Archive for the ‘Recycling’ Category
Creative recycling for Halloween costumes
Friday, October 28th, 2011
OK, this isn't a high-volume application for recycled plastics, but it's still pretty cool. Jim Griffioen, a stay-at-home Dad in the Detroit area, has blogged about making his son's Halloween costumes the past couple of years, and taken shots in...
Small town cancels bag ban
Saturday, October 22nd, 2011
The town of Sioux Lookout in northwest Ontario is bucking a trend -- it just decided to reverse a ban on plastic bags. Bryan Meadows of The Chronicle Journal in Thunder Bay, Ontario, reports today that the town council removed...
Logistical leaps and product bans
Thursday, October 20th, 2011
A couple of items related to product bans caught my eye today, because both highlight some interesting logical arguments. First, the Los Angeles Daily News posted an editorial in favor of plastic bag bans. The column, "Plastic bag ban proposal...
Plastics notes from Reckitt Benckiser’s sustainability report
Thursday, October 6th, 2011
Reckitt Benckiser plc, known for its Clearasil, Lysol, Durex and Woolite brands, among others, released its 2010 sustainability report today. Here are some of the plastics-related highlights: The company's very proud of that eliminated all the PVC packaging from its...
How much do consumers know about the environment?
Wednesday, October 5th, 2011
Americans are becoming much more confident with their knowledge about the environment, according to a new survey commissioned by SC Johnson. That's despite the often confusing or even contradictory messages that they receive on many environmental issues, from global warming...
Surfers’ group gets (more) serious about bag bans
Tuesday, October 4th, 2011
Let's say you're on the city council of a coastal community where many residents are concerned about marine debris. Some of your constituents want to ban single-use plastic bags. But if you pass a ban without first doing an expensive...
Artist builds ‘life’ from PVC pipe
Wednesday, September 28th, 2011
Dutch sculptor Theo Jansen works in an ususual medium: PVC pipe. But when you're creating giant kinetic creatures that appear to be alive, you use what works. Jansen explains his work on his "Strandbeest" website: Since 1990 I have been...
Irish molder or TV star?
Tuesday, September 20th, 2011
John Concannon, managing director of Tuam, Ireland-based plastics rotational molder, pipe extruder and recycler JFC Manufacturing Ltd., hasn't had a typical career as a manufacturing company entrepreneur. Concannon became something of a celebrity in 1987 when he appeared on the...
Recycler featured in WSJ innovation contest
Monday, September 12th, 2011
Duluth, Ga., recycler U.S. Plastics Recovery has a good story to tell about how it started operations just before the start of the Great Recession, but it still managed to thrive. Plastics News staff reporter Mike Verespej shared the story...
‘Super Greenies’ are wealthy and active
Monday, August 8th, 2011
What's your stereotype of the "super green" consumer? Scarborough Research recently prepared a report, "All About the Super Greenies," that attempts to categorize them. Scarborough defines a "super green" consumer as someone who does at least 10 of these 14...