First Computer of Its Kind

As a result of International Business Machine's Environmentally Conscious Products Program, the company has made a commitment to develop, manufacture, and market products that are safe for their intended use, energy efficient, protective of the environment, and that can be recycled or disposed of safely. An important part of that commitment was the creation, in 1994, of the Asset Recovery Center (ARC) located at Endicott, NY. This rapidly growing business venture annually processes about 35 million pounds of end-of-life and returned equipment for reuse and recyclable content. The ARC is highly efficient and has greatly reduced the amount of non-recyclable materials previously going to landfills, moving from 13 percent in 1994 to just 3.5 percent last year. Further, material reuse has reached an all-time high of 38.2 percent.

For the Challenge, IBM released the IBM 6893 IntelliStation E Pro desktop PC -- the first personal computer using 100 percent recycled resin for all major plastic parts in the central processing unit. Largely due to the success of the IntelliStation E Pro, for the first time, IBM used more than 1 million pounds of recovered plastics in its products within a calendar year. IBM found that the use of recovered plastic is a cost effective alternative to using new plastic.

Also, under the technical leadership of IBM Endicott and the sponsorship of Partnership 2000 within the Broome County Chamber of Commerce, the Aurora Project has been established. This emerging eco-industrial project linking business, industry, local government, and academia is pursuing new opportunities for the recycle and reuse of traditional waste flows within the community, with the goal of creating new business opportunities. The first business is an intermediate plastics processing facility, which is scheduled to start pilot operations in July 2000.

New Stores with Recycled in Mind

Aveda is a manufacturer and retailer of plant-based personal care products. Over the past few years, Aveda has worked aggressively to increase the amount of recycled materials in its product line, displays, and shipping cartons (the percentage of postconsumer or post-industrial recycled materials used ranges from 45 to 100 percent). Aveda continuously challenges its suppliers to increase the postconsumer content in its bottles and corrugated containers.

For the National Recycling Challenge, Aveda commits to significantly ramp-up its consumer outreach campaign to educate its customers about the environmental benefits of using recycled materials in the construction of its stores and design of its product line. This will be accomplished through information postcards and in-store education programs. Aveda also will place America Recycles Day pledge cards in its retail stores in October, 2000. In addition, Aveda will partner with the National Recycling Coalition to support educational work on the importance of "buying recycled." Aveda also agrees to recruit a minimum of one private sector company to join the National Recycling Challenge.

Close the "carpet" loop

Honeywell International (formerly Allied Signal, Inc.) along with joint venture partners, has developed an innovative process as its commitment to the National Recycling Challenge. The commitment is the renewal of nylon 6 by manufacturing caprolactam from postconsumer nylon 6 carpet and other nylon 6 waste articles. This is a closed-loop process where nylon 6 waste carpet is depolymerized and purified to its original, virgin-quality state. After careful financial analysis, the recycling technology was determined to be the best option for nylon expansion because it required less capital investment than building a traditional manufacturing plant. And, nylon 6 can be renewed over and over again without loss of properties or quality.

The technology is currently being commercialized through construction of a manufacturing plant, Evergreen Nylon Recycling LLC, in Augusta, GA. The plant opened in November 1999, and full production is expected by mid-2000. At full production, over 200 million pounds per year of waste carpet will be diverted from landfills and converted into 100 million pounds of caprolactam and 100 million pounds of calcium carbonate, which will be used as feedstock and fuel in the manufacture of cement. The recovered caprolactam will be polymerized and can be used in any nylon 6 application including new carpet fibers, engineering plastics, automotive fibers (airbags, tires, carpet), and specialty films. Quality products can be regenerated from waste carpet sources indefinitely using this new, cost-effective technology.

"Connected" to Reuse

Stewart Connector Systems is responding to the National Recycling Challenge with two initiatives. The first initiative is to reuse polycarbonate regrind in its product line. After testing this process for more than a year Stewart Connector Systems has determined that 120,000 pounds of recycled plastic will be converted into a usable product under this program, resulting in a saving of approximately $144,000. The second initiative involves substituting reusable plastic tubes for corrugated boxes using foamed plastic sheets to pack jacks. This measure alone will save 523,434 cardboard boxes, 1,570,302 foamed plastic sheets, and 523,424 plastic rods.

Technologies for Tomorrow

The Small Business Innovation Research Program is intended to strengthen the role of small businesses in federally funded research and development and help develop a stronger national base for technical innovation. Through this program, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) makes awards to small, high-tech firms for research and development of cutting-edge technologies.

EPA committed, as part of its contribution to the National Recycling Challenge, to fund in fiscal year 1999, up to ten new projects that develop and commercialize new municipal waste recycling technologies in FY99. EPA funded five projects pertaining to recycling of tires, plastics, and poultry litter.

Research in Recycling

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has been influential in providing grant funds for small business research. Recently, DOE awarded funds to research and develop computer robotics to recover recyclables from waste intended for landfills. Two pilots are under way to use remote handling equipment to recover recyclables and reduce direct human contact with the waste.

DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy committed to give preference to topics related to recycling and waste prevention for FY2000 Small Business Innovation Research grant funds. DOE included several recycling topics in its current requests for proposal. Proposals are due by the end of February, and the awards will be about three months after the proposals are received.

"Gold" from "Lead"

The U.S. Department of Defense, Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), through its network of Defense Reutilization and Marketing Offices, will soon offer an innovative new service for military activities in response to the Vice President's Challenge. Surplus electronic equipment that is not appropriate for donation or sale for use, will be demanufactured, that is, broken down to its component parts for proper recycling of all metal and plastic.

Two new contracts were negotiated on behalf of DLA and were awarded based on geography. The Handy and Harmon Refining Group was awarded a contract for an estimated 12.5 million pounds with an estimated value of $3.4 million for scrap located west of the Mississippi. DM Electronics Recycling Corporation was awarded a contract for an estimated 12.5 million pounds at an estimated value of $2.6 million for scrap located at government facilities east of the Mississippi. The contractors are committed to receive as much as 15 million pounds per year while DRMS must deliver no less than 5 million pounds annually. The contracts were structured to allow other federal agencies to participate in this recycling initiative.

The action by DoD makes it the largest activity in the United States to make this treatment of electronic equipment a matter of policy by awarding innovative split task order contracts. This effort will offer several advantages to the government and the taxpayer including recovery of valuable materials and recycling to the maximum extent possible, reduction in materials sent to landfills, and the potential for environmental degradation.

21st Century Technology

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is aggressively selling recyclable materials and using proceeds to further fund recycling and pollution prevention initiatives such as outreach, awareness activities, and strengthening the Agency's recycling activities. NASA has established an Agency-wide recycling coordinator's team to facilitate information sharing and participate in outreach activities. In FY98, NASA's Kennedy Space Center was chosen as the lead Center for the Agency's Recycling and Affirmative Procurement program whose mission is to take NASA's recycling and affirmative procurement efforts to the next level as we head into the 21st century. In 1998, NASA received over $800,000 from sales of recycled aluminum, paper, cardboard, antifreeze, batteries, scrap metal, and toner cartridges.

NASA is striving to bring forward innovations in recycling through new technologies, products, policies or building products. Specifically, NASA commits to a 35 percent reduction in solid waste disposal by the year 2010, measured from a FY97 baseline. NASA already has achieved a 20 percent diversion rate.

In addition, NASA is committed to further developing its Environmental Tracking System (NETS) which is being used to electronically capture data across the Agency to measure progress towards this goal. NETS development has been ongoing. A NETS home page was established at http://nets.grc.nasa.gov/recycle/ to help centers use the system effectively.

NASA also plans to continue partnerships with the private sector to develop innovative recycling technologies such as the use of cryogenics in a tire rubber reclamation process that was recently developed with assistance from NASA's Commercial Technology Program at Stennis Space Center.

The Kennedy Space Center (KSC) coordinates agency wide activities through regular video conferences and outreach activities. KSC established a partnership with the U.S. Air Force and the State of Florida to develop a training package for affirmative procurement. The partners meet monthly to enhance recycling and affirmative procurement programs and outreach activities.

Finding "Utility" in Waste

The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) has been able to reduce the volume of solid waste generated from its offices by 82 percent as compared to the volume generated in 1995. TVA is committed to expanding its recycling and will strive to improve the efficiency of its efforts to divert traditional solid waste generated by routine office activities, plants, and field operations from sanitary landfills in support of the national 35 percent reduction goal.

Additionally, TVA will continue to seek new and innovative ways to increase the use of electric power utility waste streams by developing new technologies and products. Of the 5.2 million tons of waste created as a result of generating electricity from fossil fuels, TVA has been able to find markets for approximately 28 percent of these waste streams including their use in products such as roofing granules, industrial abrasives, wallboard, and concrete products each year. TVA's goal is to recycle 38 percent of these waste streams by 2000 and 42 percent by 2005.

Green Contracts

Rutgers-The State University of New Jersey has aggressively pursued recycling from multiple angles. In 1993 almost $2 million in landfill fees was saved by recycling. Since then procurement programs have been developed to return packaging and used commodities and products to contracted vendors, thus eliminating packaging and commodity waste from the University's waste stream all together. Paving and asphalt contracts with the New Jersey Department of Transportation have resulted in recycling of all the excavated asphalt and concrete from campus projects back into Rutgers roads, parking lots, and sidewalks. Rutgers is proud to say that a 53 percent university-wide diversion rate was achieved in 1997 with over 20 categories of waste.

To meet the State of New Jersey's goal of recycling 65 percent of the solid waste in the State by the year 2000 and the Vice President's National Recycling Challenge, Rutgers has enlisted faculty and students from all academic disciplines in an effort to continue to design contracts and institutionalize waste prevention and recycling programs. These contracts will challenge the status quo of "we make, you take" by including provisions for recycling. In addition, a recycling/environmental policy to performance modeling system is nearing completion. Rutgers will share the system with local governments, communities, educational systems, and healthcare and local industry to assist them in accomplishing more in recycling.

Building Green

In spite of its challenging location and low tipping fee, the University of Colorado at Boulder (CU) has created one of the most successful university recycling programs in the nation. Although the tipping fee is only $20 per ton, CU recycling still succeeds at recycling 40 percent of its academic and administrative waste stream, and enjoys an annual 12 percent growth rate. In fact, the program recently retired the debt on its $500,000 recycling facility with accrued savings in disposal costs. Truly a comprehensive effort, CU Recycling also has programs in place for waste reduction, recycled product procurement, and applied research and teaching. CU has been the recipient of more than five distinguished national recycling awards.

For the Challenge, CU intends to take on multiple initiatives. It will revise building codes to include recycling provisions and recycled products in all new construction and remodeling projects. CU also commits to broker reusable durable goods and manufacturing feedstock between at least 18 manufacturers and low-income community groups through its Colorado Materials Exchange (COMEX). To support this initiative, CU commits to host a VISTA member to help administer COMEX. In addition, CU will begin a cost recovery project to offset costs of handling large volumes of bulk mail, free newspapers, and beverage containers on campus. Furthermore, CU Recycling will secure at least five commitments from private companies to decrease the materials delivered to campus. Finally, CU Recycling commits to solicit at least 35 departmental pledges to decrease waste, improve recycling, and increase recycled product purchases by Earth Day 2000.

Model Facility

King County is recognized nationally for its cutting-edge, comprehensive approach to recycling. Its 1989 recycled procurement policy has served as a national model, with the County itself purchasing more than $3 million worth of recycled products for a savings of $600,000. The County has been using re-refined motor oil int its police cars, ambulances, and other fleet vehicles since 1992 and recently switched its bus fleet to re-refined oil. More than 80 percent of County residents participate in curbside recycling, which resulted in a 50 percent diversion rate by 1995. And county partnerships with businesses have increased the growth of markets for recycled products by introducing thousands of residents to a wide range of recycled products. Its Shift Gears program, for example, in partnership with two major re-refined oil manufacturers and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, inspired 9,000 motorists and 125 auto service shops to try re-refined lubricating oil.

King County committed to create a "model facility" out of a major new office building, called King Street Center, for its employees. This building incorporates recycled products in its design and selection of materials, includes a built-in water reuse system, an office recycling system, and an office exchange program, and takes advantage of cutting-edge, energy efficient technology. The building will include 32,000 square yards of renewed carpet tiles, for example, making it the largest installation of renewed carpet tiles in the West Coast.

King County has proven that green building can be cost-effective and aesthetically pleasing. The County plans to expand its environmentally preferable approach to building design when designing future county facilities. A Green Building Team is being formed to work toward adopting green building guidelines for future projects.

Recycline, Inc.: More to Smile About in Recycling

Recycline released its first product, the recyclable Preserve® toothbrush, to market in March 1997. The handle of the Preserve® is made from 100 percent high-quality recycled polypropylene (90 percent postconsumer and 10 percent pre-consumer). Consumers can send their used Preserve® along with its recycled packaging back to the company in the provided return recycling mailer to be reprocessed into a source material for plastic lumber products. With replacement rates of only two times per year, it is estimated that toothbrushes represent over 50 million pounds of plastic waste a year in the U.S.

The successful rollout of the Preserve® gives Recycline the opportunity to expand its retail product and to commit to the Vice President's Challenge by offering a Preserve toothbrush for children. The children's version of the Preserve® toothbrush, releasing to market in 2000, will be made of 100 percent recycled polypropylene and completely recyclable using the recycling return mailers. In addition, Recycline is developing the Ultra Slide, a 95 percent recycled content plastic scuff board which will be used by the trucking industry to protect the base of the interior walls of tractor-trailers. The Ultra Slide will replace the most common alternatives which are scuff boards made from oak wood.

Wood Work

The U.S. forest products industry has a long record of accomplishment when it comes to recycling. More paper is recovered in America for recycling than all other materials combined. Paper recovery rose by 2.2 million tons in 1999 to a record 47.3 million tons, for a paper recovery rate of 45 percent. Recovery of old corrugated containers is just over 70 percent, and old newspapers increased to 68.9 percent. Office paper recovery is now at 43.2 percent. Today, recovered paper accounts for 36.5 percent of the industry's total fiber use. The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA;) also promotes wood recycling through an on-line database of over 700 wood recycling market contacts.

In a continuing effort to improve the long-term fiber supply, the forest products industry is committed to improve the recovery of used/scrap wood through the development of the Wood Recycling Alliance. AF&PA; is reaching out to other stakeholders to develop and advocate for consensus policy and regulatory positions, address quality issues, and share data and research information. AF&PA; sees a number of environmental benefits from this initiative, including extending the wood fiber supply and increasing fiber access; contributing to carbon storage; reducing the amount of recoverable wood going to landfill; and contributing to the development of technologies utilizing a variety of recoverable wood fibers.

Cleaning up with Recycling

One of America's major tourist attractions, Lake Mead National Recreation Area (NRA) encompasses 950 miles of shoreline and 2,337 square acres of land. The recreation area hosts over 9.5 million visitors annually at Lake Mead, Lake Mohave, Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument, and Hoover Dam. Waste reduction and collecting recyclable materials are top priorities, with the NRA implementing a "Think Zero Waste" credo. The recreation area recycled over 4,000 tons of materials in 1998. Lake Mead NRA also promoted reductions in water and energy use for all concession activities with quarterly tracking reports, replaced flood irrigation systems with drip systems in fiscal year 99, implemented reductions in solid waste generation with programs encouraging park patrons to bag out their waste (Boat-it-In, Bag-it-Out) and use recycling dumpsters.

Lake Mead NRA is committed to implementing several innovative projects to promote recycling. First, Lake Mead NRA will work to expand its recycled uniform policy and procedure, in which uniforms are cleaned with environmentally friendly cleaning solvents and repackaged for free distribution to seasonal employees whose uniforms have not arrived or to replace damaged or missing uniform items. Lake Mead NRA will work with the National Park Service Regional Office on procedures to implement uniform recycling between intra-regional parks. Second, Lake Mead NRA will implement a glass "Clean Sweep" by raising the funds to purchase glass crushers, reclaim glass collected from desert clean-ups with volunteer groups, and develop a process to use the reclaimed glass for backfill in construction projects. Third, Lake Mead NRA will strengthen its "Fish Out of Water" program, a partnership with Boulder City Disposal to compost fish waste. Finally, semi-annual recycling training sessions will be open in 2000 to the general public as well as to employees and volunteers.

Recycling Diplomacy

The Department of State initiated an aggressive recycling program in 1995. Within one year, the program was so successful that the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments awarded the Department its 1996 Business Recycling Award. In the first eight months of 1999, the program recycled 170 tons of white paper, 160 tons of mixed paper, more than 100 tons of newspaper, 126 tons of corrugated, 5 tons of beverage containers, and more than 1,500 toner cartridges. The proceeds from the recycling programs are given to the Department's child care center, The Diplotots.

The Department of State commits to further reducing its waste stream by identifying additional items that can be recycled and instituting contracts or policies to facilitate recycling of these items. In 1999, the Department was able to add wooden pallet recycling to its program, resulting in the recycling of more than 1,700 pallets in the first eight months of 1999. The State Department also identified a private electronics recycler for recycling of computer keyboards and has shipped over 200 keyboards for recycling in 2000.

Recycling: Bank on It

Bank of America has been actively recycling and purchasing recycled content products. In 1992, Bank of America was a founding member of the Paper Recycling Coalition, which has grown to 275 members nationwide. Recognizing that it annually consumes the equivalent of 650 tons of paper, Bank of America is increasing its recycling effort while protecting confidential information. The Bank launched a National Desk-Side Recycle Program designed to markedly improve the recycling efforts by making them standard at the individual employee level. By integrating its programs for document destruction and recycling, and by doing a better job of recycling, Bank of America anticipates savings of close to $400,000 a year, not counting avoided disposal fees.

The program was initially instituted in bank branches in the Midwest, South, and East. In 2001, Bank of America will continue to expand the recycling program to the West Coast. Also where feasible, Bank of America will recycle other materials such as beverage containers and toner cartridges.

Recycle Your Shoes with Ohio Zoos

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources' Division of Recycling and Litter Prevention (DRLP) will be a major sponsor of an innovative pilot recycling awareness and collection event for worn out athletic shoes. Partnering with Nike Inc. and several Ohio zoos, DRLP will be offering a fun and innovative approach to promote recycling and buying recycled products. DRLP will bring the "close the loop" message to Ohio residents by combining Nike's "Re - Use A Shoe" program and America Recycles Day. Planned for November, 2000, the athletic shoe collection event, entitled "Recycle Your Shoes with Ohio Zoos," will educate Ohio residents about the aftermarket for old athletic shoes while also making them aware of the benefits of buying recycled products. And, a selected community will benefit from Nike's donation of a playground surface made with "Nike Grind," the ground up athletic shoes!

In addition, all participants of this activity will be exposed to the elements of the NRC's America Recycles Day campaign and the need to close the recycling loop by purchasing recycled content products. DRLP believes that the project will help put a new spin on recycling in general and generate a new excitement for recycling by communicating a clear and strong message to residents about what happens to an item like an old athletic shoe when it's recycled and used to make a new product.