A Long Term Recycling Plan For Your Products

August 22, 2010 Leave a Comment

When it comes to helping our planet and the environment, most of us know that recycling is one of the best things we can do. But when it comes to our waste problems in America and the world, will recycling alone will bring about a reasonable resolution? The answer is a simple “no”. There are an abundance of reasons for why our current system of consumer recycling will not be enough. If producers and manufacturers are not working cooperatively with consumers and partnering with waste management facilities to ensure there is a reasonable and accessible method for consumers to recycle the products sold to them, then it significantly reduces the chances that the products will be properly recycled at all. Corporations must take the ultimate responsibility for going green by planning for recycling solutions for all their products before distribution and consumption.

The Texas Campaign For The Environment (TCE), a non-profit, has recently brought this issue to center stage. Corporations must take full responsibility for the entire life cycle of their products according to TCE. They emphasize our current system of “produce it, consume it, toss it out” must be redesigned to reduce and eliminate waste at its source. This is completely logical if you really think about it. There is no real accountability in our current system, as so many producers leave the responsibility for recycling in the hands of consumers. Now of course, you would think consumers will always be ultimately responsible for recycling, since producers cannot force someone to recycle their products. But with the recent momentum of “producer take-back” programs that are mandated by environmental laws and pushed by “Zero Waste” proponents, things are really changing. “Producer take-back” laws already exist in some areas and with certain industries and products, and they require producers to work with waste management companies and government agencies to ensure products are recycled after consumption. For long-term success in reducing waste and the harmful effects of landfills, this strategy makes a lot of sense.

In the absence of “producer take-back” laws, TCE is doing everything they can to be a great tool for consumers. TexasTakeBack.org (funded by TCE), is a great guide to recycle just about anything from glass, styrofoam, household chemicals, pharmaceuticals and so much more. Considering TCE (a non-profit organization), is making such a valiant effort to resolve our country’s waste management issues, it is time for the “for-profit” corporations to step up.

What is your organization doing to step up to the plate when it comes to the recycling of the products you manufacture? As Bob Dylan said “Oh the times they are changing”, and now is more important than ever for your organization to be a leader in the Green Revolution, especially from a public relations point of view. As BP learned (the hard way), you cannot wait until you’re right in the middle of an environmental crisis to start on your journey as a green company. It just doesn’t’ work that way. There is no retreating from this issue. Taking action and going green in all phases of your company and doing everything in your power to protect the environment must begin right now.

Your brand name is at stake in this era of environmental disasters, the public will grow increasingly impatient with companies that are not doing everything they can to help heal this planet. The question of “how” and “where” your products can be recycled is something that should be easily answered by your customers as a result of the resources and tools your provide for them. Ask for feedback from your customers, blog about it and show the world you are actively working towards a solution to making sure all your products are recycled.

Eco promotional products like recycled business cards and paper,custom promotional bags for trade shows and job fairs or eco friendly shopping bags with your brand name on them is another effective way to show the world you are going green. These kinds of items are veritably eco friendly and will not harm the environment if trashed. Center your community service events around the idea of doing things to help the environment like planting trees or picking up trash in the community on a reoccurring basis.

To help ensure the health of our planet for future generations, these types of efforts by companies and organizations are necessary and should be embraced. Consumer eco consciousness is at an all-time high due to so many recent environmental disasters, which means you can’t afford complacency. Take a lesson from TCE by going green now, and exemplify true leadership in your industry, no matter the state of the economy.

Albert Jefferson has been an educated author going over environmental and sustainability concerns in addition to spreading the ideal to companies to use recycled grocery bags to advertise both their mark and awareness for this environment.

Filed Under Environment Tagged With Environment, going green, Green Business, marketing, public relations, Recycling

Beer Cans From Beer Pong

August 16, 2010 Leave a Comment

I have always loved to get together with friends, relax, and play some fun games. Recently, I had a couple roommates who are really big fans of the game of beer pong. I was totally happy to hear this because I have actually been a fan of the game for a very long time. They go through hundreds of beers and beer cans per week, usually hosting at least 3 “king of the table” nights per week. The game of beer pong is very simple. All you have to do is throw a ping pong from your side of a ping-pong table into one of the cups filled with beer on the opposite side. When your opponent drains a ball into a cup on your side of the table, you have to drink the beer in that cup and remove the cup from the table. The team who makes a ball in all of their opponent’s cups first is the winner. This great game is fun and challenging, and you also go through SO MUCH beer.

Kegs can be a hassle for college students. They are difficult to transport and often a deposit is required. So nowadays people who play beer pong often get beer by the cans, in cases or 30 packs. This game requires a lot of beer drinking and it wasn’t until recently that I really considered how many aluminum can were being wasted. It’s something so obvious, but it’s also something easy to over look when having “fun” with friends in college. I’ve always recycled cans, or “tried” to, but I have to say I’ve been pretty guilty of not taking advantage of every opportunity to do so.

Therefore, I was truly impressed to see my roommate’s Chris and John striving so hard to make sure that every single can we use at our house gets recycled. To recycle hundreds of cans per week is not an easy task, and you might be surprised at the kind of effort it takes to maintain that green practice. Let alone, how many people do you know that will take responsibility to recycle on behalf of everyone else’s usage? But recycling at this volume and rate is not necessarily easy or convenient. As time goes on, a massive pile of cans can accumulate quickly. Can crunching “sessions” can be pretty fun, especially if you round up some volunteers and put on some good tunes. The thing that really inspires me about my roommates is that they just don’t stop with cans. They honestly look to recycle everything they can possibly recycle in the house. Whether it be using rechargeable batteries or recycling glass and paper, they will find the most “green” way of doing something. They do this in a community that really doesn’t offer much in terms recycling options and encouraging people to go green, or making it easy to recycle.

Chris and John are a wonderful example of the kind of attitude, effort, and perseverance it requires to really LIVE GREEN. And the best part about it is how people (like me) are really influenced and inspired by their efforts to do the right thing. The actuality is, it takes substantial efforts to be a green ambassador. It’s not a spectator sport; you can’t expect to make a difference by just “supporting” the green movement. As an example, there’s the obstacle of moving the aluminum cans to the recycling center. And are we going to turn around and drive a fuel-inefficient vehicle there? Another thing to think about is the containers we use to transport the aluminum cans. If plastic bags or grocery bags are used in the process, we need to make sure we recycle these as well or else we might be negating our eco friendly progress. Fuel Efficient Vehicles, reusable green bags and reusable stainless steel water bottles are a couple solutions that can improve our chances of truly making a positive impact.

The consistent, and deliberate action of real people like me and you is the only way the green movement will be able to sustain itself. Like all wonderful human accomplishments, on an individual or group level, it is the leaders (like Chris and John) who have the courage to actually take consistent action who motivate others to make positive changes in their lives and in the world. And with Beer Pong, which has become something of a “phenomena” among the world’s youth, think of all the cans that can be saved by good samaritans like Chris and John. Young people take notice when something becomes “the popular” thing to do, and will definitely notice when their friends are taking action. It is absolutely amazing to think about the amount of cans that we can save from being put into a landfill through recycling the cans used in beer pong!

Albert Jefferson is an experienced journalist covering environmental and reusable topics as well as giving the idea for companies to employ wholesale recycled bags to market their trademark and while supporting our world’s environment.

Filed Under Environment Tagged With beer pong, Environment, environmental, games, Recycling, society

Plastic Recycling – Cause And Effect

July 30, 2010 Leave a Comment

Plastic recycling is considered to be the most effective solution in decreasing plastic waste in the environment. Plastic waste is considered to be the main cause of water and soil pollution and therefore the recycling process is of great importance. This process, by which breaking down the scrap and waste plastics to recover useful materials, requires less energy to manufacture new plastic than creating original plastic from scratch. New fibres are created after numerous chemical structures and resins in the plastic are melted down.

From plastic bottles to packaging, plastic is a part of our daily lives and used in so many different products. Many of us do not give a second thought about what happens to the plastic we recycle and have no idea about the things made from recycled plastics. Some everyday items made from plastic include: Television remote controllers and video game systems controllers Insulating plastic that covers all appliance wires and connections Bottled water and milk containers etc…

Harmful effects of plastic in the environment: Plastic bags do not look good littered throughout the environment. Some plastics are not biodegradable. Plastic materials can cause animals harm, from choking and ingestion.

Benefits of recycling plastic to environment: Greenhouse gas emissions can be decreased: Recycling consumes less energy and creates less pollution as the number of steps is less than producing new. Landfills can be recovered: Today, one of the important problems being faced is the fact that there are fewer landfills (places to dump plastic waste) as they are being filled. An effective solution for this is to reduce dumping of plastic waste into landfills and go for recycling.

The following is an illustration of what happens to recycled plastic milk jugs. The jugs are separated first, from other plastics and then cleaned and ground down. The jugs are then melted down and go through an extruder that moulds them into rectangular shapes. The texture of this recycled plastic when it comes out of the extruder is very much like play dough. This plastic ‘dough’ is then sent through a cooling chamber, with jets of water used to make sure the plastic does not rise like bread dough, before being air-dried and sent through for a second time. This plastic lumber can then be made into many different products.

Though this process has many advantages, it is a complex procedure. Types and colours of plastics are required to be sorted appropriately, which can be monotonous for workers and as the material is not worth as much as brand new, it is less profitable also. People should still be educated to recycle plastics despite these negatives as the positives far outweigh them.

If you found this article about plastic recycling useful, you may be interested in Max Marston’s other article about paper recycling found here – http://remade.info/2010/07/16/recycling-isnt-just-for-glass-and-plastic-recycle-paper-too/

Visit http://www.wastecare.co.uk/ for all your waste management needs, including paper, plastic and metal recycling

Filed Under Environment Tagged With Environment, plastic recycling, Recycling, waste management
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