Recycling Hub » reduce

Reuse tips that can save you money and the environment

admin — Sun, 19 Sep 2010 01:30:51 +0000

If you are like me, who take at least one coffee break each work day, here’s one simple tip that can save you money. Instead of going to the corner coffee shop or Starbucks, make your own coffee and bring it to work. Or make one in the office, although those don’t usually taste good. So bring your own. If you don’t feel like bringing your own coffee for some reason, and don’t want to office coffee, then at least get a reusable cup instead of using paper cups.

The other big saver is using sponges or rags instead of paper towels. For cleaning the kitchen counter, bathrooms, or any other cleaning jobs, use rags and just rinse them off after each use. That’s most people in the world use.

Lastly, use reusable grocery bags instead of the paper or plastic bags because neither saves our environment.

Use plastic egg containers for children’s paint project

admin — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 16:07:09 +0000

Having to keep grandchildren busy during rainy days, I like to pull out the childrens paints, but you can imagine how messy it can be unless you have an easy way to put different colours of paint in a non spill environment. Well the best thing I have found is the plastic egg containers that are very popular with Omega 3 eggs. When you flip it open you actually have 24 spots for paint. Kids love it and there’s no mess.

Battery Recycling

admin — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 18:45:28 +0000

Lead-Acid Automobile Batteries
Nearly 90 percent of all lead-acid batteries are recycled. Almost any retailer that sells lead-acid batteries collects used batteries for recycling, as required by most state laws. Reclaimers crush batteries into nickel-sized pieces and separate the plastic components. They send the plastic to a reprocessor for manufacture into new plastic products and deliver purified lead to battery manufacturers and other industries. A typical lead-acid battery contains 60 to 80 percent recycled lead and plastic.

Non-Automotive Lead-Based Batteries
Gel cells and sealed lead-acid batteries are commonly used to power industrial equipment, emergency lighting, and alarm systems. The same recycling process applies as with automotive batteries. An automotive store or a local waste agency may accept the batteries for recycling.

Dry-Cell Batteries
Dry-cell batteries include alkaline and carbon zinc (9-volt, D, C, AA, AAA), mercuric-oxide (button, some cylindrical and rectangular), silver-oxide and zinc-air (button), and lithium (9-volt, C, AA, coin, button, rechargeable). On average, each person in the United States discards eight dry-cell batteries per year.

Alkaline and Zinc-Carbon Batteries
Alkaline batteries, the everyday household batteries used in flashlights, remote controls, and other appliances. Several reclamation companies now process these batteries.
Button-Cell Batteries
Most small, round “button-cell” type batteries found in items such as watches and hearing aids contain mercury, silver, cadmium, lithium, or other heavy metals as their main component. Button cells are increasingly targeted for recycling because of the value of recoverable materials, their small size, and their easy handling relative to other battery types.
Rechargeable Batteries
The Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation (RBRC), a nonprofit public service organization, targets four kinds of rechargeable batteries for recycling: nickel-cadmium (Ni-CD), nickel metal hydride, lithium ion, and small-sealed lead. Its “Charge Up to Recycle!” program offers various recycling plans for communities, retailers, businesses, and public agencies.

Source: http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/conserve/materials/battery.htm

Source Reduction and Reuse Facts

admin — Sat, 16 May 2009 00:59:22 +0000

* More than 55 million tons of MSW were source reduced in the United States in 2000, the latest year for which these figures are available.
* Containers and packaging represented approximately 28 percent of the materials source reduced in 2000, in addition to nondurable goods (e.g., newspapers, clothing) at 17 percent, durable goods (e.g., appliances, furniture, tires) at 10 percent, and other MSW (e.g., yard trimmings, food scraps) at 45 percent.
* There are more than 6,000 reuse centers around the country, ranging from specialized programs for building materials or unneeded materials in schools to local programs such as Goodwill and the Salvation Army, according to the Reuse Development Organization.
* Between two and five percent of the waste stream is potentially reusable according to local studies in Berkeley, California, and Leverett, Massachusetts.
* Since 1977, the weight of 2-liter plastic soft drink bottles has been reduced from 68 grams each to 51 grams. That means that 250 million pounds of plastic per year has been kept out of the waste stream.

Source: http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/conserve/rrr/reduce.htm

Managing solid waste – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

admin — Fri, 15 May 2009 20:36:02 +0000

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommends a three-tiered approach for managing solid waste. Each of these should be practiced to decrease the amount of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW), more commonly known as trash or garbage, headed for final disposal. They are in order of importance:

Reduce – making something smaller or using less, resulting in a smaller amount of waste.
- “Source reduction” is reducing waste before you purchase it, or by purchasing products that are not wasteful in their packaging or use.
- A key part of waste reduction is conservation– using natural resources wisely, and using less than usual to avoid waste.
Reuse – putting an item to another use after its original function has been fulfilled. There are two types of reuse possible:
- Conventional reuse – where the product is used a number of times for the same function before becoming obsolete or unusable.
- New life reuse – where a new use is found for the item.
Recycle - collecting materials that would otherwise be considered waste to be broken down and remade into new products. Recycled materials can be derived from:
- Pre-consumer waste – materials used in manufacturing.
- Post-consumer waste – materials discarded by the consumer.
Source: U.S. General Services Administration