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WASTE RECYCLING INFORMATION
November 2012 

 Jump to WasteCare's November 2012 Waste Recycling Blog

WASTE RECYCLING TITLES IN THIS MONTHS COLLECTION

Businesses Embracing E-Recycling
Washington State Adopts Rules For Mercury-Containing Lights
More Cities Ban Single Use Bags
Turning Landfills Into Good Neighbors
Los Angeles Moving to Zero Waste Status
Mandatory Recycling Goes To Vote
Single Stream Recycling Works
States Report Increase In Material Waste Recycling
Recycling Cigarettes
Creating A Zero Waste Business
Salt Lake City Expands Material Waste Recycling Program
Market Grows For Green Packaging
Scrap Metal Theft Ends With Prison Time
Waste Recycle Election Year Political Signs
Transforming Plastic Bags Into Roads
NextLife Expands Material Waste Recycling Footprint
Safe Waste Recycling for Business Electronics
Frankenstorm Creates Solid Waste Collection Nightmare
New Innovations for Material Waste Recycling of Plastics
Hotel Chain Waste Recycles Mattresses
Town Begins Textile Waste Recycling Program
 Advances Made In Sustainable Tires

 

Businesses Embracing E-Recycling

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The technology industry is constantly releasing new products that consumers wait in line to buy, and that high demand for brand new equipment is creating an opportunity for those in the business of e-recycling last year’s unwanted model.

Both businesses and individuals want data-safe and environmentally sound methods to dispose of their old computers, and smart e-recyclers can earn money collecting gadgets, dismantling them, and re-selling the parts for the materials they are made of.

As the national economy improves, more and more businesses will replace their older computers and cell phones, and generate a steady volume of materials for those in the recycling industry.

While many think that scrap metal is the most lucrative of the recycling sectors, scrap electronics saw sales grow by thirty percent in 2011 and is expected to have similar returns this year as well. Many businesses in this sector have added employees and expanded facility space in 2012 which points to an increase in work and demand.

However, as with any recycling niche, standards must be upheld and enforced. For electronics, the Responsible Recycling Practices certification established by manufacturers and the EPA is becoming a requirement for ensuing recyclers adopt best-practices for recycling electronics, employee safety and data security. While certification does cost money and time, many recyclers are making the effort as a way to distinguish themselves in the expanding market.

WasteCare Wants You to Remember: Unlike scrap metal, glass, or plastics, electronics waste often contains data that must be safely and securely removed. While expanding your business into e-waste can bring an added level of training and expense, in the long run it could help take advantage of this opportunity!

 

Washington State Adopts Rules For Mercury-Containing Lights

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The Washington State Ecology Department has approved rules overseeing the state’s stewardship program for lights and products containing mercury.

The original law which was passed in 2010, created the ability for all consumers to recycle compact fluorescent bulbs free of charge and began a manufacturer-funded stewardship program to oversee the administration of it. The rules also prohibit the disposal of any light bulbs containing mercury in the garbage.The ruling is scheduled to officially start on January 1, of the new year.

Based on the policies in the stewardship plan, manufacturers of lights containing mercury can only sell their products in the state of Washington if they agree to support and participate in the recycling stewardship program. Through the program, all lights containing mercury will be collected and sent to approved facilities for processing.

Washington state officials estimate that over six million light bulbs containing mercury were purchased within the state in 2011.

While the stewardship program is currently financed through annual fees charged to manufacturers, long-term funding solutions include placing recycling fees on the bulbs at the time of purchase.

WasteCare Wants You to Remember: Mercury is a hazardous substance and must be disposed of properly in order to prevent contamination and reduce health risks. If your business purchases these bulbs, be sure to follow your state’s disposal regulations to avoid penalties or fine.

More Cities Ban Single Use Bags

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Brookline, Massachusetts is the eighty-fifth municipality in the United States and the forty-seventh in 2012 to enact a ban against single-use plastic bags.

Brookline is part of the metro-Boston area and home to sixty thousand residents. The community now has regulations against the use of polystyrene-based food and beverage containers and plastic bags. Both bans will go into effect on December 1, 2013 providing area merchants and restaurants a year to plan.

The new rulings will apply to grocery stores with sales over one million annually, drug stores with two or more locations in the city, and retail businesses with more than twenty five hundred square feet of space in either one of multiple locations throughout the city.

The ruling excluded compostable or marine degradable plastic bags or bags used in the packaging of produce.

Brookline joins a growing number of cities with plastic bag bans including: San Francisco, Austin, Seattle, and Portland, Oregon. More than half of these new regulations have been voted on and approved in the past year indicating a clear trend in community leadership that reduction in the use of plastic bags is necessary.

WasteCare Wants You to Remember: Even if your community hasn’t enacted a plastic bag ban, if your businesses uses these materials, it’s time to start thinking about alternatives! You may find that adopting greener solutions will help to reduce your overall waste trash disposal fees.

 

Turning Landfills Into Good Neighbors

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Landfills are often thought of in negative terms by the general public but some forward-thinking managers at landfills are looking to change how their neighbors and community members see them.

Common issues such as control of odor, noise, proper visual screening and storm water are done not only to be a good neighbor but also to avoid financial penalties from local, state, or federal governments. All of these factors are highly regulated and leave landfills little room for deviation from the rules.

However, taking a few extra steps to reach out to the community can reap additional benefits and goodwill. The R-Board Landfill in Stafford County, Virginia, recently opened its facilities to host free composting classes to interested members of the community it serves. Landfill administrators estimate that the eight hundred graduates from the composting program who have diverted over one hundred tons of organic waste material. In addition to the twice yearly composting classes, the landfill also provides tours to anyone interested in learning more about facility operations. The tours have become a popular activity for scouting groups, science classes and school groups, and individuals wanting to understand how waste management and recycling works.

WasteCare Wants You to Remember: How well are you communicating to your clients about what happens to their material waste? Making an extra effort to explain and show your process to the public can change perceptions and possible help to bring you additional business!

 

Los Angeles Moving to Zero Waste Status

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A major overhaul in waste collection and recycling practices is happening in Los Angeles, California, the country’s second largest city.

The city council recently voted to divide the city into eleven districts with a private hauler responsible for each area. Currently, the city is responsible for waste and recycling collection for single-family homes only. Private companies handle collection for commercial and multifamily properties. The measure passed easily in favor of the initiative by a vote of 11-3. Those against the measure cited costs and fairness in contract negotiation for smaller businesses as concerns.

City officials, including those from the division of sanitation, supported the measure as a way to reduce the number of trucks needed, help preserve the condition of roads, control for costs, and to collect recycling in a more efficient way. Los Angeles has a zero waste goal which is to be attained by 2025.

The city currently has a recycling rate of sixty-five percent but commercial recycling collects over seventy-five percent.

WasteCare Wants You to Remember: More and more municipalities are establishing zero waste goals which means opportunities exists for those in the waste and recycling businesses. What are you doing to fully take advantage of the importance of “going green”?

 

Mandatory Recycling Goes To Vote

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In a bold and progressive move, Prince George’s County in Maryland is strongly considering increasing the county’s recycling goals and to accomplish such, may decide to legalize mandatory recycling for all residents in order to attain the recycling standards.

Voting will happen soon for the County Council to determine if there is sufficient support for establishing a countywide material waste recycling goal of forty five percent by 2015, with incremental increases to reaching a recycling goal of fifty five percent by 2018 and sixty percent by 2020. These would be some of the most aggressive recycle rates in the country which currently has an average recycling rate close to thirty five percent.

If the new policies pass the vote, property owners of condominiums, apartments, commercial buildings, and industrial properties must make recycling services available to tenants no later than 2014. Under the current rules, the recycling responsibility is placed on residential homeowners with recycling being an optional service that non-residential owner may choose to provide.

Composting is also included in the new plan, which would be piloted in 2014 then expanded throughout the county in 2015.

Prince George’s recycling rate for 2011 was forty percent and is considered above Maryland’s required recycling minimum. However, the neighboring county of Montgomery has a recycling rate of forty seven percent and citizens have requested that more work be done to have their county perform at similar levels.

WasteCare Wants You to Remember: Recycling is everyone’s responsibility whether you own a commercial building or home or simply choose to rent a retail space or apartment. What is your local government doing to make sure recycling services are available to all?

 

Single Stream Recycling Works

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Have you ever wondered if the waste materials you put out for curbside pick up are really recycled? Do you think about ways you could recycle more?

The Environmental Industry Associations (EIA), which represents America’s privately owned solid waste and recycling companies, has noted that as more people and communities participate in recycling programs, confusion has grown about how single stream recycling —in which all materials eligible for recycling are co-mingled in one bin—works, and if recycling even happens at all.

In a single stream recycling facility, waste materials such as jars, cans, paper, cardboard, and plastics are sorted by both high-tech machinery and employees who oversee the process. The use of technology makes recycling much easier and faster and with a greater degree of accuracy.

The Environmental Protection Agency’s latest report shows that the U.S. recycles or composts thirty four percent of the municipal solid waste generated. Single stream recycling, curbside pickup, and technology developments for sorting and classifying have helped to keep that percentage inching up year after year.

However, there is always room for improvement. There are still many communities where curbside recycling isn’t offered. Residents in those locations need to petition their officials to stress the importance of making recycling readily available to all members. In addition, those living in apartment buildings or businesses in commercial spaces may find that recycling services are not available to them. In those cases, tenants should discuss their solid waste services with building owners and make clear that recycling opportunities are a required feature.

WasteCare Wants You to Remember: Innovations like single stream recycling make it easier and more convenient for everyone to participate. What are things you can do at work or home to maximize the amount you recycle? When you go green you’ll be saving green!

 

States Report Increase In Material Waste Recycling

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With landfill space being in short supply, more and more municipalities are increasing their efforts to boost the recycling rates in their communities. Here are a few examples of recent success stories:

  • Virginia’s recycling rate is now at close to forty-four percent with four million tons of materials either recycled or reused annually. This amount is up considerable from 2005 when the state’s recycling rate was a little over thirty-two percent. The community of Vinton has the highest recycling rate in the state, with over sixty-six percent being diverted from landfills. The materials recycled include paper, plastic, metals, glass, yard waste, waste tires and electronic waste.
  • The state of Oregon recovered close to two and a half million tons or fifty-two percent of its waste generated in 2011. The per capita annual disposal rate decreased almost four percent to twelve hundred pounds per person. These are the best reported numbers since Oregon began reporting on waste disposal and recycling in 1992. Of all the waste materials recovered, sixty-five percent was recycled, nineteen percent composted and sixteen percent incinerated.
  • Miami-Dade County, one of the largest in the state of Florida, reported an increase in its curbside recycling program, collecting almost sixty-three thousand tons of recyclable materials. This is the fourth straight year that the county has had an increase in recycling amounts. Residents in the county recycle paper, metal food and beverage containers, cardboard, narrow-neck plastic bottles with their caps and lids, milk and juice cartons, and glass bottles.

WasteCare Wants You to Remember: Community recycling is on the rise because not only does it help to save the environment, but it also helps to save taxpayers money! What is your municipality doing to promote recycling of material waste?

 

Recycling Cigarettes

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This new product niche for recycling waste materials might be hard to imagine, but it’s true! The Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Company, a New Mexico-based subsidiary of Reynolds American Inc., the United State’s second-largest cigarette manufacturer, is forming a partnership with TerraCycle Inc. to recycle used cigarette butts into a material used in the manufacturing of railroad ties, park benches, and shipping pallets.

The Cigarette Waste Brigade, which is publicized through TerraCycle’s website, brings together individuals and trash-battling civic groups to spread the word about the importance of saving and collecting used cigarette butts. Groups can then send them collected materials to the company through a prepaid shipping envelope. According to the non-profit group, Keep America Beautiful, cigarette butts make up close to forty percent of all litter on our nation’s roads and highways.

The incentive for collection is that for every pound of cigarette butts sent to TerraCycle, the sender will receive credits that can be exchanged for a variety of charitable gifts, or can be used to make a donation to a charity of their choice.

TerraCycle will recycle the cigarette filters and used them to create pellets that can be used in creating a wide variety of products. It took close to two years for the company to develop and refine the process to recycle the cigarette filters, which are made of with a mixture of paper, ash, tobacco, and a cellulose acetate filter.

WasteCare Wants You to Remember: Cigarette smoking is a habit shared by many Americans but it only took one company to come up with a way to turn used cigarette butts into a recycled material that can be sold to manufacturers

 

Creating A Zero Waste Business

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Is it possible for a large factory to operate without those big, ugly trash dumpsters outside, overflowing with waste materials destined for the community landfill?

Haworth Inc., one of the largest manufacturing plants in western Michigan, is filled with employees from the boardroom to the factory floor who are believers in the concept of zero waste to landfill.

Inside the facility, strategically placed receptacles are on the factory floor, each with materials printed on the side such as rubber, steel, metal, drywall, plastic, and cardboard.

The plant recycled fifty three million pounds of thirty different types of material last year. In the case of waste recycling of drywall and cardboard, Haworth moved from paying for designated landfill space to earning revenue from their recycled materials. As a result the company saved over one million dollars last year. Officials say the success was a result of shifting focus from lean manufacturing to green manufacturing with an emphasis on creating zero waste.

The company credits senior management support and investment in the zero waste to landfill strategy as a contributing factor for success. Representatives of Haworth are now involved with education and training of other manufacturing firms who are interested in implementing the same strategies for their business.

WasteCare Wants You to Remember: Why pay thousands of dollars every month in landfill and waste disposal fees when its possible to move in the direction of zero waste through materials waste recycling? If Haworth did it, so can you!

 

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!

 

Town Begins Textile Waste Recycling Program

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The citizens of Queen Creek, Arizona understand the value of recycling clothes and the importance of keeping no longer wanted textiles out of the local landfill.

Earlier this Fall, the town decided to start a new waste recycling pilot program to encourage and increase textile material curbside recycling. The new initiative will allow the seven thousand residents of Queens Creek to recycle textiles such as clothing, shoes, towels, sheets, and blankets into a designated blue bag that would be placed in a bin with other recycling for regular pick-up. The textiles can be in any condition – even those that are ripped or soiled are acceptable.

The collected textile waste is then shipped to United Fibers an regional company that uses the fiber to make insulation. The pilot program is expected to run for four months and during that time monthly reporting will be available to gauge the effectiveness and participation rates of the recycling. For every pound of waste textiles collected the local Boys and Girls Club will receive ten cents. There is no additional fees imposed on the residents for the textile collection.

WasteCare Wants You to Remember: Is there a business in your community that could use your trash to make new products? Unique waste recycling partnerships like this one in Queens Creek can help to reduce landfill waste with bringing in funds for local services or non-profits!

 

Advances Made In Sustainable Tires

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Could the days of disposal fees to dispose of used and waste automotive tires soon be a thing of the past? Bridgestone Corporation recently announced that it has developed a tire created with one hundred percent sustainable materials. This advancement is part of the manufacturer’s commitment to fully adopting sustainable materials usage by 2050. The new tire was shown to the public and industry representatives at the Paris Motor Show held earlier this fall.

The tire is manufactured from natural rubber originating in the hevea trees and plant fibers. in addition to synthetic rubber and chemical agents that are derived from vegetable fats and oils as well as biomass.

The next step for Bridgestone is to develop the production technology needed for mass production. The company is hoping for a consumer launch in 2020. Bridgestone acknowledges that moving to sustainable materials will allow the company to continue production far further into the future than otherwise.

WasteCare Wants You to Remember: Science and technology is progressing every day and objects like tires that were once thought impossible to make “green” are now rolling in that direction. Are you staying up-to-date in waste recycling and sustainability in your business sector? You could be losing “green” every year if you don’t!

 

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