The Super Bowl means good friends, good times, good food and plenty of beverages. This year, opting for aluminum cans and recycling offers easier clean-up, better and colder beverages, a greener planet and guilt-free football viewing for the 2012-13 season.

Recycling just one 24-pack easily saves enough energy to watch your favorite team all season on their way to Super Bowl XLVII in New Orleans.

On Sunday, recycling two cans saves the energy required to watch ALL the pre-game, game and post-game coverage of Super Bowl XLVI. Even if you are not hosting this year’s block party, you can do your part for guilt-free viewing.

Can recycling is such an energy saver that if New York Giants fans recycled 993 cans, a Prius could travel from Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey to Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Not to be outdone, New England Patriots fans can recycle 1,317 cans to make the trip from Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts energy neutral.

Aluminum recycling saves 95 percent of the energy and 95 percent of the greenhouse gases associated with primary production.  Aluminum cans are made of 68 percent recycled material and are 100 percent infinitely recyclable making it the most sustainable beverage packaging available.

In 2010, Americans recycled 58.1 percent of their aluminum cans; let’s support this Super Bowl with a 100 percent recycling rate.

For hosts, cans offer the best possible option for your guests whether you are serving juice or soda for the kids or the latest local craft beer for the adults.  For craft beer lovers, cans are impermeable to light and oxygen that could ruin you beer’s taste.

They save space in your cooler and require less energy for your refrigerator to cool. Cans chill quicker than other package making sure everyone’s beverage is refreshing enough to cool the sore throats resulting from screaming at the TV.

Cans offer the easiest clean-up during the post-party slump when invariably someone is crying in the corner over a bad referee call and someone else is jumping on your couch because they won the office football pool.  Even the host can make a little money by recycling those cans; it will help you start planning next year’s Mardi Gras themed bash.

The Super Bowl marks the end of the 2011-12 Season and the Aluminum Association’s Can Crusade which has tailgated in seventeen NFL cities across the country and helped hundreds to recycle their tailgating cans.  The event kicked-off in Green Bay, Wisconsin when Joe Cahn, the Commissioner of Tailgating broke the World Record for the longest can-train and dragged 66,343 cans with his RV.  The cans were recycled and proceeds donated to Paul’s Pantry; recycling those cans saved enough energy to power nearly 200,000 hours of TV!

So, if you are looking for a way to be green and while watching the Super Bowl, recycle two cans and you offset the energy.  It’s as simple as that.

The Aluminum Association, based in Arlington, Virginia, works globally to aggressively promote aluminum as the most sustainable and recyclable automotive, packaging and construction material in today’s market. The Association represents U.S. and foreign-based primary producers of aluminum, aluminum recyclers and producers of fabricated products, as well as industry suppliers. Member companies operate more than 200 plants in the United States, with many conducting business worldwide.

If you’re seeing a new phone in your near future, it’s time to start thinking about what to do with your old one.

It has been an uphill climb to get companies to offer takeback recycling programs for their old products, with many charging customers to recycle or offering little to no monetary incentives for people to dispose of their electronics responsibly.

That is why it is so refreshing to learn about Sprint’s comprehensive buy-back and reuse program for its mobile devices.

Sprint’s wireless recycling programs help to prevent thousands of tons of wireless equipment from entering the waste stream. More than 90% of the phones collected are reused. Any equipment not capable of being reused is recycled.

The buy-back program is definitely the most attractive option for those looking to upgrade to a new phone, so I decided to test it out. After entering my Sprint phone number (I actually use Credo Mobile, which is powered by the Sprint Network), I was asked to choose my phone’s make and model from a drop-down menu. In two easy clicks, I had a cash offer of $28! And, I love that users are given the option to apply the buy-back amount to a future phone bill.

If your phone is too old to qualify for a cash offer, you can still recycle it through Sprint’s Project Connect: a free service for anyone who has wireless phones, batteries, accessories and data cards no longer used. All makes and models are accepted, regardless of carrier or condition. To recycle your wireless device, pick up a free, postage-paid envelope at any authorized Sprint store nationwide. Or, print the free, prepaid shipping label on the program’s website.

All net proceeds generated from the sale of equipment collected through Sprint Project Connect go to fund and promote free Internet safety resources for kids, parents and educators.

By Beth Buczynski

“We’re waging war on waste, one plant at a time,” said Christine McGrath, Vice President, Global Sustainability.  “Today, we have 36 facilities in 13 countries that send zero waste to landfills, and we’ve reduced our manufacturing waste by 50 percent since 2005.  Our strategy is simple: generate less waste and find new uses for the waste we do produce.  And our employees are doing just that.”

Employees continue to raise the bar by improving efficiency, by changing behavior, business practices and culture, and by creating new partnerships to turn waste into something of value.  For Kraft Foods, manufacturing accounts for the vast majority of its solid waste output, so its plants are a natural place to take action.  In 2007, the company launched a program with the global recycling company Sonoco Recycling, using its Sonoco Sustainability Solutions (S3) service offering to substantially reduce waste in plants.  The ultimate objective: send zero waste to landfills.

Today, 36 Kraft Foods facilities have achieved zero-waste-to-landfill status, including 24 plants in Europe and 12 facilities in North America.  Elsewhere, many plants have made significant reductions through partnerships to put waste to work.  To learn more about Kraft Foods’ waste-reduction efforts around the world, including an updated fact sheet of success stories, go to http://bit.ly/xN206j.

Source: Kraft Foods

The company said it will significantly increase the proportion of waste recycled and reused by cutting landfill waste by 70 percent. That means a reduction in the average landfill waste generated per vehicle to 1.5kg by 2016 from 5kg in 2011.

And, based on annual production of 1.2 million vehicles, Ford also will reduce water use by 30 percent saving €2.3 million over the same time period and approximately 1.3 billion liters per year. This equates to an average saving of 1,100 liters for each car or van produced.

“This plan represents our pledge to minimize Ford’s impact on the environment both before and after our customers get behind the wheel,” said Stephen Odell, chairman and CEO, Ford of Europe. “This goes hand in hand with our commitment to develop the most fuel efficient vehicles. Sustainability makes just as much sense for Ford as a business as it does for the environment.”

The announcement builds upon previous actions that have helped Ford of Europe become the global company’s lowest producer of landfill waste. Ford of Europe has cut landfill-waste generation by 40 percent since 2007 and reduced water use by 37 percent over the same period.

The new commitment covers manufacturing in Genk in Belgium, Valencia in Spain, Saarlouis and Cologne in Germany as well as Southampton, Bridgend and Dagenham in the UK. Genk, Saarlouis and Cologne had previously taken significant steps to reduce landfill waste and are now all waste-to-landfill free.

Ford says it will firstly work internally and closely with partners to reduce the resources used in production; secondly, to reduce the quantity of waste from that production; and finally, to ensure that as much waste as possible is recycled or used to generate energy.

Production of Ford’s new 1.0-liter EcoBoost engine in Cologne takes one such approach. The introduction of a new production line and new manufacturing techniques reduced water use by 37 percent compared to the manufacturing line it replaced. One part of the process sees the amount of coolant used to produce aluminum engine parts reduced from two liters to five  milliliters.

“Sustainability enables us to make car production leaner and more cost-efficient. It’s both the right thing to do and the smart thing to do,” said Ford of Europe Manufacturing Director Dirk Heller.

Source: Media.Ford.com

“We know consumers are doing their part to live more sustainably, and we wanted to provide a simple way for them to do so with their shave,” said Suma Nagaraj, brand manager for Schick Xtreme3®. “At Schick, we’re taking proactive steps to minimize the impact of our products and manufacturing processes on the environment, and we’re continually looking for ways to improve—creating this product was the next step in our journey.”

The intrigue of Xtreme3® Eco™ extends beyond its environmental impact to the story of each razor handle’s prior life. In order to have a more immediate impact on the environment, Schick® chose to use post-consumer recycled plastic instead of other biodegradable or recycled materials. Among the items retrieved and recreated in the Eco razor handle are common household items like hangers, buckets, and pails. Overall, the recycling effort will save enough plastic each year to go up and down the Washington Monument more than 2,330 times.

“For many years we wanted to launch a more sustainable razor,” said Mike O’Malley, director of program management and sustainability for Schick®. “We overcame many challenges along the way, like making sure the packaging gave us the quality look, perforation resistance and sealing capacity to hold up to the rigors of shipping. The result was the same exceptional quality and exceptional value razor that our customers know and love, now better for the environment.”

Schick® Xtreme3® Eco™ is currently available for both men and women at Wal-Mart with wider, national distribution in April.  To coincide with Earth month, Schick® Xtreme3® is partnering with eco-conscious celebrity-couple, actress Amy Smart and HGTV’s Carter Oosterhouse to launch a contest that challenges consumers to reuse common disposable items and reduce waste by creating a functional item out of recycled materials.

The new Schick® Xtreme3® Eco™ razor allows men and women everywhere to turn the simple act of shaving into a simple act of good. For more information, visit, http://www.facebook.com/schickxtreme3.

Background

Sin City is looking to add another sin to its ever-expanding list: sending trash to the landfill. One may not think of Las Vegas (pop. 583,756) as a city with conservation on its agenda. Quite the contrary, in fact: Vegas is known as a city of excess; a place where gluttony reigns supreme. But Clark County, which includes Las Vegas, is trying to change that reputation. In 2010, the county recycling rate sat at 17.9%. But recycling rates are up statewide (Clark County’s 2009 rate was 17.4%), and 2011 numbers (when available) will indicate that increase.

Currently, single-family homes in Clark County can sign up for curbside recycling through Republic Services. Apartments, condos and other multifamily dwellings around the county may offer service through another provider, or tenants may need to utilize the county’s extensive drop-off location database, provided by the Southern Nevada Health District.

Materials recycled

Republic Services’ recycling service in Clark County utilizes red, white and blue recycling bins. Select neighborhoods enjoy single-stream service using one large bin. To claim a bin for pick-up service, call 702.599.5522.

Red bins

• Aluminum cans
• Tin cans
• PET (#1) plastic containers and bottles
• HDPE (#2) plastic containers and bottles

“In the future we hope to extend the bonuses available to include earning points for produce purchases, allowing Houstonians to grow their Recycle Bank points balance by purchasing fresh organic produce from our market each Wednesday,” says Carolyn Lambeth, Central City Co-op Operations Manager. The Central City Co-op market offers a variety of fresh organic produce from local farms as well as locally and sustainably produced cheese and meat. The market is held each Wednesday at 2515 Waugh Drive, 9am-6pm.

Since 2001, Central City Co-op has created access to organic and locally raised foods for all Houstonians, regardless of their income level. The Central City Co-op’s mission is to make sustainable fresh farm products accessible to all Houstonians, and to educate the community of the benefits of an organic lifestyle. To learn more about the Central City Co-op visit www.centralcityco-op.com. Like the Central City Co-op page on Facebook and follow the CCC on Twitter at @centralcitycoop.

Now the NASA White Sands Test Facility (WSTF) has resurfaced more than 200,000 square yards of facility roads using rubber asphalt for the first time.

“Although we’ve never done a project like this before, we decided to go with an asphalt rubber chip seal pavement preservation system because it gives us a longer life span for the cost,” explained Matt Kenney, facilities engineer and master planner for this project.

In just one week, with only minor disturbance to traffic, the project was complete. “For us this was better than doing an overlay because we didn’t need to close off road sections. We could easily do the project with the existing traffic,” Kenney said. Roadways were reopened to traffic in two hours. “Getting traffic flowing was a huge thing for us because we didn’t want to disturb daily operations.”

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Source: Las Cruces Sun-News
By Esmeralda Almanza

Rubber mulch is known to be an extremely eco-friendly playground flooring material, made out of recycled rubber tires. It is also the gold standard in playground safety, and has been endorsed by Michelle Obama, as Playsafer rubber mulch is the flooring that is featured in the White House playground. To uphold their high standards of responsibility and environmental awareness, Rubberecycle products are manufactured in the greenest way possible, from start to finish.

Playsafer rubber mulch is made entirely from recycled tires, and factories are located near the location of the tires so that less fuel is used during transportation. The Rubberecycle company has now taken the initiative and installed solar panels in their plant so that while working, eco-friendly solar power is used to generate power for the multitudes of machinery that is needed. The 1.1 megawatt solar energy system covers 200,000 square feet of the roof, and cost Rubberecycle an estimated $3,800,000. With this move, thousands of gallons of fuel are saved, and pollution prevented.

Rubberecycle is constantly on the prowl for innovative ways to make the entire process of manufacturing rubber mulch more environmentally sound, from grinding tires, to dyeing the mulch in different colors, right up to delivery of the finished product. With this move by Rubberecycle, consumers can rest assured that their children are playing on 100% eco-friendly Playsafer rubber mulch playground surfacing. It is now also easier than ever for consumers to obtain the mulch at a reasonable price with Rubberecycle’s limited time offer. With the code ‘RubberecyclePlaysafer’ consumers will receive 10% off any purchase of Playsafer mulch. There are no restrictions, but this is a limited time offer as Rubberecycle celebrates their new solar panels.

Playsafer rubber mulch protects children as they play in the present, but it also helps to guarantee them a future. With each step that is taken toward a greener world, our children, our future, are guaranteed a clean, healthy world that will continue to function for them. Rubberecyle is working to guarantee a future for today’s children. It is now up to consumers to help.

The new pilot program is designed to help the university divert more waste, recycle more items and exceed the Vision 2020 goal to divert 60 percent of the waste generated on campus by 2020. The program could be expanded to other buildings later in the year.

“We have seen an increase in recycled content when waste containers are removed from key areas,” said Carrie Spencer, Waste Management spokesperson. “As a company, we manage 10 million tons of recyclables a year, and when your best option is to recycle items, you often change behavior.”

While the new single-stream program has been on campus since September, this new component gives everyone the ability to maximize the amount they recycle. The program, also called sort-free recycling, allows students, faculty, staff and others to easily recycle paper, plastics, cardboard, tin and aluminum in one receptacle. In addition to the pilot program in the English and Philosophy Building, recycling containers are available in all buildings across the UI.

“Recycling is a key UI sustainability initiative now and for the future,” said Bart Knox, UI recycling coordinator. “By pioneering this program on campus, we hope everyone will recycle more, and choose more reusable containers to help limit the amount of waste generated campus-wide.”

During the first three days of spring semester classes, UI Facilities Management and Office of Sustainability staff conducted an education program in the lobby of the English-Philosophy Building to increase awareness among students, faculty and staff. This was part of an ongoing educational effort across campus to promote the new recycling program.

The UI will be tracking the amount of recycled material collected in the English-Philosophy Building to compare it to amounts collected during the fall semester as well as previous years. University officials will also be surveying students, faculty and the custodial staff to see if removing classroom waste containers should become a campus-wide program.

A full list of what can and cannot be recycled on campus is available at http://sustainability.uiowa.edu/sort-free-recycling/. For more information on recycling, visit www.wm.com or www.thinkgreen.com. In addition, be sure to follow Waste Management on Twitter and Facebook for additional recycling information.