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RECYCLABLE TOOTHBRUSH INTRODUCED

In an effort to reduce landfill waste, Recycline, Inc., Somerville, Mass., has introduced the Preserve, a recyclable toothbrush made from recycled materials. After consumers are finished using the toothbrush, they are encouraged to send the product back to Recycline, postage paid, so it can be recycled.

“The Preserve’s polypropylene handle and premium virgin nylon bristles combine to make an extremely effective feed material for recycled plastic lumber products,” says Robert Malloy, professor of Plastic Engineering at UMass Lowell.

With replacement rates of up to two times a year, it is estimated that toothbrushes account for more than 50 million pounds of plastic waste in the United States. By using recycled plastics in the Preserve toothbrush, the company seeks to reduce reliance on resources and landfills.

NEW ATMs CHANGE SCRAP YARD RETURNS

Technology is bringing change to some small scrap yards. Transact Payment Systems, Inc., St. Petersburg, Fla., installed its first change-dispensing ATM at River Metals Recycling in Louisville, Kentucky, earlier this year, allowing customers to cash in on the full value of their returns. The company has since sold additional units.

Customers receive cards for their materials that are traded for cash (and now change) at the ATM, says Ken Gruber, president of Transact. A coin changer holding quarters and nickels attached to the back of the ATM means a more accurate exchange on the customers’ goods, rounding returns to the nearest nickel. Most scrap yards round to the nearest dollar or distribute checks, but scrap yards dealing with smaller shipments also deal with smaller amounts of money, so there is a greater need to be more accurate with change, he says.

MISSOURI’S “GREEN BUILDING” ENCOURAGES AWARENESS

Conscious construction starts with the blueprints, and a team led by architects Hellmuth, Obata and Kassabaum, Inc. (HOK) and general contractor Paric Corp., hopes their design will achieve Missouri’s first “green building” certification. The Nidus Center for Scientific Enterprise, an environmentally sensitive business incubator for Monsanto in St. Louis, is being built to meet the U.S. Green Building Council’s stringent criteria.

To earn “green building” status, designs must be energy and resource-efficient, utilize renewable resources and provide a healthy environment for occupants.

The $8.5 million center honors these earth-friendly prerequisites, and then some. Features include window frames made of recycled aluminum, steel support beams partially consisting of salvaged material content, a metal roof to channel rain water into silos for irrigation, “living walls” to filter air toxins, high-efficiency energy systems, and showers to encourage workers to use bikes rather than cars.

“It is a tremendous undertaking to achieve the pinnacle ‘green building’ certification,’ says Hans Hecker, senior project manager with HOK. “Team members are dedicated to make Nidus Center the most ecologically sound building in Missouri—a sustainable asset for future generations.”

BROOKFIELD ZOO SERVES UP BIODEGRADABLE CUTLERY

Brookfield Zoo, Brookfield, Ill., is spoon-feeding environmental awareness to visitors with a two-month pilot project to use biodegradable eating utensils in the zoo’s food service areas. Biocorp reSourceWare’s forks, spoons and knives composed of corn starch and cotton seeds are replacing their plastic counterparts.

Staff members are encouraging guests to dispose of the utensils in separate recycling containers, where they will then be ground up and composted in the zoo’s facility. The composted cutlery will return to the zoo in the form of natural fertilizer.

“We want to make sure we’re doing the whole picture,” says Linda Pribyl, human nutrition coordinator. “It can biodegrade in a landfill, but this is an ideal situation.”

Surveys that zoo visitors have been completing will determine how cooperative and receptive guests are to using and separating the earth-friendly ware. Results are still being tabulated, but most customers are satisfied with the project, Pribyl says. Boy Scouts are just some of the guests that have chosen to purchase the 24-pack of cutlery offered at the zoo restaurants, she comments.

This is only a part of Brookfield Zoo’s mission to develop what she calls, “a sustainable, harmonious development with nature.” The zoo’s restaurants recycle all cardboard, plastic and cans and replaced paper cups with plastic souvenirs to promote conservation. Napkins are made from 100% post-consumer recycled paper and cooking oil is recycled and used for making cosmetics.

“The zoo’s food-service department supports the zoo’s mission, which includes conserving our natural resources,” says Martin Dubina, vice president of business services. “The zoo’s restaurants are among a few in the industry that have made significant change in their daily operations to reduce, reuse, and recycle.”