Electrolux to begin recycling the Great Pacific Garbage Patch
The following is an excerpt from a new post on my other blog site, Envirothink.Wordpress.com.
Vacumn giant Electrolux has announced plans to collect and recycle plastic from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
The company says project Vac from the Sea makes sense since there’s not enough recycled plastic on land to fill consumer demand, so they plan to use the scooped-up plastic and recycle it into appliances like their vacuum cleaners.
For more on this intriguing idea, go to http://3.ly/vbVC.
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Cereplast meets consumer demand with new bioplastics
Known for their quality line of bioplastic resins, Cereplast Inc. has bowed to consumer demand by introducing eleven new grades of bioplastic resins.
I’ve written a few posts on the varied use of bioplastics in consumer products (see http://3.ly/bQ3P and http://3.ly/GKcW). Cereplast’s resins are used to produce products as diverse as tableware and cutlery, toys, healthcare/hygiene products, bottles/containers, bags, packaging, gift cards, printed displays, straws, and pipes, conduits.
In the wake of the disastrous BP oil spill, consumers are demanding more sustainable solutions that rely less on petroleum, says the company.
Cereplast anticipates this demand will result in the company shipping approximately 16 million pounds of bio-plastic resins to customers this year, a 400 percent rise in shipments and 190 percent [...]
Breakthroughs in dental research point to being able to regrow teeth
Recently announced results of research in Canada and in the US are bringing exciting encouragement to patients with a variety of dental and periodontal problems.
Researchers at the University of Alberta in Edmonton (Canada) announced they’ve created a technology that will allow patients to regrow teeth.
Using a miniaturized system-on-a-chip based on low (LPUS) technologythat delivers a non-invasive way to stimulate jaw growth and dental tissue healing, the tiny device will be able to fit comfortable inside a patient’s mouth, mounted easily on an orthodontic or “braces” bracket or even a plastic removable crown. This innovative technology would effectively eliminate the need for artificial bridge implants.
Researchers hope to have a marketable product within the next two years.
In [...]
Chicago Cubs to fans: let’s recycle!
The dog days of summer will be a little bit greener this year, at least in Chicago at Wrigley Field.
Cubs fans have a lot to be proud of. Their team has taken on recycling in a big way.
Their new “Real Fans Recycle” campaign asks fans to help divert aaround 165,000 pounds of plastic and cardboard from landfills. This season, vendors at Wrigley Field will use compostable plates and cutlery, and plastic drink cups and napkins that are made from recycled content
Fans will see ushers nd event staff sporting cool “Real Fans Recycle” shirts made from 100% recycled material, including recycled PET plastic from which Wrigley Field beverage cups are made.
The emblazoned shirts are sponsored by Solo [...]
Two eco-friendly ways to keep baby comfortable
Chafing and diaper rash are par for the course with babies. Moms deal with these using whatever ointments and powders were available.
With growing concerns about harmful chemicals and toxins in baby products, it’s nice to know there are eco-friendly choices that help keep babies dry and comfortable.
In 2009, Elements Naturals introduced their 100% Natural & Compostable Baby Wipes. They’re made from a man-made plant-based fiber called Ingeo, a patented product developed by Nature Works.
Linda Naerheim, CEO and co-founder of Elements Naturals LLC, says she was shocked to discover that what was considered “natural” out there in baby wipes really wasn’t. Those “natural” products used latex and petroleum by-products, the same materials [...]
Dart makes recycling styrofoam easy
Everyone tosses that foam packaging that comes with our favorite electronics, right?
Not any more.
Since the 1990’s, Dart Container Corp.– a leader in the polystyrene foodservice product industry – has been collecting polystyrene (generally called StyrofoamTM, a product developed by the Dow Chemical Company) at their drop-off centers, keeping it out of landfills.
They began at their corporate headquarters in Michigan, says Michael Westerfield, Dart’s Corporate Director of Recycling Programs.
Since then, the drop-off program has grown.
In 2007, Dart collected and recycled 106 tons of foam at the Michigan location. In 2008, doing nothing different, they recycled 200 tons of foam. In 2009, they recycled 250 tons, again altering nothing.
Since the 1990’s, the [...]
Coca Cola develops chairs from recycled Coke bottles
Coca Cola is making recycling stylish.
In a collaboration with Emeco, the reknowned beverage company has created a line of chairs made from at least 111 plastic drink bottles. Each ”111 Navy Chair” by Emeco, a leading furniture manufacturer, contains 60% rPET ((recycled polyethylene terephthalate plastic) and a special combination of other materials including pigment and glass fiber for strength. It comes in colors like Coca-Cola Red, Snow, Flint, Grass, Persimmon and Charcoal.
This eco-friendly chair - which is modeled after the original aluminium Emeco Navy Chair (#1006) designed in 1944 for the U.S. Navy - debuts this week at the 2010 Salone Internazionale del Mobile, one of the top furniture trade shows in the world.
Coca-Cola and United Resource Recovery [...]
Target establshes in-store recycling centers in honor of Earth Day
Target has been offering quality, discount products and providing customers a positive shopping experience since the early 1960’s, Now it’s expanded their green quotient.
On Tuesday, April 6th, Target introduced in-store recycling centers in all their 1,740 stores. These recycling stations are located just inside, near the front of each store.
What’s unusual about this is it’s the first time a major retailer has made full-out recycling available to their “guests”.
Target’s been recycling since the early ‘60’s, says spokesperson Amy Reilly, but behind the scenes. They’ve recycled a lot of cardboard, shrink-wrap and construction materials and were one of the first retailers to reuse and recycle garment hangers.
So why include the public in their [...]
Link Sunday
A download of our favorite stories and links from the past week…
1. AB32, California’s landmark 2006 Clean Air Act, faces repeal challenge now backed by big oil– from Texas
2. Compost pile mushroom farming, made to look easy enough and with tasty results
3. Think your lawn is safe? Common pesticide shown to chemically castrate frogs. What’s it doing to you, your water, or your pets?
4. From-the-thick-of-it blogging from this past week’s International Whaling Commission meeting, from American Cetacean Society
5. Venezuelan town once buried by water from dam suddenly reappears due to water crisis
6. Ever wonder what it’s like to live a life less plastic? Check out these blogs for inspiration [...]
AT&T goes for green packaging
AT&T announced they plan to make their mobile phones, devices and packaging more eco-friendly.
Instead of utilizing the dreaded plastic clamshell (it’s so difficult to open), the telecommunications company will ship batteries in paper boxes.
The company anticipates a reduction of 30% in plastic packaging and a 60% reduction in paper packaging with their eco efforts.
They also plan to make their cell phones and devices more recyclable.
Sounds good. Wonder when we’ll actually see the new packaging? No word on that.
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