Sandhill Plastic

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ross_Bainbridge

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Strategies to Reduce the Environmental Impact of Plastics

1. Reduce the use
Source reduction Retailers and consumers can select products that use little or no packaging.  Select packaging materials that are recycled into new packaging.  If people refuse plastic as a packaging material, the industry will decrease production.

2. Reuse containers
Refillable plastic containers can be reused about 25 times, container reuse can lead to a substantial reduction in the demand for disposable plastic, lessening the use of  materials and energy, so it will reduce environmental impacts. Container designers will have to take into account the fate of the container beyond the point of sale and consider the service the container provides.

3. Require producers to take back resins
Get plastic manufacturers directly involved with plastic disposal and closing the material loop (Sandhill Plastics does this), which can stimulate them to consider the product’s life cycle from start to finish.  Making one size and one color container, collapsible containers, etc.   Container and resin makers can help develop the reprocessing infrastructure by taking back plastic from consumers.

4. Legislatively require recycled content
Requiring that all containers be composed of a percentage of post-consumer or post-industrial material can reduce the amount of virgin material used.

5. Standardize labeling, educating the consumer
Significantly different standardized labels for “recycled,” “recyclable,” and “made of plastic type X” must be made.

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5 Misconceptions about Plastics Recycling

# 1: Plastics that a consumer recycles get recycled. No, Not necessarily. Collecting plastic containers at curbside fosters the belief that, like aluminum and glass, the recovered material is made into new products.

# 2: Curbside collection, or collection anywhere, will reduce the amount of plastic landfilled.  Again, not necessarily.

# 3: A chasing arrows symbol means a plastic container is recyclable. The arrows aren’t always correctly stated. Every plastic container is marked with the chasing arrows symbol. The only information in the symbol is the number inside the arrows, which indicates the general class of resin used to make the container.

# 4: Using plastic containers saves energy. When you work the numbers, making plastic containers uses as much energy as making glass containers from virgin materials, and much more than making glass containers from recycled materials. Using refillables is the most energy saving.

# 5: Our choice is limited to recycling or wasting. Actually, reducing use is preferable for many types of plastic and is easy.  Opportunities include using refillable containers, buying in bulk, buying things that don’t need much packaging, and buying things in recyclable and recycled packages.

Sandhill Plastics is using the above for informational purposes only.

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The list of HDPE products could go on and on, but naming a few to look out for is listed below:

Milk Jugs (single largest use of HDPE)

Juice Containers

Water bottles

5 gallon Buckets

Household Chemicals Containers

Detergent Containers

Shopping Bags

Irrigation Pipe

Shipping Pallets

Crates

Smaller Pipes

Truck Bed Liners

Cutting Boards

Container Caps

Shampoo and Conditioner Bottles

Cosmetic contianers

Motor Oil Bottles

All of the above can be recycled and made into new products; at Sandhill Plastics, we buy the material from the recycler that is already ground in flake form.  Then, we complete the loop and make plastic sheets for endless uses.

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Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality announces over $1.9 million in grants awarded for recycling, clean-up projects, education programs and activities  as of January 20, 2010.

Mike Linder is the Director and stated, “Once again, the department received applications from many outstanding projects from across the state.”

Click below to see where the money is going:

http://www.deq.state.ne.us/press.nsf/3eb24ee59e8286048625663a006354f0/6f6251262979e6df862576b100500603?OpenDocument

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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kenny_Leones

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The following article was posted from a company in Charlottesville, VA.

http://rswa.avenue.org/closeloop.htm

Click on the above link to go their site for all information….

Many efforts already have been made to close the recycling loop. Manufacturers of consumer products are recycling impressive amounts of readily reusable products. About 27 percent of the nation’s newspapers, office paper, cardboard, aluminum, glass, and steel containers are being recycled. As consumer demand increases for recycled good and packaging, so will the amounts of aluminum, paper, steel, glass, and plastic being recycled.

Are You in the Loop?

How can you help close the recycling loop? Consumers must make an effort to close the loop by buying recycled. Consumers can demonstrate the importance of recycling to manufacturers by purchasing items made of or packaged in recycled materials. With this clear mandate from consumers, manufacturers will continue to buy and use recyclable materials.

Today recycling is on the agenda of nearly every major company in the nation. Product changes, research projects and pilot programs are starting almost daily. Consumers are the driving force in convincing manufacturers to expand their efforts to produce recycled products.

Be a Label Reader

Make an effort to look for recycling information printed on packages. In our quest for healthier foods, people are reading nutritional labels on packages. Let’s commit ourselves to reading environmental labels and to buying recyclable products,  recycled products and products packaged in recycled materials. You might be surprised to find that even with products you buy on a regular basis, you’ve been “buying recycled.”

A good place to begin is in the supermarket. Check labels on boxes of cereal, cookies and crackers for the recycle symbol. Check canned goods and food in glass containers. Check detergents and cleaning supplies in plastic containers. In fact, start checking all labels on all items you buy. You will uncover dozens of packages made from recycled materials.

Most manufacturers that use cans and glass in their packaging already use recycled materials. Some labels are small, some large. Some appear on side panels, others appear on flaps of a box or carton. Although there is no standard or universal symbol, many companies use three arrows forming a loop.

Searching For Products Made From Recyclable Materials

Packaging holds most of the clues for closing the recycling loop. But more and more actual products are being made from recyclables and packaged in recycled materials. Look for:

• writing paper, note pads, greeting cards, and other stationery supplies
• household paper products, such as paper towels and bath tissues
• products in recycled containers or packaging, such as canned goods, beverages and detergents
• carpeting
• tools
• plastic products, such as flower pots and fencing
• packing boxes
• rubber mulch made from recycled tires

Remanufactured products often cost less than new ones and often fit your needs. Look for:

• re-refined motor oil
• retread tires and automotive batteries

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Wastecap is a non profit organization that provides recyling services to Nebraska.

If you are looking to start a GREEN TEAM at your business- here is the place to go for info and help in succeeding.

Looking for a Grant for recycling?  Look no further!

Click here to go to their site with more information:

http://www.wastecapne.org/

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Benefits of Recycling (from Nebraska State Recycling)

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Explaining the Recycling Symbol
by Earth 911 on February 15th, 2008

You can find the chasing arrow symbol on many of your favorite products, issuing a call to action that you should recycle. But the symbol itself involves much more than just dropping off your products in a bin. [...]

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