Waste Away Group Blog
What are packing peanuts made of?
Polystyrene-based packing peanuts were invented in 1965 and have been used ever since…and can be used over and over again. Packing peanuts were originally made of foam, but since the 1990s there have been more “green” ingredients used such as corn or grain sorghum.
Christmas decorations account for over half of seasonal decorations sales at 58.9% of total industry revenue. With this many decorations sold, a percentage of these sales will certainly be for Christmas lights. What should be done with these strands of lights when they burn out?
What are padded mailing envelopes made of?
The outside of padded envelopes, or padded mailers, can be made of heavy paper, paperboard or corrugated fiberboard.
These are recyclable materials if they were recycled as a stand-alone item. It’s when they are fused with padding material that their ability to be recycled becomes more difficult to discern.
Along with the wonderful time spent with special people comes a lot of trash....to the tune of about 1 million tons per week between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day.
Added food waste, shopping bags, packaging, wrapping paper, bows and ribbons all add up to an estimated increase in household trash of about 25 percent.
In an age of plenty, what do you get someone for a birthday or Christmas? A gift card, of course. But what are they made of? What do I do with them after I use them?
For several years we have heard the term “biodegradable” and with the rise in awareness of “green” efforts and recycling, biodegradable materials and products have become even more important and in the forefront.
But what does “biodegradable” even mean? Biodegradable items are things that can break down into natural materials in the environment without causing harm. For example, a cardboard box can break down into naturally occurring elements that will seamlessly mix back into the earth. Most plastics do not break down in this manner, so we don’t consider them biodegradable.
Do you have political campaign signs in your yard? The ballots are in and election season is over – which means it’s time remove those signs. In fact, many cities have ordinances requiring political sign removal within seven to ten days after an election.
Yesterday was National Frappe Day and it got us thinking about the waste generated by the coffee-to-go industry. Spoiler alert: it’s a lot, so grab a cup of your favorite brew and let’s talk abo...
Today is "World Smile Day." This holiday was created by Harvey Ball - the artist who designed the iconic Smiley Face. The goal of the day is to ...
When I say the word recycling, what types of materials come to mind? Plastic? Aluminum? Paper? Water?.........Really, water? Water recycling is becoming more and more prevalent among recycling enthusiasts.
Getting people to buy in to the concept of water recycling is more difficult than it should be since we have literally been drinking and showering in recycled water for decades. Water is actually one of, if not the most, wasted natural resource, on the planet due to its abundance.