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.

ACH,  a leader in expanded polystyrene (EPS) industry, manufactures products for construction, geotechnical, packaging, and industrial applications. ACH reports that many of its products can be easily recycled to make new EPS products, or thermally processed to be turned into other plastics materials.

Styrofoam packaging Photo: ACH

As it turns out, some methods of recycling Styrofoam have been going on since 1991, when the Alliance of Foam Packaging Recyclers (AFPR) was formed. This organization represented some 80 companies in the expanded polystyrene (EPS) industry. Since that time, AFPR has expanded to facilitate the development of recycling and awareness communications and programs.

“The possibilities are limitless,” says ACH’s website “Our products have virtually unlimited design flexibility and can be easily customized. This design flexibility means our products can be used in almost any industry and for a wide variety of applications.”

Polystyrene does not fit very well in the category of sustainability, however, it sounds far better if it can be recycled and remanufactured into useful products. In this video,  Mike Hagood, Walmart senior director of innovations, believes the practice fits quite well with his company’s push for sustainability.

This additional video is available for those wishing to see one part of the Styrofoam remanufacturing process.

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.”

A sample of the ocean debris collected by Project Kaisei Photo: Project Kaisei

Joining on the expedition was Project Kaisei, an ongoing ocean cleanup initiative of Ocean Voyages Institute that tested ways to remove plastic from the ocean and find alternative uses for the trash. Since 1986, over 7.8 million volunteers have removed and documented 135 million pounds of debris threatening our ocean, lakes and rivers.

The 2010 expedition set out with a small fleet of three to four boats, including a barge, which will allow the team to bring back much larger amounts of debris than in the previous 2009 expedition. The team looked at remediation techniques, which include turning plastic into fuel, or other products, which can create a value for what is being removed from the ocean surface. The team also tested scaled-up trash catch methods. The report will be published in early 2011.

One goal of the expedition: to bring together new technologies, innovations, and capabilities that can both help clean some of the plastic debris from our ocean, as well as prevent it from entering in the first place.

In the course of four days through a part of the garbage patch, Mallos reports he and the team counted over 16 thousand pieces of micro plastics that were visible in a 10-meter swath in front of the boat. Plastics represented 95 percent of the junk they found. Mallos points out that the entire issue of human trash in the ocean is a challenging undertaking for the world population.

” As consumers, we need to systematically reevaluate our daily behaviors, and make choices like drinking from reusable bottles, eliminating our use of one-time shopping bags, and recycling,” Mallos says. “The sea of debris I confronted in this remote part of the ocean underscores the global nature of the problem and its magnitude. We need to devise a collaborative effort that incorporates consumers, businesses, manufacturers, and government. Together, we can craft marine debris solutions to mend our periled ocean ecosystem.”

We hope many pass on word of this endeavor.

“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……..

“Plastic is the most common refuse in the patch because it is lightweight, durable and an omnipresent, disposable product in both advanced and developing societies. It can float along for hundreds of miles before being caught in a gyre and then, over time, breaking down.

“But once it does split into pieces, the fragments look like confetti in the water. Millions, billions, trillions and more of these particles are floating in the world’s trash-filled gyres.”

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.

“It has been given different names like the “Western and Eastern Pacific Garbage Patches”, sometimes collectively called the “Great Pacific Garbage Patch”, the “Pacific Trash Vortex”, or for short the “Plastic Vortex”. The garbage patches present numerous hazards to marine life, fishing and tourism. Plastic constitutes 90 percent of all trash floating in the world’s oceans. The Eastern Garbage Patch floats between Hawaii and California and is first and foremost a Pacific island of rubbish twice the size of Texas and created from six million tonnes of discarded plastic. In the peer review journal, Marine Pollution Bulletin, Charles Moore estimated the plastic mass in the Pacific Gyre to be six times that of plankton.

“In June (10 June to 25 July 2009) a high-seas mission departs from San Francisco to map and explore the Pacific Garbage Patch. Scientists and conservationists on the expedition will begin attempts to retrieve and recycle this ugly monument to throwaway living in the middle of the North Pacific. With a crew of 30, the expedition, supported by the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and Brita, the water company, will use unmanned aircraft and robotic surface explorers to map the extent and depth of the plastic continent while collecting 40 tonnes of the refuse for trial recycling.

“Bottle caps, plastic bags and polystyrene floating with tiny plastic chips, worn down by sunlight and waves, disintegrates into smaller pieces. Suspended under the surface, these tiny fragments are invisible to ships and satellites trying to map the plastic continent. The damage caused by these tiny fragments is more insidious than strangulation, entrapment and choking by larger plastic refuse. The fragments act as sponges for heavy metals and pollutants until mistaken for food by small fish. The toxins then become more concentrated as they move up the food chain through larger fish, birds and marine mammals.”

We hope posts such as the one above from Mr. Nielsen helps end such wasteful, polluting nonsense.

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.

To schedule a collection appointment, please call 1-800-HHW-PKUP (1-800-449-7587).  Please note that you must have at least three different types of items or 25 pounds of materials to schedule an appointment.  Home collections are limited to the contents of the supplied collection kit bag (approximately 12-gallons of materials based on container size) and drop-off collections are limited to 125 pounds.  Additionally, up to 5 auto batteries and a total of 5 fluorescent bulbs (tubes and CFLs) can be included with a collection.  If you have household hazardous waste in excess of 12 gallons or 125 pounds and are willing to pay for its collection, you should speak to the hotline operator about that when you call to make your appointment.

For more information on the Household Hazardous Waste Collection Program call 3-1-1 or visit  DenverGov.org/DenverRecycle

He wrote an article worth reading in the January 09 issue of bioplastics MAGAZINE.

We are not at liberty to quote here because we are not subscribers. However, the article is very much worth reading. It can be obtained in the news archives of the Biodegradable Products Institute, dated March 11, 2009.

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.

“As more companies implement green practices, there is a growing need for sustainable packaging. Food companies that have recently switched to compostable packaging include Gingerbread Folk, Twinings, KFC and Haigh’s Chocolates.”

We hope to see many more companies joining this list. Other companies might take this example seriously, especially electronics manufacturers. I had to struggle opening a damnable plastic package containing a wireless mouse. Not only is the experience of opening packages like this enough to set one cursing, knowing that the opened package has only one destination left — the landfill — is reason for grieving.

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.

“We are proud to partner with The University of Colorado to help create a cleaner environment at the school,” said Jon Newman, Owner of The Wireless Alliance. “Every cell phone reused or recycled is one less created or thrown away which also reduces environmentally destructive metals mining practices,” said Newman.

Cell Phone manufacturing companies are now releasing phones made with recycled materials. Earlier this month, Motorola released the W233 Renew, the world’s first carbon neutral cell phone. The casing of the cell phone is made from recycled plastic bottles.

For more information about CU Recycling, visit www.colorado.edu/recycle

For more information about the the Wireless Alliance, visit www.thewirelessalliance.com

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.

Glen Stubbe / MCT

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.

That’s a considerable drop, and I think it’s emblematic of the complexity involved in a lot of the issues raised by our declining economy.  I mean, less waste in the system is one silver lining to the downturn, but I find it ironic that the ensuing decline in demand for recycled materials by the packaging industry might actually lead many municipalities to drop their curb-side recycling programs.  We should all be speaking up and taking action at the local level to try to ensure that such cutbacks aren’t made without exhaustive discussion of all the consequences.

There are other lessons here as well.  Take this for instance:

“…Recycling plants in the Southeast, while affected by the worldwide slowdown, are doing better than those elsewhere in the country because there are more manufacturers in the region that use their recycled material.

“We have a lot of paper mills in the Southeast that recycle paper,” [North Carolina recycling coordinator Scott] Mouw said. “Some of the largest aluminum plants that use recycled aluminum are here. We’re not quite as dependent on foreign markets.”

This seems like the manufacturing equivalent of “buy local,” doesn’t it?  It makes sense for industry that can make use of recycled materials to locate next to the recyclers of such material.  Such synergies should be supported by all who share our planet.  

Scott Mouw goes on to say ”recycling tends to be one of those things that tends to be looked at as a luxury.”  Frankly I’m afraid that he might be right, and yet that possibility really frightens me.  Recycling as a social virtue must not fall by the wayside, the victim of some misguided “cost saving measure.”  We’re past the point of the “recycling-as-luxury” argument.  We need to understand recycling as a civic responsibility if we’re to leave anything of worth to future generations.