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7 tips for companies developing reusable packaging

Today's guest blog is authored by Meg Wilcox, contributor to GreenBiz.com. The original post can be found here.

 

Reusable packaging is gaining steam, and brands have ample opportunity to pilot projects or join precompetitive collaborations so that they don’t have to shoulder the risks alone. That optimistic message — even amid safety concerns that have arisen during the coronavirus pandemic — was the takeaway from two breakout sessions on reusable packaging at Circularity 20, GreenBiz’s online circularity event.

"We’re seeing the field of reuse just exploding," said Annette Lendal, project manager for New Plastics Economy at Ellen MacArthur Foundation. The foundation has seen a surge of interest, she said, since publishing its July 2019 report, "Reuse — Rethinking Packaging," which analyzed and mapped 69 reuse examples to help companies understand reuse models, their benefits and potential challenges.

"Everything has changed on this topic in the last three years," agreed Bridget Croke,…

Recycling Makes Sense. A Single Bottle, A Single Can, A Single Box All Matter – So Does Your Participation

Today's guest blog comes to us from It's All You, a program of The Recycling Partnership. The original post can be found here.

Why should I recycle? It’s a question that we’ve all asked ourselves. The Recycling Partnership wants you to know that the answer is easy. According to the Partnership’s Chief Community Strategy Officer Cody Marshall, “Every time we recycle, we reduce pollution and conserve resources. But recycling does more than that. Recyclables have potential. When you recycle something, you’re actually putting material back into the supply chain.” It’s simple, easy, and something that we can all do from the comfort of our homes and offices.

What actually happens to the materials placed into recycling bins…

20+ Tips to Make Going Back to School and College Greener & More Sustainable

Today's guest blog comes to us from It's All You, a program of The Recycling Partnership. The original post can be found here.

Whether it’s shopping for back to school supplies or moving into a college dorm room, explore ways to reduce, reuse, and recycle more where you live, work, play, and learn.

So now that the longest “spring break” ever is over and it’s time for students to return to class, whatever that may look like, school supplies are likely at the top of your shopping list. Whether instruction is resuming remotely or in-person, you can choose sustainable choices that help protect the planet…

How Do You Motivate Someone to Recycle?

Today's guest blog is authored by Alec Cooley of Busch Systems. The original posting can be found here.

I got my start in the recycling field as a student volunteer in the early 90’s. Every week we set up a tabling display on my university’s quad that talked about the environmental benefits of recycling.

That message seemed obvious. It resonated with me personally as well as the other environmentally conscious students we spoke to. What we only slowly learned, and what most recycling educators now know is that this environmentally-focused message has little impact on the 80% or more of people who aren’t predisposed to respond to environmental issues. Our tabling efforts were a classic example of preaching to the choir.

Recycling is easy…right?

As much as we may have wanted people to care about recycling and the environment, the truth is that recycling educators have only one very specific job: get people to place recyclable items in the recycling bin. Simple enough,…

Aiming for Zero Waste: Beware the Intersection Between Goals and Accounting

Today's Guest Blog is authored by NERC board member Chaz Miller. The original post can be found here.

Who doesn’t like the idea of zero waste? After all, waste is a cost, not an asset. Worse yet, if improperly handled, it can be an environmental burden. That makes eliminating waste an entirely reasonable idea. Yet, as my experience on a county task force showed, getting to zero waste is easier said than done.

For a good chunk of the last two years, I was a member of the Montgomery County, Md., Aiming for Zero Waste Task Force. The County Executive appointed our group of seven in 2018 to advise the Department of Environmental Protection on revisions to the solid waste plan. Montgomery County is immediately north of Washington, D.C. We are Maryland’s largest county with more than one million residents. The county manages recycling, composting,…

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