Posts Tagged ‘recycling’

Plastics Recycling in Philadelphia

Monday, April 12th, 2010

Fellow Recyclers,

The next collection of #5 plastics will be this Saturday, April 17th, from 10am to 1pm.

We will also be collecting egg cartons for a local chicken farmer, so please also bring any reusable and CLEAN egg cartons that you don’t want.

The collection will take place at our usual location: the garage of the Weavers Way Co-op, at 542 Carpenter Lane, Mt. Airy Philadelphia
which is across the street and a bit further down the block from the Big Blue Marble bookstore.

There are a few work shifts open for this Saturday’s collection. You can sign up on the Weavers Way Work Calendar or by replying to this email. Experienced helpers are especially needed.

As always, please review the guidelines for the plastic materials collected below.

See you Saturday!

Stevik
- for the Weavers Way Environment Committee

Gimme 5 Collection Guidelines

The #5 plastics category includes most yogurt cups, sour cream containers, hummus tubs, some medicine bottles, and more. Your recyclables must be clean and dry to be accepted. Impurities of any kind compromise the recycling process and can lead the recycling facility to discard an entire batch. Exclude any lids unless they are clearly marked #5.

We ask recyclers for a small donation to cover postage costs of mailing the recyclables to the Gimme 5 processing facility in New York state.

Before bringing your #5s to the collection, be sure that they meet the requirements for Gimme 5:

* All items must be CLEAN and DRY. If they contained food or any oily or dirty product, make sure they have been washed, not just rinsed. Items stacked when wet tend to stay wet, so allow washed items to dry fully before stacking or packing.
* The #5 stamp needs to be visible on each item. Lids are separate items. Don’t assume lids are the same number plastic as the container; sometimes they are but usually they are not. Check to make sure there are no other materials (labels, paper, other number plastics, metal) on the items you bring in.

Brita filters are also welcome! Let them air dry for several days to make sure they are completely dry.

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Mid-Atlantic Region Gets First Certified Electronics Recycler

Wednesday, March 10th, 2010

PHILADELPHIA, PA — Through a brand new electronics recycling certification program, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is taking steps to ensure that electronics recyclers adhere to highly protective standards for workers and the environment in processing pre-owned electronics.

This new certification process also means that recycled materials will not be shipped overseas without the consent of the designated country.

Three companies nationwide have received this new designation – called Responsible Recycling Practices Certification. The first, and only certified recycler in the mid-Atlantic region is E-structors, Inc. of Elkridge, Md. TechTurn of Austin, Texas, and Waste Management of Minnesota were also certified as electronic recycling firms.

E-Structors, founded in 2003, operates primarily on a contractual basis with organizations that have significant volumes of pre-owned electronics to recycle. As a certified recycler, the company follows a business model of reuse, refurbishment and recycling of electronics.

“This new e-cycling certification program will take the guesswork out of choosing a responsible recycler,” said EPA Regional Administrator Shawn M. Garvin. “Recycling is an important tool in our arsenal and we need to make sure it’s done correctly to prevent environmental harm and ensure the safe re-use of materials. We strongly encourage other electronic recyclers to obtain the certification to ensure that public health and the environment receive the highest protection available.”

The protocols required of certified recyclers help to reduce energy and natural resource consumption, greenhouse gases and hazardous waste. Recyclers are not permitted to burn or landfill certain materials. If electronics are going to be sold for reuse, the recycler must show that all personal data has been cleared or destroyed, that the equipment has been tested and is in working condition, and that the equipment is packaged properly. A recycler must exercise due diligence to ensure appropriate management of the materials throughout the recycling chain, whether domestic or international.

To apply for certification, electronics recyclers should contact either SGS or Perry Johnson Registrars to receive certification, provided they meet the rigorous certification standards. Both SGS and Perry Johnson Registrars are leading inspection, verification, testing and certification companies. As accredited certifying bodies for certification, SGS and Perry Johnson Registrars are required to list companies they have certified on their respective websites.

Links:

For information on disposing of single or small numbers of units, go to:
http://www.epa.gov/reg3wcmd/eCycling/index.htm. or Earth911.org

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