The Recycling Process: What Happens After You Leave Your Bin Out?
This guest blog was written by Larry Jergins.
Recycling plays a tremendous role in helping consumers feel better about the waste we produce. But what exactly happens to the items in your bin once they leave the curb? Recycling programs vary from city to city and state to state. Understanding the process can help you keep the system running smoothly.
1. Collection
There are four main methods of collection. The most popular is curbside collection. Some communities offer drop-off centers, buy-back centers, and programs for deposit/refund on bottles and…
My Vision 2020
This guest blog is courtesy of Waste360 and Chaz Miller.
2020 will be another challenging year for recyclers. Markets remain daunting as we continue to deal with the fallout from China’s decision to ban mixed paper and mixed plastic imports.
Paper markets will remain flat throughout 2020 with some glimmers of hope of rising prices toward its end. This year’s October 1 opening of the Read more | Comments (0) | Jan 14, 2020
Waste and Recycling: 2019 in Review
2019 has been a fascinating…
Hand in Hand Working to Reduce Food Waste
This guest blog was originally posted on the Food Marketing Institute (FMI) website. It was written by Andy Harig, Vice President, Tax, Trade, Sustainability & Policy Development, FMI.
Solving the food waste problem takes collaboration throughout the supply chain and recently leaders from the leading food industry associations shared their commitment to this cause:
“The Food Waste Reduction Alliance (FWRA) was founded with the conviction that the entire supply chain has a role to play in reducing food waste; food retailers are committed to fulfilling their responsibility in addressing this issue of such tremendous impact for the communities we serve.” – Leslie Sarasin, President and CEO, FMI
“Food waste remains the single largest category of material in U.S. landfills. By collaborating with FMI, NRA and these federal agencies, the CPG industry can better share best practices to reducing waste and find innovative, scalable solutions…
Using Reclaimed Materials in Your Home & Yard
This guest blog was written by , and originally published on Earth911.
When most of us think of landfills, we think of rotting disposable diapers, apple cores, and old clothing. In fact, the U.S. generated 548 million tons of construction and demolition waste in 2015, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. This waste stream comprises more than double the amount of municipal solid waste generated annually.
A lot of wood, concrete, bricks, glass, asphalt, and plastic are going to landfills instead of being recycled or reused. This creates a massive opportunity for improvement. Repurposing materials is a great way to reduce the ecological impact of a project. Demolition waste can be artfully repurposed in home remodeling, construction,…
How to Recycle Ferrous and Non-Ferrous Metals
This guest blog was originally published on the Rubicon Blog. It was written by Jackie Beason, Director of Commodity Sales.
Scrap metal is one of the most sought-after commodities in recycling, and the reason is of little surprise when you consider how much energy is saved when you recycle metal versus mining new metal ores.
When it comes to aluminum, for example, recycling scrap aluminum requires just five percent of the energy needed to produce virgin aluminum, and copper recycling is almost as efficient, with the copper recycling process requiring just 10-15 percent of the energy needed to mine the earth for new copper ore.
At Rubicon Global, we’ve written at length about different metal recycling processes, and in this blog post I want to focus on the difference between ferrous and non-ferrous metals, and the best…
Recycling Destroys to Create
This week's guest blog is courtesy of Waste360 and Chaz Miller.
A Brief History of Recycling
This guest blog is courtesy of American Disposal Services.
For those of you who think recycling is something that just came about within the last few decades, think again!
Ancient Recycling
The first recorded use of recycled paper was in 9th century Japan . Ancient Japanese people began recycling paper almost as soon as they learned how to produce it and recycling became part of paper production and consumption. Japanese culture generally treats recycled paper as…
Setting Smarter Packaging Goals with Our Essentials of Goal Setting Course
This guest blog was written by Tristanne Davis, Senior Manager, Sustainable Packaging Coalition (SPC), and appeared on the SPC website.
An ever growing list of brands, retailers and even packaging suppliers are making headlines by setting sustainable packaging goals to achieve by 2025, 2030 and beyond. Collective goals like the New Plastics Economy Global Commitment and UK Plastics Pact are also gaining more signatories and momentum. In the SPC’s newly released
Can Product Labels Help Us Make Eco-Friendly Purchases?
This guest blog was written by , and originally published on Earth911.
Shopping can be a very challenging task for the eco-minded. We vote with our wallets, so it is also a great opportunity to influence manufacturers and vendors. Yet, without conducting exhaustive research, it is very difficult to know the whole story behind the products we buy.
Even though packaging makes up just one part of a product’s impact, it is one of the most obvious ones. Almost one-third of municipal solid waste is product packaging, so it is a good place to start when making green purchases.
A lot of packaging is comprised at least partially of plastic. Unfortunately, it has been increasingly criticized for being petroleum-based and wreaking havoc on ecosystems when improperly discarded.…