This past Sunday creator of Green News 4 U Mel Wylie interviewed our very own Teresa Clark, Co-founder of ENSO Plastics, LLC.

What is ENSO…How does ENSO work…& Why is the ENSO product different ?

These are just the surface questions that Teresa will be answering in the 14 th episode of Green News 4 U’s Podcasts. Listen to the podcast here!

With the array of misconceptions the “earth friendly” plastics industry current holds, Green News 4 U’s Mel Wylie was determined to get the facts. Being an avid environmental guru, Teresa was able to clearly educate listeners with the facts…no green-washing here. Mel also took the time to get Teresa’s views on some of the most controversial cultural plastic debates of the moment. Some of the topics covered in this podcast include the single use plastic bag debacle, chemicals leaching into water of plastic bottles, proper packaging labeling and much, much more.

Go ahead and check out the podcast here to see how Teresa answered all of green news 4 u’s questions! Let us know what you think of the podcast in the comment box below, and don’t forget to share this blog with your friends.

If you like this podcast be sure to keep up with Green News 4 U’s via facebook & twitter

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Capitol Hill

I recently had the pleasure of going back east to DC involving meetings on Capitol Hill where the discussion of biodegradable materials in the recycling stream was the main focus. After the representative from a recycling organization gave his presentation, I then gave mine. We were perceived to be in opposite corners, so we were asked to speak in the same meetings so as to address any clarifying questions that might have come up after our presentations. It dawned on me that this perception brought on by the recycling organizations (APR and NAPCOR) are in actuality NOT TRUE!

Truth

ENSO and the recycling community are very much in alignment with the goal of saving our natural resources as long as possible. When ENSO embarked on the overwhelming mission to eliminate plastic pollution from our planet, we had recyclers and their processes as the #1 consideration-everything we came up with had to pass the scrutiny of the question, “does this material have any adverse effect on the recycling stream.” Many years and engineering feats later, we did it!!! We have had dozens of recyclers (or reprocessors) test and actually run the ENSO material through their process to see if there are any issues with the ENSO plastic. With no exception, 100% of them have indicated that they would never know it was an ENSO bottle if we have not told them. Scientifically, that has to be true because our mix does not even chemically bond with the plastic it is being mixed with.

Recycling & Pollution

ENSO and the recycling community are very much in alignment, so much that we feel we are at stake with their success -the recyclers are in a tough market currently, as it seems they are being diminished on every turn. They are not allowed to participate in decisions regarding innovations to help the environment, but rather are left to deal with the new materials as they show up in their processing. Some of the reprocessors are worried about staying in business because of the issues arising from trying to sort out extremely incompatible materials like PLA (corn based plastic) from their PET bottle stream. They have indicated to us that they literally cheered because an environmental plastic was made that did not affect their bottom line by contaminating their recyclate material. Daily, companies using plastic are getting increased pressure to “stop polluting the environment”. For instance, almost daily I see news about plastic bags being banned around the world. And although the blame should not rest solely on manufacturing, something HAS to be done. We need to demand a new attitude towards the use of plastic. ENSO is a real and tangible solution to not only keep recycling intact, but also do much, much more. Globally, the human race is only recycling 5% of all plastics…think about that for a minute. Since when did you ever accept a 5% success rate as a viable solution under any circumstance? Could you imagine an oil spill clean-up effort saying, “Welp, we’ve cleaned up 5% of the spill, the rest well act as if there is no issue.” Yet it is happening right before our eyes when it comes to addressing the end of life issue of plastics. Why not make plastics biodegradable so when they are thrown into a landfill, they can contribute to the growing practice of creating clean energy from landfill natural gas? Renewable, green, clean, smart…intelligent -all describe this value proposition! Companies using it, and handling it will also add the description, “profitable” –but that’s their little secret.

ENSO

Our message is clear, “recycle ENSO plastic wherever, and whenever you can. But if you fail, (and there is a 95% chance of that happening), know that you are still in harmony with our planet because this plastic will biodegrade naturally utilizing the earths microorganisms (microbes).” The environmental issues surrounding plastic use are rising, not decreasing. People that recycle, will always recycle-they will not change their values to all of a sudden become “litter bugs”, because something is recyclable and biodegradable. A national poll done on our behalf supports this, and also says that 61% of America believes it is more important to have plastic biodegradable than recyclable. Also, recycling will not rid the planet of plastic pollution, just delay the fact that inevitably everything plastic will end up in a landfill. ENSO says that we can have both, and if you are a consumer, you should demand both, and if you are a manufacture, you would do well offering both. What more can manufactures do? (They have already reduced our plastics down to where the next step for a bottle is a zip lock bag!) The answer? Companies and brands can get smart and innovative. Doing this now creates opportunity for growth in market share because they are seen as smart and innovative, and consumers like both to have that coveted loyalty. We can have recycling and ENSO’s solution to long term plastic pollution a complimentary package to bridge the battle between pro-environment vs. plastic use. My mom called that, “having your cake, and eating it too.” We each might be required to pay a penny or two extra per bottle for this added environmental value, but with the way things are going right now with all of the plastic building up on our lands and seas -“do the math” is another momism that is very appropriate. - Del Andrus

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I was suffering so badly from BBA that I didn’t know what to toss into my blue bin…I’d even gotten a letter from my trash collection company warning me that I was about to lose my Blue Barrel privileges. Don’t be disheartened, I’ve discovered the cure for BBA. It turns out that by educating oneself, BBA can be reduced and more importantly for me, no more letters.

I set up a tour to my local recycling center. WARNING and DISCLAIMER: Prepare yourself, seeing firsthand what becomes of the things you put into your recycle bin may shock you. Perhaps you might consider taking a friend or the entire family for moral support. You’re going to need it.

How did my tour go? Well it wasn’t what I expected. The facility I went to gave the tour from an enclosed area where we observed the process through glass windows. We didn’t hear much of the noise or enjoy the smells. The room we were in was equipped with a room deodorizer that periodically shot a mist on the air which covered up any noxious odors. I wondered what was in the deodorizer and why suddenly I was feeling a lot of love for all those recyclers working the picking line, hmmmmm.

Anyway… the thing that got most my attention was the amount of “recycled” items that aren’t recycled. A lot of the stuff…most of the stuff, we put into our recycle bins isn’t recycled, it is disposed of in the landfill. I was a little taken aback and somewhat hurt that all the plastic, cans, and containers that I had rinsed and carefully placed into my recycle bin were being treated like garbage and I was wondering why?

The tour guide must have seen the questions in my eyes…I heard the mister spray again and the love return. The tour guide went on to explain that recycling, while being good for the environment is in the final analysis a business activity. Items we toss that don’t have market value are stored or sent on to the landfill. Most of what I saw being saved was plastic containers and cardboard, so I assumed most of the unwanted material became garbage. The tour guide went on to say, “When something has value or there is a market for a recycled item it is captured, bundled and sold.” I pointed out a bin filled with glass bottles and I asked our tour guide why they weren’t recycled? His answer was that it’s cheaper to make new glass than recycle. I was becoming educated and my BBA was starting to ease. I learned that recycling is about money, at least here in the U.S. it is, and until there is a demand for recycled glass or the price of virgin glass goes up….it’s off to garbage land with used glass.

It turns out that U.S. Recyclers are very picky about what they want and are only willing to spend the time, labor and money on items that can easily and quickly be captured from the recycle stream. In other countries recycling has taken on a whole new meaning. I recently read about another country where even a tennis shoe is dismantled for the metal, leather and rubber. Is that cost effective? Probably not, but those countries are coming closer to a sustainable life style than we are. The tour was an eye opener and it got me to questioning if there was any real value to recycling here in the U.S., or was it all just a way to make money, appearing to be environmental?

Organizations that promote and support recycling here in the U.S. need to do more toward developing new markets for the goods we now toss into our landfills. Most of their efforts are spent on maintaining the status quo of recycling and they don’t take kindly to anyone rocking the garbage boat.

Public awareness and acceptance for environmental programs continues to grow and recycling organizations need to embrace environmentalism and its potential benefits. The U.S. needs to follow the lead of countries that have successful recycling programs, programs that are reclaiming up to 75% of waste materials. Recyclers need to get away from the idea that recycling is just a for-profit business and begin to look at recycling as the anchor for all our environmental programs.

Use, reuse, recycle and reclaiming are all about sustainability; it should become the mantra of all businesses and consumers. We need to rethink how our products and packaging are designed, used and when the life of a product is over how the resource is reclaimed. Sustainability is important for our future and it’s the only way we will be able to ensure a healthy planet and that resources will be available for future generations.

Blue Barrel Anxiety
by
Max Clark

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Image by Aeropause

Standing at the grocery store checkout, realizing you forgot your reusable shopping bags, or if you did remember them, you don’t have enough, you’re faced with the decision: paper or plastic? First, you’re momentarily overcome with pangs of guilt; second, the inner dialogue commences. You’re a deer in the headlights, frozen, afraid to make a move.

There’s a lot of confusion surrounding the Great Bag Debate, much of it perpetuated by misinformation, common assumptions, and a whole lot of greenwashing. For years, it was thought that the better choice for the environment was paper, but it turns out that paper and plastic bags are just about equal in pros and cons. They both use resources, cause pollution, and generate many tons of waste that more often than not, ends up in the landfill.

To further complicate the conundrum, there is more than just paper and plastic to consider these days; plastic alternatives, including corn-based PLA, and landfill biodegradable plastics are commonly being used in packaging. As eco-conscious consumers, which bag do we choose, and how can feel good about our choice?

The Resources and Energy Pitfall

Myth #1: Paper is made from a renewable resource, so it must have a lower impact.

The first part of this statement is true, but in fact, paper production deals a double blow when it comes to climate change and environmental impact. First, forests are cut down, removing trees that absorb greenhouse gases and convert it into oxygen (not to mention the other impacts on wildlife and ecosystems in general); in 1999, more than 14 million trees were cut down to produce the 10 billion paper bags consumed in the U.S. alone. Second, manufacturing paper from pulp takes a tremendous amount of energy, and because paper is relatively heavy, it takes a lot of fuel to transport the finished product.

How does this compare with the plastics? Of course, there are impacts associated with the extraction of petroleum (just look at the Gulf), but it turns out that the actual production of plastic bags releases about 92% fewer emissions into the atmosphere than paper bag production, and requires about Plastic bags also weigh significantly less than paper, requiring less fuel to get them from point A to point B.

What About Waste

Myth #2: Paper breaks down in the landfill faster than plastic, so it must be the better choice.

Image by greenismyfavoritecolor.net

It turns out that under standard landfill conditions, paper does not degrade any faster than plastic. Even newspaper can take years to break down; newspapers excavated from one New York landfill were mostly intact after 50 years, and another in Arizona was still readable after 35 years. Indeed, the largest percentage of solid waste in U.S. landfills comes from paper and paperboard products, about 31%.

On the other hand, the new generation of plastics somewhat complicate this debate. PLA, or corn-based, plastics commonly used in disposable cutlery, packaging, and plastic grocery bags is compostable, but only among the perfect conditions found in a commercial composting facility, NOT in the landfill where  most plastic ends up, or even in the backyard compost pile.

Biodegradable plastics, like ENSO’s products, however, do break down in the anaerobic landfill environment in a short amount of time (an average of five years), leaving behind only methane, carbon dioxide, and biomass. The use of an additive in standard plastic production also makes it a cost-effective solution. In terms of the plastic waste problem, the biodegradables currently hold the most promise.

Next week, in Part II, we’ll take a look at the aspects of pollution and recycling, and see how the contenders hold up.

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This statistic was touted in the news as an ever-growing commitment by consumers across the country to recycling efforts. But all is not what it seems.

According to a report in Consumer Digest (January-February 2010):

“Recycling programs vary from city to city, and there’s no national tracking system. Information regarding what’s being stockpiled is anecdotal, at best.”

While “facts” are available regarding PET plastic, it’s difficult to track down accurate comparable information on HDPE plastic, making it hard to gage any across-the-board success of recycling programs.

In the fourth annual surveydone by Plastics Recycling Update, 40% of HDPE recyclers said their volumes increased in 2009 while another 40 percent said their volumes were down. In the same survey, 53.8 percent of PET reclaimers said their volumes increased in 2009 while only 15.4 percent said their volumes declined.

As you can see, it’s challenging to figure out the overall picture in regards to how much total plastic is being recycled in the U.S.

True statistics on how much of which type of plastic has been recycled is difficult to find

PET (#1 plastic) and HDPE (#2) plastic make up approximately 96% of all plastic bottles produced in the US. This includes milk jogs, water, soft drink and juice bottles, shampoo, toiletries, laundry detergent, household cleaners, salad dressings and other types of food jars.

Many of the recycling statistics focus on just water and soda bottles, said Danny Clark, President of ENSO Bottles, Inc.

“They completely exclude the billions of shampoo, soap, food and non- food PET and HDPE bottles,” he said.

“While the increase for those specific segments is a move in the right direction,” Clark said, “we feel that it would be best to include all possible PET and HDPE bottles when making claims of improvement.”

“We are missing the boat and confusing many people about recycling by focusing on and cherry picking the “good stuff”.

With the decrease of total PET bottles and jars available for recycling in the US, it begs the question: do the numbers really reflect what’s going on in the market? Without any reliable gage or reporting mechanism, shouldn’t the focus be on getting the overall big picture instead?

Statistics (what there are of them) are showing that consumers are concerned about and aware of the increased need for recycling, while the recycling market is declining due to low market prices for recycled material. If only one side of the equation is successful, does that really mean the entire process is?

If the numbers don’t really reflect what’s going on, it seems that we need to put something in place that will give a more accurate view. The question is, what’s the mechanism that will help us do that? Is it legislation? Private industry stepping up? An NGO creating an overall reporting process? What’s your idea?

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California’s governor vetoed SB-1454 despite its intent to clarify misleading labeling

The recent demise in California of legislative bill SB-1454 took some by surprise. This cleverly written piece of legislation was designed supposedly to clarify misleading labeling claims and would prevent the sale of plastics in California whose packaging is labeled not only biodegradable but also compostable. 

After an extensive push to get this legislation through the California Legislature, the backers of SB-1454 succeeded and it landed on Governor Schwarzenegger’s desk. Surely a slam dunk, yes? 

The answer is no. The governor vetoed the bill, saying it was too “expansive” and that “unforeseen consequences could result from such a vast expansion” of existing law. 

In truth, the vetoing of this bill was a win for both consumers and manufacturers. The backers of the bill – Cargill and Archer Daniels Midland, two megacorporations deeply involved in the growth and exportation of corn and grain feed – are part of the PLA industry. With their support, this seemingly positive bill was in fact a one-sided piece of legislation. While appearing to clarify any misleading or deceptive labeling practices, it in fact would have banned the use of the word “biodegradable” altogether, stating that this was in itself a deceptive claim for plastic products because supposedly plastic does not biodegrade.

In fact, there is scientific validation that it is truly biodegradable. 

Traditional plastic bottles will last for a thousand years in landfills

The drafters of this bill cleverly narrowed its focus, completely excluding biodegradation. Instead, SB-1454 would have supported “industrial compostable” ONLY plastic. 

The problem with this is this type of plastic, unless actually processed through an industrial composting system, will last for upwards of a thousand years in our landfills. 

After meetings with the staff of California’s governor to explain the true facts about biodegradation and what SB-1454 would in fact exclude, the governor wisely chose to veto the misleading piece of legislation that would itself have potentially created more problems than it would have solved. 

Kudos to Governor Schwarzenegger for recognizing the importance of having regulations that provide real and viable recycling alternatives and not don’t merely benefit one lobby group.

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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.

“Our goal,” says Ice River Springs president Jamie Gott, “is to eliminate our dependency upon foreign virgin PET resin by self-manufacturing recycled resin from baled post-consumer plastic purchased from Municipal Recycling Centres.”

Some pretty specialized equipment is required to purify and flake the PET that comes in from Canada’s Blue Box system. Equally specialized is the gear that converts the flake back into a food-grade product that can take the place of virgin PET. Ice River Springs is betting on AMUT S.p.A. for the sorting, cleaning, and flaking part of this process and Starlinger for the purification of the clean rPET material. According to Gott, the AMUT system was judged most cost-effective and used a minimum amount of water, chemicals, and energy. Starlinger, he adds, has a Solid State Poly-condensation technology that effectively purifies PET flake and keeps energy consumption and cost to a minimum. The Starlinger system converts flake to PET pellets, which are then used to injection-mold preforms for the next generation of water bottles.

In addition to bottling its own water under its own brand, Ice River Springs also sells preforms to a major North American soft drink manufacturer in the U.S. Should that soft drink manufacturer convert to rPET preforms, the number of PET bottles made from 100% rPET would rise considerably. No wonder Ice River Springs’ long-term plan includes more than 60 new full-time employees supporting the new initiative.

What’s fascinating about the new facility in Shelburne is the number of environmental benefits that ripple outward from it. For example, the bottle-to-bottle recycling process uses less energy than it takes to produce virgin PET from fossil fuels. In addition, since most virgin PET comes from Asia, the Shelburne plant will reduce consumption of fuel formerly required to bring PET from Asia to Shelburne. Moreover, Ontario recyclers will no longer need to sell their baled PET to Asia, further reducing transport-based fuel consumption. And finally, purchase of baled PET on this scale in Ontario will provide a stable demand for baled post-consumer plastic. This in turn will stabilize prices, make recycling centers more financially feasible, and will help to promote recycling and keep plastic bottles out of landfills.

Ice River Springs isn’t the only one pushing the boundaries of closed-loop recycling. Since last October, Global PET in Perris, CA, has been washing, grinding, extruding, and thermoforming PET into clamshell packages using nothing but post-consumer recycled PET. Called the Bottle Box, the innovative container has been immortalized in a YouTube video whose enthusiasm is positively infectious.

If you haven’t seen it yet, check it out at www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRPYccEXt-8. Making the Bottle Box project more intriguing is that Global PET received a grant of nearly $7 million from the state of California and established a 10-year partnership agreement with the Plastic Recycling Corp. of California for 60 million pounds of discarded PET bottles.

“The amazing grant and our partnership with PRCC has really provided us with a competitive advantage and has put us one step ahead,” says Nadim Bahou, Global PET president.

Hats off to Bahou and Gott. Efforts like theirs help stem the avalanche of negative publicity that packaging too often attracts and restore some balance to the discussion of packaging’s role in society.

Published in Packaging World Magazine, April 2010 , p. 7

Written by Pat Reynolds, Editor

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During this same period of time the environmental groups were pushing really hard to get everyone to stop using paper bags.  The question paper or plastic was asked for many, many years whenever going through the checkout isle.  It got to the point that choosing paper would result in strange stares and looks from others in line.  We all went to plastic in an effort to “save the trees” so that this precious resource wouldn’t be gone for future generations.

Some thirty years later we are all more educated about our planet and wanting to do the right thing.  But what is the “right” thing?  Is it enough to recycle?  If you spend any time online looking up plastic pollution you will see thousands of pictures of our planet being choked from plastic pollution.  It is so bad in the oceans that there are five separate gyres which are giant areas where plastic and other debris has accumulated.  The Pacific Gyre, located between Hawaii and Alaska has been reported as being the size of Texas (that’s pretty big).  This area has about 5x the amount of plastic than wildlife.  Much of the plastic has broken down into smaller pieces and is being mistaken as food by birds and fish.  If we are doing such a great job with recycling why is this still happening?

I believe it is time we start to hold ourselves accountable and begin by asking the tough questions.  It is real easy to feel like individually we are not contributing to the plastic pollution issue because we feel so good about recycling.  Don’t get me wrong, recycling is absolutely vital to being better stewards of our planet’s resources.  However, when we really look into recycling we find that it is a word being used more to make us feel better about the situation than a solution to the actual issue.

Let me ask you a question, do you know where that packaging material goes after you place it into the recycle bin?  I think we would all like to believe that it goes into making another similar product that will then be recycled again and again, keeping the cycle going.  The truth is that what happens to that recycled material differs greatly from where you live.  After 30+ years of promoting recycling there are still large portions of the United States which don’t have recycling facilities available to business and consumers.  For those consumers and businesses which do have access to recycling, there is usually a specific kind and type of plastic, glass or paper which is accepted for recycling.  Over 80% of all the plastic in the world ends up in landfills, marine environments or as pollution.

In 2009, 84% of all plastics recycled in the US were exported to China.  Once it arrives in China the use of those plastics will vary greatly, with the worse being incinerated for the creation of electricity.

What does this mean for recycling?  Well, it means that our idea that a bottle placed into a recycle bin which makes us feel really good is not really being used in a way that we believe it is or should be.  As environmental stewards, we should be concerned and interested in making the system better.  We should get involved and support companies, legislation and recyclers who emphasize using recycled material in their second life products which can then be used again a third, fourth, fifth and so on.    This would help to create more demand for recycled material in the US and keep recycled material from being shipped overseas.

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Unlike items that are picked up at the curb, you’ll have to make a special effort to unload these items responsibly. But, with a little advance planning and some good info, you’ll see that it’s really quite simple to dispose of these items. Here’s how:

• Batteries. Recycling rechargeable batteries is fairly easy. Home Depot, Staples, Radio Shack, Best Buy, and other retailers take them back free of charge. There are fewer options for single-use batteries, but look for bins at your local Whole Foods Market, Ikea, or library. Otherwise, your best bet is the local household hazardous waste drop-off site.

• CFLs. These energy-efficient bulbs are becoming easier to get rid of. Just drop old bulbs off at any Home Depot or Ikea for free recycling. Or ask about CFL recycling at your local Ace Hardware or home improvement store.

• Electronics. Every retailer that takes back rechargeable batteries also accepts mobile phones, as do most wireless providers. For computers, cameras, televisions, and others it’s worthwhile do a little homework because some stores charge fees depending on item and brand. Check out Best Buy, Staples, and Office Depot to see what’s the best fit. Some places, like Radio Shack, have trade-in programs where you can receive store credit for your old gadgets.

• Motor Oil. In case you need some motivation, consider this factoid from Earth911: Every gallon of used motor oil that’s improperly disposed of can contaminate one million gallons of drinking water. Bring it to Wal-Mart, Autozone, Jiffy Lube, or search online for more convenient choices.

• Paint. It’s among the harder items in this group to dispose of, but it’s worth it and totally doable. If the paint is still in good shape, consider donating it. As of now, there aren’t any retailers that accept used paint so you’ll need to make a special trip. Search Earth911 for a comprehensive list of options.

Scot Roseland
ENSO Bottles, LLC
866-936-3676
Web: www.ensobottles.com

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• 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.

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As I’ve thought about this and talked to recyclers, I’ve come to believe that most recyclers are concerned with the environment. But I also realize that recycling like any business must make money to remain in business. In my opinion recycling is an environmental program that plays an important role in saving scarce resources, reducing pollution, creating jobs, reducing landfill, and educating the general public about environmental issues.

Having said all that, I believe we can and need to do a better job of recycling here in the U.S. Our recycling rate here is less than 27 percent while most European countries recycle 60-70 percent of waste. Those countries are extremely efficient at recycling. I recently heard that the lowly throw away tennis shoe is dismantled for the leather, metal and rubber….nothing goes to waste. Which reminds me of a farmer I knew as a kid….he told me they used everything when they butchered a hog…the only thing they didn’t use was the squeal. The big question is how can we do better? Here are some of my thoughts and I would like to hear what some of your ideas are, and do you think we can do better? Remember, if we can show a profit with your idea, recyclers will be all over what you have to say:

(1) Get the manufacturers more involved. Manufacturers who take responsibility for the products they create will be more inclined to reduce unwanted packaging and design products that are more easily recycled.

(2) Get better advice and innovation from trade groups and organizations. Expect your trade group to do a better job. Not only should they be your advocate, they should be innovators helping your industry and you to improve your recycling business. The status quo isn’t going to be good enough if we want to increase recycle rates, recycle more items and create jobs. If your group isn’t interested in helping you develop new markets…..maybe it’s time to find someone new who will help your business grow and prosper. Unfortunately, it seems that many trade organizations have become too comfortable and aren’t interested in change.

(3) Get involved in the political process. Bottle bill laws are popping up all over the country but many of these bills have been heavily influenced by lobbyists, trade groups and at times uninformed consumer groups. Bottle bills may increase recycling of a particular item but the use of the funds for environmental programs is at times lacking.

These aren’t all the answers to a complex problem but the beginning of a dialog that will, hopefully, get us all thinking about how we can fix environmental problems and improve our environment. Governments are moving toward writing laws that will require manufacturers to practice product stewardship. If that happens, manufacturers will develop their own recycling programs and that will change the way recycling operates.  This could also provide an opportunity for the recycling industry to embrace innovation and to develop programs to bring manufactures and recyclers together.  This would lead to recycling services closing the loop on product stewardship.

By Max

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