Jose Bardelas Go Green

Office Recycling – 5 Ways to a Greener Business

Dr. Jose A. Bardelas Jr. MD Office Recycling By Marjorie Jackson

Recycling has become an increasingly popular activity for homeowners all over the world. More and more families are choosing to go green and help save the environment with easy at-home solutions. From recycling and composting to reducing energy and water, keeping the environment healthy has become a huge initiative for homeowners.

What’s surprising is the lack of participation from many companies all over the country. One company (depending on the size) can have the same impact on the environment as a small village of homes. If your company could make the world a greener place, wouldn’t you want to be part of it?

Here are some simple things you can do in the office that will not only make the environment healthier but will cut back on costs as well:

1. Recycling Bins. It’s important to promote recycling within your company. Not only should employees be aware of the initiatives but all measures should be taken to ensure that recycling is as easy as possible. Place the recycle bins close to the garbage cans so employees don’t have to walk further to the bins (they might lose interest if it means more work). You may even want to give each employee a normal waste basket and a recycle one so they don’t have to leave their desks to recycle their products.

2. Water Coolers vs. Water Bottles. Water bottles are not environmentally friendly and they cost significantly more than water coolers. Opt for switching from water bottles to a single (or multiple if you work for a larger company) water cooler instead of countless water bottles.

3. Energy Efficient Dishwashers. Purchasing an energy efficient dishwasher will make a huge difference in the amount of water and energy it takes to wash your dishes every day. There are several types of energy efficient dishwashers to choose from, in a variety of price ranges to suit all budgets.

4. Email vs. Paper. Communication is an integral part of every company. More and more companies are choosing to communicate via email rather than paper. Power Point presentations are becoming increasingly popular and 10-page paper handouts are becoming a thing of the past. Some companies are even opting to do pay stubs via email to cut back on the paper usage every pay period.

5. Carpooling, Public Transportation etc. You can’t force your employees to carpool to work or take the bus instead of driving every day, but you can persuade them. A lot of companies have chosen to promote carpooling and public transportation through reward programs.

Metal Recycling and How to Recycle Metal

Dr. Jose A. Bardelas Jr. MD Recycle Metal By Patrick Sharple

Metal recycling is the most popular form of recycling in the United States. Steel and aluminum can be infinitely recycled. Scrap metal is ferrous metals (steel and iron) or nonferrous metals (tin, brass, copper, aluminum). Home appliances such as dishwasher, washing machines, stoves, and refrigerators are generally created from metal. Discarded appliances fit within 2 categories: refrigerants and non-refrigerants.

Four Stages of Metal Recycling
There are 4 stages in metal recycling: collection, processing (where metal is compacted), shredding, and selling to mini mills that produce steel. This recycling process requires 74 percent less energy than the use of virgin materials.

Useful tips for unwanted appliances:

1. When you purchase a new appliance, ask the delivery driver to take the old one with him/her. Companies either recycle the unit or properly dispose of it.

2. Ask a professional to take apart the discarded appliance and remove the recyclable parts to take to your local recycling center.

3. If the appliance is still functional, sell it on the Internet, donate to a charity, give to a friend, or list it on freecycle.com.

Benefits to Recycling Metal

Aluminum cans made their debut as beverage containers in 1965. Because of the aluminum can’s ability to be recycled over and over again, it is the most valuable recyclable container in America today. Aluminum recycling provides community, environmental, and economic benefits.

Environmental advantages include saving precious natural resources, energy and money. It only takes 2 months for an aluminum can to be recycled into a new can and put back on the shelves ready for resale. In 2007, an impressive 54 billion cans were recycled, saving the energy of 15 million barrels of crude oil.

The economic benefits of recycling aluminum cans are plentiful. Each year, the aluminum industry buys over $800 million dollars worth of empty cans to be recycled. This money can go to non-profit and charity organizations. Many such groups recycle cans to earn money for their organizations. When cans are recycled curbside, the money from the aluminum industry goes toward community services. The aluminum industry has even teamed up with organizations like Habitat for Humanity, by allowing them to leave can drop-off boxes in several locations to raise money for housing individuals and families.

Aluminum foil can usually be recycled with your aluminum cans, but before doing that, it’s always good to reuse it on other food items. Just wash it and let it dry with your dishes.

Many local super markets have recycling machines. Cans are fed into a slot and depending on which state you live in, you will get a voucher with the total amount of the cans you’ve submitted.