Buy It Again !
Newsletter of the New Jersey Buy Recycled Business Network –Winter, 2000

League of Municipalities Display A Hit 

The New Jersey Buy Recycled Business Network teamed up with the Association of New Jersey Recyclers this past November to develop a very innovative and interesting

exhibit that was displayed at the League of Municipalities conference and trade show in Atlantic City. In addition to providing important information about the Network and "buying recycled," the exhibit featured a variety of recycled products that are either manufactured or distributed by Network members.

The front end of a recycled automobile with working headlights was used by Pro Auto Recyclers to bring attention to the world of recycled auto parts. Polywood, Inc.’s recycled plastic lumber picnic table was another eye-catching feature of the exhibit, as was the recycled content Environ flooring provided by Rainbow Eco Specialties. The exhibit also included Total Recycling Services’ interesting display on the anti-freeze rerefining process, as well as the various recycled products manufactured from paper by Marcal Paper Mills, Inc. and the Homasote Company. The financial and technical support provided by these companies helped to make the Network’s involvement in this event a success.

Special thanks must also be extended to Network member Bell Atlantic and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Division of Solid and Hazardous Waste for their financial support of the exhibit.

Did You Know…

  • Furniture and cabinets made by Safe Solutions LLC of Durango, Colorado are constructed from 100% recycled shipping pallets and building materials. Contact the company at 970-247-3333.
  • Baume & Mercier’s Catwalk wristwatch has a rubber and steel band made from scrap tires. The watch was available this past holiday season at Tourneau for $1,250!
  • The Sheraton Rittenhouse Square in Philadelphia, PA is promoting itself as the "First Environmentally Smart Hotel in the Continental United States." State-of-the-art environmental, recycled and sustainable materials are used throughout the hotel. For more information, call 800-325-3535.
  • The EcoMall (http://www.ecomall.com) promotes itself as the oldest and largest environmental shopping center on the Internet. The EcoMall website features a wide variety of environmentally friendly products and services.
  • GreenDisk recycled computer disks are 100% guaranteed to be error-free and virus-free. Visit the company’s website at www.greendisk.com for more information, including locations where the disks can be purchased.

Buy Recycled Resources – Recent Developments

The procurement of recycled products and other environmentally friendly products just got easier thanks to a number of new or updated information resources available on the Internet.

The Buy Recycled Business Alliance, a partnership of the National Recycling Coalition, Inc., recently announced that its Buy Recycled Guidebook has been updated and is available on the World Wide Web at http://brba.nrc-recycle.org (follow the "What’s New" link). In addition, the Environmental Protection Agency has revamped its environmentally preferable purchasing database which can be found at http://www.epa.gov/opptintr/epp (follow the "What’s New" link).

In terms of new resources, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology recently announced the startup of its Gallery of Environmentally Preferable Products website found at http://tbe.mit.edu/gallery/. Another new resource is the National Association of Counties’ "Local Government Purchasing Starter Kit." The kit is available through the NACO website found at www.naco.org/programs/environ/purchase.cfm.

Academia Embraces Sustainability

With the goal of making their campuses models of sustainability, six New Jersey colleges and universities have come together to launch the New Jersey Higher Education Partnership for Sustainability (NJHEPS). The partnership is comprised of Bergen Community College, Kean University, Montclair State University, Ramapo College, Rutgers University and Stevens Institute of Technology and was formed with the support of the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation of Morristown, New Jersey.

Among other goals, NJHEPS seeks to develop cooperative green purchasing contractual arrangements at each campus for the procurement of recycled products and other environmentally appropriate products and services. For more information, visit NJHEP’s website at http://www.ramapo.edu/njheps.

Recycled Paper in the News

  • A recent U.S. Conference of Mayors study proved that recycled content copy paper works just as well in copy machines as does virgin-fiber copy paper. Equipment producers did test runs of 2 million sheets using virgin-fiber paper, 20% post-consumer recycled paper and 30% post-consumer recycled paper. The results of the study are as follows:

    Grade           Copier Jams/100,000 Sheets
    Virgin                       2.9
    20% Recycled       2.8 – 2.9
    30% Recycled       1.5 –3.2
  • Solana Recyclers of Encinitas, California formed a Recycled Products Purchasing Cooperative as a way to increase the use of recycled paper in the public and private sectors. The 30% post-consumer recycled paper that is available through the Cooperative meets or beats the price that many organizations are paying for virgin-fiber paper and is recommended by the U.S. Government Printing Office. While initially only available to six western states, the Cooperative hopes to be open to all fifty states later this year. There is no cost to become a member of the Cooperative. For further information, call 760-436-7986 or visit their website at www.recycledproducts.org.

    Earth Day, April 22, 2000 - Right Around the Corner

    While April 22nd might seem far away right now, it is closer than you think, especially if you intend to organize and hold a Buy Recycled Earth Day event at your company. While Earth Day 2000 is scheduled for a Saturday, activities promoting environmental awareness will be held throughout April so don’t worry if your event is not on Earth Day itself.

    This annual celebration is a perfect opportunity for you to help spread the Buy Recycled message at your company. Among other things, consider creating a recycled products display that includes the recycled products purchased by your company. In addition, consider providing company staff with recycled content hats, frisbees, or T-shirts, etc. that promote both the Buy Recycled message and your company. So, start making your plans and have fun!

    Q & A

    Q. What is the New Jersey Buy Recycled Business Network and what is its role?

    A. The Network is a leadership group of companies that have made a commitment to increase their purchase of recycled products and materials as part of their day-to-day operations. The role of the organization is to bring the Buy Recycled message to as many companies as possible. To join, call Marie Kruzan of ANJR at 908-722-7575 or visit the Network website at www.state.nj.us/recyclenj.  

     

    New Jersey Buy Recycled Business Network
    Joseph Verga, Bell Atlantic – Co-Chair
    973-266-9033
    Steven Rinaldi, NJDEP, Bureau of Recycling and Planning – Co-Chair, 609-984-3438

    Editor: Steven Rinaldi