Read the full story in the Chicago Tribune.

If you want to know what led a bunch of shivering teenagers to sort through the trash behind Prosser Career Academy one recent, icy day, try to get your head around this statistic:

Every day, kids in the Chicago Public Schools district throw out nearly a quarter of a million lunch and breakfast trays made of polystyrene foam. That’s more than 1 million a week, about 5 million a month.

And those trays are just the start of a river of trash from school meals that ends up in landfills, including nacho-stained containers, half-empty milk cartons, plastic cookie wrappers and plastic tubs that will sit in thick polyethylene bags for centuries without biodegrading.

The Prosser students, led by biology teacher Marnie Ware, found their Belmont-Cragin-area school created 1,500 pounds of cafeteria garbage a day over five periods, including breakfast.

Read the full story in Waste Age.

As the United States begins to emerge from a recession, and job creation steps into the forefront of the national discussion, state and federal legislators are focusing on industries with long-term growth potential. The electronics recycling market is growing, and the right federal e-waste legislation can stimulate “green collar” job creation. Therefore, current e-waste laws need to be analyzed for best practices, and a grading system must be put into place.

Read the full commentary in Waste Age.

You probably remember the movie “Field of Dreams.” It starred Kevin Costner as a farmer who believed that if he built a baseball stadium in the back forty, people would come to watch games. No market studies or economic analysis were needed. Just a cornfield and a dream.

Disposal bans follow a similar logic. Banning a material from disposal — be it grass clippings, a computer or plastic bottles — will cause a recycling system to immediately spring into place for those products. The banned material is now guaranteed a useful afterlife.

Of course, these bans are just an extreme form of the strategy employed by most state recycling laws. Those laws do a good job of creating supplies of materials but usually fail to create corresponding markets for them. However, disposal bans differ in that they have the ability to do far more harm than good. As a recent report by the Congressional Research Service (CRS), “Managing Electronics Waste: Issues with Exporting E-Waste,” shows, serious problems are created when well-intentioned people act without considering the consequences.

Read the full story at Earth911.

Batteries, batteries everywhere and…not a drop to drink?

Forgive the failed metaphor. The point here is that batteries, both the kind that you toss after one use (single-use batteries) and the kind you can reuse (rechargeables), are an everyday essential in countless applications. Remote controls, cordless phones, power tools, toys, handheld games, digital camera, flashlights, smoke detectors (you get the idea).

Unfortunately, with all this consumption comes a great deal of waste. Each year, Americans throw out almost 180,000 tons of batteries, with a majority of these being the single-use variety.

On the other hand, rechargeable batteries use is on the rise. In fact, the U.S. EPA estimates that more than 350 million rechargeable batteries are purchased annually in the U.S.

So, with our increasing need for portable power, which kind is the best for you? Is there a “better” battery?

Read the full story in Environmental Protection.

Pretreating polycarbonate plastic may be the key to disposing of bisphenol A (BPA) in an eco-friendly way, scientists have found. Their new study is in the American Chemical Society’s Biomacromolecules, a monthly journal.

Mukesh Doble and Trishul Artham note that manufacturers produce about 2.7 million tons of plastic containing BPA each year. Some studies have suggested that BPA may have a range of adverse health effects, sparking the search for an environmentally safe way of disposing of waste plastic to avoid release of BPA. Doble, Ph.D., is a professor in the biotechnology department at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras in Chennai, India.

Read the press release.

Depending on how they are handled, discarded electronic products and components – or e-waste, as they are collectively known – can represent either a major environmental dilemma or a massive potential economic windfall.

If treated properly, much e-waste may be reclaimed or recycled for future use and converted into a significant new revenue stream. Improperly treated e-waste, on the other hand, poses a massive threat to the world’s ecosystem and can result in contamination to the soil, air, and water, while also exposing workers, nearby residents, and wildlife to a multitude of health hazards.

A new market study by ABI Research, “e-Waste Recovery and Recycling,” forecasts that the worldwide market for e-waste recovery will grow from $5.7 billion in 2009 to nearly $14.7 billion by the end of 2014, representing a CAGR of 20.8% over the forecast period. This figure represents money generated through reclamation of valuable materials from e-scrap.

Read the full story at GreenBiz.

Moore Recycling Associates has updated and expanded its online directory for plastic scrap, PlasticsMarkets.org.

Read the news release.

Electronic waste, or “e-waste,” is a growing environmental and public health concern. The University of Idaho has taken a proactive approach to this issue, developing its own processes for proper disposal that ensure public safety, consumer health and fiscal responsibility.

Read the full story at SEEK.

Do you teach about the environment or health? If so, you can now access five new lesson plans developed by state agencies and business for grades 3 through 12 on various environmental topics. Lesson plans contain connections to Minnesota state science standards and the environmental literacy scope and sequence, along with links to additional related resources. Titles include Water Habitat Site Study, grade 5; Growing Germs in a Petri Dish, Grade 7; Ladybugs to the Rescue, Grade 3; The Business of Recycling, Grades 8-12 and Electricity and Energy Conservation, Grade 6.

Read the full story in Slate.

I wonder about this one when I’m sorting kitchen waste: If you don’t know whether something is recyclable, what’s the best approach? Is it better to put the inscrutable item in the blue recycling bin, or should you just throw it in the trash?

Read the full story at Mother Nature Network.

A war began this month, a war between two savvy generals — former allies turned rivals — vying to take the place of an old, creaky and formerly ruthless dictator grown lazy from decades of unfettered success and largess. The outcome of this war will change forever the way we gather, process and act on information. And the environmental consequences could be devastating.

Read the full story in Hazmat Management.

Waste Management, Inc., the largest waste services and recycling company in North America, has announced that its subsidiary WM Recycle America is implementing the Responsible Recycling (R2) Program for electronics recyclers. The R2 Program establishes a set of accepted practices that helps protect the environment and workers’ health and safety during the handling of e-waste, provides the ability for third parties to monitor activity and offers greater transparency in the fast-growing electronics recycling sector.

Read the full post at Earth 911.

Even though recycling has been around for decades, there’s still a great deal to learn about it. Especially as our focus on environmental issues as a nation continues to rise, our collective knowledge about sustainable options like recycling is more crucial than ever.

But let’s be honest for a moment: You can’t know everything. Maybe you know a bit, and maybe you want to know more, but knowing it all is a lofty goal to achieve.

So to be sure we addressed what you really want to know, we asked our Facebook Fans: What is your No. 1 question about recycling plastic?

We got some great questions from our Fans and answered them with our own knowledge and help from Keith Christman, managing director of plastics markets for the American Chemistry Council (ACC) and an expert in all things plastic.

Title: Selecting an Electronics Recycler, tips for local governments and small businesses
Date: Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Time: 10:30 AM – 11:30 AM CST
After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar.
System Requirements
PC-based attendees
Required: Windows® 2000, XP Home, XP Pro, 2003 Server, Vista

Macintosh®-based attendees
Required: Mac OS® X 10.4 (Tiger®) or newer

Join us for a Webinar on January 19 Space is limited. Reserve your Webinar seat now at: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/997398176

US EPA Region 5 will be hosting a webinar on how to select an electronics recycler.

End-of-life management of used electronics continues to be a challenge for many units of local governments and small businesses. Managing used electronics is often an overwhelming afterthought for many organizations. During this free one hour webinar attendees will learn:

• The case for recycling electronics
• About regulations that may apply to used electronics
• Tips on selecting an electronics recycler for your organization

Read the full story in E The Environmental Magazine.

It’s not much of a stretch to liken America’s relationship with cells phones to a once sizzling romance that ends in goodbye.

Fated love affairs typically begin with blind infatuation and fiery passion before reality sets in, cooling the embers enough to allow more guarded, sometimes less attractive aspects of the self to surface. Interest wanes until the love object is abandoned or replaced by an alluring new one.

Americans relate to cell phones in much the same way. An old phone, with once novel features that drew fascination, is discarded with hardly a thought when an updated model makes it seem obsolete. That consumers replace cell phones about every two years makes this analogy seem less silly.

A parallel can be drawn, too, between the innards of a cell phone and what is revealed when one person lets another peek inside: it’s not all pretty. Some nasty materials lurk behind the bright shiny casing, making cell phone disposal a knotty environmental issue, analogous to ending, with minimal damages, a relationship gone sour.

Read the full post at Earth 911.

Over the past three weeks, we have spoken with waste officials in more than 40 states while compiling Earth911’s Christmas tree recycling directory, and we noticed some reoccurring trends.

As you get ready to undeck the halls, here are a few helpful tips to guarantee your Christmas tree doesn’t end up in a landfill. Considering the EPA estimates 20 percent of our municipal solid waste is already organic, it’s worth the time to properly dispose of your tree.

Read the full post at Earth 911.

Best Buy is certainly a popular place this time of year as the demand for electronics continues to grow on holiday wish lists.

From the smallest notebooks to the latest LED high-definition flat screens, Best Buy is synonymous with new and high tech electronic gadgets. Shift your focus from the store shelves to the back rooms, however, and you may find museum-worthy televisions, old desktop computers and outdated cell phones.

The electronics giant began an in-store take back program earlier this year, offering consumers a convenient avenue for disposal and e-incarnation of their old gadgets, while mutually benefiting from the business the recycling traffic brings in.

Read the press release.

According to experts, most of us will generate 25 percent more waste during the holidays compared with the rest of the year—resulting in an extra 5 million tons of garbage.  To encourage consumers to “trim their trash” while trimming their trees, Plastics Make it PossibleSM, an initiative sponsored by the plastics industries of the American Chemistry Council, offers this holiday “how to” guide for reusing and recycling everyday plastics.

Read the full post at Design Sponge.

inspired by erik’s recycled wine bottle torches, lindsay and taylor from purr design decided to create these beautiful wine bottle vases in their home’s dining room. i love the way they set off the area with a painted square, and today you can learn their full how-to steps for the project! thanks so much to lindsay and taylor for sharing!

Read the full post at WiseBread.

I was a bank robber, the first Halloween I can remember. That involved carrying a burlap bag filled with stacks of newsprint “loot” over my shoulder, wearing a black turtleneck sweater like Illya Kuryakin wore in The Man from U.N.C.L.E., and — most memorably — sliding one of my grandmother’s worn out silk stockings over my head.

That memory (the last part, in particular) is etched upon my mind. And, my therapist says, no amount of counseling is ever likely to erase it.

Silk stockings are of course as long gone as my dear grandmother; truly sad to say, in both cases. But here are 20 creative ways to repurpose today’s worn out nylon pantyhose, even if you’re not planning to rob a bank.

Read the full post at MarthaStewart.com.

Turning an old T-shirt into a reusable shopping or grocery bag is a simple, clever craft to help everyone be “green.” It’s a Good Thing that will help protect the environment.

Read the full story at GreenerDesign.

Naya Spring Water will begin using bottles made from 100 percent recycled plastic this month in a move that illustrates the advances made in recycled-content packaging that will likely spread to other companies.

Read the full story at GreenerDesign.

Axion International Holdings is increasing the performance of its recycled plastic bridges with a contact from the U.S. Army to build two railroad bridges that can support 130 tons.

Axion will be building the bridges, which will be made almost entirely of recycled post-consumer plastic, at Fort Eustis in Virginia, the home of the US Army Transportation Corps. The bridges will be used for locomotives and freight traffic as part of military movements and base exercises.

Read the full story at GreenBiz.

The new SocialCycling program from DMD Green is an attempt to find uses for products and materials that aren’t handled by typical recycling systems.

DMD Green, an environmental and green business management consultant, says the program will find new uses for non-recyclable items like vinyl-coated fabrication materials.

The SocialCycling program, announced this month, will take post-consumer products and reclaimed material, collect them at a SocialCycling site, sort and separate materials, and then distribute them to converters and artisans that can use them to make new products.

On November 11th, 2009, at the I-Hotel and Conference Center in Champaign, IL, Willie Cade gave a lecture titled, “The Truth, Tragedy, and Transformation of E-Waste”.

Read the full story at Greener Computing.

We follow e-waste issues pretty closely here, because despite green IT’s huge potential for game-changing innovation, issues around the disposal of old gadgets represent the industry’s seamy underbelly.

So it’s always interesting when news about e-waste makes one of its occasional splashes into the news; when, after weeks of total or near silence about e-waste issues, you get a slew of headlines on the subject.

That’s been happening for the past week or so around these parts, as bad news crops up from a number of corners about e-waste, with just a small taste of some good news about how organizations are addressing it.

Read the full story at Earth911.

Yeah, it’s made of plastic and has a number, and OK, it’s technically recyclable. But while 80 percent of Americans have access to plastics recycling programs in some form, finding one that actually accepts our daily hard-to-recycle items is sometimes harder than we anticipate.

But instead of trashing that Best of the 80s CD case or those leftover packaging peanuts, consider reusing them in a fun, quirky way. Here are a couple of ideas to get you started.

Read the press release.

Tomra of North America, a wholly owned subsidiary of Tomra Systems ASA (TOMRA) and leading global provider of advanced recycling solutions, today announced that Fairfield University in Fairfield, Conn., has acquired four of TOMRA’s UNO recycling machines for use by students, faculty and visitors on campus. Students will be able to recycle glass, plastic and aluminum beverage containers in the “reverse vending” machines (RVMs); each container will redeem five cents.

Read the full post at Lifehacker. This probably also works with odd socks.

Don’t throw out single mittens when you lose their mate. Slip them over a pair of specs or sunglasses to protect them from scratches.

Read the full post at Green Inc.

From our colleagues at the Wheels blog:

Mercury, the only metal element that is liquid at standard room temperature, is notoriously hard to handle — in more ways than one. Until 2003, automakers used highly toxic mercury in switches that controlled trunk and under-hood lights, as well as antilock brake systems. Since then, carmakers have switched to benign alternatives, but an estimated 38 million mercury switches still remain in cars.

Read the full post at the Consumer Reports Electronics blog.

With early Black-Friday deals abounding, maybe you’re planning on getting some sleek, new electronic item to replace an old clunker. And you’re probably planning on heaving that old computer, TV, printer, or whatever to the curb, right? Do us all a favor and recycle it.

Read the full story in the Daily Illini.

Willie Cade, founder of PC Rebuilders and Recyclers, spoke at the I Hotel and Conference Center on Wednesday to inform people about e-waste and what can be done to collect and reuse it.

Cade emphasized the importance of reusing e–waste, or discarded programmable electric devices, to get their full potential. He compared a horseless carriage to a Ferrari to create a visual image for the group of about 200 attendants.

Read the full post at Treehugger.

Yesterday was America Recycles Day, which isn’t a bad thing as an idea — certainly, more recycling is better than less — but do we really need a day for it? Last year, Lloyd called recycling “bullsh*t” as a big picture solution, and reiterated it this year, and he’s right. Do we really need a day dedicated to reminding us to recycle? Isn’t it time to move beyond the inefficient model that supports single-use and disposable items like plastic bags and bottled water? Can’t we do better than this?

Read the full story at GreenBiz.

LG Electronics yesterday announced a new partnership with Waste Management that aims to keep thousands of now-outdated displays out of landfills.

The two firms are teaming up to recycle televisions and computer monitors from hundreds of hotels around the country, as the lodging industry embraces flat-panel and high-definition televisions for guestrooms; the two companies expect to collect and responsibly recycle thousands of displays during the first year of the partnership alone.

Read the full story at Mother Nature Network.

Plastic bags, the scourge of the environment, are flying high in Beijing, thanks to a retired engineer who is turning the waste into colorful kites.

Read the full story in Environmental Protection.

Government officials from across the country on Nov. 5 called on the electronics industry to withdraw its lawsuit against the New York City e-waste recycling law, calling the lawsuit a challenge to the rights of states and cities to pass producer responsibility laws that hold manufacturers accountable for their products.

In a letter to the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) and the Information Technology Industry Council (ITIC), who filed the lawsuit, state and local government representatives from 18 states expressed their continued support for laws that give the electronics manufacturers responsibility for financing effective takeback services for all the products they are selling in those states.

Via Docuticker.

Independent Survey of Communities Shows Recycling Access Widespread With Room for Growth
Source: American Beverage Association

The American Beverage Association (ABA) released today a report showing that nearly three in four Americans have access to curbside recycling programs – but the infrastructure is in place for millions more to gain access to this convenient and efficient form of recycling.

The report, prepared independently by the environmental firm R.W. Beck, found that an estimated 229 million Americans, or 74 percent of the total population, have access to some form of curbside recycling at home. The data was compiled through a broad national survey of local recycling officials. Curbside recycling makes it easier and more convenient for people to recycle — and thus more likely to recycle.

While widespread access to curbside recycling is encouraging news, the study underscores the great potential for up to 95 million more Americans to have regular curbside pickup of recyclables. For these Americans, the infrastructure is in place for curbside recycling if two barriers are removed: extending recyclables collection to all who currently have curbside trash pickup and lifting of recycling fees for those who have access to “subscription” curbside recycling service. For example, right now, an estimated 36 to 60 million residents currently have trucks come to their curb to collect their trash but not their recyclables. So the pieces are in place for those same trucks, or entities, providing the trash collection to all to collect recyclable materials at the curbside. Also, subscription services can often be a disincentive for people to participate in existing curbside recycling programs.

+ Full Report (PDF; 323 KB)

Via Docuticker.

Plastic Bottle Recycling Reaches Record High of Over 2.4 Billion Pounds Annually
Source: American Chemistry Council (ACC) and the Association of Postconsumer Plastic Recyclers (APR)

Plastic bottle recycling by consumers increased 75 million pounds in 2008 (up 3.2%), to reach a record high of more than 2.4 billion pounds for the year, according to figures released jointly today by the American Chemistry Council (ACC) and the Association of Postconsumer Plastic Recyclers (APR).

The 19th annual National Post-Consumer Plastics Bottle Recycling Report also found that the results reflect a continuing increase in the pounds of bottles collected for recycling each year since the industry survey began in 1990. The recycling rate for plastic bottles rose nearly 3 percent to reach 27 percent.
…
Over the last two decades, America’s plastics and recycling industries have invested over $2 billion in developing technologies and the infrastructure to recycle plastics in communities across the nation. Most recently, these efforts have focused on increasing awareness of recycling opportunities among consumers and expanding access to away–from–home recycling bins.

APR, which represents more than 90 percent of the postconsumer plastics recycling capacity in North America, has initiated a series of recycling workshops and webinars for recycling officials to help increase the volume of plastics available for recycling. In addition, APR works closely with packaging and consumer product companies on design for recycling of new containers and works with industry to minimize contamination of the recycling stream.

+ Full Report (PDF; 115 KB)

Read the full story at Mother Nature Network.

In a win for the environment, New York will expand its deposit laws to include water bottles starting Oct. 31. A five-cent surcharge will be added to the cost of each water bottle sold, which customers can then return to stores for a refund. About 80 percent of unclaimed deposits will go to the state as much-needed revenue, resulting in some $115 million annually.

Read the full story at Mother Nature Network.

Ever wonder what happens to a billboard after it’s been taken down? Assumed they just wound up in a landfill?

At CNN, the vinyl promotional campaigns are escaping the dump and finding new life as fashion accessories. The vinyl used for CNN’s outdoor billboards is being recycled into tote bags as the company transitions to digital boards. The idea came about as CNN developed its outdoor marketing campaign for Planet in Peril; the company did not want to just discard the vinyl once the campaign was finished. An intern (who later landed a full-time staff position) suggested the idea to reuse the boards.

Luther, Linda (2009) Managing Electronic Waste: Issues with Exporting E-Waste (October 7, 2009). Washington, DC : Congressional Research Service.

Summary: Electronic waste (e-waste) is a term that is used loosely to refer to obsolete, broken, or irreparable electronic devices like televisions, computer central processing units (CPUs), computer monitors (flat screen and cathode ray tubes), laptops, printers, scanners, and associated wiring. E-waste has become a concern in the United States due to the high volumes in which it is generated, the hazardous constituents it often contains (such as lead, mercury, and chromium), and the lack of regulations applicable to its disposal or recycling. Under most circumstances, e-waste can legally be disposed of in a municipal solid waste landfill or recycled with few environmental regulatory requirements. Concerns about e-waste landfill disposal have led federal and state environmental agencies to encourage recycling. To date, 19 states have implemented some form of mandatory e-waste recycling program. These state requirements, mixed with increased consumer awareness regarding potential problems with landfilling e-waste, have led to an increase in recycling. With that increase have come new questions about e-waste management. Instead of questions only about the potential impacts associated with e-waste disposal, questions have arisen regarding the potential danger associated with e-waste recycling—particularly when recycling involves the export of e-waste to developing countries where there are few requirements to protect workers or the environment. Answering questions about both e-waste disposal and recycling involves a host of challenges. For example, little information is available to allow a complete assessment of how e-waste ultimately managed. General estimates have been made about the management of cathode ray tubes (CRTs, the only devices where disposal is federally regulated), but little reliable information is available regarding other categories of e-waste. For example, accurate data regarding how much is generated, how it is managed (through disposal or recycling), and where it is processed (either domestically or abroad) are largely unknown. Further, little information is available regarding the total amount of functioning electronics exported to developing countries for legitimate reuse. What is known is that e-waste recycling involves complex processes and it is more costly to recycle e-waste in the United States, where there is a limited recycling infrastructure. It also is known that most consumer electronics manufacturers (who provide the market for material recovery from recycled electronics) have moved overseas. As a result, the majority of e-waste collected for recycling (either for reuse or recycling) appears to be exported for processing. Although there may be limited data regarding how e-waste is managed, the consequences of export to countries that manage it improperly are becoming increasingly evident. In particular, various reports and studies (by the mainstream media, environmental organizations, and university researchers) have found primitive waste management practices in India and various countries in Africa and Asia. Operations in Guiyu in the Shantou region of China have gained particular attention. Observed recycling operations involve burning the plastic coverings of materials to extract metals for scrap, openly burning circuit boards to remove solder or soaking them in acid baths to strip them for gold or other metals. Acid baths are then dumped into surface water. Among other impacts to those areas have been elevated blood lead levels in children and soil and water contaminated with heavy metals. The impacts associated with e-waste exports have led to concerns from environmental organizations, members of the public, and some Members of Congress.

Read the full story at Wisconsin Radio News.

Legislation designed to keep old TVs and computers out of landfills is on its way to the governor’s desk.

The Senate on Tuesday gave final approval to the bill, which requires electronics manufacturers to take a more active role in recycling their old products. Currently, Dan Kohler of Wisconsin Environment says many of those end up in landfills, with an estimated 10,000 tons worth of computer monitors and 24,000 tons of old televisions being dumped each year in the state.

Read the full story in the New York Times.

An antigarbage strategy known as “zero waste” is moving from the fringes to the mainstream, taking hold in school cafeterias, national parks, restaurants and corporations.

Read the full story in ComputerWorld.

Environmental groups like the Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition, Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace, among others, have been in the news lately, chiding gadget makers in general and Apple in particular for bad environmental policies. They’re bringing attention to the growing mountains of toxic PCs, cell phones, iPods and other electronics in landfills and pushing governments for “green” regulation.

This problem is real, and I applaud these and dozens of other organizations that are working to make a difference. But their prescriptions for consumer action — what they want you and me to do about e-waste — is actually bad for the environment. I’ll tell you why in a minute. I’ll also outline a superior alternative to the recycling they are demanding. But first, let’s review the problem.

Read the full story at GreenerDesign.

Since starting a program for recycling expanded polystyrene foam (more commonly, but not technically, called styrofoam), Pacific Seafood has recycled and sold more than 300,000 pounds of packaging material that it used to toss in the trash.

Via GreenBiz.

This report outlines the U.S. EPA’s list of best practices for companies that dispose of unwanted electronics; these guidelines can also be used as a procurement tool for companies seeking environmentally friendly electronics recyclers.

From the introduction to the report:

Customers want a simple means of verifying that an electronics recycling company is forthright and responsible about how it manages used and end-of-life electronic equipment. At the same time, responsible electronics recyclers want a means of highlighting their values and performance to customers.

The purpose of this document is to take a first step in addressing this situation –- to develop a commonly accepted set of R2 practices for the electronics recycling industry. Accredited certification programs — by verifying an electronics recycler adheres to these R2 practices — will enable customers to make better informed decisions and have increased confidence that their end-of-life electronic equipment will be dealt with in a responsible manner.

The R2 practices set forth herein are not legal requirements and do not replace electronics recyclers’ legal obligations. Electronics recyclers that adhere to this set of R2 practices are doing so on a voluntary basis. If a requirement of this document conflicts with an applicable legal requirement, the recycler must adhere to the legal requirement.

Read the Green, Inc. analysis of EPA’s new report, Opportunities to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions through Materials and Land Management Practices, which I posted about last week.

Read the full story at GreenerDesign.

Consumers are generally not deterred from buying products packaged in mixed-color recycled glass, according to a new U.K. study.

Press release sent to me via e-mail.

Coca-Cola is entering its seventh year as the presenting sponsor of The TOUR Championship, a tournament featuring the top 30 players in the PGA TOUR playoffs for the FedEx Cup and one of the most prestigious events in all of golf. This year’s tournament is held from Sept. 24-27, 2009 at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta.

As part of this year’s sponsorship, Coca-Cola has partnered with Atlanta-based Insignia Promotions to turn 20 oz. PET Coca-Cola bottles into recycled golf shirts that will be worn by all of the 1,300 tournament volunteers at the event. These RPET (Recycled Polyethylene Terephthalate) shirts contain fiber made out of post-consumer bottles and end up as a blend of 50% Waste Cotton and 50% Polyester. The RPET shirts were created as part of the initiative to deliver against a goal of 100% reuse of PET bottles put into the market by Coca-Cola. Following is the process that ends with seven 20 oz. bottles in each shirt:

1. Consumer recycles 20 oz. bottle
2. Bottle goes to recycling plant
3. Bottles get washed, separated and decontaminated
4. Caps are cut off of the bottle
5. Bottles get ground up into clean flakes
6. Flakes are weaved into a polyester yarn
7. Yarn is turned into fabric
8. Fabric assembled, cut and sewn
9. Manufactured PET garment sent ready for volunteers to wear

**The shirts have passed a RPET certification and verification process.

In addition to all volunteers wearing RPET shirts, extensive recycling efforts will be conducted throughout The TOUR Championship Presented by Coca-Cola – including more than 200 recycling bins and specific receptacles for recyclable bottles placed throughout East Lake Golf Club, as well as messaging at concessions areas, restrooms and VIP hospitality areas.

Additional Coca-Cola Recycling Initiatives:

In January of this year, Coca-Cola opened the world’s largest bottle-to-bottle recycling plant in Spartanburg, S.C. The plant is capable of producing approximately 100 million pounds of recycled PET plastic each year — the equivalent of nearly two billion 20 oz. Coca-Cola bottles. Over the next 10 years the plant will prevent the release of one million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions — the equivalent of removing 215,000 cars from the road.

**The Bureau Veritas Group conducted an audit to confirm the fabric truly contains post-consumer PET bottles. To certify the facility and the products for the Coca-Cola RPET program, the certification process started three months prior to manufacturing. Facility certification must be conducted on a two-year cycle, however, each product is approved separately and the RPET shirts that all 1,300 volunteers will be wearing at THE TOUR Championship were certified on April 23, 2008. For more info on The Bureau Veritas Group visit http://www.bureauveritas.com.

Contact:

George Fiddler
Fast Horse
612-751-4904
georgef@fasthorseinc.com

There is much potential to reduce the nation’s greenhouse gases through recycling, waste reduction, smart growth, and by reusing formerly contaminated sites including brownfields.

EPA’s report Opportunities to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions through Materials and Land Management Practices finds that 42 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions are influenced by materials management policies. This includes the impacts from extracting raw materials, food processing, and manufacturing, transporting, and disposing of products. Another 16 to 20 percent of emissions are associated with land management policies. That includes emissions from passenger transportation, construction, and from lost vegetation when greenfields are cleared for development. In addition, the equivalent of 13 percent of U.S. emissions is absorbed by soil and vegetation and can also be protected or enhanced through land management policies.

Some of the materials and land management activities that have the potential to decrease emissions include:

• reducing the use of non-packaging paper products
• increasing municipal recycling, and recycling of construction and demolition debris
• reusing land, including redevelopment of formerly contaminated lands
• reusing formerly contaminated lands for renewable energy development
• encouraging smart growth

The report suggests that land management and materials management approaches should be part of the nation’s toolbox to meet the target of an 83 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

More information on the report: http://www.epa.gov/oswer/publication.htm