Solid gains in bottle to bottle recycling
Closed-loop, bottle-to-bottle recycling is taking a big leap forward in a Canadian town called Shelburne, some 60 miles north of Toronto.
That’s where Ice River Springs, a bottled water company headquartered in Feversham, Ontario, is converting an industrial building into a PET recycling plant. This makes Ice River Springs the first bottled water company in North America to self-manufacture its own resin.
Is Recycling Enough?
If asked, most of us would agree that recycling is the right thing to do. From a logical point of view it makes perfect sense to reuse the earth’s precious limited resources as many times as possible before disposing them into the abyss of our landfills. I grew up during the 70’s and remember quite fondly the recycling efforts from the campaigns of “Don’t be a Litter Bug” and the American Indian shedding a tear while overlooking the polluted landscape. Those TV commercials ingrained in me the message to leave everywhere I go cleaner than how I found it.
Recycling Tips…
Wondering what to do with your old batteries or extra cans of unused paint taking up space in the garage? Resist the temptation to toss them in the trash. The reason: They (and everything on the list below) contain toxic chemicals capable of contaminating the environment if not disposed of properly.
Recycling: Where to Start
WHERE TO START:
- The materials that recycling centers accept vary from region to region, so check your municipality’s website or phone book for details.
- Earth 911 is the best place to find local recyclers, plus recycling news and advice.
- General recycling tips can be researched online.
- For unusual items, check out How Can I Recycle This?, which offers recycling tips for anything from karate belts to television wires.
- And don’t forget that recycling can earn you some cash in certain states.
- Some items should not be recycled as they do more harm than good. The list includes pizza boxes, wet paper, and more.
Recycling – Is it just a business?
This is a question that I’ve been mulling over for the past couple of weeks. Recently I’ve been reading books and articles that suggest that recycling is more of a business than an environmental solution. The articles claim that the majority of the recycling industry is not based on “helping the environment” but is about picking the easiest and largest money making bottles – #1 PET and #2 HDPE beverage bottles.
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