We all know that recycling is great way to save the environment. However, often we don’t consider recycling waste, especially commercial waste, properly to save the environment. In most cases businesses trash their commercial waste in the landfills. This can adversely affect our environment.

What is recycling?

Recycling is the processing of converting old, used equipment and material into new reusable products. This means that every product you send to recycle will have a reuse value. When you reprocess used equipment you get raw materials that can be used to create new products. This helps reduce the consumption of new raw materials. This process can also significantly reduce energy usage and air pollution. As we are not dumping waste into landfills the risk of potential water pollution from landfills is also reduced.

Thus, by simply implementing a regular process of commercial waste recycling, businesses can benefit the environment in great deal. There are many waste recycling and management legislations in the country to ensure that all manner of waste is dealt with in a compliant manner. Often, business owners find it difficult to ensure that all standards are met and waste is dealt with in a compliant and eco-friendly way.

What is involved in commercial waste clearance and recycling?

The process involves recycling general office materials like furniture and electronic equipment such as computers, printers and copiers. When it comes to recycling, since electronic equipments contain hazardous materials and a variety of toxic materials/pollutants including one or more of the following: lead, mercury, selenium, cadmium, arsenic, zinc, brominated flame retardants, and, in older equipment, polychlorinated by phenyls (PCBs), it is important that you hire an agency that works in line with the WEEE directive.

How to recycle your the waste effectively?How to find a firm that recycles the waste effectively?The best way to recycle commercial waste is to hire a firm who is an expert in recycling waste in line with the law. There are many firms in the UK that offers the services. You can run an internet search to find such an agency. When choosing an agency, you need to consider the following facts: • Make an assessment of the waste that should be cleared off• Hire a reputable company • Make sure that the agency has necessary licences to carry out the job• Find out what they do with your waste after it is collectedAdvantages of hiring a commercial waste collection service When you hire are a commercial rubbish collection and clearance service, you get the following benefits: • Commercial waste clearance at the time of your convenience • Clearance and recycling at down to earth rates• Hassle free waste collection and disposalKeep these facts in mind and ensure your commercial waste proper removal and recycling.

Did you know that aside from contributing positively to the well-being of our Mother Earth, recycling is also a good way to hone your artistry and creativity? This is true because with various recycled materials, you can create different kinds of arts and crafts masterpieces. This way, you can also enjoy and have fun while you do your part in making this world a better place to live in.

If you are not sure what this means or how this can happen, this step-by-step procedure will guide you in your quest in turning recycling into an art.

Step One: Research and study about recycling.

This is important especially if you have no idea yet on what kind of art project you want to do. There are many websites in the Internet and many books on recycling that will help you decide. You can log in online or visit the local library for ideas and inspiration. Your options may include glass mosaic, paper mache sculptures, beaded accessories, penholders and many more.

Step Two: Decide what kind of an art project you want to undertake.

After you have gathered several ideas for art projects, you can proceed to decide what kinds you would want to do. This will depend on the level of difficulty of the project, the materials available, and your preferences as well.

For example, if you were a beginner, you would want to do something that is light and easy to accomplish. Or if you are the type who likes to wear accessories, then making recycled bracelets and necklaces from old beads will probably your favorite art project.

Step Three: Gather old materials from recycle bins.

Before you bring the contents of your recycling container to the nearest recycling center, sort them out first so you can see if there is anything in there that you can make use for your art projects.

Step Four: Do the art project!

In this step, it would be good if you will be able to follow the step-by-step procedure on the art project instructions so that you will come up with a wonderful art masterpiece.

Tips:

1. Encourage children to recycle by giving them recycled art projects to work on. This way, they will not look at recycling as a tedious chore but a fun pastime that can do something good for the environment.

2. Sell what you made. If you want to earn extra income, try selling your art masterpieces in a store or to people you know. This is also a good way of spreading the word about recycling and to encourage people to participate in this activity as well.

3. Join environment communities and organizations. These groups will be able to give you various ideas on recycled arts and crafts that you can try yourself. In return, you can also share with them what you know.

Recycling is a big responsibility that we should all participate in, in order to protect our Mother Earth. But this does not mean that we cannot have fun while doing this earth-saving activity.

Across many years, we have now implemented the earth to meet each of our requirements. Simply put , we have now exploited the planet earth over and above her threshold level. The unfathomable incorrect use of the world has leaded to a worldwide temperature rise known as global warming. The rising temperature has caused the polar caps to melt, thus resulting in an increase of ocean water, raising sea-levels, etc. To quote Henry David Thoreau, “what’s the use of a house if you don’t have a tolerable entire world to put it on?”.

Recycling literally means to reuse the items that have already been made use of once. It implies reprocessing the implemented elements to avoid waste generated by household or industrial dumping. Recycling helps in lowering the greenhouse gas emissions and landfilling. Landfilling is the oldest and the most crude way of disposing waste. The process involves disposal of waste by burial. Although this is the organized method of waste disposal, it has severe negative impacts on people staying close to these areas and also to the surrounding environment.

Recycling has become the need of the hour, as the world is reeling under the pressure of many complex environmental issues. The wanton destruction of rain forests has left many species of animals and plants on the brink of extinction. Inconsiderately, rain forests have been cut down for paper, timber and regional development. The everyday printing and writing paper that we use in each of our offices come from the rainforests in Australia. Recycling of paper at the household level has seen a popular upward trend, but fresh timber finds its way to the office. Rain forests play an important role in maintaining the ecosystem, which we are all a part of. This means that we are all interdependent and this necessitates recycling at every step.

Plastic has been the long debated topic in the recycling revolution. Plastic recycling means gathering things right from plastic bottles and caps and processing them into tables and chairs. On the plus side, HDPE (high-density polyethylene), PET or PETE (polyethylene terephthalate), LDPE (low density polyethylene), PP (polypropylene) and PS (polystyrene) are some of the types of plastics that can be recycled. A negative side of plastic is that it is not biodegradable and hence cannot be just disposed off. Burning plastic is the most illogical way to get rid of it. The moment this seemingly harmless trash is set on fire, it releases a toxic gas known as dioxin. The biggest problem faced by plastic recycling is the sorting of plastic into recyclable and non-recyclable types. The unrecycled plastic again results in landfilling.

Recycling at household level has proved to be very beneficial. Kitchen and garden waste is recycled by composting. The aerobic bacteria that breaks the waste materials into fertile top soil are called as humus. Humus reinvigorates vital nutrients and organic matter into the soil. Beautiful gardens and splendid parks can be made out on this soil.

Glass recycling turns the put to use waste glass into new usable products. It helps in saving the many raw elements that go into making glass. Glass refilling is a famously observed norm in developing countries like India and Brazil. As the phrase suggests, old bottles are refilled to save costs to the company. This also reduces a significant amount of waste sent to landfill.

The items and elements that we use in our daily lives such as textiles, paper, plastic, timber, ferrous and non-ferrous metals, paint and batteries can be recycled. Recycling not only affects the environment in a positive way but also re-creates the lost resources. Increase in wealth, population and technology and the various lifestyle changes, have all led to an unmanageable amount of waste. Harmful gases and chemicals are released into the atmosphere by the rubbish in the landfill sites. Recycling will ensure in restoring the habitats and forest lands. This is the world that gave us each of our lives. If she had the power to create, then she also has the power to destroy if we keep abusing her.

Today along with plastic, nuclear and chemical waste mankind is facing problem with e-waste. The main culprit of the e-waste is the mobile phones. Now the need of the time is recycling of the mobile phones. E-waste can be combined with computers and other electronic devices, but phones are giving a strong competition among them. Every landfills and city dumps are filled with phones that carry deadly hazardous materials like chromium, lead and nickel. They are capable of causing serious damage to our environment and underground water. Many people throw their mobile phones away after they become old and damaged. This is because they are not aware of the recycling of mobile.

As far as recycling is concerned, a survey reveals only below 3% of the world population gives their phones for recycling. The long lists of buyers get richer when compared to the list of donors for recycling. Recycling simply means extracting the materials from the phones and brings them to use again instead of leaving them as hazardous waste material. Many people are unaware that the copper in the phones and chargers are recyclable. The growing value of copper in market is making it a valuable one.

One ton of old phone devices can yield up to 100 kilogram of copper which is more than from its own ore. The scope of recycling mobile is necessary due to the lack of its resources. Today mobile users are increasing rapidly due to its newer models. Recycling copper reduces the impact of mining copper and keeps the cost of it in a set level. Mobile phones are made from all valuable materials; these require energy and natural resources to extract them. Mobile phone recycling also reduces the emission of green house gas in the atmosphere.

Lead is one of the most threatening chemical in the circuit boards of phones. It is considered as a problematic metal throughout the world. Lead is used in the circuit boards for soldering. These create cancer, abnormalities by affecting the central nervous system and immune system and affect the kidneys too. They can be disposed properly when given to the recyclers. Instead of keeping our mobile unused in drawer, we can give them for recycling and save the basic raw materials needed to manufacture them. The housing around the mobile can be used to make park decks; saxophones and so on… focus all your attention in recycling them in a charitable way. So say bye to pollution and environmental impacts created by mobile phones. Let?s all join our hands together and give way to recycling of mobile phones and save energy and the environment.

Recycling makes sense.

Recycling mobile phones is necessary because they have toxic elements in the circuit board that pollute the soil, underground water and play a wide role in increasing the globally warming. Throwing the mobile in the land may cause many harm to the nature and also they will increase the need for the basic raw materials needed to manufacture new mobile phones. Several surveys have revealed that in developed countries only 3% of the people contribute in recycling the mobile phones. Instead of keeping your phones may be the LG, Nokia, Samsung or any other company phones in your drawer or cupboard give them to the mobile retailers or to the manufactures for recycling. Recycle LG Optimus 2X mobile if they are in very bad condition, unused, old or broken. Recycle LG Optimus 2X mobile phones to reuse the useful parts in them.

When you give your LG Optimus 2X mobile phone for recycling the recycling company will take away the useful parts and then recycle the other pats to use them as a raw material to manufacture new phones. Recycle LG Optimus 2X mobile and get paid for it from the retailers. Recycling of mobile phones helps to reduce the toxic waste being dumped in the land. Most of them keep their old mobile in the drawer and cupboard. This will increase the need for the basic raw materials needed to manufacture new phones. The most important need for recycling is that it will reduce globalization by reducing the emission of green house gas in the atmosphere. Sell old mobile to the mobile retailers or the particular mobile manufactures and contribute to reduce globalization.

Instead of keeping the phones unused you can give them for recycling to meet the demand for basic raw materials needed to manufacture new phones. Sell old mobile and get paid for it based on the condition it is. All the precious and valuable metals in the circuit board of your old mobile will live in the new mobile after they are recycled. If you throw your phones in the land they will leak the toxic materials on the land and pollute the soil and underground water. This in turn find their way back to us and they cause many disease to us. Sell your old mobile for recycling and help the environment and get some cash from them which you no longer need. Recycling always makes sense, so do your best part in protecting the environment from the toxic waste and protect yourself from harmful diseases like cancer caused due to the pollution of water, air and soil.

Recycling is sort of like exercising: we all know we should do it, but not all of us do it as often as we should–and some of us don’t do it at all. However, there are lots of reasons why you should make an effort to recycle as much as possible. If you haven’t been diligent about recycling your garbage, here are seven good reasons why you should start.

It cuts back on global warming. Our planet is starting to feel the effects of global warming already–and we need to do whatever we can to lessen the impact. Production of certain materials from scratch can release significant amounts of CO2 into the atmosphere. Aluminum production is a prime example–producing new aluminum creates 95% more CO2 than recycling old aluminum cans. In addition, recycling paper saves trees–for each ton of paper recycled, 17 trees are saved. Each of these trees can extract around 250 pounds of carbon dioxide from the air in a year.

It makes us more energy-efficient. It often takes a great deal more energy to create something from scratch than to recycle it. For example, it takes twice as much energy to burn plastic as to recycle it; it takes 64% more energy to make paper than to recycle it; and recycling just one pound of steel can save enough energy to run a 60-watt bulb for one day.

It keeps our landfills from overflowing. We’re fast running out of space for landfills–especially near cities. Seaside cities have been dumping trash into their oceans for decades to circumvent the problem, but with widespread marine ecological collapse, this is no longer a viable option. Worse yet, it’s difficult to find land in suburban and rural areas whose residents will allow landfills to come into their areas without a fight. The squeeze for landfill land is only going to get worse in the future.

Recycling gives us some hope for this bleak scenario. Studies show that 60% to 75% of garbage in landfills can be recycled. That means that if everybody recycled, we’d have 60% to 75% less garbage in our landfills, and we’d need at least that much less land for garbage disposal.

It improves the quality of our groundwater. The garbage in landfills is usually not treated in any way–it’s simply thrown in a big hole and buried over. Much of this garbage is not environmentally friendly or readily biodegradable–and it’s no surprise that contaminants can get into our water. Rain and other runoff from landfills gets into our streams, rivers, lakes, and other waterways, damaging fragile ecosystems. It’s also a major reason why it’s not safe to drink from streams and rivers when you’re hiking and camping–even when it looks like you’re in a pristine environment. Recycling reduces the trash in landfills, and the more we recycle, the more our water systems can start becoming as pure as they look.

It reduces air pollution. Many factories that produce plastics, metals, and paper products release toxins into the air. Recycle these materials, and there will be less need for companies to manufacture new materials–saving on the amount of pollution dumped into our atmosphere. In addition, disposing of certain recyclable materials can also produce significant pollution. For example, plastics are often burned in incinerators. Plastics are made with oil, and that oil is released into the atmosphere when the plastic burns–creating serious greenhouse-gas emissions.

It creates jobs. From manufacturing to processing, from collection to invention–it’s no secret that recycling is a growth industry, earning billions of dollars annually. Our need to recycle is only going to grow more urgent as populations grow and as technology changes. Recycling creates far more jobs than landfills do–enough jobs to make a big difference in a small town.

It adds to property value. It’s obvious that a landfill near your home can decrease your property values significantly. Recycling reduces the amount of land needed for landfills. This reduces the number of houses near landfills, keeping property values up and homeowners happy. The more people recycle, the fewer landfills we need–and if enough people pitch in, recycling should pay off for everybody.

It’s good business. Pitting business against the environment is a lose-lose situation: everybody suffers. And yet, that’s how the debate has been framed in politics and the public sphere for years. This is a shame, because the truth is that recycling just makes good business sense. Industrial factories and processing plants save plenty of money on energy and extraction strategies when they use recycled materials instead of virgin resources. They also ensure that basic resources don’t become a scarce commodity, keeping demand and prices down and ensuring that their business can continue for decades to come.

One person can make a difference. With so many good causes, it’s easy to get discouraged–especially when the problem is so widespread that it’s hard to see what difference your individual effort is making. Many people think this is true with recycling, too–but the truth is that small acts of recycling make a big difference. For example, recycling just one large newspaper would save around 75,000 trees. On average, each person in the U.S. produces around 1,600 lbs. of waste each year. If you recycled all of that, you could save around 1,100 lbs. of waste per year–that’s over half a ton–just by yourself!

We hope that after reading this article, you’ll be inspired to become a recycling advocate–or at least be certain to recycle in the future. Recycling benefits everybody, and takes only a little trash-sorting to put into effect. With our limited space for landfills and dwindling resources, it’s a sure thing that recycling is here to stay.

Recycling is important, but first and foremost: Use less whenever possible. Don’t think you can’t make a difference by recycling… recycling just one aluminum can saves the amount of energy required to run a TV for three hours! Before committing to recycling, here are a few, fun facts that TGM Associates would like to share that will help you understand the value of recycling.

If everyone in the US recycled a mere 1/10 of their newspaper print, 25 million trees could be saved each year. Recycling 1 ton of paper will save 24,000 gallons of water. If every household in the US replaced 1 roll of 1000 sheet bathroom tissues with 100% recyclable rolls, we could save 373,000 trees, 1.48 million cubic feet of landfill space, and 155 million gallons of water.

Recycling in an apartment complex is easy to do. Simply follow these steps:

Organize a spot in your apartment (easiest if by the trashcan) that collects the recyclables. As your throwing trash away, you can easily sort the recyclables from the trash. This should soon turn into a natural habit, as instinctive as breathing! Collect all items that are considered recyclable. Your basic paper products including cardboard, mail, paper tubes, even gift wrap should be easy to place. Your recyclable containers will include: glass bottles and jars, pop cans, juice and food cans (empty and rinse cans to discourage animal visitors), aerosol cans, empty paint and spray cans, plastic bottles and jugs, tubs & lids, clean aluminum foil, plates and pans. If you’re unable to determine whether an item is recyclable, simply look at the label; there should be the standard recycling symbol, which will often have some type of information along with the symbol saying that the entire product is recyclable or that only specific parts can be recycled. Bring your recyclables down in a carry bin. These can be paper bags, cardboard boxes, laundry baskets, etc. NO plastic bags in the recycling carts as plastic bags contaminate the recyclables. Take the recyclables to the “recycling station” in your building. It will normally consist of separate carts, usually located where the garbage is dropped off.

Easy and fun tips to try when recycling from your apartment:

Join Freecycle to give away unwanted household items. Expand your awareness and educate yourself about recycling so that the process becomes more efficient over time. Fertilize plants with crushed egg shells. If you’re buying bottled water, buy it in large jugs instead of individual serving-sized containers; you can do this with juice and sodas, too. Remember to bring your cloth reusable bags every time you go to the store.

Most apartments should have a recycling program in conjunction with trash pick-up. If not, you can do one of two things: You can organize a recycling program by getting your neighbor’s involved. Or, use cardboard boxes in your apartment to collect recyclables – consider one box for newspapers, another for glass, cans and plastic bottles, and a third for mixed paper (cereal boxes, cardboard, envelopes, white paper, catalogs, etc.). Bring your recyclables to your closest recycling center. (But, don’t waste gas! Combine it with a trip you are making anyway.)

TGM Associates is an investment advisory firm with a focus on multifamily properties. TGM acquires, sells and manages apartment properties throughout the U.S. TGM strives to provide the highest level of resident services and quality on-site management as part of a continual commitment to provide residents with a well-maintained apartment community and a comfortable place to live.

Sure we all have a growing knowledge, given the recent climate change, strange animal deaths, and many more events that our world is in trouble. If we don’t stop our ways of maximum consumerism and waste, we will surely reap the negative consequences. Fortunately, there green lifestyles are becoming more common both at home and in the workplace. People have begun to realize that we can all do our share to reduce the waste that we produce, and a great way to do that is to get into recycling. Our place of work can also benefit from recycling as huge industries produce so much waste too. A Louisville recycling company, Blue Sky Recycle recently gave us some indispensable advice targeted to those who specifically want a recycling program in their place of work.1. Start by forming a recycling group at the workplace- Blue Sky recycles, the Louisville recycling company that we worked with says that if only one person was in charge of recycling for a whole company, then the program would go nowhere. There is strength in numbers. Ensure that forming recycling groups or teams carries out work recycling. A team of interested employees can meet every so often to discuss the best ways to recycle at work.2. Determine what materials at work can actually be recycled- Louisville recycling experts, Blue Sky Recycle says that there us no better way to start recycling than to perform a waste audit. Through a waste audit, the company is able to take inventory of the amount and type of solid waste produced at a certain location. Should you do one yourself, look out for these in your company’s waste audit:? office paper? magazines and catalogs? newspaper? cardboard? aluminum cans? plastic bottles? ink jet cartridges and ink toner3. Talk with your property manager about your program- You may not know it just yet, but there might already exist recycling programs availablein your neighborhood. The best way to find out, according to Louisville recycling experts is to simply ask your property manager if there are any. In fact, your property manager can even get really involved andprovide you with office paper, cardboard, aluminum can and plastic bottle recycling not only for you, but for all of the tenants in the building. A great incentive to mention to your property manager is that waste disposal costs can be slashed due to recycling.If for some reason, your property manager is not able to provide a recycling program, then plan with your team and see what you can do to recycle. Decide on what materials you want to recycle, what needs most recycling,and the best way to recycle these materials.We hope that this article has given you the tools necessary so you can get your own office recycling programs started and in place. Recycling may seem like a rather hassling and difficult effort at first, but when you practice it everyday, you create a great habit that you can also take at home. Recycling has so many perks and we know you we do not have to tell you about all of them. As trite as it may sound, let’s all get into recycling and help save the planet we live in.

Executive Summary In 2007/2008 TD Canada Trust completely changed the way recycling was practiced in the financial industry by launching a new internal program across Canada. TD introduced Busch recycling bins, strategies and promotional materials into roughly 1,100 retail branch locations nationwide. This case study will look at how the program has shaped recycling efforts in the financial industry and how Busch recycling containers helped to achieve the programs goals.

BackgroundTD Canada Trust* Subsidiary of The Toronto-Dominion Bank* More than 11 million Canadian customers * Over 1,100 branches and 2,600 ATM green machines* One of the ‘Best Employers in Canada’ according to MediaCorps annual ‘Canada’s Top 100 Employers List’

Busch Systems International* North American leader of waste, compost and recycling containers for the past 25 years* Set the industry standard for new annual recycling container designs* Each container is 100% recyclable and North America made with a minimum of 35% recycled content

Recycling Containers* 30″ Waste Watchers* Deskside Recycling Bins* Promotional Mini 28 Quart Recycling Bins

AnalysisIn 2007/2008 TD Canada Trust launched a new internal recycling program for their retail branch locations across Canada. The goal of the program was to reduce the amount of waste being sent to landfills and to increase the diversion rate for recycling. Two Busch Systems recycling containers were used to create this onsite separation program:* The Deskside Recycling Bin* The 30″ Waste Watcher

Deskside Recycling Bins were placed conveniently at each teller location and fitted with biodegradable bags. Once full, the bags are emptied into one of the three Waste Watchers which are located in the branch lunchrooms. Together the containers form a centralized recycling station. The bank used custom label, color and shape options on the container openings to assists employees in the material separation process. Brail was also added above each label to assist TD Canada Trust members who are visually impaired. The program collected:* Cans/Bottles* Paper* Fiberboard/Cardboard* Waste

TD Canada Trust was attracted to the custom label and opening options available from Busch Systems. The bank also liked that the Busch recycling bins didn’t take up a great deal of space yet provided tremendous functionality. Each retail branch location has limited space available to properly run a recycling program. The Busch recycling bins helped to create an effective and space efficient recycling program by:* Being able to slide directly under teller desks and drawers* Being able to form a sleek recycling station utilizing a small footprint and effective design* Having concealed bags inside the centralized stations through the use of internal bag hooks. The bags were also able to be 18% smaller to save natural resources and costs

The greatest challenge for TD Canada Trust was what happened to the material after they were transferred into the Waste Watchers recycling bins. TD wanted to make sure that the collection process was simple and ran uniformly. They established three different types of weekly/biweekly pickup methods:* Community based which relies on curbside municipal collection* Building based for branches located in malls or plazas which relies on property owners to coordinate collection* Waste hauler based which relies on TD Canada Trust to arrange for collection

For bank locations which didn’t have access to community or building based programs TD Canada Trust created one. The bank teamed up with local waste hauler service providers and arranged for programs to be setup. This was an entirely new approach to recycling. It required haulers to go directly into the facilities to collect the materials from central locations. Previously, the haulers were largely used to emptying large metal bins located outside of the facilities.TD Canada Trust relied on their new recycling equipment to simplify the new collection process. The Busch recycling bins offered:* Internal bag hooks to ensure that no material misses the bag. This eliminates the time waste collecting materials from the bottom of containers* Easily removable lids which helps haulers get to the bags with ease* Easy grip handles on the top and bottom of the container which make them easy to transport and empty

Once the strategy for the recycling program was established the equipment was selected and stocked. The bank created communication and promotional tools to launch the program to the retail locations. Each location was given access to recycling products and equipment supplied by Busch. TD Canada Trust also supplied mini recycling bins stamped with the banks logo and environmental slogan. The bins were filled with program instructions and geared toward educating and exciting TD employees to use the new program.ConclusionOverall, the program was overwhelming well received by TD employees and customers. The recycling program and products helped to support the environmental brand and culture of the bank. TD is well known for their “Friends of the Environment Foundation” and various other green pursuits.

Savannah native Liz Taylor gets more than just money from her job. She’s passionate about her work and as a bonus it keeps her fit, since she doesn’t really like to wake up and go to the gym or go for a run. “I just like to get up and recycle,” she said with a laugh. And she has motivation, which is so crucial to an exercise regimen – in her case, it’s the full bins of recyclables that each customer needs emptied.She’s owned The Recycling Lady for almost eight years. She picks up recyclables from residential and business customers, as do other local companies including Rare Earth Recycling, Islands Recycling, and GreenLifespace. It’s one of a long list of interesting jobs she’s had over the years: exercise instructor, helping build a sustainable wood bench for the Atlanta Botanical Garden, home health nurse staffing, and house manager and personal assistant in Napa Valley. “It’s usually very interesting people who need an assistant,” she said. Her ta sks were either boring or a little crazy, she said, but thought it best not to give examples. The City of Savannah is delivering a blow to her business, but she doesn’t care. In fact, she’s thrilled. The city’s planned curbside recycling program will be a huge benefit to the community and the environment, she said, so she’ll be perfectly happy just to pick up recyclables from her customers outside city limits. “Even though I have a recycling business, I’m very happy it’s going to happen,” Taylor said. “It makes me very happy that over the years so many people have started to recycle. It makes me feel good – it’s just so important. “What’s really wonderful to me is now they’re talking about recycling on Oprah – it’s all over TV,” Taylor said. “Now you can talk about it and somebody’s not going to call you an aging hippie.”She’s recently done some consulting work for Melaver, Inc. to help set up recycling in its property Enterprise Mill. Located adjacent to the August a Canal near the banks of the Savannah River in Augusta, the restoration and redevelopment project houses professional offices, residential loft apartments and retail space. They’ve started with office paper recycling.

“We wanted to make it easy for everyone,” Taylor said. “The majority of people were so excited to have a way to recycle. The response was so positive. There is so much recycling of office paper it’s almost overwhelming.”"At each company we’ve asked the office manager the best way to make recycling easy for people, because if you make it hard they’re not going to do it,” Taylor said. Melaver supplied small bins that can go under each worker’s desk. The common areas hold wheeled recyling bins, but one company has a bin in the copy room. “Melaver is so dedicated and is doing so many wonderful things,” Taylor said. One of the companies in Augusta told her they had been talking about recycling for seven or eight years before Melaver made it easy at Enterprise Mill. Rhoda Brown, property manager for Melaver, Inc., agreed that making it easy for the tenants was crucial. “You’ve got to give them everything they need to make it work,” Brown said. Melaver, Inc. sees that a s its responsibility, and setting up recycling for tenants fits with the company’s commitment to sustainability. “We’re trying to do the right thing for the environment.” From what she’s seen, many more companies want to make choices like recycling. “The majority of the tenants indicated this is something they’ve been waiting for,” Brown said. Sometimes all it takes is a person who can help set up a system and get the project started. “Liz lives and breathes recycling – it’s her favorite topic,” Brown said. “Sending a person with passion makes any job easier.”Taylor knows how to help other people recycle. And at home, she sets an example that most of us would have to work hard to match.

She and her four dogs create one small grocery bag of trash each week. She gives her compost to a friend who uses it for a garden. Preferring voluntary simplicity, she’s annoyed by the excessive packaging, throwaway items that break quickly and consumerism that surround her. “We consume too much,” she said. “Buying makes people feel good.”

But much of what we throw away could be recycled, saving natural resources and energy as well as reducing pollution. “I am so glad to see Savannah start doing the things that the majority of places have been doing for a long time,” Taylor said. “I’m very happy to be here and be part of the change,” she said. People who move here from other areas of the country are “astounded” Savannah doesn’t recycle, she said. For Taylor, it’s not just about protecting the earth and using resources wisely, reusing materials rather than having to mine, drill or cut down natural resources. It’s also about community, she explains, and the feeling people get when they realize they’re making a difference. Recycling is an easy way for people to do something to help the environment. “I just know it makes a difference,” she said.Melaver, Inc. is a third-generation, family-owned business based in Savannah, Georgia. The sustainable real estate developer currently has eight LE ED certified projects in their portfolio and developed one of the first LEED certified buildings in the U.S. which is also on the National Register of Historic Places. Melaver Inc. also developed the first all-retail LEED shopping center in the country, Abercorn Common, including the first LEED McDonald’s worldwide.Contact: (912) 236-0781www.melaver.comwww.enterprisemill.com

Recycling facts

In 2000, recycling of solid waste prevented the release of 32.9 million metric tons of carbon equivalent into the air. www.nrc-recycle.org

Manufacturing and recycling a ton of recycled office paper:* Reduces solid waste by 49 percent.* Reduces total energy consumption by 43 percent.* Reduces net greenhouse gas emissions by 70 percent of carbon dioxide equivalents.* Reduces hazardous air pollutant emissions by 90 percent and particulate emissions by 40 percent.* Reduces absorbable organic halogen emissions to water by 100 percent and suspended solids by 30 percent.www.epa.gov

AluminumAluminum is infinitely recyclable without any degradation in the quality of aluminum. Recycling aluminum:* Requires 95 percent less energy than producing aluminum from bauxite. * Uses far less energy, produces less emissions, and saves money.In 2006, U.S. recyclers recovered nearly 52 percent of the more than 100 billion aluminum beverage cans produced in the country. Still, more than a billion dollars worth of aluminum cans were unrecovered. www.aluminum.org