Recycling Pays Off for University

Here's a great story on the environmental and financial benefits of recycling.  The University of Arkansas at Little Rock purchased a $3600 flourescent bulb recycling machine that will result in a savings of $20,000 a year!  How's that for a success story?


 



Story and video courtesy of KTHV (April 2009)


In honor of Earth Day UALR's Physical Plant shows students what they're doing to go green.

The UALR bulb eater is a lamp crushing machine.

Vince Rodgers with UALR says there's a lot that goes into disposing fluorescent lamps.

"There are elements in the bulbs such as, aluminium, mercury and phosphor powders that would go into the landfill."

Until recently the physical plant at UALR boxed and shipped old fluorescent lamps to be recycled.

Now, those lamps are sent down a tube.

The bulb eater crushes the blown out lamps and consolidates the waste.

Rodgers says the machine is a win win situation.

"It's good for the environment and it's good for us. It does two things, it saves space rather than keeping these boxes around and it saves money."

UALR purchased the bulb eater for around $3,600. The machine alone will save the university $20,000 a year.

Rodgers says it's also a time-saver.

"It will take 1 minute to recycle bulbs versus boxing that takes upwards of an hour."

UALR student Simone Lewis likes the bulb eater idea.

"I think it's awesome that our generation can change the movement. It's just amazing that they say young people are the future and we're doing something about it."

It's a simple concept that's making quite a bit of noise.

Lewis says she's proud of her university.

"It's getting our name out there and we're just doing something to help our environment. I don't know how many other campuses are doing that," says Lewis.

UALR also held other events around campus today. Tire pressure checks and electronic recycling are all a part of the earth day events.

What Happens to Your Recycled E-Waste?

When you upgrade your cell phone, computer, printer, iPod, mp3 player, calculator, or other electronics, what do you do with the old one? Like any responsible person, you recycle it.

So what happens to all that e-waste from responsible e-cyclers? In case you missed it, 60 Minutes just aired an expose on the electronics recycling industry. It has been estimated that as much as 75% of used electronics received in developing nations for the purpose of recycling actually ends up as hazardous e-waste. Watch this 13-minute video documenting one example in Hong Kong.

To ensure your e-waste is recycled responsibly, look for a recycler that has met e-Stewards certification.



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Downtown Atlanta's Zero Waste Zone

Atlanta has created a Zero Waste Zone in the downtown convention district in an attempt to divert waste from landfills. The pilot phase of the program focuses on recycling and diverting food waste.

The Hyatt Regency sends excess food to the Atlanta Community Food Bank and scraps are picked up by Greenco Environmental for composting. The compost is then bought by organic farmers and gardeners. The Hyatt expects to save $8000/year in the food recycling program.

Refuel Biodiesel picks up used grease from Emory University and Chick-fil-a, converts it to biodiesel, and returns it to the businesses to be used in biodiesel fleets.

The Zero Waste Zone program is an initiative of Atlanta Recycles and the Green Foodservice Alliance. The program also includes Ruth's Chris Steakhouse, Levy Restaurants, Georgia Dome, Georgia World Congress Center, and other businesses.

TerraCycle - Sustainable & Responsible Business of the Week

TerraCycle (Trenton NJ) is a true innovator in recycling and the pursuit of zero waste. The company's original product was TerraCycle Plant Food™, an all-natural, all-organic, liquid plant food made from worm poop and packaged in reused soda bottles.

Today, the product line consists of cleaners, fertilizers, composters, and more. The production process continues to minimize the need for newly created inputs and instead relies on recycling used products. For example, sprayers and caps put on the bottles are acquired from businesses that no longer need them; products are packaged in empty soda bottles, water bottles, and milk jugs; and even the TerrraCycle conversion centers are located in old run-down inner-city buildings that have been renovated.

Consistent with the company's knack for creating something useful from waste, TerraCycle now converts drink pouches into backpacks, lunch boxes, and pencil cases; cookie wrappers into notebook covers; newspapers into pens and pencils; e-waste into trash cans; and more! Individuals or organizations can sign up to collect and send in needed items for payment.

TerraCycle was started by Tom Szaky and Jon Beyer in 2001.

Caracalla - Sustainable & Responsible Business of the Week

Caracalla (Little Rock AR) is a salon and day spa with an aggressive recycling program that extends beyond the typical recycling of waste. Some of the unique ways in which Caracalla supports the reduce, reuse, recycle mantra are to buy reclaimed items for retail sale (such as mittens and hats made from old discarded sweaters), they sell vintage items, they recycle cut hair by sending it to Matter of Trust to be woven into hair mats capable of absorbing chemical oil spills, and they recycle worn pantyhose/stockings with Matter of Trust for the same purpose. In addition, the company purchases and sells recycled items, such as paper, bags, office supplies, toilet tissue, hand towels, pet toys, and even biodegradeable bags for picking up dog waste. The salon is decorated with reclaimed and vintage items and uses or sells eco-friendly products, such as homemade herbal wraps (no packaging waste!), bamboo hairbrushes, hemp bags, natural hair and body products, soy candles in recycled glass jars, efficient lighting, and reusable coffee mugs.

Caracalla supports the local economy by purchasing from local and organic suppliers, particularly other sustainable or green businesses, and buys in bulk to reduce packaging waste. The company also supports the local community through charitable donations and by offering free haircuts to customers who are donating hair to charity.

Caracalla was opened in 1997 by Ella Hunt.

Sustainable & Responsible Business of the Week is a weekly behind-the-scenes look at what businesses are doing to be more sustainable and responsible in their operations.

Sustainable & Responsible Business of the Week: If they can do it, so can you!

Durango-McKinley Paper Company - Sustainable & Responsible Business of the Week

Durango-McKinley Paper Company (Prewitt NM) uses over 700 tons of waste corrugated cardboard daily to manufacture paperboard for corrugated packaging. The company has several locations throughout the southwestern United States.


Durango-McKinley Paper Company is not your standard paper mill. Consider the company's environmental efforts toward cleaner production methods:

• 100% of raw materials are from reycled paper, no fresh cut trees are ever used.



• the company utilizes a closed circuit manufacturing process which produces zero emissions.



• 100% of water used in the manufacturing process is treated, recycled, and used again. This has reduced water usage from an average of 2.5 million gallons a day to 150,000 gallons a day.



• this is a factory that requires no environmental permits because it does not emit any gas or liquid into the environment.



• the company has won several environmental awards. For example, in 2005, the company won awards for exceeding its materials use reduction goal by 1,000 tons, showed a 20 percent improvement in materials efficiency over three years, reduced its water use by two million gallons per year and its landfill waste by over 3,200 tons and its annual electricity use by almost 5,000 MwH, and showed an 11 percent improvement in electricity efficiency.

Parent company, Corporacion Durango of Mexico, has recently filed bankruptcy and will sell Durango-McKinley Paper.


Sustainable & Responsible Business of the Week is a weekly behind-the-scenes look at what businesses are doing to be more sustainable and responsible in their operations.


Sustainable & Responsible Business of the Week: If they can do it, so can you!

Wal-Mart Offers Recycling for Fairbanks

In the absence of a community recycling program, the Fairbanks, Alaska Wal-Mart has stepped in to offer local residents the opportunity to bring their recyclables to the store. Wal-Mart employees will manage the community recycling program. They will accept common recyclables, such as plastic, newspaper, aluminum, and cardboard. Items are loaded onto Wal-Mart trucks, transported by train across the state, and then shipped to the state of Washington for recycling.

It is the transport of items that has prohibited the Fairbanks community from establishing a feasible recycling program of its own in the past. However, since Wal-Mart already has the logistics in place for its store recycling initiative, it will simply include the community's recyclables alongside its own. "Managers and associates at the retail store say recycling falls in line with corporate efforts to reduce the corporation’s environmental footprint...(and) we’re all excited to be able to help the community out."

Mom's Best Naturals - Sustainable & Responsible Business of the Week

Mom's Best Naturals (Northfield MN) offers a product line of all natural breakfast cereals, oats, and oatmeal. Their products have no artificial ingredients, no artificial colors or flavors, no hydrogenated oil, and no high fructose corn syrup.

In addition to their healthy line of cereals, Mom's Best Naturals' factory in Northfield, Minnesota recycles over 99% of its waste, has reduced water usage in the manufacturing process by 41%, has reduced energy usage by 10%, their cartons are made from recycled paperboard, and they purchase 100% of their energy through windpower. Each year, they also host an Energy Fair to educate and inform employees and the public on energy efficiency and renewable energy.

Mom's Best Naturals is part of Malt-O-Meal, a family-owned company founded in 1919.

Sustainable & Responsible Business of the Week: If they can do it, so can you!

E-Cycling

Are you aware of how much electronic waste we create each year? Take a look at Chris Jordan's photographic exhibit entitled "Intolerable Beauty: Portraits of American Consumption." Here are two of his exhibit photos of discarded cell phones (above) and circuit boards (below).

Nokia has recently announced a goal to collect 100,000 unwanted used cell phones and accessories. In addition to Nokia's recycling efforts (click here for how to recycle phones through Nokia), there are many ways to responsibly discard unwanted electronics equipment and cell phones.

Here is just a small sample of organizations that will take your unwanted cell phones and electronics equipment:

Recycling for Charity will take old cell phones and electronic devices.

Phones 4 Charity will take old cell phones.

Eco-Cell takes phones for environmental-organization fundraisers.

Rocky Mountain e-Cycle takes phones, inkjet cartridges, and laser cartridges. The phones go to domestic abuse programs as well as seniors and other low income groups that need 911 service.

Charitable Recycling also benefits nonprofit organizations by providing a monetary contribution to charity for each cell phone donated.

CollectiveGood recycles old cell phones.

MyGreenElectronics takes practically any electronic item, from computers and baby monitors to light bulb, televisions, and VCRs.

Earth911 allows you to search by zip code to find an e-cycling program near you.

American Cell Phone Drive recycles old cell phones raises funds for charitable organizations which provide scholarships for American children who have lost a parent to enemy or terrorist acts, feed malnourished children in Asia, build low-income housing, donate prepaid calling cards to military personnel, sponsor missionaries in China and support a host of other good works.

Computers for Schools takes computers in their local service areas and provides a link for donating computers outside their service area.

Cell Phones for Soldiers will send old cell phones to our troops.

And there are many others. Consumers and businesses can recycle electronic waste to be more responsible and sustainable.