recycling

In an article written for Forbes, journalist Amy Westervelt explores the phenomenon known as extended producer responsibility (EPR), a model which encourages producers to take control of the recycling process their packaging must undergo. While some big businesses support the model, not all plastic packaging companies are on board. Westervelt writes that the value of discarded packaging in the USA in 2010 reached a total of $11.4 billion, a staggering figure that has profound economic implications. If this is the case, Westervelt asks:

In Portland, Maine [United States], Riverton Elementary School has implemented a new recycling program that has saved the school around $50,000, as well as eliminating about 50% of the school's waste. In an article published today on Bangor Daily News, contributor Seth Koenig reports that a recent concern regarding the longevity of styrofoam has also led to another important change in the District. According to the article:

A group of environmentalists and entrepreneurs working with the Rio+20 environmental summit have initiated a contest geared at collecting ideas for converting plastic waste into a way of making money.

In an article published on Quad Cities Online yesterday, it was announced that the US state of Illinois' retailers are currently supporting legislation that would make plastic bag and packaging manufacturers responsible for the products they produce. Contributor Eric Timmons writes about a new bill which has passed in the Illinois Senate this week would require bag and wrapper manufacturers to pay a fee of $500 annually to the Illinois Environmental Protection agency to support a collection and recycling scheme for plastic carrier bags.

New York Times Business columnist Stephanie Strom recently published an article discussing the cost of recycling to large businesses, and the ways in which many organizations have sought to reduce costs and improve their images by setting goals for greater recycling initiatives. She writes:

By the Westborough Girl Scouts

In Massachusetts, the Westborough Patch reports that with the support of the Westborough Board of Health and the sponsorship of Central One Federal Credit Union, Westborough Cadette Girl Scouts, Bhargavi Ram and Kaleigh Wright, are bringing Styrofoam (Polystyrene #6) recycling to Westborough. They have been working on this project since the spring and have set a date of March 24 to hold their Reduce, Reuse, ReFoamIt! event.

The recycling of those receipts, they add, is a source of BPA contamination of paper napkins, toilet paper, food packaging and other paper products. The report, which could have special implications for cashiers and other people who routinely handle ...Read More.