The Recycling Handbook for BusinessesF76805AC-71CD-427F... · helpful for crushing or flattening aluminum cans, and for storing these materials until they ... The Recycling Handbook

Bergen County Utilities Authority

The RecyclingHandbook forBusinesses

The RecyclingHandbook

INTRODUCTION

The Bergen County Utilities Authority(BCUA) assists each municipality in thecounty to comply with state recyclingmandates. This CommercialRecycling Handbook is presentedby the BCUA in order to helpmunicipalities and businessesmeet their recycling goals.

Private businesses in the countymust recycle in order to comply withstate law. The purpose of this handbook is to givebusinesses general information about commercial recycling sothat one may develop or expand a recycling program in thework place and become part of the larger recycling programbeing implemented in the community. Since businesses canmake major contributions toward increased recycling,municipal recycling coordinators work closely with all kinds ofcommercial establishments.

In Bergen County, there are more than 30 individual materialscurrently being recycled from both the residential, as well ascommercial sectors. To put this in perspective, during the pastten years Bergen County residents and businesses haverecycled over 600,000 tons of clean newspaper alone, savingover 10 million trees.

Please note that this handbook is a guide for office paper,corrugated cardboard, aluminum, and glass from commercialbusinesses. You can get additional recycling information andassistance by contacting your municipal recycling coordinator,or by calling the BCUA’s Environmental Programs Hotline at201-807-5825. For more detailed information, the BergenCounty Utilities Authority’s web site may be accessed atwww.bcua.org.

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OFFICE PAPER:High-grade paper consists of computer paper,tab cards, white letterhead, ledger and non-glossy copy paper.Office paper can be first collected at individualdesks by placing it in personal recycling bins.Later, it can be transferred to a central storagecontainer.Mixed paper (junk mail, colored paper, phonebooks) can also be recycled.The price for the office paper will depend on thequantity and quality of the materials recycled.

CORRUGATED CARDBOARD:Corrugated cardboard has two smooth sides anda layer of ribbed paper between.It can sometimes be mixed with brown paperbags and other paper items (check with vendorfor specifications.)It may be flattened and tied with twine, baled, orcompacted to increase storage and collectionefficiency.

ALUMINUM AND GLASS/ALUMINUM CANS:Aluminum cans are light-weight and can beeasily crushed. When they are crushed, they willtake up less storage space (check with recyclingvendor for specifications.)Aluminum cans, such as soda cans, may or maynot be mixed with bi-metal, or tin-coated steel

The following are some generalpoints to remember when yourecycle office paper, corrugatedcardboard, and aluminum and glass:

2The RecyclingHandbook

cans (like coffee cans) (check with recyclingvendor for specifications.)Aluminum cans have a high market value.

GLASS BOTTLES AND JARS:They should not be mixed with other types ofglass such as window panes, mirrors, or lightbulbs.Glass bottles or jars may or may not be sortedseparately by color (check with recyclingvendor for specifications.)

STORAGE AND COLLECTION:Do not mix recyclables with the regular wasteyour business generates. Instead, keep themseparate so they do not becomecontaminated. To store recyclables efficiently,and/or to increase their market value, you mayfind it helpful to do some basic materialprocessing, such as flattening aluminum cansor corrugated cardboard.

You should set aside a separate space orseparate container(s) to store recyclables untilthey are picked up and delivered to a market.In some situations, refuse containers may holdrecyclables while in other circumstances youmay need special recycling containers andreceptacles.

A recycling market may provide for collectingand transporting of recyclables to a centralprocessing facility or recycling industry. Youmay also arrange to have this serviceprovided by private haulers or, if available, bymunicipal crews.


MATERIALS MARKETING:In order for your recycling program to besuccessful, you must first locate a companythat will accept or buy your recyclables. Eachmarket has its own material specificationrequirements that you must meet before thematerial is recycled. You may prefer toarrange a contract with a market for thepurchase of your business’s recyclables at aset price for a certain period of time.

GLASS:Clear Glass Bottles and Containers: Thisincludes clear glass beverage and foodcontainers such as clear soda, juice, or beerbottles, peanut butter and mayonnaise jars,etc.

Colored Glass Bottles and Containers:Includes food and beverage containers. Thereare three subtypes: Green, Brown and OtherColored Glass.

Remainder/Composite Glass: This includesglass that cannot fit into any other type orsubtype. These items are mostly made ofglass, but have been combined with othermaterials like Pyrex, Corningware, crystal,mirrors, windshields, etc.

OFFICE PAPER:Computer Paper: Continuous paper printed onan impact printer, usually solid white, includingblue- or green-lined, pin-feed printer paperthat is untreated and uncoated. This does notinclude laser printed paper.


White: Includes white computer paper, copypaper, letterhead, white notebook paper andledger paper.Colored: Same as white, only the paper iscolored.File stock: A specialty grade of (mixed) officetype papers that is derived from discardedfiles. These may come from offices, recordsstorage, records centers, archives, libraries,etc. Mostly white and colored ledger but mayalso include carbonless paper, bleached filefolders, paper clips, binders, etc.Mixed: A mixture of various grades ofrecyclable waste paper not limited by fibercontent and includes most types of clean anddry paper including glossy, white ledger andcomputer papers, newspapers, magazines,catalogs, phone books, cards, laser- printedwhite ledger, windowed envelopes, stickynotes, and often contains corrugated andbrown paper.Corrugated Cardboard: It is used for shippingcontainers and is manufactured from a flutedpaperboard, called corrugating medium,sandwiched between two paperboards calledlinerboard.NOTE: Contaminants can significantly decrease themarket value of your recyclable paper. Remember, youneed to keep certain items out of your recyclable paper:food containers, (bottles, cans, plastic cups, polystyrene,aluminum, food wrappers, etc.), food waste, restroomwaste, and carbon. Check with your recycler to find outwhat other materials are unacceptable in your recyclingprogram.

Go to www.bcua.org to obtain a list of potential marketsfor office paper, corrugated cardboard, glass andaluminum, as well as many other items.


EQUIPMENT:

For Aluminum and Glass:Various kinds of equipment are available forcommercial businesses. This equipment ishelpful for crushing or flattening aluminumcans, and for storing these materials until theyare collected.If you have ample room, you can obtainmechanical equipment that flattens cans andthen feeds them into separate storage bins.However, your glass may still require manualsorting by color before being stored. Theequipment best suited for your businessdepends in part on the kind of business youhave, your space limitations, how muchrecyclable material you generate and theprocessing requirements of the markets to beused.For Corrugated Cardboard:There is both large and small-scale equipmentavailable for use in commercial businesses forbaling corrugated cardboard. Baling thecorrugated cardboard can increase the netprice, decrease the storage space and makethe handling process easier.For Office Paper:There is various equipment and accessorieswhich exist to facilitate the collection of officepaper. Companies manufacture and sellrecycling collection and storage containers. Inaddition, many office suppliers sell desktopcontainers/folders which may be utilized forstoring office paper at an individual’s desk.The paper stored in these containers can betransferred to the larger collection containerwithin your office.


SETTING UP A RECYCLING PROGRAM:

Select a Program Coordinator:In order to promote a successful recyclingprogram, the employer needs to selectsomeone who is well-organized, and holds agood rapport with his/her coworkers. It alsohelps if this person is enthusiastic and canpromote a sense of teamwork. In addition to aProgram Coordinator, it may be helpful toenlist the help of some selected Monitors.They should be well trained and have a goodunderstanding of how the recycling programshould run. This will ensure that the recyclingprogram within your workplace runs smoothlyand efficiently.

Program Coordinator:The responsibilities of the coordinator mayinclude selecting a recycler (a list of marketslocated in and around the Bergen County areacan be found on the Bergen County UtilitiesAuthority’s website, www.bcua.org ),developing the collection system, educatingfellow employees, and tracking the success ofthe program. The coordinator also may be thepoint of contact for the recycler or the buildingmanager and should work with the purchasingdepartment to establish a “buy recycled”program.


When the appointed coordinator is contactinga potential recycler, it is important that he/sheask the following questions:What materials does the recycler presentlyaccept?How should materials be prepared forrecycling?What is the current price for each material?What minimum quantities will the marketaccept?What hours and days are they open?Will they provide storage containers,equipment or collection services?What method of payment do they accept?(Cash, check, credit card, etc.)Are contracts required or available?

Monitors:Monitors may be given various responsibilities,including keeping containers contaminant-free,ensuring the containers are emptiedperiodically, and encouraging employees toparticipate.

Getting Staff to Participate:Promotion - that is the key to success. Youcannot expect many positive results if youremployees are not informed as to how theprogram works, as well as its benefits. Explainthe recycling process and how employees canparticipate by collecting recyclables and byusing products made from recycled materials.The support of all employees is essential.These are a few ways to get your employeesboth informed and involved:Send a memo. A memorandum signed by theemployer and directed to all employees,


stating the benefits of recycling and describingideally how your program will work is a good wayto start your program. Here is an example:

“Dear Employees:At Company X, we value our employees and theenvironment they live in. It is incumbent uponus all, as stewards of the environment in whichwe live, that we do our part to preventunnecessary waste, energy use, and pollution,and to promote the concepts of conserving ournatural resources and extending our valuablelandfill capacity. Individually, in some small way,we can each do our part towards these goals. Itis with this in mind, that I introduce to you ournew Recycling Program which will begin its kick-off on Monday morning. You are all invited togather in the employee cafeteria at 9:30 am for apresentation about this new program and whatwe all will do to be a part of it. Refreshments willbe served. I look forward to seeing you all there,and working with you towards a successfulrecycling program.

A. Boss”

Educational sessions - The memo should besupplemented by brief presentations to allemployees. The “dos and don’ts” of the programand its benefits should be explained and questionsanswered. (Stickers with lists of what goes intoeach bin, or color coordinated bins may beavailable from your recycler and are helpfulinformational tools.) Information on your recyclingprogram should be included as part of theorientation of new employees.


Posters - They should be placed at recyclingcollection points. They should be highly visibleand eye-catching. Flyers may also be a goodidea. Leave flyers in common areas like abreak-room, by a water cooler/coffee pot, or inthe rest rooms.Educational sessions - The memo should besupplemented by brief presentations to allemployees. The “dos and don’ts” of theprogram and its benefits should be explainedand questions answered. (Stickers with lists ofwhat goes into each bin, or color coordinatedbins may be available from your recycler andare helpful informational tools.) Information onyour recycling program should be included aspart of the orientation of new employees.Posters. They should be placed at recyclingcollection points. They should be highly visibleand eye-catching. Flyers may also be a goodidea. Leave flyers in common areas like abreak-room, by a water cooler/coffee pot, or inthe rest rooms.

Reinforcement and Follow-up:It is important to reinforce new recycling habits.Keep employees informed of your company’srecycling efforts and successes. Note newrecycled products that are purchased,participation rates, quantities of recyclablesthat are collected, revenue earned, disposalcost savings, and any problems encounteredand/or solved in company memos ornewsletters. Ask employees for suggestions asto how they think the program can beimproved upon.


A successful program requires time andeffort to familiarize the employees and thecustodial staff with the recycling program’sobjectives and requirements.

WHAT HAPPENS TO THE PAPER WHEN ITLEAVES YOUR OFFICE?At the recycling plant the paper is de-fiberedby mixing it with water and applying heat toform a pulp mixture. By forcing the pulpthrough a series of screens, contaminantssuch as paper clips and staples areremoved. The pulp is further cleaned bycentrifugal cleaners and water washersbefore being spread over rotating screens toform new paper.

WHAT HAPPENS TO ALUMINUM ANDGLASS?Aluminum – Recycled aluminum is firstcrushed and then melted into a liquidaluminum form. This liquid aluminum issmelted with virgin aluminum before beingre-rolled into a final product to be used in thealuminum can industry.

Glass – Recycled glass bottles and jars areprocessed by first crushing them into smallglass pieces (cullet). Then, the cullet ismixed with sand, soda ash, and limestone toproduce new glass bottles, jars, and othercontainers.

Aluminum and glass manufacturing plantshave found that by increasing thepercentage of recycled material in theirmanufacturing processes, they can save on


WHAT HAPPENS TO CARDBOARD?At the paper recycling plant, water and heatare applied to form paper fiber. These fibersare then further processed to produce suchitems as fiberboard, shoe boxes, and newcorrugated paper.

RECORD KEEPING:It is your responsibility to keep records on theamount of materials being recycled by yourbusiness. Each business is required to provide areport yearly to their local municipal recyclingcoordinator. You must have properdocumentation in order to report to yourmunicipality that your business is in compliancewith the source separation requirements of thelocal recycling ordinance. Also, you want toensure that your municipality can be credited withthe correct tonnage of recyclable materials beingrecovered. These tonnage figures are required bythe state to determine whether the mandatedrecovery goals are being met by the municipality.

In addition, the municipality in which yourbusiness is located is eligible for tonnage grantpayments from the State of NJ, as well as fromthe Bergen County Utilities Authority for materialsrecycled within its boundaries. A record of howmuch material your business

maintenance and energy costs. The awareness ofthis increased production efficiency has increasedthe demand for these post-consumer materials.As a result, not only will the recycling of aluminumand glass be more economical for themanufacturers, but it will also reduce disposablecosts for the recycler.


recycled is needed for the municipality to beeligible for these grant programs.

OTHER MATERIALS GENERATED BYBUSINESSES:There are many other materials whichbusinesses generate which can be recycled:Plastic polystyrene “peanuts” used forpackaging are not recyclable but can bereused many times. Store them year-roundin a dry plastic bag and use them whenpacking or shipping. Some are now made ofa vegetable derivative and closely resembletheir plastic counterparts. If they disintegratein water, they are made from vegetablematter.

Consider packing up your peanuts anddropping them off at your local packagingstore. Most chain stores, such as Mail BoxesEtc. and the UPS Store will accept them.Check the phone book for more stores whichwill take them in if you do not wish to keepthem.

Plastic:A raised number (1 through 7) in a triangleon the bottom of most plastic containers tellsyou what type of plastic it is.Sort plastic by number. Recyclable plasticoften must be separated by number in orderto avoid contamination as it begins therecycling process.Recycle type 1 (PETE) and type 2 (HDPE)plastic containers – they often include somedetergent containers, milk, soda, juice,cooking oil, and water bottles.

Made from recycledmaterials

Capable of beingrecycled


Computers and Electronics:Electronics contain metals, plastic, andtoxins that should be reclaimed rather thanput into a landfill.Some can be refurbished or sold throughcharitable thrift stores.Some parts will be removed and reused. Therest will be broken down into eachcomponent (black plastic, white plastic,copper, glass, leaded glass, wire circuitboards for precious metals) and recycled.

The Bergen County Utilities Authority has apermanent facility where old computers andelectronics can be recycled by businessesfor a small fee. Please call (201) 807-5825for an appointment.

Laser and Ink Jet Printer Cartridges:One third of businesses nationwide useremanufactured cartridges. Recycling yourlaser and ink jet printer cartridges will reducethe amount of plastic put into landfills. Mostcartridges can be recycled up to six timesand are guaranteed by most manufacturersto work as well as brand-new ones.

Check with your recycling market for otherplastic recycling specifications.

FACTS:Plastic type 1 (PETE) can be recycled intoitems like carpet, auto parts, paint brushes, andindustrial paints.Plastic type 2 (HDPE) is recycled into productslike detergent and engine oil bottles, trash cansand recycling bins.


What does “remanufactured” actually mean?The definition of remanufactured can vary fromcompany to company. Unless a cartridge’scomponent parts are replaced with new aftermarket components, it’s not considered to beremanufactured. A typical process involvesinspection and replacement of key componentssuch as the OPC (Organic PhotoconductorDrum –more commonly know as the blue orgreen metallic cylinder in the cartridge). Inaddition, components such as the corona wireassembly, wiper blade, PCR (Primary ChargeRoller), and magnetic roller all requirereplacement as needed.One of the most critical parts of a cartridge isthe OPC drum. Remanufacturers shouldreplace the original OPC drum in all cartridgeswith a new after market drum. New after marketdrums are made specifically forremanufacturers, to have a harder and moredurable surface than the OEM. The advantageis consistent sharp, clearer output. Due tovarious printer engines and their relativecartridge types, different drums are used.Remanufacturers have conducted extensivetesting and research to ensure optimumperformance from each type of drum.1

Look at the instruction in the box of your newlaser or ink jet cartridge to find out how torecycle your old one. Many companies willprovide instructions, packaging materialsand free postage if you wish to recycle yourold cartridge, which is then refilled and usedagain.Go to www.bcua.org for the latest recyclingmarkets available.


WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?The type of recycling approach which is bestsuited for your business needs depends uponthe type of business you have and thecircumstances in which you conduct it. Thishandbook aims to give you a basicunderstanding of New Jersey’s mandatoryrecycling law and what must be consideredwhen organizing and implementing acommercial recycling effort.

The specific details of making recyclingsucceed in your business must now be workedout between you and your municipal recyclingcoordinator. The recycling coordinator canprovide you with information regardingrecycling markets, storage containers,processing equipment, collection services andrecycling associations. The Bergen CountyUtilities Authority staff is available to assist youand you can also get some valuableinformation from their website, www.bcua.orgor by calling the BCUA EnvironmentalPrograms Hotline at 201-807-5825.

The Bergen County Utilities Authority greatlyappreciates your assistance in helping toensure the successful implementation ofmunicipal recycling programs in and aroundBergen County.

(Footnotes)1 “Frequently Asked Questions AboutRemanufactured Toner Cartridges,” 1999 -Lasertone Corp. June 1, 2004.


The information provided in this brochure has beencompiled, written, and edited by:

The Bergen County Utilities AuthoritySolid Waste Division

Printed on recycled paper.

Documents

The Recycling Handbook for BusinessesF76805AC-71CD-427F... · helpful for crushing or flattening aluminum cans, and for storing these materials until they ... The Recycling Handbook