The pen is a marvellous invention, but when it has done its job it still ends up in the garbage. One more non-recyclable item journeys to the landfill. In the US, 1.6 billion meet that fate each year. Recycling pens poses big problems. Even though a good portion of a pen is plastic, it is usually several different kinds of plastic, usually contaminated with a bit of metal or an ink core or some other materials.

Noetix Corp., a world-class provider of business intelligence (BI) software and services for enterprise applications, today announced it has been selected for King County’s annual list of Best Workplaces for Recycling and Waste Reduction for the third consecutive year. King County’s Solid Waste Division initiated the list five years ago to recognize businesses for strong internal recycling programs and for their commitment to making recycling a priority for their companies. In 2011, 89 businesses, including restaurants, manufacturers, city governments, and a wide variety of others, demonstrated fulfillment of the listing’s criteria and provided individual stories about how successes were achieved. “Noetix and the other businesses on our list have put exceptional recycling programs into place and shown commitment to reducing the amount of waste their company sends to the landfill,” said Karen May, project manager, Recycling and Environmental Services at King County Solid Waste Division. “Their actions help reduce the impacts of climate change and feed recycled materials back into the economy.” To qualify as a Best Workplace for Recycling and Waste Reduction, companies must meet at least 10 criteria from a list of more than 30 good business recycling practices that range from placing recycling bins by every desk to collecting food scraps for composting.