Waste Away Group Blog

With so many things in our lives being made of one type of plastic or another, it’s important to understand what these different plastics consist of and if they are able to be recycled.  Toys, packaging, electronics, and even cars almost always have some type of plastic in them.  Are they all recyclable? Unfortunately, no.

If you have read any of my previous writings, you would see that I’m quick to acknowledge an
accomplishment. I could only wish that I was smart enough to “coin a phrase” or come up with
some “catchy idiom” or “pithy maxim” that would be used in our everyday English language.
Well, until that happens (and I’m not holding my breath), I shall do just as Samuel Adams
suggests in his October 29th, 1777 writing, “Give credit where credit is due.” So, again, I will…

Considering that recycling bins and carts around our neighborhoods always seem to be full, and recycling drop-off locations are brimming with newspapers, cardboard and all kinds of other recyclable materials we have successfully saved from the landfill, you would think that the recycling rate in America would be quite high, right?  Not really.

Historically, the phrase “The 3 Rs” meant Reading, wRiting, and aRithmetic.  The basis on which all other schoolwork, and life for that matter, was going to be based.

In more recent years the 3 Rs became the 4Rs as awareness and emphasis on recycling, preservation, and conservation grew. Not to say, however that the original basis doesn’t still hold some validity.  Reading, writing, and math are still stressed in school systems, as well they should be.
As the 4Rs make their debut in the everyday language of Americans, “they are commonly summarized as... reduction, reuse, recycling and recovery.*

In discussing the subject of recycling, we’ve touched on what can be recycled, what can’t be recycled, why we recycle, and so on….all of the pertinent information on recycling.  Or have we?  We could talk about all of those topics all day long, but one of the biggest challenges our society faces is how to get people to recycle.

Each element of a company is essential to keeping it running smoothly and efficiently.  Accounting, Human Resources, Customer Support, Sales, etc.  No matter the type of company, each department by itself is necessary, but nothing if left to run by itself.

Is Styrofoam recyclable since it has a recycling symbol on it?  Has this question crossed your mind?  Styrofoam is actually a genericized brand name for the actual material called polystyrene.  Polystyrene containers do have a recycle symbol in it, but very few recycling centers accept it.  There are a couple reasons for this.  Polystyrene is such a light material and, since raw commodity recycling is purchased by the ton, its market value is less than other commodities. It may be more profitable in extremely large quantities, but usual amounts produced by residential recycling collection has very little demand as a recycled product. It can, however, be made into products like insulation and packing material.

We’ve talked about throwing trash into the landfill.  We’ve talked about recycling.  But what do we do with items that we don’t put in either place? Toss it out the window?  Throw it on the sidewalk?  Well, “75% of Americans Admit to Littering within the last 5 years.”*  The fact that 3 out of 4 people admitted to doing something my 4-year old knows not to do is very alarming.

We’ve all heard of recycling in one context or another, but not many of us really know what spurred on this environment saver.  On March 22, 1987, “it started when the Long Island town of Islip, overcome by its own refuse, shipped 3,168 tons of it down the Atlantic coast, with a plan to dump it in some farmers’ backyards. But North Carolina turned the barge away, as did Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, Texas and Florida; Mexico and Belize sent out their militaries to keep the barge offshore. The barge returned and spent the summer stinking up New York Harbor.... Six months after its sorry tale began, the barge finally unloaded at a Brooklyn incinerator. The story turns uplifting only after it ends: the incessant news coverage helped inspire Americans to pay more attention to their trash, ushering in the recycling era.”* 

The real question is this….in very competitive and ever-changing times, is today’s business expected
to have an attitude of civic governance and social participation, especially when the economic climate
exists as it does right now? Hopefully, the answer still is, “Yes, if at all possible.”