Recycle 2 Save

Meet Rhonda..  She is a recycled puppy (sponsored by CRI) and we would love to help her find her forever home filled with love and snuggles. She is a current (long time) resident of Berks County Animal Rescue League. She is part of a great event to help her get adopted - The 12 Strays of Christmas - where the standard adoption fees are covered by an area business (so the adopter(s) can get her for free - before Christmas).  Go visit her.. online and in person.. I don't think you'll regret it! Update on Rhonda .. things happen quickly!! Rhonda has been pulled by a rescue (which now gives her a foster home to be spoiled in while she awaits her forever home). We will soon be updating with our new Stray of Christmas. Now we'd like you to meet "our" new Recycled Pup Cooper. He's adorable and is ready for his forever home. Stop by Berks County Animal Rescue League TODAY to meet Cooper or one of the other residents. You can change a pups life t...

Plastic grocery bags are fully recyclable and can be used in a variety of new products.. BUT (and it's a big but) many material recovery facilities that receive bags mixed in with the residential recycling will end up discarding them as trash. The equipment that processes the recycling has screens that will become clogged by the plastic bags creating a housekeeping issue (which does not allow the sorting equipment to run effectively). In some systems there have been adjustments made (air vacuum systems intended to suck the bags up) in order to assist in keeping these bags from being a potential problem but they aren't fail safe. To get the most out of plastic bag recycling place them in collection units setup to specifically recover them. Like all recycling .. the cleaner and more segregated you keep the material the more potential it has to be successfully recycled. Most grocery stores have displays/bins setup in the entrance. If your location fails to have these bins ...

Keep your recyclables in a dry, covered area that is protected from sleet, snow and rain. Items that arrive at the MRF (materials recovery facility) saturated will typically have picked up glass, dirt, and other contaminants making it less recoverable and increasing the amount that will end up in a landfill. Single stream collection specifically will significantly increase this issue but even paper that is extremely wet and/or frozen can potentially be an issue. 

We recently had a great giveaway on facebook that we asked our followers to guess what item in the picture was made from recycled content. I was hassled a little that everything in our offices should be made of recycled content. Unfortunately we aren't quite there but we are certainly trying. We have ensured that any new materials that we have purchased as promotional items contain a recycled content (if available).  Some products simply are not being produced using a recycled content but many are, it does sometimes require a bit more research and the variety is often more limited.  The good news is that it has never been easier. I have sometimes been left wanting but for the most part with a little determination, I have been able to find a product that falls within our requirements and was made from something that was diverted from a landfill. We need to let manufacturers know.. WE WANT recycled content products. The more we buy and the more vocal customers are the more op...

We talk all the time about the amount of waste that a single person creates daily (with staggering amounts contributed to households and businesses). It's also been pointed out that despite you not opening your car window and chucking it out that when you throw it "away" it has to go somewhere. At this point it is handled the best way that we know how but much of that involves the "stuff" being buried. We know that practices are in place to keep us safe and regulations watch that the trash we bury doesn't contaminate the soil or water around us. We also know that no system is ever 100% failsafe. Based on that.. we have tried to find ways to encourage residents and businesses to recycle more and waste or trash less. Obviously recycling is the option that we most often suggest. Reduction in both consumption and waste is another key component of the three R's (Reduce, Reuse, Recycling.. just in case you need a refresher). Although most people understand t...

I am environmentally/recycling minded. I know that recycling creates true results and the opposite has it's own very real (negative) consequences as well. Yet, I was still dumbfounded by this statistic provided by Busch Systems. First the fact that our current recycling rate is 34.5% is craziness, and the results of pushing that rate up to 75% is phenomenal. I know that we are all capable and it's really not that hard. We challenge you, start small, recycle something today that you never had before. Walk a few extra steps to the recycling bin, drop your household collection of groceries bags off at the grocery store (don't keep them and then get fed up and throw them away). Your very simple choices have a very real impact; one bottles, one can, one bag at a time, we (YOU) can be the change.

I've often explained that being kind to our planet goes much  further than recycling but also following through and buying recycled. We all must commit to supporting companies that have the correct environmental outlook and avoid those who do not. We need to make choices that are not only beneficial to us but also to our planet and generations to come. Navigating through greenwashing does make finding true answers exceedingly difficult but with a little practice it becomes easier to read between the lines. Two of our family favorites are GUD (made by Burts Bees) and our absolute favorite is Original Sprout.Both are healthy natural choices without all the extra "stuff", both work very well and smell amazing, and both are contained inside of bottles made from recycled content. I am by no means suggesting you run out and buy these particular products (unless you want to) but am suggesting that you evaluate what you are buying; what it's made from/of, the product packag...

These are some photos that I collected a few days ago. We have a very talented staff that has the skill to assemble the upgrades to our single stream system. It has been quite a project, with extremely long hours .. but we are very grateful and the end is in sight! Take a look at some of their work in progress, it's pretty amazing. 

There is nothing  not a lot that is better (okay if you told me I won the lottery it might be better) than receiving a reader question. It provides proof that people are reading and interested in what we have to say. So, thank you Ben! Let's get right to it. "I have read everywhere.. including your site and facebook page.. that plastic grocery bags are recyclable but my local drop off center will not accept them. My friend suggested that they just slip them in the bag with the rest of the plastic bottles (no one checks) but I'm not sure if we should be doing that. If they are recyclable why is the local collection center adamant that they don't want to take them and where can someone take them if they are in the same boat. I'm in PA, not far from Harrisburg. Thanks in advance for you help. Ben" So Ben, this is where recycling gets tricky. Plastic bags are without a doubt completely recyclable. To add an even more positive fact about plastic ba...

We had no way to knowing exactly what the response would be when we decided (somewhat kicking and screaming) to accept single stream, you can put out feelers and do market research but that is still not a clear determination. We didn't "want" to do it but knew that it was the only way that we'd be winning a majority of the new bids. So we tentatively installed equipment (about 1 year ago.. give or take a few weeks) and we've had a huge influx of material. We do still mutter under our breath at times about the "better" way to handle material separation but we are happy with the problem that  currently we have.. too much material and not enough hours in the day to process it. So after approximately one year of processing single stream we are upgrading our sorting equipment which will allow us to increase our throughput. We wanted to try and avoid a complete shutdown but due to the constant material pouring in we've decided it is absolutely  necess...

My daughter is a hoarder. Okay, she is 3 and thankfully doesn't really have the power to turn her room in to the latest episode of "Hoarders" but I swear given the opportunity she just might. It's an ongoing joke in our house which often leaves me wondering where her desire to acquire and keep everything comes from. On a monetary note (and environmental I guess), thankfully her stuff "obsession" is usually not on purchased goods but most frequently things provided by Mother Nature herself. Wooly bears, flowers, stones, sea shells, ladybugs, worms and snakes; all treasures we've been begged to make room for. I admire her unblemished love of nature around her and  her shrill scream of delight when she sees a butterfly flutter in arms reach. It has been a tough balance between her adoration for the items and the need to keep them safe and free in their true habitat. We have had talks explaining that despite her love for the living things that if she...

Unlike the month before a majority of the bins are full, some are even overflowing, switching to a single stream recycling program appears to be a success but wait, hold the presses. Single stream recycling has proven to be more enticing to most participants. It seems easier, less to know and less to do; who isn't about easier these days? The unfortunate result is a harder job at the recycling facility because despite higher participation there is also higher amounts of contamination. Our sorters who previously handled paper separation have transitioned into the mixed materials. Yes, garbage always happened occasionally (even when it was strictly paper) but not on the scale that the single stream collection has provided. Not only is sorting the mixed items not the most sought after job but it is also costly for the materials recovery facility who pays per ton for the material to be unloaded only to pay a higher per ton rate to have the waste/contaminants hauled away. As a ...

We have an entire pinterest board dedicated to #thisisworthsaving. It's all about the natural beauty all around us. We often ignore the amazing sunset, beautiful flowers, or breathtaking wildlife because we are so busy with our lists. I get it, I have many lists (heck, I even have lists for my lists). The problem is, the "important" things that we are tasked with doing each day couldn't be completed (or even matter at all) without all the amazing things that we are taking for granted. We need to realize that one day dedicated to our planet and keeping it green is a start but until we recognize the need to do that daily we are so far from where we need to be. Strive to make everyday Earth Day and encourage other around you to do the same, our futures depend on it.

Working for a company that deals daily with recycling and trying to keep our planet healthy gives true meaning to the comment that for us everyday is Earth Day. Our ultimate goal each day is to optimize recycling and reduce waste, which ends up in a landfill or worse dumped or littered. We get so excited for Earth Day because that seems to provide a spotlight on an issue that we feel should be a priority every day. Many times a common misconception for individuals and businesses alike is that Recycling and environmentally prefered options cost more money. We have taken pride in disproving this myth, many times recycling can save you money or can even become a source of profit (if the quantities are sufficient and handling methods are efficient). We can tell you how and provide free evaluations anyday, you don't need to wait for Earth Day! For so many Earth Day is a "fun" day that lets them attend a few fun events and maybe get some free stuff but what does Eart...

This is a rough copy of our latest creation. We love it and think it states the exact message that we often try to get across. Every person can make a huge impact! #recycle

So I know that I've mentioned it before but I'm not perfect. I try.. but at times I fail. I've done some things in our home to help encourage recycling and limit our garbage as much as possible. I've set goals for our family (of four) to have one bag of garbage per week. To some that still seems excessive and maybe others it seems impossible (I'm hoping for that because then I look good.. wink, wink). Sometimes we meet that goal and I proudly strut my stuff as I drop my one (in my mind) itty bitty bag of garbage at the drop off center. I also like to pretend to struggle with my many recycling bags (just to show how much our house recycles). It's great that we try to limit our waste but even based on one bag per week from every household we make A LOT of garbage. Many times for me things as a big picture can become a bit overwhelming and situations can seem impossible to correct. I think for my mind it's easiest if I break down big problems into smaller iss...

Our company processed just over 127,537 tons of material in 2013 and of that material only 2.89% was downgraded to garbage. A 2.89% residual rate is pretty great (especially since we've entered into the single stream processing arena in 2013.. which typically leads to higher residual numbers). R esidual means the material that was downgraded to garbage due to contamination from the original recycling source, during separation and processing, or transport ) We are so proud of our customers who do a great job providing high quality raw material and our staff who excel at what they do. We promise to keep up the good work! 

The amount of trees saved from harvest in 2013 due to the amazing efforts of our customers (and staff) is 1,580,263.

New Year resolutions often leave us reflecting and making new goals (ie: lose 15 pounds, save more, spend less). Real execution of our resolutions often takes self discipline and dedication and some resolutions are a lot easier to keep then others.All of your personal goals (for family & future) will mean nothing without a healthy, thriving planet (we only have one). Now is the time to make a few (start small) commitments to living a greener, healthier lifestyle. I have a few suggestions of where to start or maybe a few areas to branch into if you have already started (yay you). 1. Say so long to the disposable lifestyle. If you use it once and throw it away .. try eliminating it from your day to day routine. Items like paper towels, plastic snack and sandwich bags,plastic shopping bags, toilet paper (a joke,unfortunately at this time I have no suggestions for eliminating TP). If you are certain that you will recycle the items and you know that where you take recyclables is a...