Our Green Streets Blog

Styrofoam can be recycled

In spite of what many recycling proponents think, Styrofoam now has a place in the recycling supply chain, reports Fort Collins artist, Nancy Dobbs, who has been storing Styrofoam junk in hopes her wait would lead to getting the material recycled.  That was when she heard about one innovative company, ACH Foam Technologies, which ran a recycling operation from its corporate offices in Denver.

While Styrofoam may be regarded as a miracle substance for the packaging industry, it has long been considered a curse with no cure by recyclers and environmentalists due to an interminably long lifespan and its difficult fit in the recycling industry, where most regard it as nonrecyclable.

Thus Dobbs was happy to make the long drive south from Fort Collins with a carload of Styrofoam she had collected over the years. ACH indicated it was willing to receive the load, as long as it hadn’t been contaminated with food.

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Nick Mallos, a scientist from the Ocean Conservancy, joined on the expedition to the North Pacific Gyre.

Embarking on an important journey this past August, the Ocean Conservancy set sail with San Francisco-based Project Kaisei to expand its research and help with some cleanup on the massive trash vortex that exists in the North Pacific Gyre. Four boats joined in the journey, including a barge large enough to haul away some of the trash that was found in this “Great Pacific Garbage Patch.”

The North Pacific Gyre, an area between California and the Hawaiian Islands, happens to be where trash from around the world is trapped – much of it plastic – due to four converging ocean currents. Some estimates report the gyre is twice the size of Texas, others argue its size goes double that of the United States.

The actual size of the garbage patch is a great question, says Nick Mallos, Nick Mallos, a marine scientist and member of Ocean Conservancy’s marine debris program who joined the expedition. He describes the trash vortex as being more like an archipelago in character, with parts being clear ocean, while other parts are dense and deep with trash.

Mallos collects data on microplastics, parts that have broken from bottles and packages into very small pieces that almost resemble confetti.  “There was this shimmering gleam of color because the water column just below the surface was littered with these objects. I was just astonished,” says Mallos. “In certain areas, the top three to six feet of water is absolutely dense with these microplastics. If you wave your hand in the water, you come up with these fragments on your hands.”

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“ABOARD THE ALGUITA, 1,000 miles northeast of Hawaii — In this remote patch of the Pacific Ocean, hundreds of miles from any national boundary, the detritus of human life is collecting in a swirling current so large that it defies precise measurement.

Ocean trash has abundant plastic.

“Light bulbs, bottle caps, toothbrushes, Popsicle sticks and tiny pieces of plastic, each the size of a grain of rice, inhabit the Pacific garbage patch, an area of widely dispersed trash that doubles in size every decade and is now believed to be roughly twice the size of Texas. But one research organization estimates that the garbage now actually pervades the Pacific, though most of it is caught in what oceanographers call a gyre like this one — an area of heavy currents and slack winds that keep the trash swirling in a giant whirlpool…….. Read more of this >>

If you have wondered whether or not garbage patches, gyres, and trash vortexes exist in the oceans, read Ole Nielsen’s blog, OleLog.

North Pacific gyre source: OleLog

Nielsen reports: “Can you imagine what happens when marine garbage ends up in such a vortex? It will never leave it again, all plastic will circulate, new plastic come by and circulate. Ships continue dumping their garbage at sea, and you end up with the world’s biggest landfill in the Pacific Ocean.

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Read on from the monthly newsletter of Denver Recycles:

For many of us, spring is a time when we clean out our basements and garages. The act of spring cleaning is a great way to start anew; however it can also leave us perplexed as to what to do with the leftover fertilizers, pesticides, stains, varnishes and CFLs that we no longer need but know are not safe to throw in the trash.  Through its Household Hazardous Waste Collection Program, the City & County of Denver can help you safely dispose of chemicals and other household hazardous waste that you come across during your spring cleaning.

Residents of the City and County of Denver are eligible once per year for a free collection of household hazardous waste.  Residents may schedule a door-to-door collection at their home or in some unique cases, an appointment to drop off materials at the facility. Materials accepted through the program are: aerosols, automotive fluids (degreasers, oils, etc.), batteries, caulk, grout, cleaners and polishes (drain, oven, carpet, etc.), CFLs and fluorescent tubes, expired medications, fertilizer, garden chemicals, gasoline, fuel, kerosene, glue, hobby supplies, insecticides and poisons (bug spray, weed killers, etc.), lubricants, metal polishes, moth balls, paint, photography chemicals, sealants, stains and varnishes, solvents and thinners (turpentine, etc.), pool chemicals and thermometers. Read more of this >>

Although some are ready to proclaim the end of the non-biodegradable plastic bottle, some scientists take issue with the reality of such claims. Among those questioning PET biodegradability is Ramani Narayan, Michigan State University Distinguished Professor from the Department of Chemical Engineering & Material Science. Read more of this >>

It's about time for compostable food packaging! Source: Environmental Leader & Stalk Markets

For those of us who get sick of opening plastic packaging that has no hope for recycling or composting, or for the anything even remotely related to being biodegradable, good news is arriving on the news wire, according to Environmental Leader.

“StalkMarket Products, a provider of compostable tableware and food packaging, has unveiled what it calls the world’s first Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI) certified compostable Ingeo hot cup and lid system. BPI certification is based on standards set by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM).

“Replacing petroleum-based products with renewable materials, the containers are 100% compostable and are manufactured from Ingeo plant-based plastics from NatureWorks LLC.

“The containers meet the requirements of ASTM D6400 or ASTM D6868. The Planet+ line of compostable products withstand more than 200 degrees F of wet heat and compost in 60 to 90 days in commercial composting facilities, according to the Portland, Oregon company. Read more of this >>

Boulder, Colorado is home to the University of Colorado

Students at the University of Colorado are used to reaching environmental milestones. The first student-supported windpower program, first student-built biodiesel refining equipment, and the first student-run recycling program are just a few of CU’s national achievements. CU has just reached an important internal milestone however, by recovering the 500th cell phone from its collection program sponsored by the Wireless Alliance.

As director of CU Recycling, I believe this this is a significant accomplishment. And it represents the beginning of recovering more phones.  College students in particular generate a lot of phones because their coverage plan often changes when they move to Boulder. They also demand the latest technologies. As a result, students need to be the best recyclers in the country.

Numerous reports have been released about the lack of cell phone recycling that is really taking place. Some estimate that only a small percentage of cell phones are recycled in the US. According to CTIA, (Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association) the largest wireless trade association in North America, there are currently over 270,000,000 active cell phone plans in the United States. Yes, that’s 270 million, and there are currently just over 306 million people living in the United States. Looking at these numbers, it seems that everyone carries a cell phone today.

The University of Colorado Environmental Center has several locations to recycle cell phones: in the Alfred Packer Grill at the University Memorial Center, in the Darley Commons at Williams Village. Cell phones can also be taken to the Environmental Center, room 355 of the UMC.

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Good News from Denver Recycles:

Live Green Electronics Recycling Event
March 7, 2009
7:00 a.m. to noon

“Do your part to help the environment by recycling your old television, computer monitor and other used electronic equipment at the “Live Green Electronics Recycling Event” on Saturday, March 7th. This event provides a rare opportunity for residents to responsibly recycle old electronic equipment for FREE, thanks to generous sponsorships from LG Electronics, 9News, Comcast, Waste Management of Colorado, and the City and County of Denver. Electronics recycling is expensive and normal recycling costs average about $25 for a TV and $12 for a computer monitor.

“Responsible recycling of electronics helps to prevent lead and other chemicals from leaching into the groundwater and into our atmosphere. Televisions and computers monitors contain 4 to 8 pounds of lead each, as well as many other metals and toxic materials. Recycling old electronics also saves energy and valuable resources.

“Please note that you do not need to replace your television as a result of the February 17, 2009 switch to digital broadcasting. Only residents using an antenna with their television (either rooftop or “rabbit ears”) will be affected by this change and purchasing a converter box will prevent the need to replace a television. Televisions connected to Comcast cable, satellite or other pay TV services will not be affected. If you choose to replace your TV, take advantage of this one time opportunity to responsibly recycle for free.”

For more information and to find specific drop off locations visit www.9News.com and click on the Live Green section. For more information about recycling, visit www.DenverGov.org/DenverRecycles.

I came across this piece last night, published by the Raleigh News & Observer which paints a fairly bleak picture for the price of recycled materials in the near term:  

When the economy slows, consumers cut back on purchases, and in turn manufacturers ship fewer products. The demand for used corrugated cardboard, for example, drops. Corrugated cardboard, which is used to make packaging, brings about $25 per ton, one-fifth of the $125 a ton it brought in April.

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