CleanPress

The reasons to recycle are many and should be helpful to any business … lower  cost with less trash to dispose and pay for and "bragging rights" to promote are just two … Yet two very large "inductries" have not jumped on the recycling bandwagon …

" … a The New York Times article, Leaving the Trash Behind, explored the aviation industry’s massive contribution to global waste … millions of plastic bottles discarded at security checkpoints, but separate recycling containers in terminals or on board planes are not common. …no industry standard for recycling …"

"Recycling procedures vary by airline and airport. Environmental programs involve many entities … each of the nation’s 552 commercial "airports has its own way of handling waste."

" … Continental Airlines has been recycling oil, antifreeze and other aircraft maintenance products for two or three years. Recently it began onboard collection of bottles, aluminum cans and cardboard boxes. …"

" … Green America, an environmental group, started a campaign to get air travelers to report back on their website what airlines were recycling … to hold the industry accountable in enforcing their polities and to push them to do better."

" … medical centers are the second-largest waste producers in the United States, after the food industry. … In operating rooms, some items that are never even used are thrown away simply because they are taken out of their packaging and could have been contaminated."

Via: SmartPlanet LINK

I was looking at Bose Wave radios and noticed an interesting section about recycling batteries … they have 3 easy ways for you to recycle the rechargeable batteries in their Wave radios …  

… call Bose toll free, go to a Bose store or visit rbrc.com … which takes you to call2recycle.

 call2recycle has a look up by ZIP code feature for the US and Canada.  In my ZIP code I found a number of drop off locations including K-Mart, Radio Shack,. hardware stores and Home Depot.

"Call2Recycle^® offers consumers a free and easy way to care for the environment through its nationwide battery and cell phone recycling program … follow these three easy steps … If it’s rechargeable, it’s recyclable. Look for used rechargeable batteries and old cell phones in your home that are dead or not being used any longer … Find the recycling drop-off location nearest you and drop off your used rechargeable batteries and old cell phones."

Via:  call2recycle  LINK

RecycleMania 2010 started on Jan 17th, 2010 and ends March 10th, 2010.  In these 10 weeks participating schools compete to see who collects the largest quantity of recyclables PER CAPITA and in several other categories.

" … record number of colleges and universities across the United States, Canada and as far away as Qatar, have begun collecting their recycling and trash weights as part of the first two weeks of trials … "

" … a friendly competition and benchmarking tool for college and university recycling programs to promote waste reduction activities to their campus communities…. ranked according to who collects the largest amount of recyclables per capita, the largest amount of total recyclables, the least amount of trash per capita, or … highest recycling rate. …"

Good luck to all and there really are no losers in this competition !

Via: RecycleMania LINK

The 18th Annual Conference … is the premier event of the Composting and Organics Recycling industries, providing industry professionals with educational, networking, and career advancement opportunities."

" … the Wyndham Resort in Orlando, Florida, will attract the largest group of composting and organics professionals in the country to participate in a comprehensive program of workshops, training courses, and educational and technical sessions designed specifically to provide you with the information needed to solve your composting challenges."

" … Compost increase the health of our soils, grow healthier plants, counteract the production of greenhouse gases, and reduce the pollution of our rivers, lakes, streams and wetlands … Annual conference provides training and education on a wide variety of topics, such as facility operations, selling compost, handling difficult odors and other environmental issues at facilities, and effecting positive public policy change."

Via:  US Composting Council  LINK

RecycleBank developed a program to help communities encourage recycling by combining recycling participation with a rewards program.

" … RecycleBank, is a rewards and loyalty program that motivates households to recycle and adapt other positive green behaviors. As CEO and Co-founder, Gonen is revolutionizing the way people view recycling."

" … launch in 2004 … grown to servicing over one million people across 20 states and in the United Kingdom. RecycleBank is increasing participation in recycling from single digits to over 90% in communities along the way."

In an earlier post we showcased a CBS TV profile of Recyclebank. In this post we visit with Ron Gonen and get more of his perspective on the business and creating wins for so many stakeholders.

Via:  SmartPlanet  LINK

The USPS has made great efforts to be green and help others be green. Through an arrangement with several electronics companies select USPS locations are offering prepaid mailers that can be used to recycle small electronics.

" … committed to leaving a “green” footprint across America. … are pioneers in using alternative fuel-capable vehicle … support recycling and offer eco-friendly products."

" … mail is an easy and efficient way to recycle items so they don’t cause environmental harm. …piloting a mail-it-back program consumers can use to mail their used electronic items such as PDAs, cell phones and ink cartridges. …working with OSRAM SYLVANIA and Veolia Environmental Services to help consumers properly recycle used compact fluorescent lamps ….Hewlett Packard, Dell, and Sprint are helping customers return empty ink cartridges, cell phones and other wireless devices, old computers and computer equipment through the mail."

Via: USPS  LINK

This November 15 is a day of awareness for recycling. …

… “On November 15 each year, millions of people become better informed about the importance of daily recycling and buying recycled products. The purpose of America Recycles Day is to continue to promote the social, environmental and economic benefits of recycling and encourage more people to join the movement toward creating a better natural environment. ” …

Via ARD: America Recycles Day

CDs are a great way to store lots of data in a small place … and take up much less space when tossed in the trash then VHS cartridge.  Now you can easily recycle CDs and DVDs along with lots of other media at GreenDisk.

Read on for more …

" … responsibly and securely dispose of … your computer-related waste, spent supplies and obsolete accessories.  GreenDisk handles all your technotrash disposal needs … destroy your old data, recover reusable components, and recycle all of the rest of your accumulated technotrash – all at your convenience, at home or at work." 

I really love their tag line is " GreenDisk:  because good planets are hard to find. "

GreenDisk takes … "CDs & DVDs, diskettes, and their cases … Video and audio tapes and their cases … Inkjet and toner cartridges … Cell phones, pagers and PDAs … Cords, cables, mice, printed circuit boards … Computers, monitors, and peripherals"
 

Via:  GreenDisk  LINK

" … Coca-Cola Company and United Resource Recovery Corporation (URRC) …  celebrate the grand opening of the world’s largest plastic bottle-to-bottle recycling plant in Spartanburg, S.C. … a key milestone in our goal to recycle and reuse 100 percent of our bottles and cans in the U.S. and ensure the sustainability of our packaging …"

When fully operational, the plant will produce approximately 100 million pounds of food-grade recycled PET plastic each year — the equivalent of nearly two billion 20-ounce Coca-Cola bottles. … Over the next ten years the plant will prevent the release of one million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions — the equivalent of removing 215,000 cars from the road. …"

Via:  Coca Cola  LINK

Coke designed and produced " … "Drink2Wear" fashion apparel made from recycled plastic bottles … T-shirts are made from a blend of recycled plastic bottles and cotton and feature playful slogans such as "Make Your Plastic Fantastic" and "Rehash Your Trash." …"

" … we expanded … to include totes, loungewear and caps … the designs and messages on the product, are intended to promote recycling and eco-friendly food and clothing. … are reusing and diverting more than 5 million PET bottles from our waste stream."

Via: Coka Cola LINK