| Buy It Again ! Newsletter of the New Jersey Buy Recycled Business Network –Winter, 2001 |
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U.S. Postal Service and Telcordia Technologies Doing it Right! The United States Postal Service and Telcordia Technologies, Inc. are not only members of the New Jersey Buy Recycled Business Network but also prime examples of organizations that have shown themselves to be leaders in the "Buy Recycled" cause. Both organizations recognize the importance of integrating environmental considerations into their purchasing decisions and have made a strong commitment to buy recycled content products for their day-to-day operations. The United States Postal Service annually purchases more than $200 million dollars worth of products with recycled content. For example, retail and philatelic products including stamped envelopes, postalcards, stamp booklets, covers, packaging material and express mail and priority mail envelopes are comprised of 100% recycled content with post consumer content ranging from 80% to 100%. In addition, new hampers and mail containers contain 50% recycled content. The United States Postal Service is also a national leader in the use of re-refined motor oil and retreaded tires. In fact, more than 100,000 postal vehicles currently use re-refined motor oil while more than 100,000 retreaded tires are purchased annually by the Postal Service. For further information, contact Rich Orlusky at 973-468-7046. Telcordia Technologies, Inc. began a comprehensive recycling and Buy Recycled program in 1988. The company’s stationery, forms, business cards, annual reports and periodicals are all printed on recycled content paper. In addition, Telcordia purchases janitorial and cafeteria supplies with recycled content. Recycled content products have also been used in the construction of the first of four planned new buildings at the company’s Piscataway site. For further information, contact Ron Hutchinson at 732-699-3959 or at rhutchin@telcordia.com. Did You Know…
Buy Recycled Training Manual Updated The 6th Edition of the Maryland Environmental Service’s Buy Recycled Training Manual is now available. The updated manual includes revised information on the EPA guidelines and federal executive order, expanded information on environmentally preferable purchasing and a list of key websites. Contact Richard Keller at 410-974-7254 or at rkell@menv.com for additional information.
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Keeping Warm With Cellulose Insulation Rising energy prices are once again in the news both locally and nationally. One way to combat increasing fuel costs is to make sure that your home or business has the proper amount of insulation. Adequately insulated homes and buildings not only save money for their owners but also conserve energy and lead to a cleaner environment. Cellulose insulation, one of the many types of insulation on the market, is made from recycled wastepaper, most of which is old newspapers. This recycled product typically contains 75% or greater recycled content. Fire retardant chemicals are added for product safety. According to the American Forest & Paper Association, the fastest growing use for recovered paper in nontraditional markets is cellulose insulation. Approximately 700,000 tons of recovered paper were used for this product in 1999. A key attribute of cellulose insulation is its high thermal resistance, which is measured by R-value. Cellulose insulation greatly reduces air infiltration that leads to lower R-value. Products with a higher R-value can produce the greatest energy savings when properly installed. For further information, contact the Cellulose Insulation Manufacturers Association at 937-222-2462 or at www.cellulose.org.
Why Buy Recycled? The benefits of buying recycled products for businesses include the following:
(Source: Buy Recycled Business Alliance) Concrete and Recycled Glass – Perfect Together While recycled glass has successfully been incorporated into hot mix asphalt for years, the incorporation of recycled glass into concrete was never possible due to a negative chemical reaction that occurred between glass and concrete that led to a weakening and cracking of the concrete. Researchers at Columbia University, however, have overcome this obstacle by developing a patented method of suppressing the problematic reaction. As a result of this research, recycled glass can now be used as an aggregate substitute in concrete production. By using this new production method, concrete producers will be able to use 100% glass aggregate in place of stone aggregate for a variety of applications including paving stones, countertops, parking lots and buildings. While the new concrete mixture will be slightly more expensive than standard concrete, it is expected to be highly marketable since it can be polished to a bright shine, imitating marble, granite and other expensive stone. In addition, the product will be of great interest to the "green" building community. For further information, visit www.civil.columbia.edu/meyer. If These Walls Could Talk… Recycled content office walls are now available from The Iris Group, Inc. The "IrisWall" system is a moveable floor-to-ceiling wall that is made of recycled content aluminum, recycled newsprint and recycled content textile, among other materials. The product can be used in a variety of ways and can be custom made to include glass or other features. The price of the IrisWall is equal to or less than the price of its virgin content counterparts. For further details, contact Jon Emery at 732-254-3722.
New Jersey Buy Recycled Business Network |