Coke Encouraged to Use Recycled Plastic

Boro-Wide Recycling Corp.

Maspeth, NY 718-416-1656

www.BoroWideRecycling.com

In an article posted in the nature section of CNN, the Coca-Cola Company is being criticized on how the company is not living up to its promise, made in 1990, to use recycled plastic in soda bottles. According to Bill Sheenan, the result of the Coca-Cola Company not living up to its promise is that “billions of plastic bottles which could be used to make new bottles go to landfills or incinerators every year.” The company decided not to use recycled plastic in the United States because local market conditions were cost prohibitive.

At Boro-Wide Recycling, we believe that recycling is very important because it can help create a greener planet! We pick up, haul away and carefully sort a broad array of recyclable waste materials. All construction and demolition, and recyclable materials collected are transported to one of our technologically advanced transfer or recycling facilities to make sure everything is processed according to the latest environmental regulations and standards.

Call us today at (718) 416-1656 to help you with your recycling.

Have any questions? Feel free to email us at info@borowiderecycling.com

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The Benefits of Recycling:

Boro-Wide Recycling Corp.

                         Maspeth, NY 718-416-1656

                      www.BoroWideRecycling.com

Economic Benefits:

Recycling is very important because it allows us to conserve natural resources in our environment by reusing old products that can be used for other means. In addition to the positive environmental impact, recycling creates jobs (recycling and reuse industries employ over 1.1 million people) and generates billions of dollars in federal, state, and local tax revenues.

Energy Benefits:

Recycling processes achieve significant energy savings for many kinds of materials when compared to virgin sources. Recycling of aluminum cans saves 95% of the energy required to make the same amount of aluminum from virgin sources.

Less Greenhouse Gas Emissions:

In 2005, recycling was projected to avoid 48 million metric tons of carbon emissions which is the equivalent which is the equivalent of taking 36 million cars off the road for one year.

Less Pressure on Landfills and More Natural Resources for Future Generations:

The cost of recycling has actually proven to be cheaper than throwing out reusable materials and when these materials are recycled, less space is being used for landfill spaces. In 1996, Ann Harbor, Michigan, spent $71 per ton on recycling and composting, compared to $86 per ton for trash collection and disposal. Also, the U.S. would have needed 64 additional landfills in 1996, had 130 million cubic yards of material not been diverted from landfills through recycling and composting.

New York's New E-waste Law

Boro-Wide Recycling Corp.

                         Maspeth, NY 718-416-1656

                       www.BoroWideRecycling.com

New York has recently made electronic scrap sites more available to the general public.  This has lead to an increase in e-waste recycling and a decrease in government spending in New York State.  New York's e-waste law was implemented on April 1, 2011.  In its first 8 months, the state saw the number of electronic recycling sites increase by 77% and collected more than 44 million pounds of scrap electronics. 

The success of this law has continued since.  It helps prevent the release of hazardous substances into the environment, it also saved the government a lot of money.  This quickly growing increase in electronics recycling has helped New York's e-waste recyclers grow, which brought other types of recyclers to the state, as well as creating jobs and adding to the tax base.  Although public awareness as well as collection sites have both increased vastly, it is still not enough.  The initiatives of take back sites are not as well known and this leads to lower product recovery.  Scott Cassel, CEO of Product Stewardship Institute (PSI), has called for more dialogue between government, non-government organizations, recyclers, retailers and manufacturers to find a solution together.  

"While New York's e-waste collection program, which was established by the law, has had a net positive impact on electronics recycling in the state, there are still some fairly large kinks that need to be ironed out to optimize the system," Cassel said in one statement. 

The Government created this plan as step one to the recycling solution.  Now we just have to continue to improve the plan, and we can start with spreading awareness. 

For more information on the New York e-waste law please visit http://www.wasterecyclingnews.com/article/20130716/NEWS08/130719947/new-yorks-e-waste-law-boosts-recycling-lowers-costs-report-finds



5 Things Made from Recycled Plastic Bottles

Boro-Wide Recycling Corp.

Maspeth, NY 718-416-1656

www.BoroWideRecycling.com

Recycling plastic bottle, sometimes may seem like a routine or ordinary task.  Earth911 and the International Bottled Water Association are working together to show that the possibilities for recycled plastic bottles are endless and can be far from ordinary.  Innovators around the world have been doing amazing things with plastic bottles. 

1. Bridge- Last year in Peeblessshire, Scotland, company named Vertech Composites managed to create a 90 foot bridge that can support about 44 tons of pedestrians, cars and vehicles, out of plastic bottles and other plastic waste.
2. Paint- Sherwin-Williams received an EPA green chemistry award for producing a paint formula that contained recycled plastic bottles and produces less air pollution than typical oil-based paints. 
3. EcoARK- The EcoARK building in Taiwan is a three story tall building, with an amphitheater and exhibition hall, that is made using about 1.5 million plastic bottles. 
4. Sports Uniforms- Nike developed uniforms for U.S. Olympians made from 13 recycled plastic bottles. 
5. Joysxee Eco Island- Richart Sowa collected more than 125,000 trashed plastic bottles and created his own island, that holds a his house.  It was created by putting the plastic  bottles into fruit sacks, covered by plywood pallets, then carpeted and covered in sand dirt and rocks.

Innovators are coming up with more creative ideas every day for progressive recycling.  For a complete list please visit http://earth911.com/news/2012/08/16/8-things-made-from-recycled-plastic-bottles/1
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Aveda goes Full Circle

Boro-Wide Recycling Corp.

Maspeth, NY 718-416-1656

www.BoroWideRecycling.com

 Many cosmetic consumers purchase makeup and shampoo that has traditionally been wrapped in packaging that can not be recycled properly like the rest. Aveda is known for its organic and plant-derived ingredients and as of now its debut of Aveda's Full Circle program this month. All of Aveda's 107 Experience Center retail stores in the U.S will accept any Aveda packaging that isn't usually accepted by local recycling services; packaging like bottle caps, makeup brushes, tubes, pumps and certain bottles and jars.

What does this mean exactly?

Aveda will now recycle material that would otherwise be thrown away, material that ca be repeatedly recycled into their own packaging.
This is not the first time Aveda lent a hand with waste recycling. In 2008, they started a bottle cap recycling program which allowed anyone to bring in bottle caps from any store, not only cosmetic stores, into Aveda stores. The program was a great way to obtain raw material that can be repeatedly recycled without degradation. Aveda recycles the caps into new ones and sample tubes and also is one of the few programs that provides the means to recycle makeup brushes. Aveda, part of Estee Lauder Companies, plans to work with G2 Revolution, the companies recycler; together they plan to give recycled materials back to suppliers so they can be used in Aveda's new packaging. Most of Aveda's packaging contain 100% recycled material, a few even hold Cradle to Cradle certification.

 “ We thought that it was time now to make a greater focus on our own packaging,”  Dave Rappaport explained, vice president of earth and community care for Aveda.
 “ We try to turn things back into usable products,” said G2's CEO John Graham.
To learn more about Aveda's recycled product please visit http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2013/07/16/avedfull-circle-recycle-cosmetics-packaging
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The 3 Rs of Recycling

Boro-Wide Recycling Corp.

Maspeth, NY 718-416-1656

www.BoroWideRecycling.com

The Three Rs of recycling include reduce, reuse and recycle.  All three are important to keeping our community clean and efficient.  If we can utilize each of these guidelines we can successfully reduce our carbon footprint and keep our environment healthy.

Reducing the amount of waste we create each day just takes a little practice and premeditated decisions.  We need to stop and consciously think about the products that we buy and how much waste they will produce.  

We can use alternatives to  most of the disposable products we use each day, like paper napkins for example can be replaced with cloth napkins that can be washed.  Reuse, is another important action in the effort to stay environmentally conscious.  Don't be so quick to throw things out, many items like plastic bags and containers can be reused multiple times.  Finally remember to examine your garbage, there could be many items that can be recycled and made into new products.  Recycling helps our planet a lot by conserving energy, saving landfill space and preserving valuable resources.  Many companies like Boro-Wide Recycling Corp. will provide same day pick-up services and recycle your waste for you.  One of the most popular new trends in recycling has become repurposing old items.  The internet is full of ideas for repurposing almost anything you can think of.  Repurposing is quickly becoming the 4th R and should be practiced by everyone to save our environment and even save you some money! 

For more info on how to practice the 4 Rs please visit http://fremonttribune.com/news/local/recycle-by-finding-new-uses-for-items/article_4017cc22-703f-59a4-bd58-e0e2fd480fd6.html

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Concrete Recycling Robot

Boro-Wide Recycling Corp.

Maspeth, NY 718-416-1656

www.BoroWideRecycling.com

 Demoshling buildings to make room for new ones can be a very messy and very dangerous task.  Dynamite is very loud and dangerous and wrecking balls can be just as dangerous with its weight.  Each method has explosive power that can send debris in every direction.  There has to be a better safer way to demolish buildings more efficiently.  

 Omer Haciomeroglu has developed a robot that may be the answer to these problems.  The ERO Concrete Recycling Robot, his groundbreaking invention, became one of the winners of IDSA’s International Design Excellence awards.  This revolutionary device solve the problem of dangerous flying debris while also performing the task of  breaking down concrete on the spot and pumping out the raw materials and even packaging them for reuse.  This efficiently clean device works in fleets to take down buildings wall by wall. 

 The process is quite simple, the ERO uses a high-pressure water jet that cracks and breaks down concrete.  The robot then gathers a mixture of aggregate and cement and sends it to bags that can be stored and used for new construction.  The steel reinforcement bars inside the walls are recycled along with the water.  This seems to be a very productive substitute to the traditional methods that depend on fossil fuels to power machinery and recycle very little.  Despite all the amazing advantages of the ERO, the design is still a concept for now.  Haciomeroglu’s plans were developed from his work at Sweden’s Umea Institute of Design.

 For more information regarding the ERO please visit http://gizmodo.com/this-concrete-recycling-robot-devours-entire-buildings-736065513
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7 Reasons Why You’ll Love Recycling

Boro-Wide Recycling Corp.

Maspeth, NY 718-416-1656

www.BoroWideRecycling.com

1: Going Green Will Save You Money

When you recycle, you are not only helping your natural environment, but you can help your community cut costs for waste management and garbage retrieval. Did you know aluminum cans alone could pay for the entire curbside collection?  That’s right—aluminum cans are the most valuable recyclable item, so the next time you feed the dog, make tuna salad, or use anything that comes from a can, be sure to give the aluminum a good rinse and place it in your recycling bin so you and your neighborhood can start saving some green!

2: Recycling Preserves Scarce Resources

In 2004, Pennsylvanians recycled over 1 million tons of steel and were able to save 1.3 million tons of iron ore, 718,000 tons of coal, and 62,000 tons of limestone as a result.  But that’s not all—residents in Pennsylvania also saved more than 8.2 million trees by recycling office paper, mixed paper, and newsprint. Let’s give Pennsylvania a run for their money and make New York the place with recycling habits to brag about! 

3: Recycling Saves Energy

If enough people recycle, we can significantly drive down energy costs and increase efficiency.  After all, the energy needed to make a single new aluminum can could instead be used to produce 20 aluminum cans from recycled material, so don’t toss another can unless you’re aiming for the recycling bin!

4: Recycling Increases Community

Throughout the United States, more and more people are working together in free recycle organizations, lobbies, and curbside recycling programs to promote recycling and keep Mother Nature looking beautiful.  Recycling benefits communities as a whole, so encourage friends and neighbors to follow your lead and recycle used goods!

5: Recycling Creates Jobs

The more you recycle, the more jobs you’ll create!  Just 10,000 tons of waste can create 43 new jobs: 1 job for incinerating the waste, 6 jobs for landfilling the waste, and 36 jobs for recycling it!

6: Recycling Can Improve Our Economy

Recycling helps to the economy by not only creating jobs, but also reduces energy costs and conserves resources as well.  The practice of recycling and conserving plastic material has become increasingly popular in the past few years, as the price of oil has increased to nearly $120 per barrel.  Every little bit helps, and the more you recycle your plastic containers, the more we can help our country save on oil.

7: Recycling Helps Our Planet

Remember, when we don’t recycle to our full potential, the chances of our underground water systems becoming contaminated with dangerous chemicals and heavy metals will only increase, and air pollution is yet another ever-present reminder of the negative repercussions we will suffer if we don’t recycle.  Even if we only recycle 35% of our trash, we can reduce as much pollution as if 36 million cars were taken off the road, and in 2006 the EPA estimated that the national recycling rate of 32.5% saved the United States energy equivalent to 10 billion gallons of gasoline.

Remember these 7 facts (http://www.slideshare.net/Pacebutler/what-is-recycling-7-benefits-of-recycling-3638660) the next time you catch yourself throwing out recyclable goods, and for more interesting tips on recycling make sure you follow us on Twitter.

Are All Plastics Created Equal?

Boro-Wide Recycling Corp.

Maspeth, NY 718-416-1656

www.BoroWideRecycling.com

For many years, residents of New York City have wondered which plastics are acceptable for recycling. Molecular structures known as polymers are what determine a plastic’s properties and what can be accepted as recyclable materials. Some plastics refuse to mix with different types of polymers when melted, and this limits the plastics’ function for reuse.

Polymers are not the only aspect to which plastics are accepted as recyclable materials. Logistics play a part as well, and surprisingly transportation costs outweigh the economic benefits of recycling.

Do you have any questions about which plastics are okay to recycle? Please let us know on our Facebook page!