Recycle 2 Save

I have scrolled through my business newsfeed and felt the need to fact-check or at least provide my input on some topics that have been shared and posted repeatedly. Many may not completely understand, at least from a materials recovery facility standpoint.  1. "Choose glass in place of plastic because it's more environmentally friendly."   A number of materials recovery facilities made the decision to no longer accept curbside glass. When collected in a curbside/residential recycling program, glass becomes color mixed and collects all the small contaminants (straws, lids, shredded paper, small pieces of plastic) which makes it much more difficult to sell and makes it nearly worthless or a negative value. Glass collected in this manner also has little end markets unless processed for alternative uses (drainage/septic/trenching/etc). Glass is also the most destructive of all recyclable materials that pass through materials handling equipment which makes it extremely costl...

"Glass is 100% recyclable and can be recycled endlessly without loss in quality or purity - something few food and beverage packaging options can claim." By the Glass Packaging Institute.  Glass is an amazing material that can be recycled (and recycled, and recycled, and recycled....) glass can also be reused BUT... it currently poses many, many challenges to MRF's (material recovery facilities). Glass has been a problem for quite some time now but with the increase in single stream collection it's become an even larger hurdle. The good news is that it seems that the recycling of glass has increased but the bad news is that, at this point, in the form that it's often received in, it is not unilaterally able to be recycled. We need help and here's why:  1. Glass is breakable. As glass is placed in bins, transported, dumped at drop center(s), and processed the whole bottle tends to become many, many pieces. The pieces get mixed with...

If you are in the area and have happened to drive by our Hamburg, PA location I am sure that you have noticed our mountain of "glass". It's not just normal glass, it has been processed and is ready for use. We take great pride in using every possible item to its fullest recycling potential. An unfortunate side effect of transporting recyclables is broken glass (of mixed colors a.k.a. mixed cullet). Most producers who are in search of recycled glass need it to be segregated by color and cannot use mixed broken pieces. Since there was no "real" recycling options we have a large piece of equipment that acts like a giant stone tumbler. This equipment helps to remove plastic and other contaminants while getting it to a uniform size and tumbling it to remove sharp edges. While this material has obvious limitations (you won't be building your home with it) it also has a lot of areas that it excels at. The  material tested and approved (and in use) as a filteri...

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...

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 all know or have known  a "Debbie Downer". The person in the crowd that seems to suck the light out of room, who can turn a good situation into a problem and a problem into a crisis of epic proportions. So often in all the environmental talk there are extremists ( Debbie Downers if you will). We definitely need to continue to make progress in our environment to right some wrongs of the past but I take the optimist approach that we are working on it. I've witnessed a lot of positive change. Most people have recognized that we need this planet and are paying attention to our environment and things are looking up. People are asking for environmentally friendlier solutions (or demanding them) and companies are taking notice and responding. I do have to admit that when I read this article: Pennsylvania County Dumps Solid Waste Department & Recycling Program, I was a bit upset. At risk of sounding like a Debbie Downer I feel like this is a move in th...

  Ever thought that you were on the right road only to discover that you should have take the exit a few miles back? Unfortunately using it as a metaphor the road that a business owner, parent, heck human being should choose isn't always clear or marked, and is almost never absolute. Sometimes the joys in life are discovered by taking the "wrong" road or the "long cut" (as we've so loving described my fathers sometimes disastrous shortcuts). As a business owner you often don't have time or the available funds for an exploratory journey; you really just need a quick, short path.   Waste reduction and recycling is unfortunately a path that is unique to each business. There is no exact plan written that will work for every location or material they generate. It is also so important that someone with first hand knowledge can direct and guide decision makers about things they aren't supposed to know in depth. The knowledge required to run each...

Learn a bit more about your recycling. What happens to it after the curb? Trash to Treasure Teaser. It's Tonight, Don't Miss It!! WFMZ channel 69 at 7:30pm

Another post started with a song.. here's to hoping that it will stick in your mind all day long. You can thank me later. Friday morning I finally had the pleasure of having lasik completed on both my eyes. I had been wanting to do it for years but with my two children coming fairly close together and the requirements involved I had to wait. I was excited and couldn't wait for the day I would be free of glasses and contacts but I was oh so nervous. I doubted my ability to stay still and the pain I imagined was immense. I had family and friends go before and all raved about the results but I still had worries of my own. I had witnessed the results and heard the testimony but I still worried what if things didn't go right? Obviously the idea of losing sight is significantly scarier than the idea I'll be tying this into (recycling/composting/being kind to our planet). "New" environmental programs do not have quite the repercussions ...

At CRI, Hamburg PA all that glitters is gold glass. Do you know what happens to the glass that you put in your recycling bin? If you answered that it gets sorted by color, melted down & eventually made into new bottles..Bravo! (If you didn't.. take the credit and nod) Tougher question.. do you know what happens to all the glass that got broken, dirty & mixed into a multi color mess at the bottom of the bins? At CRI this material is processed and goes on to be used in sandmound septic systems, fill solutions (in place of stone) and used in other finished products. During the construction of  a new building at the Hamburg site management was thrilled to use a brick material that contained our very own glass aggregate.                                   ...