American Eagle Teams Up With I:CO To Promote Recycling

Boro-Wide Recycling Corp.

Maspeth, NY 718-416-1656

www.BoroWideRecycling.com

 

The latest in recycling explains that American Eagle, a popular clothing brand, has officially joined forces with recycling company I:CO to continue the push to go green. As a result of expanding their partnership, American Eagle is now home to I:CO's clothing and shoes recycling program, encouraging shoppers to be environmentally conscious and take green steps towards bettering our planet. In fact, this program is set to be up and running in all of American Eagle's stores across the United States and Canada - wow!
 

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foto76 / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

As of just last week, customers are now able to drop off any used or unwanted clothing items (in good standing, of course) to a store near them. The good news? Any clothing or textiles dropped off do not have to be reflective of the American Eagle brand; they are currently accepting any and all brands in their specially labeled I:CO boxes. And that's not all! To say thank you to participants for their donations, customers will receive acode that makes them eligible for $5.00 off a pair of brand new AEO jeans.

According to Sustainable Brands, this program is I:CO's widest North American partnership. Since American Eagle already has a long standing dedication to protecting the environment, both partners agree that working together is a great way to build awareness and promote recycling to those around them.

To learn more, click here!

At Boro Wide Recycling, we work to keep our planet safe by providing comprehensive recycling services to commercial and residential customers. Join us in our efforts! Contact us to learn how we can help you in your recycling efforts, and don't forget to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date with the latest news in recycling efforts and eco-friendly tips. 

How Recycling Works

Boro-Wide Recycling Corp.

Maspeth, NY 718-416-1656

www.BoroWideRecycling.com

 

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digitalart / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

By definition, recycling is a process that takes waste materials and reconfigures them into new products. As a result of this process, we are able to prevent the waste of usable materials, reduce the amount of energy used to create new products, and ultimately reduce air and water pollution by reducing the amount of materials that must enter landfills.

While many of us know the importance of recycling and why it is beneficial for our environment, take a moment to ask yourself if you know how recycling really works. What are the steps to recycling? How do recycling plants work to manufacture new products out of old ones? Thanks to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), we can tell you! The following is a brief explanation of the steps to recycling:

1. Collect: In order to be able to recycle, a plant first must receive the materials! There are a variety of ways that collection happens, with the most popular being curbside collection programs. Other forms of collection include drop-off centers and deposit programs.

2. Sort: After all materials are compiled, facilities work to sort them and group similar products together, such as plastics, cans and glass. Once they are sorted, they are then cleaned and processed into materials that are suitable for the manufacturing process.

3. Manufacture: The next step in recycling includes creating new products out of pre-existing materials. This means that items you use at work, at school, or around the house may be created from products that once served a different purpose. Common items that are created from recycled materials are newspapers, steel cans, and soft drink containers.

4. Purchase: The final step in recycling is completed with help from the consumer. By purchasing new products that are made from recycled materials, you complete one cycle and essentially begin another. The next time you go shopping, choose items that can easily be recycled or are made from recycled products!

At Boro Wide Recycling, we work to keep our planet safe by providing comprehensive recycling services to commercial and residential customers. Join us in our efforts! Contact us to learn how we can help you in your recycling efforts, and don't forget to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date with the latest news in recycling efforts and eco-friendly tips.  

5 Things You Didn't Know About the Recycling Industry

Dropping a plastic bottle in the recycling bin can be very simple, which is why most people do not think about what happens to it after.  Where does it go?  It falls into the hands of a $500 billion global industry that impact the life of every American, and likely employs more people than any other industry except agriculture.  Here are 5 things you need to know about recycling if you hope to understand how and why it is already transformed your world, whether or not you practice good recycling habits. 

1. Only around 60% of the recyclable waste generated in the US annually is recycled in the US.  The rest is exported, mostly to China.
2. China is both the top importer of recyclable waste, also the world's top recycler. 
3. Before the USA began exporting its recyclables around the world, the world sent its recyclables here.  In the 19th century, when Americans were desperate for steel to build the nation's railways, steelmakers imported hundreds of thousand of tons of steel scrap from Europe. 
4. The media has depicted the so called e-waste (electronic waste like computers, smartphones etc.)  as being dumped on the developing world by the US.  Earlier this year, the US International Trade Commision released the most comprehensive study of the American e-wast industry ever.  It concluded that only .13% of the 4.4 million tons of e-waste generated by America in 2011 was exported for "final disposal.
5. The American automobile is still the world's most recycled product, by weight. 

Remember that the next time you bring your recyclables to the trash room, you are not only committing a good deed on behalf of the environment, you are contributing to a global trade that predates your grandparents.  For more information on the facts above please visit http://goo.gl/Rkjnvo.

Call Boro-Wide Recycling for all of you recycling needs, residential and commercial.718-416-1656.

NYC Restaurant Challenge

Boro-Wide Recycling Corp.

Maspeth, NY 718-416-1656

www.BoroWideRecycling.com

New York City is one of a handful of cities that is working to keep food waste out of landfills.  Mayor Michael Bloomberg has a lot to do with the recycling efforts of many of NYC's citizens.   This year 100 if the city's 24,000 restaurants signed on to the city's voluntary pilot program and committed to recycle their food scraps.  Mayor Bloomberg has recently introduced legislation to the city council to mandate the City's largest restaurants to separate their food waste by 2014.  The head of the New York State Restaurant Association worries that the infrastructure is just not available to accomplish this lofty goal. Find out more about the NYC Restaurant Challenge: Recycle All Food Waste here: http://goo.gl/5vwt91

Call Boro-Wide Recycling for all of you recycling needs, residential and commercial.
718-416-1656.

Producers Should Shoulder More of the Recycling Cost

Boro-Wide Recycling Corp.

Maspeth, NY 718-416-1656

www.BoroWideRecycling.com

Over the past 11 years, Mayor Bloomberg has made great progress to help improve the environment for New York City, like planting hundreds of thousands of trees, reducing indoor air pollution by banning smoking in restaurants and bars, and creating more than 350 miles of bike lanes in the five boroughs.   These are great strides to improve our environment, but he has neglected the quantity of waste that the city sends to landfills, until recently.  The outgoing Mayor announced a major expansion of the types of plastics New Yorkers can toss into their recycling bins. 
Why should the burden fall upon the taxpayers?   Who should be responsible for what happens to consumer products and packaging when we're through with them?  For the most part, our current systems is very lenient with producers of single-use plastics, allowing them to offload costs related to disposal onto the taxpayers.  The taxpayers pay for collection and transfer to recycling facilities, or landfills. 
Things are changing, more states, cities and concerned individuals have begun voicing their demands that producers of consumer goods take a greater responsibility for their products at the end of their useful lives. For more information on the problem at hand and what is currently being done please visit http://goo.gl/I3wPg2.

Boro-Wide Recycling is dedicated to creating a better world through recycling.  Please contact us for all your recycling and waste removal needs, residential or commercial!

Things You Never Knew Were Recyclable

Boro-Wide Recycling Corp.

Maspeth, NY 718-416-1656

www.BoroWideRecycling.com

Sometimes recycling takes creativity and also some knowledge of the industry.  It can be confusing deciding what is recyclable and where to dispose of it.  Recycling can really help our environment and also make it a healthier place for us to live.  It is not always easy to know exactly what can be recycled, there are some great recyclable items that are available in your everyday life that you would never think to recycle. 

• Hair- Human Hair is compostable and recyclable.  The hair from your brush or fur from your pet holds a lot of useful nitrogen that can be thrown in a compost pile.  You can donate your hair to create booms that soak up oil spills.
• Jeans- Donating your jeans to Goodwill is always a good option.  But if they are too raggedy, they can be recycled to make insulation products, to be used for interior and exterior walls and ceiling applications. 
• Cotton Swabs- Cotton is also a good material for a compost bin.  Cotton balls, cotton swabs, lint from the dryer and even old shredded cotton and wool clothing can go into your compost.
• Keys- Keys are made of valuable metal, programs like Keys for Kindness raise money for Multiple Sclerosis through recycling keys.
• Golf Balls- Most golf balls are made in two or three parts.  A two piece ball is composed of just rubber and plastic which are obviously recyclable.

For a full list of obscure recyclable items please visit http://goo.gl/n7yHVH.  Call Boro-Wide Recycling for all of your recycling and waste removal needs residential or commercial. 

People Don't Recycle Damaged Goods

Boro-Wide Recycling Corp.

Maspeth, NY 718-416-1656

www.BoroWideRecycling.com

The growth of the recycling rate in the United States is growing, but the progress is much slower than it should be.  The recycling rate has risen by less than 6 percent in the last ten years, but why is it so slow?  A recent study, published in the Journal of Consumer Research, seeks to answer this common question by looking beyond the typical answers or excuses, like curbside recycling access and confusing plastic resin codes.   This study looks to examine the thought process that leads consumers to toss recyclables in the trash.

The study found that consumers are already hardwired to believe that damaged or incomplete products, like small or ripped paper and dented cans, no longer retain their value.  After testing their theory through a field study as well as four laboratory studies, they found that once a recyclable item ceased to retain its whole form, users tended to throw it in the garbage.  This process is formed out of habit, the only way it can be overcome is by helping consumers realize a product's true value.  This could be shifted to a larger scale by designing product packaging to preserve a whole and undamaged appearance after opening.  Read more about the study here: http://goo.gl/nTC0kv.

Tell us what you think about this concept below, or on our Facebook page!

WasteCon 2013

Boro-Wide Recycling Corp.

Maspeth, NY 718-416-1656

www.BoroWideRecycling.com

During the Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) 2013 WasteCon Conference in Long Beach, CA, a technical session title "New York City's Waste Conversion Technology Pilot- is the Technology Ripe Enough for the Big Apple?"  discussed where the city is at in the evaluation of technologies to handle the estimated 50,000 tons of waste and recyclables the city generates each day. 
It was determined that the city needs to implement a new solid waste management plan for its waste handling.  The key goals include:

• Increase recycling and build a recycling processing facility in Brooklyn;
• End long-haul trucking and maximize exporting waste out of state via rail and barge;
• Develop containerized facilities for DSNY-managed waste in each borough;
• Stabilize costs through 20-year contracts; and
• Evaluate and build pilot plants for alternative municipal solid waste (MSW) technologies.

For more information on the Conference and the plan, please visit http://goo.gl/LGAZ2p.
Call Boro-Wide Recycling for all of you recycling needs, residential and commercial.
718-416-1656

Free Recycling Apps

Boro-Wide Recycling Corp.

Maspeth, NY 718-416-1656

www.BoroWideRecycling.com

The world that we live in today is technology-driven.  Smart phones very convenient and help you answer your everyday questions, wherever you are.  Now there is an app for everything, including recycling.  These apps can be great for answering any of your recycling questions like how, what and where to recycle.  Harmony1.com put together a list of the 3 best, free recycling apps. 

• iRecycle:  Developed by Earth911, for finding local, convenient recycling opportunities when you are on the go or at home.  iRecycle provides access to more than 1,600,000 ways to recycle over 350 materials.
• 1800Recycling: This mobile app was formerly known as My Recycle List.  It is the easiest way to find convenient drop-off locations and organize your recyclables quickly and efficiently. 
• RecycleBank: RecycleBank offers awards that you can earn when you sign up.  It allows members to view their points, enter new point codes, set recycling reminders and even order rewards. 

Call Boro-Wide Recycling for any of your recycling needs commercial or residential!

How Recyclebank Incents Communities

Boro-Wide Recycling Corp.

Maspeth, NY 718-416-1656

www.BoroWideRecycling.com

One of the largest variables in any energy efficiency, water conservation or waste management campaign, is human behavior.  If you can't convince people to truly care enough to participate, even the best designed and thought up solutions do not stand a chance of succeeding or even having a positive impact.  Recyclebank has developed an incentive based campaign that works like a frequent traveler rewards program.  Instead of points for miles, you receive incentives or coupons for local businesses in exchange for participating actively in a recycling program or some other sustainability initiative.  For more information on the Recyclebank Campaign to increase the amount that people recycle please visit http://goo.gl/pdPOQV.

For any of your recycling or waste management services, residential or commercial Call Boro-Wide Recycling at (718) 416-1656.

How to Reuse Coffee Grounds and Tea Bags

Boro-Wide Recycling Corp.

Maspeth, NY 718-416-1656

www.BoroWideRecycling.com

As the colder weather approaches you may begin to drink more of your favorite hot beverages to warm you up.  Some popular drinks are coffee and tea, but what do you do with all the spent coffee grounds and tea bags?

• Removing cooking odors- both coffee grounds and tea bags are great deodorizers and can eliminate lingering food smells on your hands like garlic, onions and fish.
• Making wood shine- If you are looking for an all natural way to keep wood floors and furniture shiny and clean, look no further than your morning cup of tea. 
• Keeping your garden pest free- Sprinkle coffee grounds around problem areas to keep away ants, slugs and other pests hanging around your garden.
• Nourish plants- Both coffee grounds and tea bags have loads of nutrients that help household plants thrive. 
• Treat your skin-  Coffee grounds as well as tea are both loaded with beneficial properties that sooth irritated skin and brighten your complexion.
• Shine your shoes-  Citrus scraps and banana peels are a well known method to organically shine your shoes.  Well a damp tea bag works just as well for dark colored shoes.

For more ideas, uses and directions for your morning cup's leftovers please visit http://goo.gl/45xywP.
Refer to Boro-Wide Recycling for all of your recycling needs, wants and information. 

Even Planes Can be Recycled

Boro-Wide Recycling Corp.

Maspeth, NY 718-416-1656

www.BoroWideRecycling.com

When we think of recycling we usually think of smaller items like plastic bottles or broken down raw materials of a larger object.  Almost anything can be recycled these days, that includes airplanes.  CNN did an article on the most creative ways to recycle an airplane and it was very interesting. 

Where do airplanes go after they are no longer useful?  By 2020 approximately 12,000 aircraft are set to be decommissioned.  In addition 2,000-3,000 planes are estimated to have been abandoned around the world according to the Aircraft Fleet Recycling Association.  Most aircraft will eventually reach an awkward stage where they are no longer safe to fly but are still too sturdy to demolish, which will then go to storage temporarily.  Some parts, like the engine, will sell themselves an be reused.  Reusing other parts of the aircraft require a little more innovation and creativity to reuse.  Some have found ways to recycle leftover parts into things like:

• Furniture
• Floor or Wall Tile
• Boat
• House
• Hotel
• Artificial Reef
• & much more 

Boro-Wide Recycling encourages the recycling of everything possible.  Like us on Facebook and Follow us on Twitter for more Recycling ideas, tips and advice!

Cradle to Cradle Recycling

Boro-Wide Recycling Corp.

Maspeth, NY 718-416-1656

www.BoroWideRecycling.com

A common idea is that recycled material are often of lower quality than the materials from which they were made.  Twenty years ago a German Chemist, Michael Braungart developed a new approach to recycling, which is now called "Cradle to Cradle" or C2C after the book Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things.  Their whole concept revolved around trying to make sure that materials chosen for the original product could be reused after the product has finished its useful life.  They were looking for products that maintain their quality when they are recycled.  By planning ahead they can increase the productivity of the disassembly of the product parts before they enter the recycling stage and retain quality.  For more information on the C2C process please visit: http://goo.gl/JHT3a2.

Boro-Wide Recycling encourages the use of reusable materials in all products.  Recycling is important to our planet and the people that inhabit it.  Like us on Facebook and Follow us on Twitter for great recycling methods and tips. 

NYC Takes Aim at Plastic Bags

 Boro-Wide Recycling Corp.

Maspeth, NY 718-416-1656

www.BoroWideRecycling.com

Empty plastic bags have become the tumbleweeds of the big cities.  Walking down any block in a big city you are likely to see a plastic bag floating around somewhere, whether it is on the sidewalk or maybe just above the traffic of the street.  Some people are very careless with where they dispose their garbage.  New York City has had enough and are beginning to take action against these eye sores.  A new bill has been announced that aims to rid the city of these floating bags.  Under the proposed legislation, retail and grocery stores will begin to charge customers at least 10 cents per plastic bag used.  The same charge will be levied on paper bags, but it was made clear the plastic bags are the main target.

Currently New Yorkers use 5.2 billion carryout bags per year, and the city spends about $10 million annually to transport 100,00 tons of plastic bags to landfills in other states.  This bill looks to encourage the use of reusable bags, to try and reduce the amount of plastic that is being littered and disposed of without recycling. 

For more information on the bill that is in progress please visit http://goo.gl/dvQ896.

Like us on Facebook and Follow us on Twitter for more great stories, news and recycling tips. 

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
a-goes-

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.

Help Teach Your Children The Three R's with This Video!

Boro-Wide Recycling Corp. 

Maspeth, NY 718-416-1656 

www.BoroWideRecycling.com

Hey, Parents! This is a great video to help teach your children the importance of the 3 R’s: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle!

Let us know what you think on our Facebook page, linked HERE! 

Honest Tea Launches “The Great Recycle”

Boro-Wide Recycling Corp. 

Maspeth, NY 718-416-1656 

www.BoroWideRecycling.com

On Monday, April 30^th, Honest Tea launched one of the largest recycling campaigns in New York City called “The Great Recycle.” The goal is to increase recycling rates and recycle the same number of bottles produced each year by 2020.

The goal of the Great Recycle was to collect more than 45,000 beverage containers in one day. The reason for that amount is because that was the amount of Honest Tea bottles sold in the city on a daily basis in the month of April.

To raise awareness and encourage people to recycle, a 30-foot recycling bin was created in the middle of Times Square. It attracted quite a crowd and had all people walking by curious to see what was going on.

Fellow New Yorkers and tourists passing by were given the opportunity to take part by recycling everything from bottles to Facebook statuses. In order to get people to participate, recyclers were given currency to redeem recycled and recycle-related items in the TRASHed Recycling store. Points were given for bringing bottles and cans to recycle and making a public pledge to be green and recycle (http://goo.gl/B4Uwj).

Over 15,000 bottles were collected at the end of the day, and across the country people pledged to recycle over 218,000 bottles.

If you have any questions regarding recycling and what you can do to make the planet a little safer to live in, give us a call at 718-416-1656 or visit www.borowiderecycling.com.