Summer 2005
Everyday products use recycled content
The old argument that recycling doesn’t work “so why bother?” should fall on deaf ears for the millions of Americans who are doing their part to change personal waste back into industry’s supply. In fact, U.S. industry has in large measure switched to reliance on recycled content in the manufacture of products that we use everyday.
Here are some examples:
- An average of 54% of each new aluminum can manufactured in the U.S. is made from recycled aluminum and is returned to the grocer’s shelf as a new, filled can in as few as 60 days after collection.
- Recycled plastic is now used in lumber, clothing and packaging materials. About one third of all the carpeting made in the U.S. has recycled PET (#1)bottles in it. Under pressure from environmental groups, even industry hold outs such as Coca-Cola have promised to increase use of post-consumer plastic in their domestic production of plastic soda bottles .
- Office Depot reports that the average post-consumer recycled content in its paper products sold in stores nationwide reached 10.5% in 2004, with two out of every three sheets of paper sold last year containing recycled content. Paper giant, Weyerhaeuser, reported recently that its paper products contain 35% post consumer recycled content on average.
- The Daily Sentinel and major newspapers across the west utilize 60-65% recycled content newsprint from producers such as Abitibi Consolidated, the 100% recycled materials plant in Snowflake, Arizona.
- Boxes produced in the U. S. contain 37% recycled cardboard. Steel cans and glass jars and bottles contain as much as 30% recycled feedstock.
- A host of secondary markets has emerged for recovered glass jars and bottles. Among these, the fiberglass insulation industry provides the largest post-use mixed glass market in the country.
Benefiting, or hurting, everyone: In terms of energy and the environment, the savings experienced through recycling are huge. Recycling glass into new containers uses only half the energy required to mine and melt sand, limestone and potash into new glass. Recycling glass reduces carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxide and particulate emissions from glass furnaces.
Replacing the 55 billion aluminum cans land-filled each year with new cans made from virgin materials squanders the equivalent of over 20 million barrels of crude oil, generates more than 3.5 million tons of greenhouse gases and other emissions, requires strip mining of over 3 million tons of bauxite, and results in a host of other industrial activities and pollutants in environmentally sensitive habitats worldwide.
While great strides are being made in paper recycling, far too much is still being wasted. One hundred million trees are cut down every year to make the paper for America’s “junk mail”, half of which is thrown away unopened and unread. Every Sunday 500,000 trees could be saved if everyone in the U.S. recycled their newspapers.
So, the next time someone tells you that they don’t want to bother to recycle, remind them that if no one “bothered” industry would be without the resources to produce the products they and their families use everyday. There may be no easier way for any responsible person to contribute to a cleaner, healthier planet and a sustainable future than to recycle their own waste.
You, by your efforts, are saving resources, protecting the environment, keeping product and packaging costs down, and supporting America’s economy.
Thank you!
Fuel Costs Force us to Cut Free Special Pick up Service
As most of you are aware, we have always run the curbside collection service for the bare minimum cost of doing business. For the past several months this has been difficult due to the rising gas prices but we have absorbed the cost as much as possible. Current conditions make it impossible to continue to do so without some changes.
Beginning October 1, 2005 we will no longer be offering the free one time per year special pick up. The reason? Most special pick ups require us to send our truck, trailer, and staff miles across town and out of our way.
The new structure will be:
- 1st special pick up: $2.50
- Additional: $5.00
Obviously, these charges will still not completely cover our costs in all cases but will help us continue to offer these extra pick ups. We regret the need to pass some of the cost on to valued and dedicated recyclers and hope you will bear with us as we all look forward to lowered fuel prices.
Colorado’s Biodegradable Bottle
Biota, a Telluride based company, has developed the first and only fully biodegradable water bottle. The organic resin, PLA, comes from domestic corn in a process developed by the seed company Cargill and Dow Chemical. The bottle contains absolutely no petroleum! The water is from Ouray and is the only Colorado natural spring water on the market.
Company president Todd Brown says that the Biota bottle will only degrade when emptied and placed in compostable conditions with high heat, humidity and the necessary microorganisms. This can take place within 80 days in a commercial compost situation compared to the 1,000 years it might take the typical plastic bottle to degrade in a landfill.
Although a process has not been developed to recycle the bottle, company research indicates that at the current level of production Biota bottles do not pose a contamination problem when mixed with PET (#1 containers) in the recycling process. Bottles can be added to a backyard compost pile, but it is suggested that they be cut up first to facilitate decomposition.
Biota is currently being marketed to natural food stores in several western states. Look for this environmentally friendly alternative locally! Other uses being developed for the PLA resin include cups, plates, utensils, bags, and deli trays.
Visit their websites: BIOTA Spring Water and Nature Works, LLC
Bottle Bill News
Sadly, the National Container Producers Responsibility Act S1867, introduced by Rep. Jeffords in 2003 died with the end of the last session in Congress at the end of 2004. The bill would have made producers and consumers responsible for their beverage packaging waste. Proponents of the bill blame lobbying efforts by the major bottling companies for its demise.
Bottle Bills have been enacted in Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Austria, British Columbia, South Australia and many other parts of the world– where beverage container recovery rates of 80-90% are usual.
Eleven states have bottle bills but only two, California and Maine, include plastic water bottles in those laws.
New York’s Bigger, Better, Bottle Bill, an attempt to expand that state’s 22-year-old Bottle Bill to include water bottles was shot down without discussion by the State Senate, despite its passage in the State Assembly with a vote of 98-40. It will likely be introduced again in the future.
Colorado looks at setting recycling standards
Kudos to Grand Junction curbside recycler and State Representative Bernie Buescher for supporting HB 1256, the Colorado Waste Reduction and Recycling Act. The Act would have set a statewide recycling goal of 30% (the current national average) by 2011 and 50% by 2016. It would have increased the fee to dump materials at landfills to create funding for recycling and composting infrastructure and education. The Bill passed the House vote but unfortunately was killed by the Senate on May 5th.
Another initiative, HB 1275 introduced in January 2004 by State Representative Angela Paccione would have created a return/deposit beverage container program. This bill died in committee at the end of the 2004 session. The good news is that a third bill, SB 141, which makes it illegal to landfill used oil, lead-acid batteries and whole tires, passed both Senate and House votes.
Leadership from State government has been cited as the primary reason for Colorado’s poor recycling record, currently 2nd lowest in the nation!
We appreciate leaders who are attempting to change that record.
Worker Injured at The River Road Recycling Drop Off
On July 27 one of our dedicated recycling workers was seriously injured at the River Road recycling drop off. Someone had placed a large, half full bottle of beer with its cap on in the recycling bin. Apparently the intense heat of the day caused the bottle to explode when our worker attempted to remove the lid. Fortunately, the broken glass missed her carotid artery by 1/2 inch, but she did require stitches on her throat and ear.
We escaped tragedy this time, but this incident is a reminder to all of us that recycling is a hands-on activity. We all want recycling to work and for that to happen processors and mills require clean and sorted materials. These materials must be sorted and contamination such as lids must be removed by people. This is most safely done at home when the container is emptied and rinsed and before it is placed in a recycling bin.
As this and other incidents have proven, once a jar or bottle leaves your home it can break or explode and cause serious cuts and injuries to unsuspecting workers. In addition, undrained substances turn toxic or corrosive in the heat of the sun and can cause burns.
Please remember to drain and rinse all containers, remove all lids and always keep glass jars and bottles separate from other recyclables.
Thank You!
You Won’t Want to Miss this
Americans dispose of 2 million tons of outdated electronics each year. Much of this electronic waste (e-waste) currently ends up in our nation’s landfills releasing hazardous toxins such as cadmium, mercury, and lead into the environment. Laws currently prohibit disposal of business e-waste in Colorado landfills. Mandatory rules are also being proposed on both State and National levels which will ban residential e-waste from such disposal and force manufacturers to offer programs and incentives for recycling. In the meantime, conscientious consumers do have alternatives to dangerous disposal but those alternatives are often inconvenient or costly. In celebration of National Recycling Day, Lifespan Technology of Grand Junction will be offering residents an inexpensive and convenient way to dispose of unwanted e-waste in a one day event.
- When: Saturday, November 12th
- Where: Holy Family Catholic School , 786 26 1/2 Road.
- Times: 10 am - 2 pm
- Items accepted: Computers, monitors, printers, TV’s, alarm clocks, stereos, cell phones, etc.
Costs will vary depending on sponsorship and community participation.
Please call in advance for more information or:
- if you have more than15 items to recycle
- if you or your business would like to help Sponsor this event!
Phone Lifespan Technology Recycling toll-free: 1-888-720-0900