inform and involve the public on environmental concerns. The mayor supports food composting and other organic waste re-use programs as a way to help the environment and improve the city’s bottom line expenses.

WasteCare Wants You to Remember: Some of the best ideas for reducing waste and saving money can come from your community members. If you’re looking to make changes in waste disposal practices in your business or town, be sure to get as many stakeholders involved as possible. You never know what idea might be the big winner!

Airport Creatively Uses Recycled Waste

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The San Francisco International Airport has a new piece of art – a true-to-sized replica of a Hummer created entirely of polystyrene.

Sponsored by Recology, the San Francisco waste and recycling hauler, the airport exhibit showcases twenty three years of local artists using the city’s waste as a creative medium and inspiration. More than one hundred pieces of artwork and sculpture by forty-five artists will be on display throughout the fall. Each piece of art is made entirely out of waste material being thrown away by city residents.

Just some of the pieces on display include: dresses made from bottles caps and newspaper plastic bags, masks made from various materials; and a giant whale tale constructed from re-claimed wood and other discarded construction materials. However, it’s the H1 Hummer, a vehicle known for it’s low fuel mileage, that attracts the most attention. The enormous amount of polystyrene needed to construct the sculpture didn’t take long for the artist to collect given the huge quantities of the material that end up in dumpsters every day.

In addition to providing some entertainment to busy worldwide travelers connecting through the airport, the exhibit has also attracted locals interested in seeing how materials destined for the landfill can be recycled into beautiful and educational piece of art.

WasteCare Wants You to Remember: Recycling waste materials isn’t just about re-manufacturing into brand new products, sometimes it’s about re-use. The next time you’re cleaning out your office’s storeroom or workshop, consider what can be donated to community groups. Unwanted wood, paint, textiles, containers, and paper can be used in craft projects by day care facilities and senior centers. You’ll reduce your waste disposal amount and do something good for your community!

Building Construction From Recycled Plastic

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In Taipei, Taiwan, the nine-story EcoArk exhibition hall boasts an interesting accomplishment in green construction – its walls are constructed from more than one and one half million recycled PET plastic beverage bottles.

Designed by the architects at Miniwiz Sustainable Development, the use of recycled plastic is a key highlight designed to show other architects and construction professionals what is possible when non-traditional building materials are used.

The company also has another sustainable building in the development phase, this one for e-waste recycling firm Super Dragon Technology. That building will be built using discarded computer and electronic waste as well as waste polymers.

With a recent United Nations report showing that buildings are responsible for as much as forty percent of greenhouse gas emissions, Miniwiz is looking to expand and take their message of using recycled materials in construction worldwide.

Miniwiz success in Taiwan has been due in part to its ability to make materials and products cost-effective through a network of Taiwanese suppliers. Taiwan has both a well-developed recycling infrastructure and manufacturing industry. Taiwan recycles more than ninety percent of PET bottles which greatly exceeds the recycling rates of thirty percent in the United States and fifty percent in Europe.

The company currently produces three recycled plastic products for use in construction: iPolli-Bricks, a wall system made from one hundred percent recycled PET, Natrilon, a fiber made from rice husks and one hundred percent recycled PET, and Polli-Ber, a composite made from agricultural waste and recycled polymers.

WasteCare Wants You to Remember: If you’re involved in construction it pays to be aware of the changes and innovations happening in the field. While ideas like walls made from plastic and electronics waste may seem novel and impractical, isn’t that what people once said about cell phones, the internet, and robotics?

 

General Motors Helps Homeless With Recycling

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United States auto manufacturer General Motors recently announced that it is continuing its waste material recycling program to donate scrap insulation from GM car doors to the not-for-profit group, Empowerment Plan. The unwanted insulation will be used to make coats and sleeping bags for the homeless in several northern cities.

This year, the automaker donated two thousand yards of Sonozorb, the noise reducing and temperature controlling insulation – enough to create four hundred coats and bags for distribution through homeless shelters in Michigan, Illinois, Ohio, Oregon, and New York.

The self-heating, waterproof coats are made by a team of nine seamstresses – who were once homeless. The group produces approximately one hundred and fifty coats each month and relies on donations from corporate sponsors such as General Motors.

GM officials are embracing creative solutions to waste reduction, recycling, and re-use. The company currently has one hundred and six landfill-free operation and manufacturing centers around the globe that take all waste and determine if recycling, reuse or donation or conversion to energy is the best course of action.

WasteCare Wants You to Remember: One businesses trash can be another one’s treasure. Take a look at what’s in your waste disposal bin and try to see it from another person’s viewpoint – could materials be of value to a non-profit group? You might be able to save money, reduce your environmental footprint, and help those in need at the same time!

College Moves To Reusable Containers

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In Ohio, Ashland University will join a popular movement on college campuses throughout the country by implementing the use of reusable takeout containers in their dining halls and commissaries.

The way the reusable containers work is similar to a re-usable water container. Students purchase a polypropylene food container for a few dollars and then bring it with them when purchasing food to-go, such as pizza, salads, sandwiches, or pasta. After eating, students simply rinse out the containers and place then in specially designed collection receptacles on campus.

The reusable containers are then washed and sanitized and placed back into circulation. Students simply pick up another container the next time they buy take-out food.

In addition to students, college faculty and staff are also being encouraged to participate.

Interest in programs like this are growing in interest outside of colleges as well. In Portland, Oregon, several food trucks that service the downtown area have started offering customers the reusable containers as well.

One of the benefits of the reusable containers are that they are dishwasher safe and can be placed in microwaves. Made of break-resistant, recyclable PP and can safely be used up to seven hundred times.

WasteCare Wants You to Remember: The reusable products market is always changing. New products are developed and products that were formerly expensive, begin to drop in price. It pays to stay in the know about the relevant choices in your industry – what may have been cost prohibitive in pasty years may be cost effective now!

Illinois Offers One-Stop Recycling

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The Chicago suburb of Naperville, Illinois, will soon be offering their residents a new and improved waste recycling and hazardous materials collection center.  The new facility is designed to provide “one stop” recycling services where individuals, households, and businesses can bring anything that is recyclable including items such as batteries, light bulbs, e-waste, medical items, and traditional materials such as plastic, glass, and paper.

Naperville receive a close to nine hundred thousand dollars from the state to assist in funding the new project. The city will contribute close to three hundred thousand dollars toward the cost.

The city’s current recycling facilities were responsible for collecting and processing more than fifteen tons of traditional recyclable items, over fifty thousand gallons of recyclable liquids and nearly three hundred tons of other items considered recyclable. However, the demand for increased levels of recycling are beyond the facility’s capability, thus the reason for seeking funding for upgrades and enhancements.

The facility will be used not only by Naperville, but surrounding communities as well and is expected to impact the recycling rate of the entire county area.

WasteCare Wants You to Remember: Providing a “one stop” center where a wide variety of items can be recycled and safely disposed of can certainly help to boost a community’s recycling rate and provide businesses the opportunity to lower their trash disposal fees by recycling more items.

Virginia Town Doubles Recycling Rate

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A city in the state of Virginia has improved its recycling and reduced waste disposal by making one simple change: increasing the size of recycling containers for curbside recycling services.

City administrators in Colonial Heights, Virginia have been amazed at the results since requiring the use of a ninety six gallon recycling container starting July 1 of 2012, instead of the smaller bin which had been used previously.

After one full year of data collection, the city’s seventeen thousand residents improved their recycling rate by an additional five hundred and forty tons of waste materials. Curbside recycling also doubled with an estimated sixty percent of all households participating.

But the biggest reward has been the amount of savings the city has seen. By enhancing recycling, Colonial Heights saved two hundred and fifty thousand dollars. The funds will be used to purchase new playground equipment, make enhancements to the public safety communication system, and complete some renovation work on the town’s baseball field.

In addition, residents earned redeemable points and coupons every time they put out their recycling cart. The points could then be used at participating local restaurants and stores. The business involved with the recycling program reported an extra eighteen thousand dollars in new business as a result of the partnership.

WasteCare Wants You to Remember: Everybody wins when waste disposal decreases and waste recycling increases! Not only did Colonial Heights save money which it can use for other community projects, but residences and businesses were rewarded with coupons, perks, and new customers. Wouldn’t a similar system be great to have in your town? It’s possible!

Is Your Business Recycling Cartons?

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Are you responsible for waste disposal operations and recycling for a restaurant, grocery store, school, or commercial building? If your facility routinely disposes of paperboard beverage cartons for milk, juice, liquids, and other beverages you may want to make sure you’re properly recycling them. Cartons are available in two types: refrigerated and shelf-stable. Refrigerated cartons are often used for milk, fruit juice, cream and dairy products, and egg substitutes. Shelf-stable cartons do not require prior refrigeration and are often used for fruit and vegetable juice, milk, milk substitutes such as soy, almond, or rice milk, soups and wine.

Right now, more than fifty one million American residential households and forty five states accept beverage cartons through curbside and drop off recycling programs. Alabama is the latest state to join in offering residents and businesses this kind of recycling. There has been a strong increase in carton recycling over the last three years when only twenty six states offered it.

Recycled carton have value in that they can be manufactured into various paper tissue products, paper goods, and building materials. The Carton Council, which helps states and municipalities establish recycling programs, works to promote carton recycling and divert used cartons from local landfill. The Carton Council does offer a mail-in program for those individuals living in areas that have not yet adopted carton recycling.

WasteCare Wants You to Remember: Recycling innovations and policies are always changing and being updated so it’s important to stay aware of what’s happening in your city and state. Do you typically dispose of your empty cartons by throwing them into the trash? You might be pleasantly surprised to discover from the Carton Council that they can be recycled!

Using Surveys To Reduce Waste

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The Department of Health and Environment in the state of Kansas is opting to use an online survey to evaluate the state’s practices to reduce solid waste and make recommendations for what needs improvement. Kansas defines solid waste as all refuse, including garbage, tires and discarded materials from agricultural, commercial, industrial, and domestic activities.

The survey will be collecting both residential and commercial-owners’ thoughts on recycling services, how to properly dispose of e-waste, and if taxes on paint and mattresses should be imposed to help fund waste reduction programs.

The state’s Bureau of Waste Management is administering the survey and collecting all information. The survey will be available to all through mid-August.

In addition to the survey, the Department of Health and Environment will also be collecting and preparing information about state-wide trends in composting, recycling, and waste disposal.

The final report will be delivered to the Legislature in early 2014 and help policymakers decide if new regulations are needed to improve waste management and recycling practices.

WasteCare Wants You to Remember: When your business is looking to evaluate waste management and recycling practices, it’s a smart move to go directly to your employees and ask them what is working and what could be improved. When you engage all members of your team in cutting costs and going “green” you have a better chance of success!