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by the|G|™

Green is Gold: Business Talking to Business (out of order indefinitely)
About the Environmental Revolution
(1991)
Patrick Carson & Julia Moulden
HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.
Suite 2900, 55 Avenue Road
Toronto, Ontario, M5R 3L2
Ph. (416) 975-9334, Cust. Service (416) 321-2241,
Fax (416) 976-6223

In Search of Environmental Excellence:
Moving Beyond Blame (1990)( Out of print, July 1996)
Bruce Passaic & Pete Asmus
Simon & Schuster/Touchstone
Rockefeller Center
New York, NY 10020
Ph. (212) 698-7000, Cust. Service (1-800) 223-2348,
Fax (212) 698-7007

The Official Recycled Products Guide
Recoup Publishing Ltd.
PO Box 577
Ogdensburg, NY 13669
Ph. (1-800) 267-0707, Fax (315) 471-3258,
E-mail: info@recyclingdata.com

Packaging for the Environment (1991), (out of print 1992)
E. Joseph Stillwell, R. Claire Canty, Peter W.
Kopf, Anthony M. Montrone
AMACOM Books
1601 Broadway
New York, NY 10019
Ph. (212) 586-8100, Cust. Service (1-800) 262-9699,
Fax (518) 891-0368

Recycling and Source Reduction for the Lodging Industry (1993)
American Hotel and Motel Assoc.
1201 New York Avenue NW, Suite 600
Washington, DC 20005-3917
Ph. (202) 289-3100

Reusable Transport Packaging Directory
(1994)
Kenneth Brown
Minnesota Office of Environmental assistance
Waste Education Clearinghouse
520 Lafayete Road North, 2nd Floor
St. Paul, MN 55155
Ph. (612) 649-5750, Fax (612) 296-3417

The Rodale Book of Composting (1992)
Rodale Press, Book Reader Service
33 East Minor Street
Emmaus, PA 18098
Ph. (1-800) 813-6627, Fax (610) 967-5171

School Recycling Projects: A Handbook
for Educators (August 1990)
(EPA/530-SW-90-023)
US Environmental Protection Agency
Solid Waste & Emerg. Response (OS-305)
401 M Street SW
Washington, DC 20060
Ph. (202) 260-2090, Cust. service (202) 565-2550,
Fax (202) 260-0584

Source Reduction Now (1992)
Minnesota Office of Waste Management
Waste Education Clearinghouse
Kenneth Brown
Minnesota Office of Environmental assistance
Waste Education Clearinghouse
520 Lafayete Road North, 2nd Floor
St. Paul, MN 55155
Ph. (612) 649-5750, Fax (612) 296-3417

Think Green: A Retailer’s Environmental Idea Book (1992)
Illinois Retail Merchants Association
19 S. Lasalle Avenue, Suite 300
Chicago, IL 60603
Ph. (312) 726-4600

Waste Prevention Pays Off (1994)
(EPA-K-92-005)
Call EPA RCRA/Superfund Hotline
Ph. (1-800) 424-9346 or (703) 412-9810

Worms Eat My Garbage (1997), Second Edition

Worms Eat Our Garbage: Classroom Activities for a Better Environment (1993)
Mary Appelhof
Flower Press
10332 Shaver Road
Kalamazoo, MI 49002
Ph. (616) 327-0108

American Recycling Market
Ph. (315) 471-0707 in Syracuse

Biocycle
419 State Avenue
Emmaus, PA 18049
Ph. (610) 967-4135

Co-op America Quarterly
Co-op America
1612 K Street NW, Suite 600
Washington, DC 20006
Ph. (202) 584-7336, Fax (202) 331-8166

Environmental Action Magazine
Environmental Action
1319 18th Street NW
Washington, DC 20036
Ph. (202)296-6267, Fax (202) 296-5149,
E-mail: env@heldref.org

In Business
419 State Avenue
Emmaus, PA 18049
Ph. (610) 967-4135, Fax (610) 967-4345,
E-mail: biosiclo@aol.com

Packaging
1350 E Touhy Avenue
PO Box 5080
Des Plaines, IL 60018-3303

Packaging Digest
400 N. Michigan Avenue
Chicago, IL 60611-4104

Pollution Abstracts
7200 Wisconsin Avenue
Bethesda, MD 20814-4811

Pollution Engineering
1935 Shermer Road
Northbrook, IL 60062-5319

Pollution Equipment News
8650 Babcock Boulevard
Pittsburgh, PA 15237-5821
Ph. (412) 364-5366 / 364-5667

Recycling Times
1730 Rhode Island Ave., NW, no. 1000
Washington, DC 20036-3196

Recycling Today
4012 Bridge Avenue
Cleveland, OH 44113-3320
Ph. (216) 961-4130

Resource Recovery Report
5313 Thirty-Eighth Street, NW
Washington, DC 20015
Ph. (202) 298-6344, Fax (202) 362-6632

Resource Recycling
PO Box 10540
Portland, OR 97296-0540
Ph. (503) 227-1319,
E-mail: resrecycle@aol.com

Reuse/Recycle
PO Box 3535
851 New Holland Avenue
Lancaster, PA 17604

Solid Waste Report
951 Pershing Drive
Silver Spring, MD 20910-4464
Ph. (301) 587-6300

Waste Age
170 Rhode Island Avenue, NW, no. 1000
Washington, DC 20036-3196

Wastetech News
131 Madison Street
Denver, CO 80206-5427

World Watch
World Watch Institute
1776 Massachusetts Ave, NW
Washington, DC 20036
Ph. (202) 452-1999, Fax (202) 296-7365

Worm Digest
P.O Box 544
Eugene, OR 97440-0544
Ph. (541)485-0456, Fax (541) 485-0456,
E-mail: mail@wormdigest.org

Copied from SQLJ » Recycling Articles

by davis.jacque

Significant quantities of waste paper are generated by rest room activities. It is common for hand towel paper to be overused and wasted. The waste paper collected from rest rooms is typically discarded as non-recycled trash.

By implementing the use of hot air hand dryers, waste paper generation is reduced, and paper towl purchase costs are eliminated, often saving hundreds or thousands of dollars each year.

Recommendations:

• Owners and operators of establishments with public or employee rest rooms should install hot air hand dryers as an alternative to C-fold towels or paper roll dispensers.

• If hot air dryers are not feasible, roll paper towels should be used in place of C-fold towels.

Life-span cost comparisons have been researched for three types of hand drying options – C-folded paper towels, roll paper towels, and hot air dryers. An overview of cost assumptions, annual cost comparisons, and waste generation rates are below.

Local maintenance supply warehouses, equipment vendors, or installation contractors can provide information on the necessary electric and installation requirements for hot air dryer equipment.

In the example below, annual cost savings per dispenser of $ 72 and $ 195 respectively were estimated for using hot air dryers in place of roll and C-fold paper towels. A similar facility having 6 restrooms with 2 C-fold dispensers in each restroom could save approximately $ 2,340 per year by switching to hot air cryers. The actual savings determined for your facility will vary based on the volume of use, and costs for paper towels, electricity, etc. Cost savings related to reduced collection and disposal of waste paper have not been included, but should be done on a facility-specific basis.

On average, hot air dryers take longer to dry a person’s hands than paper towels (30 sec vs. 5-10 sec). For this reason, hand dryers are sometimes not well accepted by rest room users. In addition, more hot air dryers may be required to handle peak rest room use periods. A careful evaluation of costs and benefits is required.

Source: New York City, Department of Sanitation, Electric Hand Dryer Life Cycle Analysis, 1996

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by SATOBOY SOCIAL VANDALISM NETWORK ACTIVISM GUERRILL

Businesses and institutions are in a powerful position to reduce packaging wastes and save money. Businesses can influence supplier contract terms toward environmentally preferable packaging practices, and other “green” contract related issues. Most businesses can significantly reduce the amount of packaging on their products, demonstrating concern about the environment to customers. In some cases, federal and state laws (e.g., California’s Rigid Plastic Container Packaging Law), impose new environmental requirements and taxes on many packaged products.¹

Manufacturers may receive parts and materials from many different vendors worldwide. Waste reduction opportunities for manufacturing facilities include reducing the packaging used for items received from suppliers and items shipped to warehouses and retailers. The amount of packaging used to protect parts and materials from damage during shipment and storage is sometimes excessive.

Packaging reduction can have a significant impact on a facility’s waste generation. Typically, the majority of solid waste generated by a manufacturing business is related to packaging. Reduced packaging leads to cost savings for purchased parts, product shipment, and waste disposal. Also, the use of recycled content materials “closes the loop” on recycling, and helps to maintain viable markets for recyclable materials in the future.

Recommendations:

Develop standard contract language with suppliers to address the following issues:

• Minimize the amount of packaging used for transporting materials to/from facilities.

• Require the use of recycled-content packaging.

• Require the use of reusable boxes and pallets.

Small businesses could get help from trade associations who may be able to provide assistance by approaching suppliers about these issues on behalf of a large number of facilities.

Common examples of excessive packaging which should be addressed include:

• Plastic bags, cardboard separators, and foam padding or styrofoam peanuts used for packing non-cosmetic parts. Non-cosmetic parts can frequently be shipped in bulk (without individual packaging) because slight scratching would not impact quality.

• Padded bags with tied plastic wrap or plastic/wire closures. The closures often use more material than is necessary. No tie-wrap may be required if the container is designed correctly.

• Redundant packaging. A good example is boxes shipped inside other boxes.

Copied from SQLJ » Recycling Articles

by bubbo.etsy.com

Manufacturers can request certain types of packaging from suppliers. They also can consider waste reduction when repackaging items for sale to customers. Manufacturers should review all packaging specifications for redundancy and develop a policy that reviews potential solid waste impacts of new packaging requirements. The following ideas may help get you started.

• Reduce multiple layers of packaging whenever product integrity will not be threatened. For instance, wrapping smaller boxes on a pallet or in reusable trays or totes (without a larger box as a container) can reduce packaging waste and save money.
• Include packaging questions in market research surveys in order to evaluate consumer preferences regarding packaging. More and more consumers are choosing products packaged in minimal amounts of materials.
• Investigate the use of fiberboard trays and stretch wrap. Large wholesalers commonly ship materials to warehouse clubs (i.e., Sam’s, BJs, Pace, Price Club) using specialized packages of only stretch wrapped fiberboard trays rather than cardboard boxes, reducing corrugated cardboard waste by over 25 percent. This approach could possibly be used by smaller manufacturers and retailers.
• Coordinate packaging reduction efforts with suppliers and customers. Potential cost savings may be achievable from reduced purchasing requirements, lower labor and disposal costs for the supplier, the manufacturer, the retailer, and the customer. Work with suppliers and customers to brainstorm packaging reduction ideas and promote “green packaging.
• Buy packaging and other products made with recycled-content materials. Contract language for suppliers of parts and packaging materials should be modified to specify recycled content levels. See the fact sheet on “Developing a Facility-Specific Affirmative Procurement Project” for information on vendors that sell products with recycled content.
• Encourage suppliers to design for recycling. The design of a product or packaging system should take into account the “recyclability” of the item after its useful life is completed. For example, if multiple plastic parts are used in a product design, the plastic would be easier to recycle if it was all made from the same type material. Mixtures of different type plastics create problems for segregating properly.
• Another design to avoid, for example, is packaging that uses cardboard bonded to styrofoam (or urethane foam). This is because it creates a segregation problem for recyclers making it less likely to be recycled. Contracts should direct suppliers to use more recyclable designs and materials.

The implementation and success of many waste reduction opportunities depends on cooperation between suppliers, manufacturers, and retailers. If the retailers do not want to alter packaging, the manufacturer may not have any choice in reducing or altering packaging.

Packaging is meant to reduce damage of goods. Packaging waste reduction efforts must not compromise the package function.

Recycled content packaging may cost more than virgin materials. Increased costs resulting from the use of recycled content materials may not be well received by customers and retailers. All requirements for packaging changes should be carefully researched before implementation.

¹ California’s Rigid Plastic Packaging Container Program requires that most rigid plastic containers with a volume greater than eight ounces: a) be made from recycled materials, b) be reduced in weight by ten percent, c) or meet recycling goals. This law applies to products sold in California. Mexico has just enacted legislation that requires resin coding on certain plastic containers. The European Union has adopted the Directive on Packaging and Packaging Waste, requiring each member state to meet specific five and ten-year goals. Germany, Italy, France, Austria and Hungary have levied material-specific fees on packaing. Other members are rapidly following suit. Japan’s Bill Concerning Promotion of Separation, Collection and Recycling of Container Packaging will require businesses to recycle packaging wastes. Producers of plastic containers and paperboard packaging will be required to ensure the recovery of these materials. (SOURCE: SAIC)

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by xcode

Many facilities must perform painting processes as part of product manufacturing and/or facility maintenance operations. Empty paint cans and empty aerosol spray paint containers are typically disposed as municipal solid waste and end up in the local landfill.

Crushing and recycling metal aerosol cans and recycling paint cans can increase recycling revenues and reduce the liability often associated with handling and disposing of cans that contain hazardous materials.

Puncturers only take a few seconds to use, and once emptied, the can is ready to be recycled with other scrap metal.

Recommendations:

Facilities should consider taking the following steps:

• Purchase an aerosol can puncturer so spent aerosol cans can be completely emptied. The emptied cans can usually be recycled as an alternative to disposal as a solid or hazardous waste.

• Work with local metal recycling programs to recycle empty paint cans and aerosol cans.

Some aerosol contents are considered hazardous waste by regulators. Applicable regulations should be investigated to determine the requirements for disposal of containers which perviously contained hazardous waste.

Vendor Information:*

Aerosolv® is an aerosol can puncturer that pierces the dome of the used can, thereby relieving the pressure and collecting any residual liquids in a drum. The residual propellant gas is filtered to remove VOCs (if applicable) through an activated carbon cartridge installed on the collection drum bung.

Aerosol Puncturing System

Aerosolv® Aerosol Can Recycling System
Waste Control Systems, Inc., Contact: Bill Fannon
2835 Merrymans Mill Rd.
Phoenix, MD 21131-1631
ph. (410)252-9360, fx. (410)252-9362, sale@wastecontrol.com

The Aerosolv® system requires a capital expenditure of approximately $ 450 for the equipment. Facilities should investigate the number of aerosol cans used, and the recycling value versus disposal cost of the spent cans to determine the cost-benefit of purchasing this system (i.e., payback).

Several vendors supply similar puncturing systems. Check with local paint distributors for more information.

Metal Recyclers

Metales Artico, Contact: Ana Picos
Calle Granate #10-B
Fracc. El Rubi, Tijuana
ph. (52-66)84-50-25, fx. (52-66)84-54-13

Productos Reciclables la Calera, Contact: Manuel del Toro
Final Canal Norte #100
Colonia Alamar, Tijuana
ph. (52-66)23-05-17, fx. (52-66)23-05-17

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Copied from SQLJ » Recycling Articles

by Earl – What I Saw 2.0

Many businesses must manage and dispose of used oil filters generated by maintenance activities on manufacturing equipment and vehicles. Depending on local regulations, used oil filters are either drained and disposed in local landfills, or they are disposed through a specialized hazardous waste disposal company.

Recycling is a third option which minimizes disposal costs for the filters and increases the quantity of materials available for scrap metal recycling and re-sale. Used oil filters generally consist of a metal casing, a paper filter element, and a small amount of residual oil. The metal casing can usually be recovered and recycled as scrap metal. The paper element and residual oil can be burned for energy recovery.

The facility should ensure that all of the oil is removed from the filters and disposed according to regulatory requirements. Used oil should always be segregated from other wastes and recycled.

Recommendations:

Purchase a used oil filter crusher. A crusher will reduce the waste volume of used filters and improve the removal of oil from the filter.

If used oil filters are not crushed, drain them for at least 24 hours before storing or transporting.

Recycle the metal filter casings as scrap metal once the oil is completely drained.

Vendor Information:

Metal Recyclers*

Metales Artico, Contact: Ana Picos
Calle Granate #10B.
Fracc. El Rubi, Tijuana
ph. (52-66)84-50-25
fx. (52-66)84-54-13

Productos Reciclables la Calera, Contact: Manuel del Toro
Final Canal Norte #100
Colonia Alamar, Tijuana
ph. (52-66)23-05-17, Fax (52-66)23-05-17

Copied from SQLJ » Recycling Articles