Category Archives: HDPE Plastic

HDPE Plastic

PepsiCo. Promotes Plastics Recycling

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International beverage provider PepsiCo. is partnering with environmental non-profit, The Nature Conservancy to launch a program designed to promote and increase the rate of recycling for beverage containers while also protecting sources of drinking water.

Envisioned as a five year program, “Recycle for Nature” is expected to save in excess of one billion gallons of water while also protecting the drinking water supplies needed by over thirty five million people in five key geographic areas throughout the United States. PepsiCo. will provide the Nature Conservancy with approximately one million dollars in funding for each of the five years of the program. In addition, increased financial incentives have also been put in place for every percentage point the national recycling rate increases for beverage bottles.

A key focus of the program is to provide more recycling bins in key beverage buying locations such as gas stations and convenience stories. Bottled water, various brands of soda, fruit juices, and other specialty drinks are popular single-serve items in these quick stop locations that are visited by all segments of the population throughout the country.

In a recent national survey conducted by Pepsi, eighty one percent of survey participants indicated that they would like to recycle more at retail locations if waste recycling bins were readily available both inside as well as outside. It is estimated that only twelve percent of current retail locations have clearly marked and easy to find recycling containers.

WasteCare Wants You to Remember: Regardless of your business, the easier you make it for employers and customers to recycling, the higher your waste recycling rate will be. Make a plan to periodically investigate the recycling options you’re company provides. Your solution to saving money could be as simple as a few strategically placed recycling containers.

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!

Opportunity Grows With Increased Plastics Recycling

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While the overall recycling rate may have dipped slightly in the United States recently, the recycling of materials made of rigid plastic, many labeled as HDPE plastics, increased by ten percent in 2012 to a level greater than one billion pounds. The final total of the amount of collected nearly triples the amount of the material that was recycled in 2007 when tracking and reporting of rigid plastics recycling began. Rigid plastic is now considered one of the fastest growing materials in the recycled goods market. The increase in availability of recycled materials ensures that manufacturers needing the material to produce new goods can procure them at lower prices.

In addition, a year over year increase in over eighty two million pounds collected compared to data from 2011 in attributed to the fact that recycling firms and municipalities are developing efforts to attract hard plastics recycling from both residential and business customers. Close to sixty percent of the recycling processing of rigid plastics takes place in the US and Canada.

Polyethylene and polypropylene make up over seventy percent of all rigid plastics collected in the US and over sixty percent of all Americans now have convenient access to recycling programs that accept rigid plastic materials.

WasteCare Wants You to Remember: Does your home, business, or community offer convenient recycling for rigid plastic materials? If you’re paying money every month to dispose of these waste materials in a landfill, you’re missing the chance to go green and save green! If you generate large amounts of waste materials of this nature, take some time to look into the re-sale market for rigid plastics. If you generate small or minimal amounts, find out where and how you can get them recycled. It’ll help the planet and your bottom line at the same time!

Bottle Ban Hits San Francisco

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The governing board  for the City of San Francisco has recently approved legislation that would effectively prohibit the distribution and sale of water in plastic bottle on all municipal properties. The regulation would apply to all city events, including participating vendors and city departments.

The Board of Supervisors for the City unanimously endorsed the proposal. The plan will be phased in incrementally, and by October 1, 2016 it is anticipated that all events taking place on city-owned property would be expected to comply with the plastic water bottle ban. The only exception to the rule would be in the case of running and walking events and participant sports – in those instances, bottled water would be allowed.

The regulation does need a final vote, scheduled for later in March. If that vote is successful, as it is expected to be, than the legislation would need to be signed by the City’s Mayor – another hurdle which it proponents expect to clear without problem.

When enacted, the legislation will also require that city government enhance and improve public access to water in city owned or leased properties and events.

City administrators hope the new policy will help to reduce the amount of waste generated and increase the use of re-usable water bottles and drink beverages. Additionally, it provides a cost savings to the city in no longer having to purchase bottled water for special events.

WasteCare Wants You to Remember: Is bottled water something your business relies heavily on? While plastic bottles can be recycled, they still cost you money. Take a look at green-friendly options and you might find a way to reduce your waste and save money every month!

Airline Reduces Waste With Green Cups

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International airline carrier, United Airlines, has recently announced that it will introduce a brand new, green friendly hot beverage cup to use in its United Club in-flight drink service and hospitality rooms starting in March of 2014.

In the news release, the Chicago-based airline discussed the company’s shift to using an insulated InCycle Cup to replace the Styrofoam coffee cups that are currently in use. The new cup is completely recyclable and manufactured from fifty percent recycled materials. The InCycle cup is produced in the United States by MicroGreen Polymers.

MicroGreen’s technology for their recyclable beverage cups comes from re-using recycled water bottles and other beverage bottles made of plastic. One recycled plastic bottle creates four and one half InCycle cups. The InCycle cup is insulated, which eliminating more waste by removing the need for a hot beverage protective sleeve.

The switch comes as part of United’s strategy to evaluate all operational recycling to discover new opportunities to cut waste disposal and boost cost effective recycling. Additionally, the airline is simplifying the recycling process for flight attendants and grounds workers to increase overall recycling amounts. Over the prior six years, United recycled almost twenty four million pounds of waste materials generated through its aircraft and on-ground facilities.

WasteCare Wants You to Remember: The market for recycled materials is always changing and improving. When was the last time you looked for environmentally friendly and waste reducing alternative products for your business or home? If it’s been some time, you might want to check again. You could be pleasantly surprised by the cost of green friendly products and how much money you’ll be able to save in the long run when you stop putting garbage in the trash and start recycling it instead!

 

Recycling Returns To New Orleans

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It’s taken close to nine years, but the Louisiana city of New Orleans is now officially re-launching curbside recycling services for both residents and businesses living and operating in the Central Business District and French Quarter of the city.

The waste recycling services will be available for all residents and small businesses in those neighborhoods starting at the end of January, 2014. It is estimated that over four thousand residential and business locations will be eligible for the curbside recycling pick-ups. All recycling services are expected to happen on a weekly schedule for those in the target neighborhoods. Waste materials that will be accepted for recycling include all forms of paper, paperboard and cardboard, plastic beverage and food containers, and metal containers and cans.

Recycling services to these areas have been suspended since 2005 when Hurricane Katrina devastated the region. The Sanitation Department for the city is currently distributing eighteen-gallon size bins to residents and businesses at no additional cost. While these recycling bins are slightly smaller than those used in other neighborhoods the city hopes they will be easier to use and store for businesses and homes with limited space.

Curbside recycling services are currently available in other neighborhoods of the city for residential properties and small businesses. Residents in the historic French Quarter and Central Business District had been lobbying local officials that inclusion of their neighborhoods were necessary components to help the area achieve its municipal sustainability goals.

WasteCare Wants You to Remember: Whether it’s your town or business, it’s important to include everyone in your waste disposal and recycling plans. Every person, no matter where they’re located, is going to generate trash – and if you’re not making an effort to increase recycling and re-use, that’s money and profit coming out of your bottom line!

Court Upholds Plastic Bag Ban

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The Court of Appeals in California has recently upheld the city of San Francisco’s law banning the use of single-use and thin-film plastic bags in restaurants, grocery stores, delis, and retail shops doing business within the city limits.

The court’s upholding of the law now establishes a legal precedent that additional California cities may use as they attempt to create regulations that are modeled after the San Francisco one. San Francisco’s ban applies to all non-compostable plastic bags that a business would give to a customer upon checkout as well as imposing a ten-cent fee on other types of bags, such as paper or compostable plastic, that the business would provide to customers.

San Francisco first started its plastic bag ban back in 2007, which was directed at chain supermarkets and pharmacies. The law now applies to all retailers as well as retail food establishments. The law was opposed by the Save the Plastic Bag Coalition, based in Los Angeles, claiming that banning plastic bags violates health and sanitation standards. It is unknown if the group will appeal the decision to a higher court. However, as the public approval for limiting plastic bags use increases throughout the state, it has become easier for both small and large communities to enact regulations that limit and restrict the use of plastic bags that cannot be recycled.

WasteCare Wants You to Remember: Even if your town or municipality doesn’t have regulations about plastic bag use what are you doing to limit your use of plastics that cannot be recycled or re-used? As more and more customers look to support environmentally friendly businesses, you may find that you’ll make more “green” when you adopt green-friendly business practices!

 

Beverage Group Promotes Bottle Recycling

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International beverage group, Dr Pepper Snapple has recently renewed its corporate partnership with the Keep America Beautiful non-profit group with a commitment to issue three hundred thousand dollars worth of environmentally focused grants to assist community groups, schools, and municipalities to provide beverage bottle recycling bins and collection centers to consumers.

The Connecticut-based Keep America Beautiful recently announced the funding agreement with the Texas-based beverage and bottling manufacturer. The new funding will provide for a second year of the Keep America Beautiful Parks Recycling Grant Program, which helps to provide recycling bins in public parks of all sizes throughout the United States and promote education and public awareness campaigns to encourage citizens to recycle when visiting recreational areas.

The grant program is currently accepting applications from those agencies interested in obtaining recycling bins on its website. Non profit environmental groups affiliated with Keep America Beautiful are eligible to submit a request as well as all government agencies at the state and local levels that are responsible for recycling activities in recreational areas such as parks, community green spaces, playgrounds, athletic fields, and public green-ways.

In the grant’s first year of operation, over seven hundred recycling bins were placed in parks, athletic fields, neighborhood green-space, beaches, and walking trails. The program provided thirty three grants to agencies in twenty three states in all regions of the country.

WasteCare Wants You to Remember: If you’re looking to keep your municipality clean and reduce waste, installing more recycling bins can help. Grant opportunities can help you save twice: once when you receive a bin for no charge and then again when you have less trash to dispose of in landfills!

 

 

Staples Brings Recycling Online

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The popular office and business supply store, Staples Inc., is now offering all customers an online recycling option for the ink and toner cartridges used in computer printers and copy machines.

The Massachusetts-based company said it is adding this online recycling option to supplement and expand its long-existing and popular in-store “Staple Rewards” toner and ink recycling program.

The company believes the online option for Staples Rewards members will add a level of convenience and ease – in particular for those patrons and businesses that are not in close geographical proximity to a physical store location. Members will be able to print a pre-paid shipping label with direction on how to send their empty cartridges and will receive two dollars in Staples Rewards for each one received.

To date, Staples has recycled over three hundred and fifty million cartridges since starting the program in 2005. The total weight of all recycled metals and plastics collected exceeds one hundred and eighty two million pounds. In the last three years alone, over sixty million cartridges were recycled each year for a total recycled amount of sixty four million pounds of e-waste. The chain store’s worldwide goal is to recycle more than forty million pounds of electronics waste each year by 2020.

WasteCare Wants You to Remember: When you’re looking to increase your waste recycling and decrease your waste disposal, look to the needs of your employees and customers. How can you make recycling easier and more convenient for them? Adding a new program or making subtle enhancements can help you to save green and go green at the same time!

New Source For Green Plastics

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The Biodegradable Plastic Institute, has created an online database providing information about more than three thousand kinds of plastic products that are compostable and have been proven to decompose in commercial composting processing facilities.

The creation of this resource should make it easier for businesses, consumers, and those operating composting facilities to know which plastic items such as bags, thin film plastic, cups, bottles, and other containers will naturally degrade into soil.

A growing trend in many municipalities is the effort of diverting organic matter and food scraps from landfills. This action helps to reduce the need and cost of landfills and waste disposal while encouraging the production of composting which is used and values for farming, agriculture and landscaping. The demand for compostable plastics in the food-service sector is growing in response to these new recycling initiatives. The database will assist everyone with identifying biodegradable plastics products that can safely and effectively be part of the entire food production to recycling stream.

WasteCare Wants You to Remember: If it seems like new developments are happening all the time in the areas of waste recycling and waste disposal, it’s true! If you’re looking to save money and help the environment, it pays to stay on top of the latest news – exciting new products are coming to market every year that can help you make changes within your business or municipality.