Children around the world delight in the wonder that toys bring to their lives. Who can’t remember their favorite childhood toy? I suppose it is this nostalgic wonder that makes gifting a toy so heartfelt. During the holiday season toys abound. But where do many toys end up after the novelty wears off? Are you visualizing toys strewn throughout the house, stashed in the garage, or stuffed under the car seat along with remnants of birthdays and shopping trips past? Actually, within 3 months of receiving a toy, 41% of toys are broken and most end up in the trash. Ending up in the trash, means ending up in a landfill! (more…)

Getting a school recycling program off the ground seems like an easy task, but all sorts of issues can arise. To help make your effort seamlessly implementable and successful, I’ve put together a few pointers (or at least a few questions you can hash over) before you start. (more…)

Plastic as a Recycling Foundation

Is the time right for MRF World to take plastics more seriously? Should plastics be at the forefront of curbside recycling? Just as co-mingling of recyclables has made collection at curbside easier, the co-mingling of information on recovered materials may provide some answers. Trust me. We are not mixing apples and oranges; the markets do share some interesting parallels. (more…)

If your municipality does not offer curbside pick up for lesser recycled plastics, like PP(#5) or PS(#6), phone the depot’s office and ask where you can recycle them. Many times the town right next to yours accepts different recyclables. If you live in a city, chances are the recycling office can tell you where such plastics may be publicly collected.

Recycling household plastic containers can be a challenging endeavor. Since all plastics are not alike, we need to know which types of plastics our municipality accepts for recycling. Hair care products, beverages, laundry detergents, yogurts, margarines, salad dressings, frozen dinners, household cleaners, condiments, pet foods, body lotions … (you name it) are available in plastic containers. Since different plastics have different properties, the containers we so enthusiastically recycle often contain more than one type of plastic. Plastic properties such as strength, toughness, flexibility, barrier to moisture or gas, and melting point are all important factors which help to maintain the integrity of packaged goods. Piling these unlike containers together for recycling can be a problem not only for our local municipal recycling depot but for the commercial reclaimer who ultimately melts and reforms these containers. (more…)