Reuse & Recycle

The global business economy is going through an adjustment period due to events like the collapse of the real estate market and tightening of credit. The bottom line is that this crisis will eventually affect many and people will be searching for ways to pinch every single cent while creating sustainable income. They will no doubt be looking to ways to reuse products in the home so as to save and not waste money buying new.

Probably the need to budget their spending will drive people to reduce purchasing new products but the lasting benefits will be derived from helping to save the environment. However the troubled business economy has a negative effect on the business of recycling. It seems that saving the earth through recycling, reuse, and reduction works against saving a troubled business economy yet it needs to be done and presents unique challenges never experienced before.

Our business economy is based on a throwaway world and that is likely to change. The problem is not easy however. Our global business economy depends on throwaway products in order to create more throwaway products. But with significant decreases in factory orders, there has already been a drop in demand for materials from recycling centers that are oftentimes used to make these throwaway products. Many recycling centers have such a decrease in demand for materials from recycling centers that piles of recyclables stack up with no place to go. You will even hear of some recycling centers that ask people to save the recyclables in their yards for the day that prices and demand will increase. It is very likely that you will see more reuse and reduction instead of recycling because it is far more cost-effective for both the consumer and recycler.

Landfills are seeing a decrease in the amount of dumping. This is mostly because in a troubled business economy people buy fewer new appliances and other items that are typically gathered by recycling businesses once thrown away. Buying fewer appliances does not do much for boosting the business economy for new orders however it does open more opportunities for those repairing them.

How will the global business economy recover with no market for throwaway products? Industries in the business economy will probably start to lean more toward reducing production, creating ways to reuse products, and then finally encouraging recycling when the products’ useful lives are indeed gone. It is not an easy transition. For starters, many products depend on their style at the particular point in time within the culture. Bicycles are very susceptible to trends in preferences. In other words, it would be very difficult to sell refurbished banana-seat bicycles today.

The ideal situation is to create new jobs to solve these challenges in the recycling industry. The earth cannot sustain the continued filling of its landfills and depletion of natural resources in order to make new products. But by the same token, the business economy depends on production and trade and without the two there will be no new orders and thus no new jobs. Everyone wants to save the earth and have a good income for their family but how to keep the two in balance presents a challenge that requires people for a solution. Governments and green organizations should focus on how to employ the talents of those in the workforce to come up with innovative ways to meet this challenge in the business economy and the recycling industry.

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Imagine that if at the grocery store the person bagging your purchases left empty, unused spaces in each bag causing you to carry 10 instead of 5 bags out to your car then into your home. You would be investing some extra time, energy and space when it was unnecessary. Now transfer that thought to the waste and recycling industry. Instead of filling a trash bag or bin with large empty spaces, we can all do some simple acts to help keep transportation costs down while reducing fossil fuel consumption and saving ourselves some time and money.

The flattening of boxes greatly increases space efficiency in a bin. This does not just apply to cardboard boxes, but also includes any paperboard (cereal or pet food) ones as well. Crushing cans before recycling is much more easily done if it is possible to remove both the top and bottom lids first. Foil products are easily flattened by hand.

Periodically crush your garbage bag down to its true size – you will find that it does not need to be placed on the curb as often. Fewer trips to the dump means less fossil fuel consumed and reduced curbside idling – idling is known to be terribly inefficient and more polluting than vehicles on the move. Garbage collection fees are more easily maintained by the company due to reduced costs per bag, and some companies even offer a discount for those who produce less waste. Also worth noting is that the household will go through fewer plastic garbage bags.

Some kitchen waste disposal units tend to put unnecessary pressure on overtaxed sewage plants. A much better option is to practice composting or vermiculture methods instead. Composting organic waste reduces household trash by approximately 30%. Go one step further by reusing various plastic bags to isolate smelly meat, bones and pet waste. By controlling odors in the garbage, the bag will not have to be put out on the curb as often.

So, imagine that if your waste and recycling was now half the size that it typically was before. That means in theory the waste pickup service would decrease costs by 50%, the landfill would be receiving half of what it used to, fewer trips to the recycling depot, less pollution…

Well you get the picture. It is easy to make a difference and we can all start at home. Right where we are.

Looking for a fun and interesting ‘earth friendly’ thing to do in Spain? Why not stop by the International Creative Recycling Festival in Barcelona! In this festival created by the non-profit ‘DrapArt‘, artists gather and create interesting, novel and artistic things to do with items that were headed for the trash heap. The festival includes lectures, workshops and art exhibits.

Last year, more than 150 artists and performers participated in the event which attracted more than 15,000 visitors! The 2008 festival saw an extra venue added to the schedule and in increase in the number of premiere international artists in attendance.

Founded in Barcelona, Spain in 1995, Drapart promotes creative recycling through the organization of festivals, exhibitions and workshops.

Drap-Art’s aim is to enhance creative recycling as a tool of transformation in the arts, the environment and society. Recycling, reusing and recuperating revaluates things. This, not only helps to induce a more reflexive consumerism, but also contributes to the growth of respect for the environment and for the people living in it, leading towards cultures based in knowledge and respect

A video review (in italian) of the 2007 Creative Recycling Festival in Barclona

More advertisements for the 2008 festival:

Misc

• Review of DrapArt Creative Recycling Festival 2006
• Website for festival sponsor – CCCB (Barcelona Centre for Contemporary Culture)

Americans dispose of more than 700 billion pounds of paper, glass, plastic, wood, food, metal, clothing, electronics and other refuse annually. 

The problem of managing mountains of waste may seem overwhelming, but experts note there are easy ways for consumers to make a difference every day. 

“Old habits might die hard, like forgetting to recycle a soda can or newspaper, but the good news is, there are many simple ways to cut down on waste, from buying concentrated household products to buying in bulk,” says environmental expert Kim Carlson. 

Carlson offers the following tips to help consumers reduce, recycle and reuse waste:

* Keep it loose. Buy screwdrivers, nails and other hardware items in loose bins. At the grocery store, choose produce that is not in prepackaged containers. 

* Bring your own bag. Reuse bags and containers. Keep a supply of bags on hand for future shopping trips, or take your own canvas tote bag to the grocery store. 

* Consider concentrated detergent. Concentrated products often require less packaging, resulting in less energy to transport to the store and less plastic to recycle. All small & mighty is a new concentrated laundry detergent (one 32-ounce bottle cleans as many loads as the regular 100-ounce bottle). In addition to less packaging, the formula contains 74 percent less water than regular detergent.

* Choose to reuse. Reach for reusable products such as cloth napkins, sponges or dishcloths instead of paper towels. 

* Recharge and renew. Use rechargeable batteries and recycle old batteries to help reduce garbage and keep toxic metals out of the environment. 

* Buy smart. Look for long-lasting, energy-saving appliances with the Energy Star label and electronic equipment with good warranties. 

* Get crafty. Reuse scrap paper and envelopes. Save and reuse ribbons, tissue paper, gift boxes and even wrapping paper. Save cardboard boxes, colored paper, egg cartons and other items for arts and crafts projects. 

* Think thrifty. Donate clothing to charity organizations or sell the items in consignment shops, fairs, bazaars or tag sales. Also, share hand-me-down clothes with family members and neighbors.  - NU

Happy New Year!

It’s not too late to make your recycling resolutions.

The holidays are finally over and we can all hopefully begin slowing down and getting our lives back to normal.

If your home is like mine, the holidays left you with a huge mess. Empty boxes and torn wrapping paper litter the floor after the kids excitedly open their gifts. It’s so tempting to gather it all up and through it in the outside garbage bin.

But this is a great opportunity to not only recycle, but to reuse. Almost all of the wrapping paper and boxes can be recycled, so consider keeping your contribution out of the landfill. And for the reuse possibilities…they are practically endless. I’m pretty sure that most of the ribbons I use have been used for several years. And many of the boxes that hold the gifts are great to use for packaging gifts next year. Do you realize that many stores now CHARGE you for a gift box? Sheesh, I’ll save mine for next year, thank you. Not to mention the gift bags. I LOVE getting my gifts in those pretty little bags. Especially since I know I will be using it for someone else’s gift somewhere down the road. Do you know how much those things cost? They are outrageous. No way would I throw them away. They are too valuable.

Now what are we to do with the tree? If you use an artificial tree, it’s a pretty easy decision. You fold it up and store it for next year. Simple. And if you are lucky enough to live in a warm environment and purchased a live tree including the root ball, you can get to work planting it in your yard to enjoy for years to come. But what about cut trees? Most communities offer some sort of Christmas tree recycling. The lucky ones have curbside pickup to recycle their trees. The rest of us need to decide what to do. What convinces me to haul the tree to the recycling facility is a couple of things.

I was willing to haul it home after I purchased it, so I can just as easily take it to be recycled.

Some communities use the old trees to shred and cover pathways and trails through parks. This helps to repair and reduce the damage we create as we enjoy our hikes.

Some communities turn the old trees into mulch and then provide it to the public for free! What a deal. Spring is just right around the corner, by the way.

So that pretty much covers what we can do to reduce our holiday effect on the environment. Now it’s a new year and we can begin thinking about getting a fresh start.

Some resolutions to consider:

- Resolve to begin recycling if you don’t already. You can start small. This site provides a wealth of information about getting your recycling efforts off the ground.

- If you already recycle, step it up a notch. If your curbside recycling service doesn’t accept a particular item (like glass or cardboard), resolve to begin taking that item to the drop off facility in your area.

- Resolve to purchase more products packaged with post consumer recycled materials. The higher the percentage listed on the package, the better.

- Resolve to purchase more items made from recycled materials. Paper towels, toilet paper, napkins, and many other paper products fall into this category.

- Resolve to purchase more items in bulk, thus reducing packaging waste.

- Resolve to create at least one creative craft using something you might otherwise throw away. This is fun, gets your creative juices flowing, can reduce stress, and is a g reat way to spend some quality time with your family.