What’s in Your Trash? Infographic

March 15, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Most of us probably think that we do a pretty good job recycling. Your family recycles their household waste like cardboard, plastics, or aluminim on a small scale, at home. Maybe your company uses compactors or balers to condense trash and recyclables into manageable bales.  Whatever you are doing, every effort counts.  But there is always more we can do.

The infographic below shows that in 2010, Americans generated over 250 billion tons of garbage. One-third of our garbage is being recycled, but that still means over 150 billion tons of garbage ends up in our landfills.

Landfill Waste Versus Recycling

  • Out of the 70 million tons of paper discarded in 2010, 62.5% was recycled
  • Out of the 31 million tons of plastic discarded in 2010, less then 8% was recycled
  • Out of the 22.4 million tons of metals discarded in 2010, nearly 30% was recycled
  • Out of the 13 million tons of textiles discarded in 2010, 15% was recycled [Read more...]

Filed Under: Green Living, Recycling, Waste Management Tagged With: , , ,

Recycling Facts & Statistics Infographic

February 2, 2012 By 1 Comment

The infographic below shows some fun facts about recycling aluminum, paper, plastic, and glass and what states are leading the way in their green efforts. The recycling facts and statistics that stand out the most:

  • There has been an approximate 100% Increase in total recycling in the US in the past decade.
  • The U.S. has the most pounds of trash per person per day (4.6 lbs of trash per person, 1.5 lbs of recycled materials per person)
  • Aluminum can be recycled forever with NO loss of quality (good thing since we use over 80,000,000,000 aluminum cans each year)
  • Americans use 2,500,000 plastic bottles, most of which are thrown away.  In landfills, where plastic bottles are shielded from sunlight, they will not decompose for thousands of years.
  • The energy saved by recycling one glass bottle would run a computer for 30 minutes.
  • Recycling 1 ton of mixed paper saves the energy equivalent of 185 gallons on gasoline.
  • Every year, Americans use 1 billion shopping bags, creating 300,000 tons of landfill waste.
  • The greenest states are Vermont, Maine, New Hampshire, Nevada, Hawaii, South Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Oregon, and Colorado [Read more...]

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Small Baler – Big Power

January 26, 2012 By Leave a Comment

When you are limited by a small space, but you want a versatile baler that has the power of some of the larger balers, take a look at the M30HD by Harmony Enterprises.

Simple to use and set up, it is a popular choice for many smaller applications, such as convenience Harmony Vertical Baler Small Footpintstores, small office developments, hotels, nursing homes, restaurants, or retail stores. It has a small footprint, taking up only 43” W x 38” D x 96” H and requiring only a 23 square feet operating area.

Versatile, compact, and tough, this baler gets the job done using its large cylinder, high capacity hydraulic system with bale ejection system. This little baler stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the larger balers with its ultra-heavy duty construction and ability to bale a wide range of recyclable materials.

Recyclable Materials for Vertical Baler:

  • Steel and Aluminum Cans
  • Styrofoam
  • Office Waste Paper
  • Textiles
  • Corrugated Cardboard
  • PET Plastic
  • Shrink Wrap

The space saving design of the M30HD Vertical Baler by Harmony Enterprises makes earning recycling revenue achievable for smaller businesses. Contact Harmony Enterprises at 800-658-2320 today to see how this little baler can make a big difference in your facility.

 

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Restaurants Get Smart with Trash Collection

December 1, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Have you ever been to a fast food restaurant, mall, or airport where the waste can was overflowing with garbage? Or maybe, while you are finishing your lunch, the restaurant staff empties the garbage can, only to have cups, sandwich wrappers, and ketchup end up on the floor in front of you?  It is far from appetizing for the customer.

Quick-service restaurants today (like this story of McDonald’s) are realizing that how the trash is maintained in their establishment is an important part of the customer experience. In a self-service environment, when customers are expected to put their own waste in the garbage, business owners need to ensure that it is comfortable, clean, and easy.  How the customer feels, as they empty their garbage and leave the establishment will affect their future business. [Read more...]

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