Re: [greenyes] Sorry - as a general lurker - you've caught my attention.., Fast Food, GreenDot

["Michele Raymond" <michele@no.address>]

Its a complex story.

By weight, PS foam is not much in the US, but it is a bit bigger by VOLUME

Most cities only look at WEIGHT

If cities measured success by weight wed only be concerned about  plastics 
at nearly 30% and paper

GLASS is just 1.5% by volume  not worth recycling in many areas

Anything that is food contaminated is expensive to recycle period  doesnt 
matter if its paper or plastic

They tried to recycle PS foam and the economics were terrible  So we now 
TRASH the heavier paper.

Green Dot is a SYMBOL for financing owned by DSD Germany, licensed in 16 
countries including CSR in Canada

It is used in Europe but companies cant take it off too well on global 
packaging so they are supposed to pay a fee in Canada for the license.

No licensee in US -- pure politics I think.

Its all a complex issue and it goes back 15 years.

best of luck
Michele Raymond

At 10:54 AM 4/10/2003 -0400, Troy Glasner wrote:
> Hello:
>
> As a "good corporate" citizen - why is it weird that corporations recycle 
> their waste office paper - but companies like McDonalds don't have "blue, 
> and black bins" for their recyclables - a ton of their cup tops could be 
> recycled and their fry, mcnugget and burger boxes could all be recycled - 
> and I think it is funny - but those old styrene containers that they got 
> rid of - are they not more recyclable than the burger wrap/wax papers?
>
> How much do the fast food chains contribute to landfill every year - I 
> once heard that the golden arches senior officials thought that waste was 
> good because it filled in all of the mining pits.
>
> Why is it so difficult for them to put in Waste containers that divide 
> materials - much of North American citizens divide daily - why can't 
> they???  Is there anything being done on this level? I know in Canada - 
> I've never seen a recycle bin in a fast food place - but I see recycle 
> boxes in shopping mall food courts all the time.
>
> I know first hand that recycling works - an ICI plant I think in Cornwall 
> Ontario - has Mega bails of recycled cardboard - and the smell of their 
> plant - while putrid - smells of wet cardboard.  So something is going right.
>
> One more thing - has anyone heard of the GREEN DOT program?  I know it is 
> used in Germany - but in Canada - I believe the GREEN DOT program is owned 
> by the Plastics Association or something.... Clarification would be great.
>
> Troy
>
> Troy Glasner
> eKOS Building Solutions
> Tel: 613 821-6223
> Fax: 613 821-5909
> E: troy@no.address

Michele Raymond
Publisher
Recycling Laws International/ State Recycling Laws Update
5111 Berwyn Rd. Ste 115 College Park, MD 20740)
301/345-4237   Fax 345-4768
http://www.raymond.com