Um...What About Option C?

It seems like for some reason American Chemistry forgot about Canvas bags...We feel for the plastic recyclers and all because they are providing an important service but it seems like the answer of making more plastic bags so that they can continue to recycle is a little pointless. Whenever possible we use re-usable or recyclable materials for our packaging. Our boxes are made from cardboard that has both been recycled and can be recycled. We use bubble wrap that can be recycled from recycled bubble wrap. We provide free recycling on any acrylic furniture. Still, we are trying to do more and welcome any suggestions you can send our way. Help us create truly sustainable acrylic furniture

Real or Propaganda?

I found this article on American Chemistry's website. What do you think? Is it real or complete propaganda?

Thinking Green? Pick Plastic!

Article originally from American Chemistry magazine.

From shopping lists to checkout lines, more and more consumers are making choices with an eye toward the environment. But choosing the best option for the environment isn’t always as easy as we might think. Take plastic shopping bags: they’re resource-efficient, reusable, and 100 percent recyclable.

Unfortunately, a few cities have proposed banning recyclable plastic bags or mandating substitution with bags made from compostable materials. These proposals are being touted as a way to reduce litter and the amount of waste sent to landfills. While we all want to do our part to protect the environment, there are several reasons why a ban on plastic bags misses that mark.

Plastic bag recycling is a robust and growing industry across the United States, with the number of programs increasing daily. Millions of pounds of plastic bags are recycled each year and turned into various end products, such as durable outdoor decking, low-maintenance fencing, and new bags, reducing the need to produce new materials. Measures forcing retailers to replace recyclable plastic bags would severely diminish many of these programs.

Reusing plastic bags is another form of recycling. Surveys show more than 90 percent of Americans reuse their plastic bags as trash can liners, lunch bags, and for pet waste pickup. Every reused bag prevents consumers from having to purchase additional bags for these purposes.

The great news is recyclable plastic bags are an extremely resource-efficient choice, since they require 40 percent less energy to manufacture than paper bags. They also require 91 percent less energy to recycle, pound for pound, compared to paper bags. Additionally, the manufacture of paper bags produces 70 percent more air emissions than plastic bag manufacturing.

Although compostable products may provide a viable option in a very limited number of communities, it’s important to remember paper and compostable plastic bags will only degrade in a professionally managed, large-scale composting facility. Less than one percent of the U.S. population has access to these facilities, so the majority of compostable bags are likely to end up in a landfill or as litter.

Everyone wants a clean environment, but banning plastic bags is not the answer. Education and awareness are the keys to successful litter prevention and increased recycling programs. Plastic bags are an essential product and an environmentally responsible choice. For our part, plastic makers will continue to work hand-in-hand with communities across the nation to educate consumers about proper
waste disposal and ways to increase plastic recycling.

Our Sustainable Acrylic Furniture Blog is Spreading

Sometimes we are happy with the simple things in life. Today is one of those times. We now have our blog updates fed directly to our website under the section dealing with the sustainability of our acrylic furniture.

And While We're At It

We aren't limiting our free recycling to our own furniture. We will recycle any acrylic furniture as part of doing our part for the environment. Please ship any used acrylic furniture to:

Aaron R. Thomas Recycling Proram
2777 Bristol St. Ste. C
Costa Mesa, CA. 92626

Aaron R. Thomas Is Now Offering Free Recycling!

We are proud to announce that Aaron R. Thomas is now offering free recycling for all our acrylic furniture. Simply send us your acrylic furniture and we will recycle it for you absolutely free.

Recycled Plastic Boxes

Look at these cool stackable moving boxes from Earth Friendly Moving! These are made from recycled bleach bottles that come out of a landfill. These guys also make a pallet out of recycled diapers. Pretty soon, the owner, Spencer is going to give us a hand redesigning the packaging of our furniture.

Cereplast

Cereplast is a new publicly traded company that converts corn into plastic. Here is word from their PR people:

"Cereplast's compostable, renewable plastics are an economically and ecologically sound substitute for petroleum-based products. Cereplast plastics are made from 100% renewable resources, and
return to nature without a trace."

Currently these are only being used for packaging and minor applications but they are currently working on new resins and we are keeping our eye on them.

The Legend of Zelfo

An Australian company has made a new kind of material out of plant fibers and water. According to Zelfo this material is stronger than stone and completely biodegradable. That is the good news. The bad news is that the material is so popular that the company can't keep up with the demand. They are currently only making instruments out of it which is a good thing if you need a didgeridoo but a bad thing if you are looking for a place to sit.

Recycled Plastic Becomes Outdoor Fencing

I came across this article about recycled plastic today:

Garbage turned into backyard fencing by FiberTech

Posted by Michael Kanellos

DAVIS, Calif.--It's like the Sanford and Son of green tech companies.

FiberTech Polymers takes old corrugated cardboard, plastic and other materials that don't make it to the recycler and turns it all into outdoor fencing, CEO Steven Mortensen told the audience at the GoingGreen conference taking place here this week. You can make other stuff out of it, too.

"We take this rejected material and turn it into a product," he said. "Our products will not rot, splinter or fade to gray...That's why you don't want it in landfills."

The company is actually a net consumer of waste, he added: it takes in more waste than it generates. Getting materials is not a problem--only 32 percent of waste is actually recycled, he said. It calls the process ThreeCycling. There are other garbage-to-plastic companies out there, as well as garbage-to-cement companies. Others are making plastic out of cornstarch rather than oil.

$73 billion fencing gets sold on the wholesale level a year, he added.

I'm coming to join you, Elizabeth.

Recycling

We are located in the city of Costa Mesa, CA. The city sorts by both hand and machine all garbage so that they can recycle the maximum amount. We go a step further by sorting our waste and having all acrylic scraps, pieces, and even shavings recycled by a licensed acrylic recycling program.

Rohm Hass, has started using acrylic in the development of insulation instead of formaldehyde in it's manufacture of insulation. The firm reduced plant formaldehyde emissions by more than 200,000 pounds, ammonia by more than one million pounds, and eliminated phenol and methanol emissions completely. Canadian environmental agencies have also taken note: insulation made acrylic resin became the only bonded fiberglass insulation eligible for Environment Canada's prestigious Environmental Choice EcoLogo Program

What Happens to Recycled Acrylic?

I know that we recycle 100% of our acrylic waste but I didn't know what happens to the final product once it has been recycled. Well I did some research and found that it is typically used to create bottles and plastic lumber. I also found out that Leonardo Bonanni came up with a brilliant in-home use for acrylic, a machine that instantly makes dishes out of flat acrylic disks. It isn't the prettiest machine but it is cool to see in action, take a look!

Is Acrylic a Sustainable Material?

Acrylic is one of those materials that is horrible on the environment to make in terms of the chemicals that are put into the air but it is amazingly sustainable once it is produced. Acrylic Furniture is 100% recyclable and has a very long lifespan. Also, unlike foam, synthetics, or even wood, all acrylic shavings and scraps can be recycled into new material very easily. This blog will investigate the sustainability of acrylic as well as show what we at Aaron R. Thomas are doing to help reduce waste and help the environment.