Kimberly-Clark Professional, a provider of clean room and laboratory contamination control garments, has helped divert 137,000 pounds of disposable garments and 45,000 pounds of nitrile gloves from landfills, according to the company, through its innovative large-scale recycling program called, "RightCycle by Kimberly-Clark Professional."
The RightCycle by Kimberly-Clark Professional program allows cleanroom employees to conveniently deposit used gloves, hoods, boot covers and hairnets in collection boxes where they are then delivered to recycling pioneer and partner, TerraCycle. TerraCycle transforms these otherwise landfill-bound items into useable products such as composite decking, park benches, and Adirondack chairs.
"By recycling more than 90 tons of garments and gloves since the program began, we have helped our customers achieve or exceed their Corporate Social Responsibility and sustainability goals," said Randy Kates, director, Global Scientific Business, Kimberly-Clark Professional. "At Kimberly-Clark, our mission to create Exceptional Workplaces that are healthier, safer and more productive is inseparable from our commitment to protecting the environment. This program addresses both of these goals."
Since 2011, the Kimberly-Clark Professional and TerraCycle partnership has made it simple and convenient for companies to recycle these previously non-recyclable waste streams, helping them meet their zero-waste goals.
The overwhelming success of the RightCycle by Kimberly-Clark Professional program is part of a larger goal by Kimberly-Clark Corporation, the parent company of Kimberly-Clark Professional, to send zero manufacturing waste to landfills by 2015. The company's Global Nonwovens Division has already worked to keep more than 99 percent of its manufacturing waste out of landfills.
As the environmental and economic costs of landfilling and recycling manufacturing waste continue to rise, alternative recycling options are becoming increasingly important to both industry leaders and consumers. Through this pioneering program, Kimberly-Clark Professional is not only providing a more long-term solution to its own waste-generation, it is helping to pave the way for a more sustainably conscious corporate world.
For more information visit
http://www.kcprofessional.com/home.
Glacier Park Elementary students earned thousands of dollars and prizes for their school by collecting and recycling the drink pouches they use at home and in the lunchroom.
The Maple Valley students reached the third level of TerraCycle and Capri Sun’s Drink Pouch Brigade® milestone contest by collecting more than 40,000 drink pouches, according to a press release from TerraCycle, an international upcycling and recycling company. For their accomplishment, the school earned 50 TerraCycle wristbands and a vinyl banner announcing their achievement. The students also earned more than $3,000 for their school.
The Drink Pouch Brigade® is a free recycling program that rewards people for collecting and sending their waste to TerraCycle® to be recycled or upcycled. The Milestone Program began in September 2013 when Capri Sun added prizes for collecting certain amounts.
"The Milestone Program is meant to inspire individuals and organizations to collect more waste while receiving prizes for their achievements," said Tom Szaky, CEO of TerraCycle, in the release. "It is rewarding to see the students and administration get so involved in making this work. It’s an incredible achievement to have kept so many pouches out of the waste stream."
To learn more about the program or to sign up, visit
www.terracycle.com.
Tiffany is a design junkie who gives scrap materials a second life. She has these darling
“Plush Pals: Turn a Tweed Jacket into a Turtle Softie” on the “DIY Network Make + Remade”. Tiffany has a wonderful tutorial and each picture is a template you can enlarge and print out. She also has a tutorial with patterns for her
“Plush Fox”. Check out her book “ReMake It” with 95 do-it-yourself projects perfect for your favorite trash-connoisseur on her blog. She’s also the head of design at TerraCycle (
www.terracycle.net). I want to thank Tiffany for sharing these cuties with us, ENJOY!
The world is always moving forward with new inventions and ideas coming in and old ones going out day after day; the speed of progression is almost hard to keep up with. Practices deemed safe for years are now being discovered as unsafe, and change is always upon us. Luckily for the environment, this is a good thing.
Scientists and researchers alike are finding that many of our traditional ways of environmental preservation are not as good as they thought. Changes in how our Waste Management handles garbage and recycling are sure to be on the way.
Now that we’re coming up with effective ways to cut down on our paper and plastic waste, what about all of those cigarettes? I don’t think I can walk down a street without seeing a few cigarette butts scattered around. It’s gross. According to
terracycle.com, 38 percent of the litter on the road is cigarette waste. TerraCycle, a company focused on recycling and bringing awareness and action to environmental issues, created the Cigarette Waste Brigade recycling program. The
program allows an individual over the age of 21, organization, or business to collect and send cigarette waste directly to TerraCycle. Once TerraCycle receives the waste, they then compost the paper and filter and recycle it into shipping
pallets, ashtrays, and a variety of other products.
At the moment, it doesn’t seem all too convenient to run around picking up cigarette butts and shipping them off to get recycled, but it’s a good start. If anything, the idea is to bring attention to the enormous problem of cigarette littering. For more information on TerraCycle’s Cigarette Waste Brigade recycling program, visit
terracycle.com.
People around the U.S. are increasingly bringing the “green” back to their neighborhoods. In addition to initiatives like Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) and environmental education through the schools, residents are starting to focus much of their attention on building long-lasting landmarks such as community gardens.
The American Community Gardening Association estimates that there are already 18,000 community gardens throughout the country, and for good reason. According to Minnesota nonprofit Green Matters, community gardens decrease crime in urban areas with little vegetation, increase the value of properties in the surrounding area and can help locals save money on food through garden-generated produce. Instead of driving to a distant supermarket for produce or a faraway park for some green space, it’s just a matter of walking over to the nearby garden.
The health benefits associated with these gardens show how important open garden spaces can be to otherwise “greenless” urban environments. In 2013, University of Utah researchers found that residents who get involved with community garden projects have recognizably lower body mass indexes than nongardeners, with less chance of being overweight. Not only that, fresh produce from community gardens is less likely to be contaminated with pesticides than other kinds and can be used to teach kids about better nutrition.
Organizations such as GrowNYC try to make neighborhood gardens more prevalent. It has already helped establish more than 70 community gardens in New York City, one made with recycled beauty waste with the help of Garnier and recycling company TerraCycle. Initiatives like these not only help establish community gardens in areas with otherwise sparse vegetation, but get the public involved, increase environmental awareness, and educate the community at the same time.
Assistant Director Lenny Librizzi shared these tips for getting involved in a community garden.
• Look Online—Well-organized community gardens usually have websites or Facebook groups.
• Visit—Take a walk through nearby gardens to see which one you’re most drawn to.
• Get Your Hands Dirty—Being a member of a community garden is about more than just growing vegetables. All members should expect to help with common areas, composting, watering, or volunteering time.Ê
• If At First You Don’t Succeed—Each garden has different rules and management systems. If you don’t feel like you’re gelling with the group, try out another one or consider starting your own.
Organizations such as the National Recreation and Park Association and the U.S. Department of Agriculture offer grant programs to communities to help fund garden projects. Some companies are also helping. For example, TerraCycle and Garnier will bring another Garnier Green Garden made out of recycled beauty waste to one of five urban areas in the U.S. in a contest decided by a public vote.
To vote and learn more, visit
www.green.garnierusa.com.
People around the U.S. are increasingly bringing the “green” back to their neighborhoods. In addition to initiatives like Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) and environmental education through the schools, residents are starting to focus much of their attention on building long-lasting landmarks such as community gardens.
The American Community Gardening Association estimates that there are already 18,000 community gardens throughout the country, and for good reason. According to Minnesota nonprofit Green Matters, community gardens decrease crime in urban areas with little vegetation, increase the value of properties in the surrounding area and can help locals save money on food through garden-generated produce. Instead of driving to a distant supermarket for produce or a faraway park for some green space, it’s just a matter of walking over to the nearby garden.
The health benefits associated with these gardens show how important open garden spaces can be to otherwise “greenless” urban environments. In 2013, University of Utah researchers found that residents who get involved with community garden projects have recognizably lower body mass indexes than nongardeners, with less chance of being overweight. Not only that, fresh produce from community gardens is less likely to be contaminated with pesticides than other kinds and can be used to teach kids about better nutrition.
Organizations such as GrowNYC try to make neighborhood gardens more prevalent. It has already helped establish more than 70 community gardens in New York City, one made with recycled beauty waste with the help of Garnier and recycling company TerraCycle. Initiatives like these not only help establish community gardens in areas with otherwise sparse vegetation, but get the public involved, increase environmental awareness, and educate the community at the same time.
Assistant Director Lenny Librizzi shared these tips for getting involved in a community garden.
• Look Online—Well-organized community gardens usually have websites or Facebook groups.
• Visit—Take a walk through nearby gardens to see which one you’re most drawn to.
• Get Your Hands Dirty—Being a member of a community garden is about more than just growing vegetables. All members should expect to help with common areas, composting, watering, or volunteering time.Ê
• If At First You Don’t Succeed—Each garden has different rules and management systems. If you don’t feel like you’re gelling with the group, try out another one or consider starting your own.
Organizations such as the National Recreation and Park Association and the U.S. Department of Agriculture offer grant programs to communities to help fund garden projects. Some companies are also helping. For example, TerraCycle and Garnier will bring another Garnier Green Garden made out of recycled beauty waste to one of five urban areas in the U.S. in a contest decided by a public vote.
To vote and learn more, visit
www.green.garnierusa.com.
Alte Zahnbürsten, leere Zahncreme´s, Zahnseide... alles konnte gesammelt werden. Insgesamt kamen knapp 18.000 Artikel zusammen, die nun alle mit der Post zu TerraCycle geschickt werden. TerraCycle recyelt die Sachen und stellt daraus Gießkannen und Blumentöpfe her. Wer gern mal einen Einblick von der Arbeit bekommen möchte, kann unter www.terracycle.de schauen.
